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Edwin Herbert Land Facts & Worksheets

Edwin Herbert Land was an American inventor and physicist famous for developing inexpensive filters for polarizing light and his practical system of in-camera instant photography.

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Edwin Herbert Land was an American inventor and physicist famous for developing inexpensive filters for polarizing light and his practical system of in-camera instant photography. He is also a co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. Edwin Land also developed a theory called the retinex theory of color vision.

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Key Facts & Information

BIOGRAPHY

  • Edwin Herbert Land was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on May 7, 1909. He is a son of Martha and Harry Land, who owned a scrapyard. Land was considered of Eastern European Jewish descent by way of both of his parents.
  • Land attended a semi-private high school, the Norwich Free Academy, located in Norwich, Connecticut. He graduated from the school in the year 1927.
  • After graduating, Land entered Harvard University. He quickly became interested in studying polarized light and began doing experiments to develop a way of creating the effect artificially.

EARLY YEARS

  • Wave vibrations are happening in all directions in normal light. On the other hand, in polarized light, the vibrations are controlled and permitted only in specific directions.
  • A prism was invented that was used to polarize light for optical instruments in 1828. The uses of the prism were limited because of its expensive costs. As a result, searching for a cheaper means of creating the same effect began.
  • Land decided to leave the university and traveled to New York City. He also continued pursuing his work at a laboratory in the same city. Land approached the current problem by utilizing several tiny crystals that are tightly packed together to produce the effect of one large crystal.
  • Land also invented the very first cheap filter that could polarize light. It was known as the Polaroid Film. Even though he did not have any educational centers at the time and did not have the necessary materials for the project, he was able to make it as one of his remarkable achievements.
  • In 1929, Land married Helen Terre Maislen. They had two daughters – Jennifer and Valerie.
  • After developing the polarizing film, Land went back to Harvard University. However, he was not able to finish his studies and get his degree. One of the problems during that time was that when Land found a particular answer to a problem, he was not writing it down to prove his findings.

LAND’S COMPANY

  • Land, with his physics instructor from Harvard, George Wheelwright, started the Land-Wheelwright Laboratories. The primary purpose of the laboratory was to improve and commercialize the polarizing technology Land had invented.
  • George Wheelwright came from a rich family and agreed to finance the business venture. After having several early successes with the polarizing filters for shades and photo filters, the laboratory received a large amount of funding from their investors from Wall Street, so their business could expand rapidly.
  • In the following years, the company became more extensive and was renamed as “Polaroid Corporation” in 1937.
  • Under the Polaroid trademark, Land continued making further developments to his products and invented sheet polarizers. The primary application for the product was for sunglasses and other scientific work. However, he discovered it had more uses.
  • Later on, Land used polarizing filters for color animations, controlling light brightness through windows, glasses in full-color 3D movies, as a component for LCDs, and more.

POST ACTIVITIES

  • Land worked on a military project during World War II. He developed a dark-adapt goggle that passively guided smart bombs and target finders. Land also invented a special stereoscopic viewing system for revealing enemies if they were camouflaged, called the Polaroid Vectograph.
  • Land invented the widely famous instant camera and related film on February 21, 1947. It was commercially sold as “Land Camera” in late 1948. Land’s company initially produced 60 cameras only, and 57 units were put on sale at Jordan Marsh in Boston.
  • They thought the cameras would not be widely popular, but all the camera units were sold the first day. Polaroid company produced the camera for almost 40 years, and in 1963, a colored version of the instant Polaroid film was invented.
  • During Land’s years with the company, he was well-known for having non-stop research sessions. It was because when he came up with an idea, Land would not stop experimenting and brainstorming until he arrived at the best solution.
  • As his company grew, Land appointed several teams to work different shifts right by his side. When one team wore out, there was already another team ready to be brought in so Land could work uninterruptedly.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND OTHER INVENTIONS

  • In 1957, Land received the award for an honorary doctorate from Harvard University for his lifetime dedication to scientific achievements. In 1963, Land was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and received the National Medal of Science in 1967 presented by President Lyndon Johnson.
  • In 1972, he introduced the SX-70 instant color camera to the world.
  • He held about 533 patents for his inventions, and the U.S. Patent Office included him in the Inventor’s Hall of Fame in 1977.
  • Land died on March 1, 1991, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Upon his death, Land’s trusted personal assistant destroyed all his papers and notes.

Edwin Herbert Land Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Edwin Herbert Land across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Edwin Herbert Land worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Edwin Herbert Land who was an American inventor and physicist famous for developing inexpensive filters for polarizing light and his practical system of in-camera instant photography. He is also a co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. Edwin Land also developed a theory called the retinex theory of color vision.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Edwin Herbert Land Facts
  • Land’s Profile Writing
  • The Timeline of the Inventor
  • Film it, Fill it
  • Then VS Now
  • Parts of the Polaroid
  • The Questions of Land
  • Inventor: The Role Model
  • The Jumbled Works
  • Fact or Bluff
  • Draw Your Own

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