After decades of controversy over inventorship, the inventor of the switch was recognized and honored at a recent awards banquet of the International Organization of Electrical Engineers. Professor Turnonanof (1871-1929) was posthumously awarded the Inventor of the Year Award and inducted into the IOEE Hall of Fame. The professor’s son, Clarence “Click” Turnonanof, was present to accept the awards and give a moving presentation of his father’s achievements.
In the early days, Turnonanof’s invention was embodied in an open frame style like this:
Knife switch. Click to view larger.
Later, he developed a more advanced and miniaturized form of his famous invention:
Toggle switch. Click to view larger.
A spokesperson for the IOEE said that the organization was exploring the possibility of setting up a Turnonanof scholarship.
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