The Resume

Frank Gilbreth (July 7, 1868-June 14, 1924), born in Fairfield, Maine
Lillian Gilbreth (May 24, 1878-January 2, 1972), born in Oakland California
Lillian's maiden name was Moller
Pioneers in industrial engineering
Conducted time and motion studies
Founded the consulting firm Gilbreth, Inc.
Featured in 'Cheaper By The Dozen' (1948) written by Frank Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Why they might be annoying:

They used their kids as guinea pigs for their theories.
They broke down tasks into 18 basic motions that they dubbed 'therbligs' ('gilbreth' spelled backwards, with the 'th' treated as a single letter).
Their emphasis on standardization made lots of jobs repetitive.
They had a long-running feud with fellow efficiency expert Frederick Winslow Taylor.
The 2003 Steve Martin version of 'Cheaper by the Dozen' has nothing in common with the Gilbreths (other than featuring 12 kids).

Why they might not be annoying:

Their second-oldest child Mary died of diphtheria at age six.
Frank was a bricklayer with no education beyond high school when he began studying how to eliminate waste and inefficiency from the job.
Lilian was the first person to earn a PhD in industrial psychology.
Lilian served as an advisor to Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson on civil defense, war production and rehabilitation of the handicapped.
Lilian was the first woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 20th Century Scientists
• Breeders [Have 5 or More Kids] (Ranked: 12)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 23]
• Dual Profiles
• I am on a U.S. Postage Stamp [D-G]
• I Attended Brown
• I Attended University of California, Berkeley
• I Died in 1924 (Ranked: 55)
• I Died in 1972 (Ranked: 93)
• I Earned a Doctorate
• I Named My Kid After Myself
• I Outlived My Child
• Man's World
• Profiles 26751-27000 (Ranked: 26818)
• Psychologists
• Scientists

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 9 Votes: 11.11% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 20 Votes: 55.00% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 52.94% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 24 Votes: 41.67% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 51 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 15 Votes: 40.0% Annoying