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Is it really possible that one man could win a war? Some say that Thomas Midgely had more influence of the course of the World War II than any other person. He never lifted a weapon nor fired a shot nor gave orders for others to do so. Yet, through his genius, he helped determine the outcome of the war and ultimate victory of the Allies over the Nazi forces.
If you asked Midgely how it all started he would probably say it was when he first saw the periodic table. The list of elements and their properties fascinated him because he saw the table as a guide to the behavior of the elements and how they might be combined. He carried the periodic table with him everywhere and used it to great advantage as he continued his studies in chemistry.
Beginning in 1916, Midgely worked for a company that belonged by General Motors. One of his assignments was to determine how to improve gasoline so that cars would not “knock” or “ping”. I
n the early days of automobiles, if you headed up any sort of hill your engine would rattle and shake and knock. Gasoline engines were not perfect and neither was the gasoline.
In 1921, he invented a chemical additive for gasoline that wiped out the problem of “knock”. Not only was the knock removed, but the engine had much more power. The additive, tetraethyl lead (TEL), improved the performance of the engine and it was an economic success for General Motors that sold it by the name of “Ethyl”.
During World War II, American planes used gas with Ethyl added. The planes could fly, climb, and dive much faster than their foes. As a result, American fighter planes had a distinct advantage over the German fighters. The air war, between 1940 and 1945, was won partly because the allied forces could out-maneuver and, ultimately, outgun the competition.
Even when the additive TEL was first being produced, doctors noticed a high degree of illness and death associated with the manufacture and use of TEL. It was known that the manufacture of tetraethyl lead was dangerous. In the two years of 1923 and1924, ten people died at the plants where the chemical was made.
Midgely tried to convince the public of the safety of the additive by demonstrating its “apparent” safety. He used TEL without gloves, poured a cup of TEL over his head and inhaled the fumes for an extended period of time to try to “prove” its safety. Midgely kept secret that these demonstrations caused a great deal of damage to his lungs and ultimate health. He required a year of rest to recuperate from the lead poisoning from exposure to TEL. Lead additives were banned in the US in 1996 and throughout the world in the following years.
Midgely continued to work on new chemical inventions after he returned to work in the mid 1920’s. By 1930 he had a new invention—Freon. It was an excellent substitute for other poisonous substances used in refrigerators. In addition, Freon seemed the ideal material for use in hair sprays and anything that needed to “propel” contents out of a can. Once again, Midgely demonstrated to his chemist colleagues the “non-toxicity” of his invention. He inhaled Freon and then blew out a candle with his breath. Freon became the standard for a chemical group called CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons.
These chemicals were used widely until there was alarming notice that the earth’s ozone layer had been seriously depleted. The ozone layer around the earth protects us from damaging ultraviolet light. Without it, we would soon develop skin cancers. CFCs that were released into the atmosphere had drifted into the ozone layer where they “killed” the ozone, an oxygen compound. Midgely’s CFCs were destroying the ozone layer.
By 1987, CFCs were banned by most governments and almost completely phased-out by 1993. The ozone layer now is somewhat more stable as the rate of decay has slowed in the last 10 years.
Both of Midgely’s greatest inventions seemed like amazing discoveries aimed at helping solve problems. Little did Midgely know that gasoline containing ethyl would poison the environment and put many people at risk from the deadly lead nor did he understand how his Freon invention would threaten the atmosphere and put millions at risk of cancer. Scientists and inventors often create new ideas or creations not knowing how it will influence the future. Midgely had intended good, but had created two horrible chemicals that had deadly effects.
There is one more story to tell about Thomas Midgely. His outstanding career as a chemist with many inventions, awards and credits to his name was interrupted when he became ill with polio at the age of 51. Polio was a common disease prior to 1960 causing paralysis and many complications. Like many others who had polio, Midgely became an invalid.
Continuing to think like a scientist and inventor, Midgely worked on his personal issues. Every time he needed to get out of bed he needed assistance to get to the wheelchair. He disliked that he could not control his own life so he worked on designing a mechanism to lift himself off the bed to the chair. He created a system of pulleys and ropes that he could operate by himself.
Although the device did lift him to the chair, it also had a flaw. On a fateful day, Midgely activated the ropes and pulley but was unable to stop them when they became entangled. He was grabbed by the apparatus and strangled by his own invention. Like Ethyl and Freon, his lifting apparatus seemed like a good solution.
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