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Christopher Cockerell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 June 1910 Cambridge, United Kingdom |
| Died | 1 June 1999 (aged 88) Hythe, Hampshire, United Kingdom |
| Residence |  United Kingdom |
| Citizenship | British |
| Field | Engineering |
| Alma mater | Peterhouse, Cambridge |
| Known for | The Hovercraft |
Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell (June 4, 1910 – June 1, 1999) was an English engineer, inventor of the hovercraft.
Cockerell was born in Cambridge, England, where his father, Sir Sydney Cockerell, was curator of the Fitzwilliam Museum, having previously been the secretary of William Morris. Christopher Cockerell was educated at Gresham's School, Holt. He then entered Cambridge University, England, as an undergraduate member of Peterhouse, and where he studied engineering and was tutored by William Dobson Womersley. He began his career working for the Marconi company in 1935, and got married soon afterwards. He worked on radar systems during the Second World War. His great invention, the hovercraft, first saw the light of day in 1953. In 1955, he tested his hovercraft using a hair-dryer and two cans, and found his hypothesis to be true. The idea was not an immediate success, and he was forced to sell personal possessions in order to finance his research. By 1959, a prototype craft was crossing the English Channel between Dover and Calais. Cockerell was knighted in 1969 for his services to engineering. He died at Hythe in Hampshire.
- Find-A-Grave profile for Christopher Cockerell
- [inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blhovercraft.htm An About.com entry on Cockerell]
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Cockerell, Sir Christopher Sydney |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4 June 1910 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cambridge, United Kingdom |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1 June 1999 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Hythe, Hampshire, United Kingdom |
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