Hugh Bradner
Encyclopedia
Hugh Bradner was an American
physicist
at the University of California
who is credited with inventing the neoprene
wetsuit
, which helped to revolutionize scuba diving
.
, on November 5, 1915, but he was raised in Findlay, Ohio
. His father, Donal Byal Bradner, was briefly director of the Chemical Warfare Service at Maryland
's Edgewood Arsenal. Bradner graduated from Ohio's Miami University
in 1936 and later received his doctorate from California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena, California
, in 1941.
in 1943 at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
in New Mexico
, which helped to develop the first atomic bomb. Bradner helped to develop a wide range of technology needed for the bomb, including research on the high explosives needed to implode the atomic bomb, developed the bomb's triggering mechanism, and even helped design the new town around the laboratory
. He worked closely with some of the most important American, British
and Canadian
scientists and mathematicians of the era including Luis Alvarez
, John Von Neumann
and George Kistiakowsky
. Bradner witnessed the Trinity test
, the first nuclear weapons test, at Los Alamos on July 16, 1945.
Bradner met his future wife, Marjorie Hall Bradner, who was also working as a secretary
on the Manhattan Project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The couple were married at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1943. Security at the top secret
facility was so tight that neither Bradner's nor Hall's parents were allowed to attend the ceremony, though Oppenheimer was among the wedding
guests. The couple remained together for over 65 years until Marjorie Hall Bradner died on April 10, 2008 at the age of 89.
in 1946 under Luis Alvarez
, whom he had worked with at the Manhattan Project. He remained at the University until 1961. He worked on the 1951 atomic bombing test on Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands
, which was part of the Operation Greenhouse
nuclear test series.
Bradner's job at UC Berkeley required him to do a number of underwater dives. He had previously talked to United States Navy
frogmen during World War II
concerning the problems of staying in cold water for long periods of time, which causes the diver to lose large amounts of body heat quickly. He began experimenting with neoprene, a rubbery substance which he found "would trap the water between the body and the neoprene, and the water would heat up to body temperature and keep you warm," according to an interview with his daughter, Bari Cornet, a UC - Berkeley faculty member with the San Francisco Chronicle
. In a 1951 letter, Bradner showed that he clearly understood that the insulation in such a suit was not provided by the water between the suit and the skin, but rather that this layer of water next to the skin, if trapped, would quickly heat to skin temperature, if the material in the suit were insulative. Thus, the suit only need to limit purging by fresh cold water. However, it did not need to be dry to work.
He worked on developing the new suit in the basement of his family's home on Scenic Avenue in Berkeley, California
. He further researched the new wetsuit
for Naval swimmers at a conference in Coronado, California
, in December 1951.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the wetsuit was invented in 1952. Bradner and other engineers founded the Engineering Development Company (EDCO) in order to develop the wetsuit. He and his colleagues tested several versions and prototypes of the wetsuit at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
in La Jolla, California. Scripps scientist and engineer
Willard Bascom
advised Bradner to use neoprene
for the suit material, which proved successful.
Bradner applied for a U.S. patent
for the wetsuit, but his patent application was turned down due to its similar design with the flight suit
. The United States Navy also did not adopt the new wetsuits because of worries that the neoprene in the wetsuits might make its swimmers easier to spot by underwater sonar
and, thus, could not exclusively profit from his invention.
Bradner and his company, EDCO, tried to sell his wetsuits in the consumer
market. However, he failed to successfully penetrate the wetsuit market the way others have done - including Bob Meistrell and Bill Meistrell
, the founders of Body Glove
, and Jack O'Neill
. Various claims have been made over the years that it was the O'Neill or the Meistrell brothers who actually invented the wetsuit instead of Bradner. However, recent research into over 50 years of paperwork have proven that it was Bradner who created the original wetsuit, not his close competitors. In 2005, the Los Angeles Times research confirmed Bradner to be the "father of the wetsuit." A research paper published by Carolyn Rainey in 1998 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography also provided corroborating evidence that it was Bradner who created the first wetsuit.
