Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1310, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the creation of the first laser. The world's first laser was operated on May 16, 1960. It was constructed by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California. This was a significant engineering and scientific feat. Theodore Maiman's work was preceded by theoretical work by Charles Townes, James Gordon, Herbert Zeiger, Nikolay Basov, and Aleksandr Prokhorov. Townes, Basov, and Prokhorov won the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work. One of the peculiarities of the achievement of the invention of the laser is that, for many years after its creation, the laser was an invention without many practical applications. However, as time went on, scientists and engineers recognized the incredible potential of the laser. Today, the laser is almost ubiquitous. It can be found in almost every home, office, and automobile in America. Lasers are also big business, with annual laser sales approaching $6 billion per year, and growing. The story of the laser is illustrative of how investments in basic R&D can have huge economic and scientific implications down the road.”