Voting Station

Jerome L. Murray

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Inventor

The Resume

    (August 20, 1912-January 7, 1998)
    Born in New York, New York
    American inventor
    Creator of everyday items such as the electric carving knife, the rotating TV antenna, the airplane boarding ramp, and the audible pressure cooker
    Also invented a pump for blood during operations that allowed for open heart surgery and led to the development of kidney dialysis treatments
    BS in Aeronautical Engineering from MIT
    Held 75 domestic and foreign patents at the time of his death

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a poor businessman and rarely (with a couple of major exceptions) made much money from his inventions. While working for a hydraulics company he received only a token $1 for each of the sixteen products he invented for the company.
    Most of his 'inventions' were simply improvements of existing products or just different ways of using them versus completely new ideas.
    He was goofy looking. Really, really goofy looking.
    Despite his many contributions to the world, he lived and died a virtual unknown.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He came by his ideas from observation, hard work, and trying to do things a better way.
    He was 15 when he designed a windmill for providing electricity to rural radio users.
    He contributed products to an amazing variety of fields including: the rotary internal engine, a coffee roaster, a method for measuring jet engine thrust, a knife sharpener, and a female hygiene product.
    Belying the geeky image of inventors, he was a test pilot during WWII.
    He said 'I've never seen courses in the art of inventing. Science and marketing can be learned, but inventing comes from within.'
    He gave away his patent for the blood pump, which he considered his greatest invention, because 'it saved lives.'

Credit: tom_jeffords


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 21 Votes: 52.38% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 15 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying