Inventors On Stamps

Alexander Stepanovich Popov (1859-1905] 1906) was a Russian physicist who is acclaimed in his homeland and some eastern European countries as the inventor of radio. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Popov and depicting a radio broadcasting tower, designed by Czech artist Rudolf Klimovic (1917-1990), engraved by Jaroslav Goldschmied (1890-1977) after a drawing by Bedrich Housa (1926- ), and issued by Czechoslovakia on May 25, 1955 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the invention of radio, Scott No. 703, plus an image of a photograph of Alexander Stepanovich Popov which was surely a model for this stamp's design.

- nethryk

Štefan Banic (1870-1941) was a Slovak inventor who devised a military parachute (and the first parachute ever deployed in actual use) which saved the the lives of many American aviators during World War I. Here is an image of a stamp honoring Banic, designed by Karol Ondreicka, combined engraved by Martin Cinovský and photogravure, and issued by Slovakia on December 12, 1994, Scott No. 198, plus an image of a photo of Štefan Banic which was probably a model for this stamp's design.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Slovak engineer, physicist, and inventor Aurel Boleslav Stodola (1859-1942), a pioneer in the area of technical thermodynamics and jet propulsion engines. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Stodola and depicting a diagram of a jet turbine, designed by Ivan Schurmann (1935- ), printed by offset lithography, and issued by Slovakia on April 17, 2009 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the inventor's birth, plus an image of a photograph of Aurel Stodola.

- nethryk

Josef Ressel (1793-1857) was a German Bohemian forester and inventor who designed one of the first working ship's propellers. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Ressel and depicting a diagram of his propeller, designed by Czech artist Karel Tondl (1893-1959), engraved by Jan Mrácek (1909-1987), and issued by Czechoslovakia on July 5, 1957 to commemorate the centenary of the inventor's death, Scott No. 817, plus an image of the original portrait of Josef Ressel which was a model for this stamps' design, and a YouTube link to a short documentary video (in Italian) about Ressel and his invention. Note: It was in Trieste, Italy (but then the biggest port in the Austrian Empire) that Josef Ressel was awarded his propeller patent in 1827.

- nethryk

Something I never understood is why Thomas Edison was not represented on the original 1940 Famous Americans issue.

Jack Kelley

Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of German thoracic surgeon Ernst Ferdinand Sauerbruch (1875-1951), inventor of the Sauerbruch chamber, a hermetically sealed chamber where surgical operations of the thorax are carried out, reducing the risk of complication by elevating or reducing air pressure, designed by Ernst Finke, combined engraved by Hans-Joachim Fuchs and lithography, and issued for use in Germany (West Berlin) on May 15, 1975 to commemorate Dr. Sauerbruch's birth centenary, Scott No. 9N379, Michel No. 492, plus images of a photograph of Ferdinand Sauerbruch, and of an illustration of his invention.

- nethryk

Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) and depicting his first phonograph (1878), designed and engraved by French artist Michel Monvoisin (1932-1982), and issued by Wallis and Futuna Islands on September 5, 1981 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the inventor's death, Scott No. 273.

- nethryk

Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Ernest Guglielminetti (1862-1943), a Swiss medical doctor and inventor credited with developing a mixture of tar, gravel and sand for binding dust to roads in 1902, and depicting a crew of workers applying tar to a road surface, designed and engraved by French artist Pierre Forget (1923-2005), and issued by Monaco in November, 1977, Scott No. 1090. Note: For his invention of the tar street, Dr. Ernest Guglielminetti was subsequently nicknamed "Dr. Goudron" (Dr. "Tar"). Bonus: Car.

- nethryk

Central African Empire - Santos Dumont, inventor of airplane

A long time since the question was asked, but in October 2016, Jack Kelley asked why Thomas Edison had not been depicted on the 1940 Famous Americans series. I suspect that it was because of the ten year rule that was in effect at the time, in which a person (except a US president) had to be dead for ten years before being depicted on a US stamp. Edison died in October 1931, so, as of even late 1940, he had not been dead the requisite number of years.

Here is an image of an airmail stamp featuring portraits of American telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872), and Guatemalan President Justo Rufino Barrios (1835-1885), who brought the first telegraph lines to the republic, printed by lithography, and issued by Guatemala on November 20, 1985 to commemorate over 100 years of the national telegraph service, Scott No. C799.

- nethryk

Viktor Kaplan (1876-1934) was an Austrian engineer and professor who invented the Kaplan turbine in 1913. Kaplan turbines are widely used worldwide for electrical power production.
The commemorative stamp issued on March 30, 2019 shows a portrait of the inventor and a turbine on display at Technisches Museum Wien.

Josephine Cochrane (1839–1913) was the inventor of the first commercially successful automatic dishwasher. She founded her company after receiving her patent in 1886. Her Garis-Cochran Manufacturing Company became part of KitchenAid following her death in 1913. The inventor was honored in a stamp issued by Posta Românã on April 26, 2013.

André-Jacques Garnerin (1769 – 1823) was a French balloonist and the inventor of the frameless parachute. The 2019 Macedonia stamp shows his portrait drawn and engraved by Edward Hawke Locker, and a diagram of his first parachute used in the Parc Monceau descent of 1797.

Gustaf de Laval (1845–1913) was a Swedish engineer and inventor who made important contributions to the design of steam turbines and dairy machinery. A Swedish stamp (1976) shows Gustaf de Laval and milk separator.
Helge Palmcrantz (1842–1880) was a Swedish inventor and industrialist who designed and produced firearms, reaping machines, mowers and other agricultural equipment. A Swedish stamp (1976) shows Helge Palmcrantz and reaping machine.