Name: William Henry Eccles

Born: August 23, 1875, in Barrow-in-Furness, England

Death: April 29, 1966 (Age: 91)

  • British physicist and a pioneer in the development of radio communication.
  • Eccles invented the term diode to describe an evacuated glass tube containing two electrodes; an anode and a cathode.
  • In 1918, he worked to patent the flip-flop circuit, which became the basis of electronic memory in computers.
  • He helped in the design of the first long wave radio station.

Honors and awards

  • Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).