1. Improved Firearms
Often called “The Father of Modern Firearms,” Ogden-born John Moses Browning is credited with over 120 patents for firearms. His most noted achievement was the invention of the automatic gas-powered machine gun. Semiautomatic pistols and shotguns also litter Browning’s list of inventions and his guns were manufactured by both the well-known Winchester and Colt companies. His contribution to military weapons was vastly important during the outbreak of World War I, and his name is still familiar to firearm users today.
John Moses’ father was a Mormon convert from Tennessee who also made significant contributions to the firearm industry. His invention of the sliding breech repeating rifle, often referred to as a “harmonica gun,” was the precursor to current high-capacity magazine firearms. As an interesting side note, after Jonathan Browning converted to Mormonism, his guns were all marked with a plate reading “Holiness to the Lord-Our Preservation.”
2. Artificial Diamonds
Though you won’t find these crystals in a jewelry store, synthetic diamonds have found a niche in industry, appearing in drill bits, diamond-tipped saws, and polishing tools. The inventor, H. Tracy Hall, worked in a research laboratory for General Electric, and recreated Earth’s diamond-making process by subjecting carbon to extreme pressure and a heat of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit using a hydraulic press. He later developed and patented a more efficient tetrahedral press and helped found the industrial diamond-making company MegaDiamond.
3. Laser Surgery
Though lasers have had many uses, Latter-day Saint John A. Dixon was one of the first to make them a commonplace tool in surgery. By using a hair-thin quartz tube and a viewing device, Dixon was the first to use a laser to successfully seal bleeding ulcers and vaporize intestinal polyps, among other things.
4. & 5. Lightweight Treadmill & Kidney Dialysis Shunt
A smaller, quieter version of original treadmills, inventor Wayne Quinton's lightweight model was first used to test heart patients in doctor's offices. Later it became the standard in the industry and modernized versions of his original model are now used in gyms, fitness centers, and homes.
Quinton is also credited with the invention of other tools such as a bubble oxygenator used for the first open-heart surgery and, most famously, he collaborated on a shunt used for long-term kidney dialysis, which has helped millions extend their lives.
6. Goretex
This waterproof fabric was aptly named after its Mormon inventor, Robert W. Gore. Though it took him nearly 10 years to get the patent for the product, it is now widely used today. The material is also windproof and breathable, making it a fabric of choice for those who like the outdoors. (It was even once used by participants in an expedition to Antarctica!)
7. Medical Informatics (Using computers in the medical field)
As early back as 1950, Dr. Home R Warner started mapping the cardiovascular system to figure out cardiovascular functions. This led to new treatments for heart disease as well as computing tools for hospitals and operating rooms. In 1968, he wrote his first version of a software program to evaluate patient data, which was useful for helping physicians more accurately diagnose their patients.
What other inventions do you know were made by Mormons? Tell us in the comments below!