22:
262:
game. He believed that a big factor that was slowing his improvement was the small 'sweet spot' of the tennis racquet. In order to make the game of tennis easier, Head came up with the design for an oversized racquet. He filed and obtained a patent that covered tennis racquets with a size of 95–135 square inches. He also pioneered the development of the
169:
209:
and ski instructors Clif Taylor and Neil
Robinson, who assured Head that he would love to use his skis if they did not break. Throughout that winter Head would make a ski pair and send it out to Robinson, who returned it to Head after it broke. Head figured out the flaws of his design, came up with
188:
for the first time. Head was frustrated with the quality of the wooden skis, which he found clumsy and heavy and felt they made skiing very difficult for beginners. He decided to develop a lighter and more efficient ski that could make skiing much easier for all users. He left his job and devoted all
261:
Not particularly proficent at tennis, Howard felt that the equipment for the game needed improvement. He became the majority shareholder and chairman of the board of Prince through an acquisition. While Head considerably improved the design of the ball machine, he still did not get any better at the
196:
The skis developed by Head were based on the structural principles that he had learned during his experience as an aircraft engineer. In a warehouse he rented from Albert
Gunther Inc in an alley off of Biddle Street in downtown Baltimore, he used a technique known as metal sandwich construction. The
213:
In order to make his skis more efficient, Head made several other changes, like substituting plywood for honeycomb plastic, covering the bottom of the ski with polyethylene to avoid the problem of icy bottoms and adopting continuous steel edges to harden the edges of the ski. The new improved skis
205:, with a center filling of honeycomb plastic. Although these skis were very light, they all broke quite quickly during trials. Head did not give up on his idea, and was encouraged by several professional skiers, including 1939 World Champion
214:
were almost as heavy as the conventional wooden skis, but were stronger and easier to control. Head skis helped to popularize alpine skiing in the U.S.; the innovative equipment made turning significantly easier.
210:
modifications, sent the new ski pair to
Robinson, and the process repeated. By the end of the winter of 1947, Head came up with skis that were as strong as wooden skis but were half the weight.
358:
441:
471:
506:
501:
486:
521:
516:
217:
In 1950, Head founded the Head Ski
Company, which became very successful. Within a couple of years it was the major supplier of alpine skis in the
481:
511:
365:
105:
390:
316:
526:
297:
43:
277:
also introduced an oversize racquet in 1975, before the first Prince oversize, the aluminum Prince
Classic, was introduced.
257:
After retiring, Head decided to take tennis lessons. For this purpose, he purchased a tennis ball machine manufactured by
86:
230:
58:
39:
306:
65:
286:
32:
476:
218:
72:
177:
130:
54:
496:
491:
156:
for the laminate skis and oversized tennis racket are in the name of Howard Head. He graduated from
181:
270:
310:
157:
442:"Howard Head And The Prince Tennis Racket: A Journey From The Personal To The Democratic"
337:
79:
416:
234:
145:
465:
258:
185:
149:
141:
189:
his time and energy to developing the skis and supported himself with earnings from
266:
racquet, which eventually became the industry standard, replacing wooden racquets.
206:
126:
122:
291:
133:
who is credited with the invention of the first commercially successful aluminum
246:
226:
21:
238:
303:
242:
229:
racquet, constructed of aluminum honeycomb. Howard Head sold the company to
274:
263:
198:
134:
221:
and influenced ski design worldwide. The company later diversified into
269:
Although Prince was the first company to patent oversize racquets, the
202:
153:
225:
and other racquet sports; its most notable product was the innovative
222:
273:
preceded the patent by two years, causing
Germany to invalidate it.
233:
in 1969 and retired. After a number of takeovers and acquisitions,
190:
167:
137:
144:. Head founded the ski (and later tennis racquet)-making firm,
168:
15:
421:
Lemelson Center for the Study of
Invention and Innovation
197:
first skis he made consisted of two light layers of
46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
176:In 1947, Howard Head was an aircraft engineer for
338:"Skiing History journal: A short history of skis"
8:
415:Center, Smithsonian Lemelson (2020-09-08).
172:A Head Ski Company alpine ski, 2006 model.
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
148:, in 1950. Later, he became chairman of
329:
391:"Head, Howard | Encyclopedia.com"
472:American manufacturing businesspeople
7:
507:20th-century American businesspeople
44:adding citations to reliable sources
294:– the physics behind Head's Racquet
502:William Penn Charter School alumni
14:
129:– March 3, 1991) was an American
487:Businesspeople from Philadelphia
292:An interview with Howard Broody.
