INVENTOR

Frank J. Sprague

1857 - 1934

Photo of Frank J. Sprague

Icon of person Frank J. Sprague

Frank Julian Sprague (July 25, 1857 – October 25, 1934) was an American inventor who contributed to the development of the electric motor, electric railways, and electric elevators. His contributions were especially important in promoting urban development by increasing the size cities could reasonably attain (through better transportation) and by allowing greater concentration of business in commercial sections (through use of electric elevators in skyscrapers). He became known as the "father of electric traction". Demonstrating an aptitude for science and mathematics, Sprague secured an appointment to the U.S. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Frank J. Sprague has received more than 254,425 page views. Her biography is available in 17 different languages on Wikipedia. Frank J. Sprague is the 353rd most popular inventor (up from 363rd in 2019), the 7,779th most popular biography from United States (up from 9,248th in 2019) and the 93rd most popular American Inventor.

Memorability Metrics

  • 250k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 53.71

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 17

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.88

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.72

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among INVENTORS

Among inventors, Frank J. Sprague ranks 353 out of 426. Before her are Albrecht Berblinger, John Fitch, Oliver Evans, Charles Darrow, Robert Whitehead, and Jerry Lawson. After her are Edward Craven Walker, Peter Madsen, Almon Brown Strowger, Kazimierz Prószyński, František Křižík, and George Stibitz.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1857, Frank J. Sprague ranks 120. Before her are Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, Halil Pasha, Jules de Trooz, Clarence Darrow, Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, and František Ondříček. After her are John Jacob Abel, Arthur Rudolf Hantzsch, Pedro Paterno, Charles Frédéric Petit, Edward Henry Potthast, and John Joly. Among people deceased in 1934, Frank J. Sprague ranks 139. Before her are Nathaniel Lord Britton, Jiro Sato, Toros Toramanian, Horace Lamb, Majit Gafuri, and Sergey Lebedev. After her are Paul Henri Lecomte, Broncia Koller-Pinell, Heinz Prüfer, José Santos Chocano, Claudio Williman, and William H. Welch.

Others Born in 1857

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Others Deceased in 1934

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Frank J. Sprague ranks 7,779 out of 20,380. Before her are John W. Snow (1939), Dane DeHaan (1986), David LaChapelle (1963), Barnard Hughes (1915), Carole Caldwell Graebner (1943), and Charisma Carpenter (1970). After her are Michael O'Hare (1952), Grant Show (1962), Alice Pearce (1917), Catherine Oxenberg (1961), Diane Warren (1956), and Mandy Moore (1984).

Others born in United States

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Among INVENTORS In United States

Among inventors born in United States, Frank J. Sprague ranks 93. Before her are George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (1859), Joy Mangano (1956), John Fitch (1743), Oliver Evans (1755), Charles Darrow (1889), and Jerry Lawson (1940). After her are Almon Brown Strowger (1839), George Stibitz (1904), Elizabeth Holmes (1984), Amar Bose (1929), Lewis Howard Latimer (1848), and Henry J. Kaiser (1882).

American born Inventors

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