Nationality American Died 8 April 1999 | ||
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Known for Filing the first patent for automobile airbag | ||
John W. Hetrick (July 23, 1918 - April 8, 1999), from Newport, Pennsylvania, was an American engineer who is credited for inventing the airbag, He has served as an industrial engineer in the United States Navy and took notable design influences from compressed air torpedoes.
Hetrick patented the airbag in 1953, three months before German engineer Walter Linderer, however, Linderer's airbag was considered impractical because of an inflation delay due to the compressed air system.
He has also been awarded the Golden Gear Award for the patent.
References
John W. Hetrick Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA