There are minds that stand out for their talent to see reality from new angles. This ability leads them to investigate the possible combinations to transform matter into something shiny. idea generators, inventors have been crucial parts in this puzzle called reality. Thanks to them, the present is as we know it now, without them, perhaps you would not be reading this article on your mobile or your computer. That’s why we introduce you to the mexican inventors who dedicated their lives to science and contributed great ideas to transform the world in which we live.
Throughout history, there have been Mexican inventors, crucial for the history of humanity. Large institutions such as the Autonomous University of Mexico and the National Polytechnic Institute have fulfilled their task of inspiring minds to generate changes and reach innovation. Different personalities have left their classrooms to contribute inventions that are now part of everyday life and that, at the time, revolutionized the scientific and technological world.
These are some of the most outstanding Mexican inventors in the history of humanity and to whom we owe great innovations. They completely transformed the world and it is time to honor them.
great mexican inventors
Guillermo gonzalez camarena
An engineer graduated from the ranks of the National Polytechnic Institute, he honored the motto of the institution and put «technics at the service of the Nation.» He worked on the creation of a field-sequential trichromatic system, based on the three primary colors red, green, and blue, for capturing and reproducing images. This invention laid the foundations for the subsequent development of color television and image transmissions to which we are so accustomed today.
His invention was so relevant that in fact NASA used it during the VOYAGER mission, to send images and videos of Saturn to Earth in 1979.
Luis Ernesto Miramontes
Mexicans have not only excelled in electronic engineering, Luis Ernesto Miramontes, a chemical engineer from UNAM invented the base of one of the most widely used tablets around the world.
In 1951, together with Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkran, he managed to synthesize the compound called norethisterone, which is an active progestin hormone. Synthesis made it possible to orally consume this type of compound, which today is the basis of most oral contraceptives. Contraceptive methods revolutionized after the invention of Miramontes and continues to be used to this day.
Juan Guillermo Villasana
Aeronautics is currently extremely advanced, large aircraft capable of flying over the skies at high speeds and supporting heavy weights have been built. However, as in everything, in the beginning it was not like that. Slowly, aeronautical technology has been improving to what we know today, but what would you think if we told you that a Mexican helped formulate the bases for large airplanes to stay in flight?
A series of characteristics conspired in favor of science, thanks to his knowledge of cabinetmaking for furniture construction and his engineering vision, Villasana was able to create an improved propeller. The Anahuac Propeller, as it was baptized, had a totally innovative assembly with different types of wood. Thanks to her, the planes reached greater height and stability and she was recognized worldwide.
Julian Carillo
Perhaps most of today’s music is based on the same twelve-tone and well-tempered structure that we inherited from the traditional European system. But this is not the only way to make music and the Mexican Julián Carrillo demonstrated it at the end of the 19th century. A Mexican musician, composer and scientist, he developed a musical system called Sound 13, the first to break the western scheme of the 12 sounds of the tone scale.
Experimenting with a guitar, he discovered that, between notes, there are other sounds that he called microtones. Thanks to him, the systematic study of microtonalism laid its foundations and is now widely studied around the world.
Herbert Castillo
Graduated from the UNAM National School of Engineers, a civil engineer who caused controversy by challenging the physics behind large constructions. He invented the Tridilosa System in 1966, a mixed structural system, made up of steel and concrete that allows the creation of extremely resistant structures. Tridilose makes it possible to considerably reduce the amount of material used in large constructions, without compromising its stability.
However, the system is hollow in the area of traction, which is why it was widely criticized. But the Mexican engineer, convinced of his invention, defied the laws of civil engineering and tested its operation in front of a large audience. He ordered a 50-ton truck to be placed on top of a construction made entirely of Tridilosa. The success was overwhelming and today it is the most widely used system for the construction of large buildings.
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