About Britton Chance
Britton Chance was an American biochemist, biophysicist, scholar, and inventor whose work helped develop spectroscopy as a way to diagnose medical problems. He was "a world leader in transforming theoretical science into useful biomedical and clinical applications" and is considered "the founder of the biomedical photonics." He received the National Medal of Science in 1974. He also was an Olympic athlete who won a gold medal in sailing for the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics in the 5.5 Metre Class. His father was also a mining engineer, chemist, and inventor who held a number of metallurgical patents and created a device that detected carbon monoxide in coal mines using a chemical reaction. When he was 13 years old, he became a licensed as a radiotelegraph operator and built his first powerful radio transmitter. Around the time he was 17, he invented an auto-steering device for ships, receiving a patent in 1937.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.