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John Philip Holland

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Inventor

The Resume

    (March 1, 1841-August 12, 1914)
    Born in Liscannor, Ireland
    Engineer
    Built the first underwater vessel accepted by the U.S. Navy.
    Designed the first Royal Navy submarine, Holland 1 (1901)
    Founded the John P. Holland Torpedo Boat Company

Why he might be annoying:

    He looked like Rich Uncle Pennybags from Monopoly.
    His first major invention was the Fenian Ram, a small sub which had only limited success during test runs.
    He was initially employed by Irish nationalists who hoped to use submarines against the British.
    According to Britannica: 'His final years were marked by litigation with his financial backers.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He taught at schools throughout Ireland into his thirties.
    He moved from Ireland to the U.S. to build submergible boats, developing several functional submarine prototypes during the latter half of the 19th century.
    He designed and manufactured submersible prototypes that sparked the interest of the U.S. Navy.
    He won eventual success with an improved Holland I design, a 53.3 foot long, six-person submersible that could remain under water for forty hours. The U.S. Navy purchased the submarine for $150,000.
    This submarine design would become the model for the Navy's fleet of submersibles for the next several decades.
    In addition to obtaining patents for submarines, he also received patents for a screw propeller, several guns, and a visual indicator (over twenty in all).
    One of his last inventions was an apparatus designed to enable sailors to escape from damaged submarines.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 111 Votes: 49.55% Annoying