Theodore Maiman
Awards & Honours
5
Awards Won
4
Honours
1
Records
Maiman's achievements include building the first working laser in 1960, a feat that beat larger labs like Bell Labs. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1984 and received the Japan Prize in 1987. He also received the Optical Society of America's highest honor and the Wolf Prize in Physics. His omission from the Nobel Prize remains a widely discussed point in the physics community.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Inducted for the invention of the laser.
Japan Prize
Awarded for contributions to laser technology.
Frederic Ives Medal
The society's highest honor.
Wolf Prize in Physics
Shared prize for physics.
Records & Feats
Built the first working laser
On May 16, 1960, Maiman's ruby laser emitted a pulse of coherent red light, the first working laser.