(February 13, 1884-January 24, 1961)
Born in Salem, Oregon
Birth name was Alfred Carlton Gilbert
Held 152 patents
Best known invention is the Erector Set (1913)
Founded the A. C. Gilbert Company to market educational toys

When he was eight, he ran away from home and tried to join a minstrel show.
He earned a degree in medicine but never practiced as a doctor.
He marketed an Atomic Energy Lab kit that contained three radiation sources (1950).
His erector sets inspired taunting directed at kids named ‘Gilbert.’ (‘Hey Gilbert, whatcha doing in the bathroom? Playing with your erector set?’)

He put himself through Yale working as a magician.
An accomplished athlete, he won an Olympic gold medal in the pole vault (1908).
He was nicknamed ‘The man who saved Christmas’ after he persuaded the National Defense Council to abandon a proposed ban on toy production during World War I.

Credit: C. Fishel

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