Thomas Leopold Willson

Thomas Leopold Willson was a Canadian inventor and chemist who discovered the electric arc furnace and the process of producing calcium carbide. He was born on a farm near Princeton, Ontario, in March 1860 and went to school in Hamilton, Ontario. He showed an early interest in science and electricity and built his own laboratory in his father's barn. He studied chemistry at the University of Toronto and later worked as a chemist in various industries. In 1888, he moved to the United States and set up his own laboratory in Spray, North Carolina, where he experimented with electric arc furnaces. He was trying to produce pure aluminum from clay, but instead he found that he could produce calcium carbide by heating lime and coal in an electric furnace. Calcium carbide reacts with water to produce acetylene gas, which can be used for lighting and welding. It can also be converted into artificial fertilizer by reacting with nitrogen. Willson patented his invention in 1892 and sold it to Union Carbide, which became a major producer of calcium carbide and acetylene. Willson became wealthy from his invention and built a mansion in Meredith, New Hampshire, where he continued his research. He also built a hydroelectric plant and a paper mill on the site. He married Margaret Robson in 1896 and had six children. He died of pneumonia in December 1915 at the age of 55. He is recognized as one of the most influential inventors of the 19th century.