Voting Station

Barnes Wallis

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Inventor

The Resume

    (September 26, 1887-October 30, 1979)
    Born in Ripley, England, United Kingdom
    Designer for Vickers aircraft
    Developed the Wellesley and Wellington bombers
    Invented the bouncing bomb used in the Dambusters raid (1943)
    Named a fellow of the Royal Society (1954)
    Knighted (1968)

Why he might be annoying:

    He had obsessive daily rituals, such as always eating three spoonfuls of porridge and eight prunes for breakfast.
    He began courting his wife when he was 35 and she was 17.
    Chief Air Marshall Arthur 'Bomber' Harris said that the Dambusters raid 'achieved nothing compared to the effort and loss that went into it.'
    Most of his post-WWII ideas, such as a tailless swing-wing aircraft or transporting oil in large cargo submarines, were ignored.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He and Molly Bloxam were married for 54 years until his death.
    The geodesic airframe that he developed for the Wellington bomber was known for its ability to remain airworthy while absorbing massive damages.
    He designed the 6-ton Tallboy and 10-ton Grand Slam bombs used to destroy V-2 rocket launch sites.
    He became a pioneer in remote control of aircraft to avoid endangering the lives of test pilots.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 17 Votes: 70.59% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 29 Votes: 51.72% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 26 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 15 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 86 Votes: 46.51% Annoying