Wallace L. Minto (August 6, 1921 in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Scotchlite Retroreflective sheeting is flexible retroreflective material primarily used to increase the nighttime conspicuity of traffic signs, high-visibility clothing, and other items so they are safely and effectively visible in the light of an approach ...

". He had a copyright on his own periodic chart which renamed all the elements. When only 16, he was a student at Columbia College and was later instrumental in convincing

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

to write a letter to President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

(dated August 2, 1939) stressing the need for the United States to expand its experimentation with Atomic Energy, leading to the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

. Consequently, Minto sold his uranium rich ore to the U.S. Government for use in the Manhattan Project. On June 26, 1944, Minto was enlisted by Dr. Andrew H. Dowdy, director of the Manhattan Department of the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

, to take charge of the Special Problems Division of the Manhattan Project. Minto reported directly to General

Leslie Groves Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves Jr. (17 August 1896 – 13 July 1970) was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project, a top secret research project ...

and reportedly threw Groves out of his lab for tampering with his beakers. Another significant accomplishment by Minto was a non-polluting, organic Rankine Cycle Engine.Modern steam cars are really on the way, Devon Francis, Popular Science, pages 44-49 and 168-170, June 1969 The engine was licensed to Nissan Motor Company in 1972. Minto also discovered the method by which fish communicate which is referenced in the July 1965 issue of ''

Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...

''. Hydronics, a low form of radiation, was also discovered by Minto. Furthermore, he invented the Jemeter, an electronic refractometer, utilized to distinguish gem stones. Finally, Minto invented the

Minto Wheel The Minto wheel is a heat engine named after Wally Minto. The engine consists of a set of sealed chambers arranged in a circle, with each chamber connected to the chamber opposite it. One chamber in each connected pair is filled with a liquid wi ...

, as a gift to the Third World countries. Its purpose was to replace the mundane task of oxen and mules walking around in circles in order to grind corn or wheat and for the operation of a low technology irrigation system. Wallace Minto died on September 3, 1983, of

myelofibrosis Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a rare bone marrow blood cancer. It is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a type of myeloproliferative neoplasm, a group of cancers in which there is growth of abnormal cells in the bone marrow. ...

after a long battle. His disease was a direct result of his work on the Manhattan Project.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minto, Wallace 1921 births 1983 deaths Columbia College (New York) alumni 20th-century American inventors Manhattan Project people