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William Henry Bristol (July 5, 1859–June 18, 1930) was an inventor, manufacturer, educator, and environmentalist. Bristol was born in
William Henry Bristol (July 5, 1859–June 18, 1930) was an inventor, manufacturer, educator, and environmentalist. Bristol was born in Waterbury
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...
, Connecticut.
After graduating from the Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...
in 1884 with an engineering degree, he returned there in 1886 as an instructor and progressed to become a professor of mathematics in 1899. While at Stevens, he patented products including a steel lacing for industrial belts and a pressure chart recorder
A chart recorder is an electromechanical device that records an electrical or mechanical input trend onto a piece of paper (the chart). Chart recorders may record several inputs using different color pens and may record onto strip charts or circu ...
. The need to manufacture these products led to the founding of the Bristol Company in 1889 with his brother, Franklin, and his father, Benjamin. By 1915, the company was manufacturing the largest and most complete line of industrial instruments in the world, including instruments to measure and record temperature, electricity, pressure, motion, time, flow, and humidity. These instruments were the first to provide an uninterrupted history of manufacturing plant operations; increasing efficiency, improving quality, and allowing higher rates of productivity.
He was awarded the John Scott Medal
John Scott Award, created in 1816 as the John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium, is presented to men and women whose inventions improved the "comfort, welfare, and happiness of human kind" in a significant way. "...the John Scott Medal Fund, establish ...
in 1890. Edward Longstreth Medal
The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...
from the Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...
in 1894.
In 1904, Professor Bristol invented the first practical pyrometer
A pyrometer is a type of remote-sensing thermometer used to measure the temperature of distant objects. Various forms of pyrometers have historically existed. In the modern usage, it is a device that from a distance determines the temperature of ...
for measuring high temperatures. This created another new industry and led to the formation of the William H. Bristol Pyrometer Company in New York City.
In 1915, he invented the “Bristolphone” to simultaneously record voices and other sounds with motion in moving pictures. He founded the William H. Bristol Talking Picture Corporation to develop “synchronized talking motion pictures,” and produced one of the first full-length motion pictures with sound. The Bristolphone was used in nearly one hundred movie houses in the U.S. He also developed and manufactured loud speakers, power amplifiers, radios and phonograph recorders. His “Audiophone,” which was used at Yankee Stadium and Grand Central Station in New York, revolutionized public address systems.
William Bristol was awarded medals at expositions in Chicago (1893), Paris (1900), Saint Louis (1904), San Francisco (1915) and Philadelphia (1926). He received two awards from the Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...
to honor his distinguished career. He gained worldwide recognition while making possible major advances in both pure scientific knowledge and industrial technology. Bristol, who received nearly 100 patents during his lifetime, died on June 18, 1930.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bristol, William Henry 1859 births 1930 deaths 19th-century American inventors 20th-century American inventors Stevens Institute of Technology faculty