Bern Dibner

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Bern Dibner
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Bern Dibner
Personal information
Name Bern Dibner
Birth date 18 August 1897
Birth place Kiev, Ukraine
Date of death 6 January 1988
Education Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
Work

Bern Dibner (1897 – 1988) was an electrical engineer, industrialist, and historian of science and technology.

Dibner was born near Kiev, Ukraine in 1897. He moved to the United States with his family at the age of 7. In 1921, he graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Soon after graduating, he designed and patented the first solderless electrical connectors and founded the Burndy Engineering Company in 1924. The company later became the Burndy Corporation and was eventually bought by the French corporation Framatome Connectors International (FCI) in 1988[1]. Dibner died at his home in Wilton, Connecticut on January 6, 1988[2].

In addition to electrical engineering, Dibner studied the history of technology. He was an avid collector of original scientific works and of books on the history of science. He established the Burndy Library in 1941 to house his collection, which also contains thousands of portraits of various scientists. He wrote and published The Atlantic Cable in 1955[3]. In 1976 he was awarded the Sarton Medal by the History of Science Society.

The "Burndy" appellation, used for both his company and library, was invented by Dibner himself and represents a portmanteau or blend of his first and last names.

[edit] References

  1. ^ COMPANY NEWS; Burndy Takes Bid From Framatome - New York Times
  2. ^ http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0040-165X(198901)30%3A1%3C189%3ABD(%3E2.0.CO%3B2-G
  3. ^ The Atlantic Cable by Bern Dibner

[edit] External links