Jack Cover
John Higson Cover, Jr. | |
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| Born | John Higson Cover April 6, 1920 |
| Died | February 7, 2009 (aged 88) |
| Known for | Taser inventor |
John "Jack" Higson Cover, Jr. (April 6, 1920 – February 7, 2009) was the inventor of the Taser stun gun.[1]
Biography
Cover was born in New York City on April 6, 1920, and grew up in Chicago.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree and a doctorate in nuclear physics at the University of Chicago,[1] studying under Enrico Fermi.[2] During World War II, he was an Army Air Force test pilot. He later worked the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. He was a scientist at North American Aviation from 1952 until 1964 and also worked for NASA[2] (Apollo program), IBM and Hughes Aircraft.[1]
In 1970, he formed Taser Systems, Inc., named for a Tom Swift novel about the Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle. Because the Taser used gunpowder to launch the darts, the federal government considered it a firearm, a classification that ruled out a civilian market and also discouraged police and military sales.[1]
He had Alzheimer's disease, and died of pneumonia on February 7, 2009 at the Golden West Retirement Homer in Mission Viejo, California.[1][3][4]
Patents
- U.S. patent 3,803,463 July 10, 1972; Weapon for Immobilization and Capture
References
- ^ a b c d e f Woo, Elaine (February 13, 2009). "Jack Cover dies at 88; scientist invented the Taser stun gun". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
Jack Cover, an aerospace scientist who invented the Taser stun gun. a device used by thousands of law enforcement agencies to subdue unruly offenders with electrical shocks -- has died. He was 88.
- ^ a b Cover's obituary, Time Magazine, early 2009 (before March)
- ^ "Inventor of Taser gun dies of pneumonia". Associated Press. 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
John "Jack" H. Cover, the inventor of the Taser stun gun used by thousands of police agencies around the world, has died. He was 88.
- ^ Weber, Bruce (February 16, 2009). "Jack Cover, 88, Physicist Who Invented the Taser Stun Gun, Dies". New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
External links
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