Harold Edgerton
Pioneer of stroboscopic photography and sonar technology.
Harold Eugene Edgerton, nicknamed Papa Flash, was an MIT professor of electrical engineering who turned the stroboscope from a niche lab tool into everyday equipment. He also helped advance sonar and deep-sea photography, and his gear was used with Jacques Cousteau to hunt for shipwrecks.
Born in Fremont, Nebraska, in 1903, Edgerton grew up in Aurora, Nebraska, with stints in Washington, D.C., and Lincoln. His father was a lawyer and journalist. After earning a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska in 1925, he got a master’s from MIT in 1927. For his 1931 ScD thesis at MIT, he used stroboscopes to study synchronous motors. Charles Stark Draper inspired him to photograph everyday objects with electronic flash—starting with water from a faucet.
In 1936, Edgerton worked with hummingbird expert May Rogers Webster, proving he could capture birds’ wings beating 60 times a second with a one-hundred-thousandth-of-a-second exposure. A *National Geographic* picture showed her surrounded by flying hummingbirds. The next year, he began a lifelong partnership with photographer Gjon Mili, who used Edgerton’s strobe equipment—capable of flashing up to 120 times per second—for *Life* magazine. Edgerton pioneered short-duration electronic flash to freeze fast events, like bursting balloons, a bullet hitting an apple, or a devil stick’s motion in multiflash images.
He won a bronze medal from the Royal Photographic Society in 1934, the Howard N. Potts Medal in 1941, the Golden Plate Award in 1966, the David Richardson Medal in 1968, the Albert A. Michelson Medal in 1969, and the National Medal of Science in 1973. Edgerton co-founded a consulting firm with Kenneth Germeshausen, later joined by Herbert Grier, which became EG&G in 1947. EG&G became a prime contractor for the Atomic Energy Commission, photographing and recording nuclear tests, and developed the Rapatronic camera with Charles Wykoff.
His work was key to side-scan sonar for scanning the seafloor. He gave Cousteau custom underwater camera gear with electronic flash and developed sonar that helped find the *Britannic*. Edgerton also helped discover the USS *Monitor* and, in 1988, worked with Paul Kronfield in Greece on a sonar search for Helike, the possible inspiration for Atlantis. EG&G manufactured side-scan sonars, sub-bottom profilers, and the Kryt
- born
- April 6, 1903, Fremont, Nebraska
- died
- January 4, 1990, at the MIT Faculty Club, age 86
- field
- Electrical engineering, high-speed photography, sonar
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Transforming the stroboscope, high-speed photography, sonar development, deep-sea photography
Lore & Background
Edgerton was born in Fremont, Nebraska, and grew up in Aurora, Nebraska, with some childhood years in Washington, DC, and Lincoln, Nebraska. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska in 1925, an SM from MIT in 1927, and a ScD from MIT in 1931, using stroboscopes to study synchronous motors for his thesis. He credited Charles Stark Draper with inspiring him to photograph everyday objects using electronic flash; the first was a stream of water from a faucet. In 1936 he visited hummingbird expert May Rogers Webster and, with her help, photographed hummingbirds beating their wings 60 times a second using an exposure of one hundred thousandth of a second; a picture of her with the birds appeared in National Geographic.
In 1937 Edgerton began a lifelong association with photographer Gjon Mili, who used stroboscopic equipment to produce photographs for Life magazine. Edgerton pioneered short-duration electronic flash in photographing fast events, capturing images of balloons bursting, a bullet impacting an apple, and multiflash tracking of a devil stick. He co-founded the company that became EG&G in 1947, which became a prime contractor for the Atomic Energy Commission, photographing and recording nuclear tests and developing the Rapatronic camera. His work was instrumental in side-scan sonar technology, used to scan the sea floor for wrecks, and he worked with Jacques Cousteau, providing underwater photographic equipment and developing sonar techniques used to discover the Britannic. He participated in the discovery of the USS Monitor and, in 1988, worked on a sonar search for the lost city of Helike.
Reader's Guide
Harold Edgerton's significance lies in his dual impact on science and visual culture. By transforming the stroboscope from a laboratory curiosity into a practical tool, he enabled the capture of events too fast for the human eye, creating iconic images such as a bullet piercing an apple and a milk drop coronet. His work in sonar and deep-sea photography advanced underwater exploration, aiding Jacques Cousteau in discovering shipwrecks and searching for the Loch Ness Monster. Edgerton co-founded EG&G, which played a critical role in photographing nuclear tests and developing the Krytron detonation trigger. His legacy includes the Edgerton Center at MIT, a hands-on laboratory for students, and the Edgerton Explorit Center in Aurora, Nebraska, a teaching museum. His high-speed stroboscopic short film 'Quicker'n a Wink' won an Oscar in 1940, and his photographs now adorn art museums worldwide. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1973 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
Did You Know?
- Edgerton's high-speed stroboscopic short film 'Quicker'n a Wink' won an Oscar in 1940.
- He co-founded EG&G, which developed the Krytron, the detonation trigger for the hydrogen bomb.
- His equipment was used in collaboration with Jacques Cousteau in searches for the Loch Ness Monster.
- Edgerton's last undergraduate class, taught in fall 1977, was a freshman seminar titled 'Bird and Insect Photography'.
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