Shadowgraph of a .22-caliber bullet in flight
Taken by an MIT freshman in 1962, in Edgerton's lab. The flash was triggered by the shock wave (shown) hitting a microphone (out of frame). The picture shows no solid object except the bullet.

Harold Eugene "Doc" Edgerton (April 6, 1903–January 4, 1990) was a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is largely credited with transforming strobes from an obscure laboratory instrument into a pedestrian device in every camera. He grew up in Aurora, Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska. After graduating from UN, he married Esther Garret in 1928. During their marriage they had three children: William, Robert, and Mary Lou. Shadowgraph of bullet in flight I wanted to put some kind of strobe photograph on the Edgerton page. ... Shadowgraph of bullet in flight I wanted to put some kind of strobe photograph on the Edgerton page. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 1903 has the latest occurring solstices and equinoxes for 400 years, because the Gregorian calendar hasnt had a leap year for seven years or a century leap year since 1600. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Electrical engineering - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a research and educational institution located in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is a world leader in science and technology, as well as in many other fields, including engineering systems, management, economics, linguistics, political science, and philosophy. ... State nickname: Cornhusker State Other U.S. States Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Governor Dave Heineman (R) Official languages English Area 200,520 km² (16th)  - Land 199,099 km²  - Water 1,247 km² (0. ... University of Nebraska seal The University of Nebraska is the main public higher education outlet of the State of Nebraska in the United States. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Edgerton first used stroboscopes to study synchronous motors for his PhD thesis at MIT, awarded in 1931. He credited Charles Stark Draper with inspiring him to point strobes at everyday objects: the first was a stream of water coming out of a faucet. He was a pioneer in strobe photography, subsequently using the technique to capture images of balloons during their bursting, or a bullet during its impact with an apple, for example. He was awarded a bronze medal by the Royal Photographic Society in 1934, and the National Medal of Science in 1973. He also invented the Rapatronic camera. Charles Stark Draper (born October 2, 1901 - died 1987) is often referred to as the father of inertial navigation. ... U-shaped Xenon Flash Lamp A xenon flash lamp is a gas discharge lamp designed to produce extremely intense, incoherent, full-spectrum white light for very short durations. ... Lens and mounting of a large format camera Photography is the process of making pictures by means of the action of light. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ...

In 1937 he began a lifelong association with photographer Gjon Mili, who used strobe equipment, particularly "multiflash" strobe, to produce strikingly beautiful photographs, many of which appeared in Life Magazine. 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... This is a list of notable photographers in the art, documentary and fashion traditions. ... A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ...

He was a cofounder of the company EG&G, with Kenneth Germeshausen and Herbert Grier, in 1947. EG&G became a prime contractor for the Atomic Energy Commission and had a major role in testing nuclear weapons for the United States through the fifties and sixties. EG&G logo EG&G is a defense contractor and provider of management and technical services. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Almost a year after World War II ended, Congress established the United States Atomic Energy Commission to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. ...

His work was instrumental in the development of side-scan sonar technology, used to scan the sea floor for wrecks. Edgerton worked with the undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, by first providing him with underwater strobes, and then by using sonar to discover the Britannic. Edgerton participated in the discovery of the American Civil War battleship USS Monitor. Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1976. ... HMHS Britannic was the third Olympic-class ship of the White Star Line, sister ship of the Titanic and the Olympic. ... The American Civil War was fought in North America from 1861 until 1865 between the United States of America – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... USS Monitor was an ironclad warship of the United States Navy. ...

In addition to having the scientific and engineering acumen to perfect strobes commercially, Edgerton is equally recognized for his visual aesthetic: many of the striking images he created in illuminating phenomena that occurred too fast for the naked eye adorn art museums worldwide.

He was especially loved by MIT students for his willingness to teach and his kindness: "The trick to education." he said, "is to teach people in such a way that they don't realize they're learning until it's too late." The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a research and educational institution located in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is a world leader in science and technology, as well as in many other fields, including management, economics, linguistics, political science, and philosophy. ...

External links

• Bio
• The most famous of all Edgerton's photographs, the Milkdrop Coronet, can be seen here and here.
• The Edgerton Center at MIT
• 1934 Edgerton photo of Wes Fesler kicking football