Edwin Land 1909-1991

Edwin Land was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in May 1909. He is an American scientist and inventor and is known as the co-founder of Polaroid Corporation. Land invented the Polaroid Instant Camera, which takes and develops a picture within 60 seconds. His early life consisted of growing up in Connecticut to Harry and Helen Land. He studied chemistry at Harvard, but left and went to New York City around 1928. This is where his work with Polaroids began. He invented the first filters capable of polarizing light, known as Polaroid film. He was not associated to an educational institution, thus he snuck into the lab at Columbia University to use their equipment to further his work. He discovered through working with the film that instead of growing just one large crystal of a polarized substance, he could place millions of smaller polarizing crystals together to create the film. It was more efficient. After developing this film, Land went back to Harvard, he still didn't receive his degrees. Once he discovered a solution to a problem in his head, he lacked motivation to write it down. He did not care to prove things to others.

However, in 1932 Land and his physics professor, Wheelwright, came together and established the Land-Wheelwright laboratories to produce polaroid technology. Wheelwright funded the company. They created things such as polarized filters for sunglasses and photographic filters. More investors came through and the name was changed to the Polaroid Corporation in 1937. The company provided applications for the 850 peacock jukebox of 1942. A few years later, Land invented the instant camera in 1947. The first camera was sold in 1948 and it provided instant photography. An image could be seen just moments after the photo was taken. Later in the 1960s, Land partnered with a major company, Henry Dreyfuss, to create more advanced cameras, the Automatic 100 Land and the Polaroid swinger in 1965. It was a big hit for consumers.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpolaroid.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_H._Land

photos
http://arthurpolaroid.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/edwin-land-sx70.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_camera