June Carter Cash
Musical Monikers
Madonna
Justin Bieber
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
1 photo
Quick Facts
Best Known For
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowOtis Boykin. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 02:45, May 24, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/otis-boykin-538792.
Otis Boykin. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/otis-boykin-538792 [Accessed 24 May 2013].
"Otis Boykin." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 24 2013, 02:45 http://www.biography.com/people/otis-boykin-538792.
"Otis Boykin," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/otis-boykin-538792 [accessed May 24, 2013].
"Otis Boykin," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/otis-boykin-538792 (accessed May 24, 2013).
Otis Boykin [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 24] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/otis-boykin-538792.
Otis Boykin, http://www.biography.com/people/otis-boykin-538792 (last visited May 24, 2013).
Otis Boykin. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/otis-boykin-538792. Accessed May 24, 2013.
Synopsis
Otis Boykin was born on August 29, 1920, in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Fisk College in 1941 and took a job with the Majestic Radio and TV Corporation. He later worked at P. J. Nilsen Research Laboratories. He began to invent products on his own, with some of his noteworthy inventions including a wire precision resistor used in televisions and radios and a control unit for the pacemaker. He died in 1982 of heart failure.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Inventor Otis Boykin was born on August 29, 1920, in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from high school, he attended Fisk College in Nashville, Tennessee, graduating in 1941.
That same year, he took a job as a lab assistant with the Majestic Radio and TV Corporation in Chicago, Illinois. He rose in the ranks, ultimately serving as a supervisor. He eventually took a position with the P.J. Nilsen Research Laboratories while trying to start his own business, Boykin-Fruth Incorporated. At the same time, he decided to continue his education, pursuing graduate studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois. He was forced to drop out in 1947, after only two years of education, because he was unable to afford tuition.
Inventions
Boykin, who took a special interest in working with resistors, began researching and inventing on his own. He sought and received a patent for a wire precision resistor on June 16, 1959. This resistor would later be used in radios and televisions. Two years later, he created a breakthrough device that could withstand extreme changes in temperature and pressure. The device, which was cheaper and more reliable than others on the market, came in great demand by the United States military for guided missles and IBM for computers.
In 1964, Boykin moved to Paris, creating electronic innovations for a new market of customers. His most famous invention was a control unit for the pacemaker. Ironically, Boykin died in Chicago in 1982 as a result of heart failure. Upon his death, he had 26 patents to his name.
© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
profile name: Otis Boykin profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
_30x30.jpg)
Famous Black Inventors
View groupThey are among history's most revered black inventors, known for their relentless inquisition, passionate research, impeccable design and, most importantly, their desire to push the envelope. Some of the world's greatest technological and social advancements, including the modern-day gas mask, light bulb and traffic light, owe their origins to black inventors. Did you know that George Washington Carver developed more than 100 products using peanuts? Or that Madam C.J. Walker was the first American woman to become a self-made millionaire? Learn more about these inventors, as well as Lonnie G. Johnson, Garrett Morgan, Patricia Bath, Percy Julian and more, at Biography.com.
Famous Black Inventors 16 people in this group
-
Famous Black Scientists
View groupWhen it comes to famous black scientists, George Washington Carver, Mae C. Jemison, and Neil Degrasse Tyson probably come to mind. But do you know about Otis Boykin and how he's helped old hearts beat a little better? And how about Garrett Morgan, whose inventions have kept hair straighter, clothes fitter, and traffic more efficient? Learn more about these famous black scientists and more.
Famous Black Scientists 16 people in this group
-
Famous Virgoans
View groupMichael Jackson is one, so is Stephen King and Greta Garbo. Some say typical traits of Virgoans are helpful, critical, shy, and meticulous. Meet some famous people who share the astrological sign Virgo.
Famous Virgoans 564 people in this group
