William Henry Bristol

William Henry Bristol (July 5, 1859 – June 18, 1930) was an inventor, manufacturer, educator, and environmentalist. Bristol was born in Waterbury, Connecticut.

After graduating from the Stevens Institute of Technology in 1884 with an engineering degree,

In 1904, Professor Bristol invented the first practical pyrometer for measuring high temperatures. This created another new industry and led to the formation of the William H. Bristol Pyrometer Company in New York City.

In 1915, he invented the “Bristolphone” to simultaneously record voices and other sounds with motion in moving pictures. He founded the William H. Bristol Talking Picture Corporation to develop “synchronized talking motion pictures,” and produced one of the first full-length motion pictures with sound. The Bristolphone was used in nearly one hundred movie houses in the U.S. He also developed and manufactured loud speakers, power amplifiers, radios and phonograph recorders. His “Audiophone,” which was used at Yankee Stadium and Grand Central Station in New York, revolutionized public address systems. Photo of the resting place of William H Bristol and his wife, in Riverside Cemetery, Waterbury, CT. William Bristol was awarded medals at expositions in Chicago (1893), Paris (1900), Saint Louis (1904), San Francisco (1915) and Philadelphia (1926). He received two awards from the Franklin Institute to honor his distinguished career. He gained worldwide recognition while making possible major advances in both pure scientific knowledge and industrial technology. Bristol, who received nearly 100 patents during his lifetime, died on June 18, 1930.