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In 1936, a laboratory project in pulsed transmission and detection was started, and on
December 14, the experimental apparatus detected an aircraft at 7 miles distance. Development then started on the Army's first system for Radio Position Finding (RPF) -- the name "radar" did not come into existence
474:
In 1945, the Signal Corps applied, in Blair's name, for a patent titled "Object
Locating System". This was based on the pulse-echo technique that was originally proposed by Blair in 1935. Because of secrecy, however, he was not allowed to apply for a patent until after the end of World War II, and
454:
To date the distances at which reflected signals can be detected with radio-optical equipment are not great enough to be of value. . . . Consideration is now being given to the scheme of projecting an interrupted sequence of trains of oscillations against the target and attempting to detect the
372:(AEF) and sailed to France in September 1917. Upon arrival Blair met with the British and French military weather services and established the exchange of weather information between the three. Blair established his headquarters at the
923:
916:
413:. In 1926, Blair was assigned as the Chief of Research and Engineering. Coupling capabilities in electronics and meteorology, in 1929 the Laboratory developed and launched the first radio-equipped
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The change of phase due to the passage of electric waves through thin plates and the index of refraction of water for such waves, with applications to the optics of thin films and prisms ...
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with declining economic conditions led the Signal Corps to consolidate their widespread laboratories to Fort
Monmouth. On 30 June 1930, the consolidated operations became the
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302:—where he taught mathematics and physics from 1899 to 1902 and was the school's the head football coach for the 1901 season. He was awarded a Ph.D. in
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and the very-short radio waves with line-of-sight transmission characteristics (microwaves). Some success was made with detection of
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384:
487:, and several companies; U.S. Patent No. 2,803,819 was not granted until 1957. Blair died five years later on 2 September 1962, in
1026:
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After several years investigating microwave generating and receiving devices, followed by experiments in target detection using
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342:) that was widely circulated as a basic handbook. The theoretical portions of the report were published in a research journal.
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from aircraft engines, but Blair was soon convinced that detection could best be done using reflected microwave signals.
431:
In 1931, Blair initiated
Project 88, "Position Finding by Means of Light." Here "light" was used in the general sense of
549:
369:
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Blair's health failed during 1938, and he retired before the system was completed. This system, eventually designated
286:
on 7 November 1874, and brought to the United States by his parents when he was nine years old. His family settled in
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and prepared the way for the over 300 officers and men who served as meteorological troops overseas.
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Following the war, he remained in the Army as a meteorologist and participated in planning the
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In 1917, the Army established the Signal Corps Radio
Laboratories at Camp Vail, in eastern
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during its formative years and is often called the "Father of
American Radar".
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243:
845:
History of the Signal Corps
Development of US Army Radar Equipment, Part II
823:"1936 Annual Report on Research at the U.S. Army Signal Corps Laboratory"
814:"1935 Annual Report on Research at the U.S. Army Signal Corps Laboratory"
476:
436:
303:
54:
409:. After the war, this became Fort Vail, then in 1925, it was renamed
290:, where Blair graduated from Kansas State Normal School–now known as
287:
150:
262:(7 November 1874 – 2 September 1962) was an American scientist and
450:-beat interference methods, in 1935 Blair reported the following:
298:
for two years before moving on
Oshkosh Normal School—now known as
267:
122:
339:
294:—in 1895. He was subsequently the principal of a high school in
905:
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After graduation from
Chicago, Blair took a position with the
803:
Historical Report: Sgnal Corps Engineering Labs: 1930-1943
619:, Christopher H. Sterling, ed., (ABC-CLIO, 2008) pp. 61–62
398:, and soon realized that this could better be done using
318:
reflections, including those from non-metallic surfaces.
455:
echoes during the interstices between the projections.
