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Carl Marcus Olson

1911 – 2011

American chemist

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About Carl Marcus Olson

Lived 1911 – 2011 (aged 99–100). Carl Marcus Olson was an American physicist and chemist.

Carl Marcus Olson (1911 – May 16, 2011) has been credited as the discoverer of the process to make silicon pure.

Early life Carl Marcus Olson was born in 1911, to Swedish immigrants in Chicago. His father, Dr. Oscar N. Olson, a clergyman, and his mother, Wilhelmina Peterson Olson raised him and his older sister Heloise in Sioux City, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. He graduated from Rock Island High School and Augustana College. After graduating from Augustana in 1932, he went to the University of Chicago for his Ph.D.

Career Olson was recruited to work for the DuPont Company in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Krebs Pigment and Color plant as a chemist/physicist for work on the white pigment titanium dioxide.

During World War II, an effort was underway to develop electrical components for radar. The key material needed in both paint research and electronics was pure silicon. His research at DuPont pinpointed a way to purify the element, and he grew the first crystal of hyper-pure silicon.

Dr. Olson died on May 16, 2011, at the age of 99.

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Important facts

Born
1911
Birth century
Occupation
Nationality

People in Carl Marcus Olson's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Carl Marcus Olson's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Carl Marcus Olson?

American chemist

When was Carl Marcus Olson born?

Carl Marcus Olson was born in 1911.

When did Carl Marcus Olson die?

Carl Marcus Olson died on 16 May 2011.

What was Carl Marcus Olson's occupation?

Carl Marcus Olson was a physicist and chemist.

What nationality was Carl Marcus Olson?

Carl Marcus Olson was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Carl Marcus Olson

· Wikidata: Q5040523

· DBpedia: Carl Marcus Olson

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Carl Marcus Olson. https://biography.guide/carl-marcus-olson/

MLA: "Carl Marcus Olson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/carl-marcus-olson/.

Chicago: "Carl Marcus Olson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/carl-marcus-olson/.

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