He became a full professor in 1963 and retired
in 1980. He remained interested in oceanography
, scuba diving
, seashell
collecting and the outdoors throughout his later years, and continued to work both on oceanographic research, as well as on the DUMAND deep ocean neutrino astronomy project, which combined his two careers in physics and oceanography.
Hugh Bradner died at the age of 92 at his home in San Diego, California
, on May 5, 2008, from complications of pneumonia
. He was survived by his daughter, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
who is credited with inventing the neoprene
Neoprene
Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. Neoprene in general has good chemical stability, and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range...
wetsuit
Wetsuit
A wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material,...
, which helped to revolutionize scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
.
Early life
Hugh Bradner was born in Tonopah, NevadaTonopah, Nevada
Tonopah is a census-designated place located in and the county seat of Nye County, Nevada. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95 approximately mid-way between Las Vegas and Reno....
, on November 5, 1915, but he was raised in Findlay, Ohio
Findlay, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...
. His father, Donal Byal Bradner, was briefly director of the Chemical Warfare Service at Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
's Edgewood Arsenal. Bradner graduated from Ohio's Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in 1936 and later received his doctorate from California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, in 1941.
Manhattan Project
Following his doctorate from California Institute of Technology, Bradner worked at the US Naval Ordnance Laboratory where he researched naval mines from 1941 until 1943. He was recruited by J. Robert Oppenheimer to join the Manhattan ProjectManhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
in 1943 at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, which helped to develop the first atomic bomb. Bradner helped to develop a wide range of technology needed for the bomb, including research on the high explosives needed to implode the atomic bomb, developed the bomb's triggering mechanism, and even helped design the new town around the laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
. He worked closely with some of the most important American, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
scientists and mathematicians of the era including Luis Alvarez
Luis Alvarez
Luis W. Alvarez was an American experimental physicist and inventor, who spent nearly all of his long professional career on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley...
, John Von Neumann
John von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
and George Kistiakowsky
George Kistiakowsky
George Bogdan Kistiakowsky was a Ukrainian-American chemistry professor at Harvard who participated in the Manhattan Project and later served as President Eisenhower's Science Advisor...
. Bradner witnessed the Trinity test
Trinity test
Trinity was the code name of the first test of a nuclear weapon. This test was conducted by the United States Army on July 16, 1945, in the Jornada del Muerto desert about 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, at the new White Sands Proving Ground, which incorporated the Alamogordo Bombing...
, the first nuclear weapons test, at Los Alamos on July 16, 1945.
Bradner met his future wife, Marjorie Hall Bradner, who was also working as a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
on the Manhattan Project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The couple were married at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1943. Security at the top secret
Top Secret
Top Secret generally refers to the highest acknowledged level of classified information.Top Secret may also refer to:- Film and television :* Top Secret , a British comedy directed by Mario Zampi...
facility was so tight that neither Bradner's nor Hall's parents were allowed to attend the ceremony, though Oppenheimer was among the wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
guests. The couple remained together for over 65 years until Marjorie Hall Bradner died on April 10, 2008 at the age of 89.
Wetsuit
Bradner took a position studying high-energy physics at the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1946 under Luis Alvarez
Luis Alvarez
Luis W. Alvarez was an American experimental physicist and inventor, who spent nearly all of his long professional career on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley...
, whom he had worked with at the Manhattan Project. He remained at the University until 1961. He worked on the 1951 atomic bombing test on Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, which was part of the Operation Greenhouse
Operation Greenhouse
Operation Greenhouse was the fifth American nuclear test series, the second conducted in 1951 and the first to test principles that would lead to developing thermonuclear weapons . Conducted at the new Pacific Proving Ground, all of the devices were mounted in large steel towers, to simulate air...
nuclear test series.
