Hammer Breaking Pane of Glass

by Edgerton, Harold (American, 1903-1990)
Categorized in Photograph

Edgerton received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering at the University of Nebraska and his S.M. and Sc.D. degrees at MIT. He was a research assistant and instructor at MIT during his graduate years and by 1931 he was appointed to the faculty. In 1966 he received the prestigious honor of Institute Professor Emeritus. His students, colleagues and friends knew him simply as ?Doc.? Perhaps best known for his achievements in ultra-high speed photography, Edgerton also was an inventor, teacher, entrepreneur and scientist. He also contributed to underwater exploration and was instrumental in the formation of the New England Aquarium in Boston. As an entrepreneur he became a partner in a company that specialized in electronic technology. Edgerton?s research using stroboscopic lights in both ultra-high speed motion and still photography revealed things normally beyond the perception of the human eye. He received international recognition for his photos that demonstrated such amazing things as bullets passing through apples, birds in actual flight, light bulbs shattering and the first millionth of a second of an atomic blast. These stop-motion images are some of the world?s most famous photographs.

Questions about the collection? Fill out our online form.
Rights and Reproduction Info