Frank J. Sprague
Quick facts
- Born
- July 25, 1857, Milford, Connecticut, US
- Died
- October 25, 1934
Facts from Wikipedia’s “Frank J. Sprague” page (CC BY-SA 4.0).
When, Where, and to whom was he or she born?
Frank J. Sprague was born Milford, Connecticut, July 25 1857.
What was his or her childhood like?
Did You Know?
- He developed an early electric motor to feature constant-speed, non-sparking motor with fixed brushes.
- He was key to regenerative braking.
- He helped develop electric elevators. He was born to parents David and Julia who was a schoolteacher. His mother died when he was ten and he was sent to live with his aunt in New York.
Why did this person become interested in science?
He installed a call-bell system on a ship he served on.
Where did this person go to school?
He went to take the entrance exam for West Point but accidentally aced the entrance exam for the Naval Academy.
What problem did he or she uncover that needed solving?
Richmond, Virginia had hills with over 10% grades.
What solutions had already been tried that did not solve the problem? Why wasn’t it working?
Horsecars.
What did this person invent that solved the problem?
He introduced electric trams in 1888 the first large-scale successful operation.
How did the invention solve the problem?
A spring-loaded trolley pole and regenerative braking.
How has this inventor changed people and the world?
In 1892 he developed electric elevators.
What happened to this inventor in the end?
He died in 1934.
If you could ask this inventor one question, what would you ask?
What is the future of electric traction?
If you could bring this inventor to today and tell him or her one thing, what would you tell him or her about the effect of his or her invention?
Electric cars have been (re-)introduced.
Written for younger readers
Frank J. Sprague, in simpler words
This version comes from Wikijunior, a set of books written for children aged 8 to 11. It is shorter and uses plainer language than the article above.
From Wikijunior: Famous Inventors
Frank J. Sprague was born Milford, Connecticut, July 25 1857.
Did You Know?
- He developed an early electric motor to feature constant-speed, non-sparking motor with fixed brushes.
- He was key to regenerative braking.
- He helped develop electric elevators. He was born to parents David and Julia who was a schoolteacher. His mother died when he was ten and he was sent to live with his aunt in New York.
He installed a call-bell system on a ship he served on.
He went to take the entrance exam for West Point but accidentally aced the entrance exam for the Naval Academy.
Richmond, Virginia had hills with over 10% grades.
Horsecars.
He introduced electric trams in 1888 the first large-scale successful operation.
A spring-loaded trolley pole and regenerative braking.
In 1892 he developed electric elevators.
He died in 1934.
What is the future of electric traction?
Electric cars have been (re-)introduced.
Where this page comes from
The article above is adapted from “Frank J. Sprague” on Simple English Wikipedia, by its contributors. We removed reference markers, navigation boxes and tables, expanded measurement templates into readable numbers, and kept the prose otherwise intact. The simpler version is adapted from Wikijunior on Wikibooks.
Both sources are published under CC BY-SA 4.0, so this page is published under the same licence. You may share and adapt it, including commercially, as long as you credit the original and keep the same licence.
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