About Herman Affel
Lived 1893 – 1972 (aged 79). Herman Affel was an American engineer and inventor.
Herman Andrew Affel (August 4, 1893 – October 13, 1972) was an American electrical engineer who invented the modern coaxial cable.
Biography He was born on August 4, 1893. He attended MIT. He later married Bertha May Plummer.
From MIT he went to work at Bell Laboratories. Among other projects he worked with Lloyd Espenschied on the characteristics of coaxial cable. Espenschied and Affel jointly applied for a patent on a wideband coaxial cable system of transmission, filed in 1929 and granted in 1934. The invention was disclosed in a prize-winning paper published in AIEE's Electrical Engineering in October 1934.
He died on October 13, 1972.
Legacy In 2006, Affel was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
US Patents
"Equalization of Carrier Transmissions," 1924, Herman A. Affel "Concentric Conducting System", 1929, Lloyd Espenschied and Herman A. Affel
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Herman Affel's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Related people
Same field, nearest in time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Herman Affel's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Herman Affel?
American electrical engineer (1893–1972)
When was Herman Affel born?
Herman Affel was born on 4 August 1893 in Brooklyn.
When did Herman Affel die?
Herman Affel died on 13 October 1972 in New York City.
What was Herman Affel's occupation?
Herman Affel was an engineer and inventor.
What nationality was Herman Affel?
Herman Affel was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Herman Affel. https://biography.guide/herman-affel/
MLA: "Herman Affel." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/herman-affel/.
Chicago: "Herman Affel." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/herman-affel/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:30 UTC