Inventor Liquid Crystal Display Trailblazer honored : James Fergason just wanted to know if his thermal sensor was actually working. In 1958, the young researcher at Westinghouse Research Laboratories began experimenting with liquid crystals and ended up paving the way for innovations ranging from forehead thermometers to mood rings, digital watches to computer monitors, and 3D video systems to flat-panel televisions. Fergason, who holds more than 130 U.S. patents and more than 500 foreign patents, is being honored today with the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize, the largest cash prize given in the United States for invention. The award will be given during a private ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
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