310:, where he also served as an instructor. His doctoral
836:
Colton, Roger B.; "Radar in the United States Army,"
792:"Around the World," airforce-magazine.com (Sept 1999)
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118:
88:
80:
61:
36:
20:
873:The Signal Corps: The Emergency (to December 1941)
761:
760:Bates, Charles C.; Fuller, John F. (1 July 1986).
755:
753:
725:. International Who's Who Publishing Company. 1911
743:Blair, William R.; "Meteorology for Aviation,"
934:Wisconsin–Oshkosh Titans head football coaches
428:(SCL), with Colonel Blair named the director.
270:from the 1930s onward. He led the U.S. Army's
266:officer, who worked on the development of the
917:
878:Vieweger A. L.; "Radar in the Signal Corps,"
8:
875:, 4th ed., Government Printing Office, 2002.
1209:United States Army personnel of World War I
847:, Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1945.
768:. Texas A&M University Press. pp.
336:National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
924:
910:
902:
611:
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353:recommended Blair to be commissioned as a
28:
17:
1244:Wisconsin–Oshkosh Titans football coaches
854:, University Press of the Pacific, 2004.
508:
1239:University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh faculty
601:
685:"Dedication Recalls 'Father' of Radar"
764:America's Weather Warriors, 1814-1985
581:
567:
500:2004 New Jersey Hall of Fame Inductee
7:
1264:Irish emigrants to the United States
1254:Sportspeople from County Londonderry
852:Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939
359:Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
278:Early life, education, and teaching
805:, Government Printing Office, 1943
475:his application was challenged by
14:
385:Command and General Staff College
314:involved experimental studies of
1204:20th-century American physicists
242:
217:
197:
1214:Emporia State University alumni
882:, MIL-4, p. 555, Oct. 1960
300:University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
615:"Blair, William Richards", in
322:Government and military career
1:
1234:University of Chicago faculty
840:, vol. 33, p. 749, 1947.
801:U.S. Department of the Army;
697:. 16 February 1972. p. 5
660:"UW-Oshkosh Football Archive"
383:in 1924. While attending the
381:first aerial circumnavigation
374:Colombey-les-Belles Aerodrome
282:Blair was born in Ireland in
1229:University of Chicago alumni
861:, Arcadia Publishing, 2009.
370:American Expeditionary Force
328:United States Weather Bureau
1224:United States Army officers
722:The International Blue Book
1280:
745:Proc Philosophical Society
420:Going into the 1930s, the
941:
589:
577:
548:
533:
433:electromagnetic radiation
426:Signal Corps Laboratories
364:Blair was made the Chief
272:Signal Corps Laboratories
253:
187:
183:
179:
136:Signal Corps Laboratories
111:
27:
1259:Sportspeople from Kansas
707:Milwaukee Public Library
664:Wisconsin–Oshkosh Titans
646:Milwaukee Public Library
292:Emporia State University
205:United States of America
351:Robert Andrews Millikan
174:Robert Andrews Millikan
1249:Scientists from Kansas
690:The Daily Northwestern
489:Fair Haven, New Jersey
467:, was intended to aim
391:direction-finding for
260:William Richards Blair
73:Fair Haven, New Jersey
880:IRE Trans Mil. Elect.