20:
522:20th-century American inventors
517:20th-century American engineers
31:needs additional citations for
417:"Sports Innovator Howard Head"
1:
482:American aerospace engineers
359:"The History of Howard Head"
241:, Austria (operational) and
201:bonded to sidewalls of thin
152:Manufacturing Inc. The U.S.
512:Engineers from Pennsylvania
543:
300:– inventors – Howard Head
259:Prince Manufacturing Inc.
178:Glenn L. Martin Company
527:Harvard College alumni
237:is currently based in
173:
298:Invention at play.org
249:(corporate offices).
171:
131:aeronautical engineer
395:www.encyclopedia.com
40:improve this article
309:2005-08-29 at the
271:Bentley Fortissimo
174:
140:and the oversized
121:(July 31, 1914 in
440:Carlson, Bernie.
371:on 13 August 2012
317:Prince Tennis.com
116:
115:
108:
90:
534:
477:Tennis equipment
456:
455:
453:
452:
437:
431:
430:
428:
427:
412:
406:
405:
403:
401:
387:
381:
380:
378:
376:
370:
364:. Archived from
363:
355:
349:
348:
346:
344:
334:
111:
104:
100:
97:
91:
89:
48:
24:
16:
542:
541:
537:
536:
535:
533:
532:
531:
462:
461:
460:
459:
450:
448:
439:
438:
434:
425:
423:
414:
413:
409:
399:
397:
389:
388:
384:
374:
372:
368:
361:
357:
356:
352:
342:
340:
336:
335:
331:
326:
311:Wayback Machine
283:
255:
166:
158:Harvard College
112:
101:
95:
92:
49:
47:
37:
25:
12:
11:
5:
540:
538:
530:
529:
524:
519:
514:
509:
504:
499:
494:
489:
484:
479:
474:
464:
463:
458:
457:
432:
407:
382:
350:
328:
327:
325:
322:
321:
320:
314:
301:
295:
289:
282:
281:External links
279:
254:
253:Tennis racquet
251:
165:
162:
114:
113:
28:
26:
19:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
539:
528:
525:
523:
520:
518:
515:
513:
510:
508:
505:
503:
500:
498:
495:
493:
490:
488:
485:
483:
480:
478:
475:
473:
470:
469:
467:
447:
443:
436:
433:
422:
418:
411:
408:
396:
392:
386:
383:
367:
360:
354:
351:
339:
333:
330:
323:
318:
315:
312:
308:
305:
302:
299:
296:
293:
290:
288:
285:
284:
280:
278:
276:
272:
267:
265:
260:
252:
250:
248:
244:
240:
236:
232:
228:
224:
220:
215:
211:
208:
204:
200:
194:
192:
187:
183:
179:
170:
164:Ski equipment
163:
161:
159:
155:
151:
147:
143:
142:tennis racket
139:
136:
132:
128:
124:
120:
110:
107:
99:
96:December 2010
88:
85:
81:
78:
74:
71:
67:
64:
60:
57: –
56:
55:"Howard Head"
52:
51:Find sources:
45:
41:
35:
34:
29:This article
27:
23:
18:
17:
449:. Retrieved
445:
435:
424:. Retrieved
420:
410:
398:. Retrieved
394:
385:
373:. Retrieved
366:the original
353:
341:. Retrieved
332:
268:
256:
216:
212:
207:Emile Allais
195:
175:
127:Pennsylvania
123:Philadelphia
118:
117:
102:
93:
83:
76:
69:
62:
50:
38:Please help
33:verification
30:
497:1991 deaths
492:1914 births
343:19 December
287:Howard Head
247:Netherlands
227:Arthur Ashe
184:, and went
119:Howard Head
466:Categories
451:2023-10-23
426:2023-09-14
324:References
313:– timeline
239:Kennelbach
235:HEAD, N.V.
66:newspapers
319:– history
243:Amsterdam
182:Baltimore
160:in 1936.
307:Archived
304:Head.com
264:graphite
199:aluminum
135:laminate
400:5 April
375:24 June
203:plywood
154:patents
80:scholar
446:Forbes
223:tennis
186:skiing
150:Prince
82:
75:
68:
61:
53:
369:(PDF)
362:(PDF)
191:poker
87:JSTOR
73:books
402:2023
377:2012
345:2016
275:Weed
219:U.S.
146:Head
138:skis
59:news
231:AMF
180:in
42:by
468::
444:.
419:.
393:.
245:,
193:.
125:,
454:.
429:.
404:.
379:.
347:.
109:)
103:(
98:)
94:(
84:·
77:·
70:·
63:·
36:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