Bradner's job at UC Berkeley required him to do a number of underwater dives. He had previously talked to United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
frogmen during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
concerning the problems of staying in cold water for long periods of time, which causes the diver to lose large amounts of body heat quickly. He began experimenting with neoprene, a rubbery substance which he found "would trap the water between the body and the neoprene, and the water would heat up to body temperature and keep you warm," according to an interview with his daughter, Bari Cornet, a UC - Berkeley faculty member with the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
. In a 1951 letter, Bradner showed that he clearly understood that the insulation in such a suit was not provided by the water between the suit and the skin, but rather that this layer of water next to the skin, if trapped, would quickly heat to skin temperature, if the material in the suit were insulative. Thus, the suit only need to limit purging by fresh cold water. However, it did not need to be dry to work.
He worked on developing the new suit in the basement of his family's home on Scenic Avenue in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. He further researched the new wetsuit
Wetsuit
A wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material,...
for Naval swimmers at a conference in Coronado, California
Coronado, California
Coronado, also known as Coronado Island, is an affluent resort city located in San Diego County, California, 5.2 miles from downtown San Diego. Its population was 24,697 at the 2010 census, up from 24,100 at the 2000 census. U.S. News and World Report lists Coronado as one of the most expensive...
, in December 1951.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the wetsuit was invented in 1952. Bradner and other engineers founded the Engineering Development Company (EDCO) in order to develop the wetsuit. He and his colleagues tested several versions and prototypes of the wetsuit at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
in La Jolla, California. Scripps scientist and engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Willard Bascom
Willard Bascom
Willard Bascom , was an engineer and scientist, who first proposed using Neoprene for wetsuits to fellow scientist Hugh Bradner. He also proposed the hypothesis that anoxic water in the Black Sea could have preserved ancient Black Sea shipwrecks...
advised Bradner to use neoprene
Neoprene
Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. Neoprene in general has good chemical stability, and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range...
for the suit material, which proved successful.
Bradner applied for a U.S. patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
for the wetsuit, but his patent application was turned down due to its similar design with the flight suit
Flight suit
A flight suit is a full body garment, worn while flying aircraft such as military airplanes, gliders and helicopters. These suits are generally made to keep the wearer warm, as well as being practical , and durable . Its appearance is usually similar to a jumpsuit. A military flight suit may also...
. The United States Navy also did not adopt the new wetsuits because of worries that the neoprene in the wetsuits might make its swimmers easier to spot by underwater sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
and, thus, could not exclusively profit from his invention.
Bradner and his company, EDCO, tried to sell his wetsuits in the consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
market. However, he failed to successfully penetrate the wetsuit market the way others have done - including Bob Meistrell and Bill Meistrell
Bill Meistrell
Bill Meistrell was one of the co-founders of Body Glove Wetsuits. Bill is credited with having helped to invent the modern wetsuit along with his brother Bob Meistrell....
, the founders of Body Glove
Body Glove
Body Glove International, LLC is a major surf/skateboard/watersports brand started in the United States. Body Glove was founded in 1953 by twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell. The brothers invented the very first practical wetsuit in the early 1950s in the back of their Redondo Beach, California...
, and Jack O'Neill
Jack O'Neill (businessman)
Jack O'Neill is an American businessman, often credited with the invention of the wetsuit. In 1952 he opened one of California's first surf shops in a garage on the Great Highway in San Francisco, close to his favorite bodysurfing break, which lead to the establishment of a company that deals in...
. Various claims have been made over the years that it was the O'Neill or the Meistrell brothers who actually invented the wetsuit instead of Bradner. However, recent research into over 50 years of paperwork have proven that it was Bradner who created the original wetsuit, not his close competitors. In 2005, the Los Angeles Times research confirmed Bradner to be the "father of the wetsuit." A research paper published by Carolyn Rainey in 1998 at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography also provided corroborating evidence that it was Bradner who created the first wetsuit.
Later career and life
Bradner joined the Scripps Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics as a geophysicist in 1961.He became a full professor in 1963 and retired
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
in 1980. He remained interested in oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
, scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, seashell
Seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
collecting and the outdoors throughout his later years, and continued to work both on oceanographic research, as well as on the DUMAND deep ocean neutrino astronomy project, which combined his two careers in physics and oceanography.
Hugh Bradner died at the age of 92 at his home in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, on May 5, 2008, from complications of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. He was survived by his daughter, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.