Thomas Midgley facts for kids

Thomas Midgley (born on May 18, 1889; died November 2, 1944) was an American inventor. He created two very famous things that are now banned because they harm our environment. These were adding lead to petrol and using special chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigerators. Sadly, Midgley died in an accident caused by something he was inventing for himself.

Who Was Thomas Midgley?

Midgley was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. His father was also an inventor! Thomas grew up in Columbus, Ohio. In 1911, he finished his studies at Cornell University with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was called Thomas Midgley Jr. because his father had the same name.

How He Discovered Leaded Petrol

Midgley started working at General Motors in 1916. In December 1921, he made an important discovery. He found that adding a substance called Tetraethyllead to gasoline stopped car engines from making a loud "knocking" sound. This made engines run more smoothly.

Developing Freon (CFCs)

In the 1930s, Midgley created a new substance called CFC (which stands for chlorinated fluorocarbon). This chemical was not poisonous. It was used in refrigerators, inhalers, and aerosol spray cans. People gave him many important awards for his work. In 1944, he even became the president of the American Chemical Society.

The Tragic End of an Inventor

In 1940, when he was 51 years old, Midgley became very sick with polio. This illness made it hard for him to move around. It was even difficult for him to get out of bed by himself. To help himself, he decided to invent a special system. It used a complicated set of strings and pulleys to lift him from his bed. However, this invention led to a terrible accident. He got tangled in the ropes and died because he couldn't breathe.

What Happened After His Death?

Thomas Midgley died before people fully understood the dangers of CFCs. We now know that CFCs harm the ozone layer. The ozone layer is like a shield in the sky that protects Earth from the sun's harmful rays. Because of this, CFCs are now banned in refrigerators in many places. However, some countries still use them.

In the United States, people started making gasoline without lead in 1973. By 1996, a law called the Clean Air Act banned the sale of leaded fuel for cars on roads. But it was still allowed for things like aircraft, racing cars, farm equipment, and boats until 2008. Today, leaded gasoline is still used in some parts of South America, Africa, and parts of Asia and the Middle East.