400:electromagnetic waves
387:, he made a study of
308:University of Chicago
231:Years of service
102:University of Chicago
505:Head coaching record
332:atmospheric sciences
971:William H. McMaster
510:
330:as a specialist in
141:U.S. Weather Bureau
96:Kansas State Normal
1019:Raymond Manchester
1011:Walter W. McMillan
995:Walter F. Coolidge
831:Additional sources
695:Evanston, Illinois
630:"William R. Blair"
509:
485:United States Navy
284:County Londonderry
264:United States Army
225:United States Army
51:County Londonderry
1181:
1180:
1051:Chester C. Dillon
871:Terrett, Dulany;
843:Davis, Harry M.;
593:
592:
544:
441:thermal radiation
349:began, physicist
338:, predecessor of
306:in 1906 from the
296:Pittsburg, Kansas
257:
256:
113:Scientific career
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987:William R. Blair
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893:William R. Blair
850:Maurer, Maurer;
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422:Great Depression
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169:Doctoral advisor
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65:2 September 1962
46:
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32:
22:William R. Blair
18:
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947:Roy Lewis Morse
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569:Oshkosh Normal:
554:Oshkosh Normal
507:
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415:weather balloon
324:
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188:Military career
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89:Alma mater
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47:7 November 1874
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23:
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1221:
1219:Radar pioneers
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1211:
1206:
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1185:
1179:
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1171:Peter Jennings
1167:
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1123:Dave Hochtritt
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1099:William Bulfer
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1075:Howard Hancock
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1059:Howard Hancock
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887:External links
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857:Rejan, Wendy;
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859:Fort Monmouth
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411:Fort Monmouth
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366:Meteorologist
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39:
35:
31:
26:
19:
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1090:
1035:Frank Karnes
1027:Arthur Meyer
1003:Vincent Poor
986:
897:Find a Grave
879:
872:
858:
851:
844:
837:
819:
810:
802:
797:
788:
763:
744:
739:
727:. Retrieved
721:
715:
705:– via
699:. Retrieved
688:
679:
667:. Retrieved
654:
644:– via
638:. Retrieved
633:
624:
616:
582:
568:
539:
534:
473:
469:searchlights
462:
460:until 1940.
458:
445:
435:, including
430:
419:
404:
393:antiaircraft
378:
363:
344:
325:
312:dissertation
281:
259:
258:
155:
129:Institutions
112:
67:(1962-09-02)
15:
1199:1962 deaths
1194:1874 births
1163:Pat Cerroni
1149:(2007–2019)
1147:Pat Cerroni
1141:(2000–2006)
1133:(1984–1999)
1125:(1977–1983)
1117:(1963–1976)
1109:(1946–1962)
1107:Robert Kolf
1093:(1943–1944)
1085:(1931–1942)
1083:Robert Kolf
1067:Robert Kolf
1061:(1921–1928)
1029:(1912–1917)
1021:(1910–1911)
1013:(1907–1909)
997:(1902–1905)
979:George Senn
955:Banno Smith
949:(1893–1896)
495:Recognition
347:World War I
81:Citizenship
1188:Categories
1139:Phil Meyer
963:John Jones
779:0890962405
729:15 January
701:22 January
669:15 January
640:22 January
596:References
523:Conference
407:New Jersey
389:acoustical
361:reserves.
193:Allegiance
43:1874-11-07
1131:Ron Cardo
838:Proc. IRE
526:Standing
396:artillery
316:microwave
234:1917–1938
1173:(2022– )
520:Overall
477:Raytheon
437:infrared
368:for the
211:Service/
84:American
1155:No team
1091:No team
465:SCR-268
448:Doppler
357:in the
304:physics
248:colonel
55:Ireland
1165:(2021)
1157:(2020)
1101:(1945)
1077:(1930)
1069:(1929)
1053:(1920)
1045:(1919)
1037:(1918)
1005:(1906)
989:(1901)
981:(1900)
973:(1899)
965:(1898)
957:(1897)
865:
776:
583:Total:
543:(1901)
483:, the
288:Kansas
222:
213:branch
202:
162:(1908)
160:
151:Thesis
119:Fields
98:(1895)
75:, U.S.
770:16–23
517:Team
514:Year
355:major
345:When
268:radar
123:Radar
863:ISBN
774:ISBN
731:2020
703:2020
671:2020
642:2020
636:: 16
550:1901
340:NASA
239:Rank
62:Died
37:Born
895:at
587:3–3
573:3–3
557:3–3
481:RCA
1190::
772:.
752:^
693:.
687:.
662:.
632:.
604:^
491:.
479:,
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402:.
53:,
925:e
918:t
911:v
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709:.
673:.
648:.
45:)
41:(
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