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William David Coolidge

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William David Coolidge (October 23, 1873February 3, 1975) was an American physicist. In the early days of his employment as a researcher for the General Electric Company, he conducted critical experiments that led to the use of tungsten as filaments in light bulbs. In 1913 he invented the Coolidge tube, an improved cathode for use in X-ray machines that allowed for more intense visualization of deep-seated anatomy and tumors. The Coolidge tube, which also utilized a tungsten filament, was a major development in the then-nascent medical specialty of radiology, and its basic design is still in use.

Coolidge went to work as a researcher for General Electric in 1905. Coolidge eventually became the director of the General Electric Research Laboratory and a vice-president of the corporation. In 1975 he was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, shortly before his death at age 101.

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