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David Warren

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Inventor

The Resume

    (March 20, 1925-July 19, 2010)
    Born in Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia
    Research scientist for the Defence Science and Technology Organization's Aeronautical Research Labs (1952-83)
    Invented the flight data recorder ('black box') (1957)
    Named an officer of the Order of Australia (2002)

Why he might be annoying:

    His prototype was rejected by Australia's Department of Civil Aviation and the Royal Australian Air Force, which claimed, 'The recorder would yield more expletives than explanation.'
    When Australia made flight recorders mandatory (1960), he was bypassed and the contract given to an American firm.
    Despite the nickname, the black box ain't black -- it's orange-red for visibility.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His father died in Australia's first major air disaster, a plane crash over the Bass Strait (1934).
    He came up with the idea for the flight data recorder while part of a team investigating a crash of the world's first commercial jetliner, the Comet (1953).
    Despite resistance in Australia, the black box was quickly adopted in Britain after Warren mentioned the invention during a meeting with Sir Robert Hardingham, Secretary of the UK Air Registration Board.
    On receiving the Order of Australia, he said, 'It's very comforting that the black box is now accepted as being something useful to humanity.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 21 Votes: 52.38% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 28 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 21 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 55 Votes: 43.64% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 72 Votes: 52.78% Annoying