| Engineer, creator of the first mobile phone Date of Birth: 26.12.1928 Country: USA |
Martin Cooper, the engineer and creator of the first mobile phone, was born in 1928 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, to Ukrainian immigrant parents who previously lived near Kiev. His childhood coincided with the years of the Great Depression.
In the mid-1950s, Martin graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology, becoming a young electrical engineer. He then served in the US Navy during the Korean War and was stationed on a submarine in Hawaii, where he served as an officer.
After the war, Martin joined Western Electric, where he worked closely on the development of the teletype. In 1954, fate led him to Motorola, where he would later become the father and founder of the mobile phone.
During his time at Motorola, Martin continued his education, studying at night while working during the day. He earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and began teaching in the evenings.
Working at a company like Motorola, Martin was not able to ignore the fierce battles that were taking place at the time between major technology companies. The main focus of development at that time was on the automotive radio telephone network. Although it was bulky and not very convenient, it quickly gained popularity and continued to grow. Several technologically advanced companies, including the one where Martin worked, were trying to solve the problem of conflicting frequency channels and to simplify the design.
Soon, the idea of a cellular network organization principle was proposed. By the early 1970s, the race to develop the first mobile communication system was intense. The principle itself was already known, so the main question was, who would be the first? Who would connect the transmitting station and the telephone receiver with a radio signal?
In early April 1973, Martin made a call from the engineering department of AT&T Bell Labs and told the head of the department, Joel Engel, that he was calling from a real mobile phone. Martin later recalled, "I don't remember what he said. But, you know, I could hear his teeth grinding." Martin Cooper became the creator of the world's first mobile phone, the 'Dina-TAC', which weighed 1.15 kilograms and measured 22.5x12.5x3.75 centimeters. The battery lasted only 20 minutes of conversation. Martin mentioned that it was very handy because his hand couldn't hold such a heavy phone for more than twenty minutes.
Interestingly, Martin Cooper is also the creator of the first radio pager. After leaving Motorola, he started his own telephone company and soon became a millionaire. However, Martin believes that money does not bring happiness. He lives by the ocean and drives the latest car, but he dreams of the day when mobile phones will become a part of the human body, implanted under the skin or behind the ear. He also dreams of creating a simpler phone with only three buttons - an operator, an emergency service, and someone of choice, whether it's a personal doctor or a loved one.
It is worth noting that when Martin joined Motorola in 1954, he was paid only $1 for all his future inventions. However, Martin bears no grudge, stating, "That's all I got for them. But I worked at Motorola for 29 years, and they treated me very well!"
Today, Martin Cooper often criticizes modern mobile phones. At one point, he claimed that the Apple iPhone had an inconvenient interface. However, as the leading engineer and creator of the world's first mobile phone, he certainly has the right to his opinions, as he knows all about cellular phones.