COLUMBIA, S.C. — Born in 1915, Charles Townes grew up and attended school in Greenville. At the age of 19, Townes graduated from Furman University. It was in the spring of 1951 that Townes had a true spark of genius.
"Waking up in the morning and just sketching things down on a small sheet of paper that would eventually become the maser. He was the first person to develop this idea that shortwave radiation could be condensed into a beam. Now, at the time, that was microwaves, but using that research of masers, it actually became the laser," said David Dickson.
Dickson is the public relations manager at the South Carolina State Museum. He spoke about how Towne's groundbreaking discoveries have shaped our modern world. "His technology was actually able using a laser to measure the distance from the Earth to the Moon with an accuracy of less than one inch."
The invention of the laser has revolutionized technology, telecommunications, and medical procedures. Towne's work would eventually be recognized with a Nobel Prize in 1964.
This summer at the South Carolina State Museum, you can check out Charles Towne's invention with their Friday Night Laser Lights.
