Nick Holonyak Jr. was an inventor who created the first practical visible-spectrum LED, now used in applications from light bulbs to traffic signals to medical devices.
- Died: September 18, 2022 (Who else died on September 18?)
- Details of death: Died in Urbana, Illinois at the age of 93.
- We invite you to share condolences for Nick Holonyak Jr. in our Guest Book.
LED innovator
After serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1955 to 1957, Holonyak began working for General Electric. It was there in 1961 that he developed the first light-emitting diode (LED) that could be put to work in practical applications. His red LED was first used in scientific equipment, and it was initially so expensive as to prevent widespread use. By the 1970s, LEDs were substantially cheaper to produce and began the journey to becoming ubiquitous. In 1963, Holonyak predicted that LED light would one day replace the incandescent light bulb, a prediction that seems on its way to coming true. Many believed Holonyak deserved the Nobel Prize for his work; while he didn’t receive that honor, his work was widely recognized. He was given the National Medal of Science by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President George W. Bush in 2002. Holonyak’s other honors include Illinois’ Order of Lincoln and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. He was a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for 50 years, from 1963 until his retirement in 2013.
Notable quote
“It’s a good thing I was an engineer and not a chemist. When I went to show them my LED, all the chemists at GE said, ‘You can’t do that. If you were a chemist, you’d know that wouldn’t work.’ I said, ‘Well, I just did it, and see, it works!” —from a 2012 interview
Tributes to Nick Holonyak Jr.
Full obituary: The News-Gazette
