The Resume

(June 5, 1900-February 8, 1979)
Born in Budapest, Hungary
Birth name was Denes Gunszberg
Became a British citizen (1946)
Electrical engineer
Invented holography: lensless, 3D photography (1947)
Won the Nobel Prize in Physics (1971)
Wrote 'Inventing the Future' (1963), 'Innovations' (1970) and 'The Mature Society' (1972)
Namesake for the Gabor function and Gabor tranform in mathematics and the Gabor filter in image processing

Why he might be annoying:

Although he said he had a 'life-long love' of physics, he majored in engineering because of concerns about the job prospects in physics.
Although he came up with holography in 1947, it did not become practical until the 1960s, following the invention of the laser.
In one of his futurism books, he worried that an 'excess of mass leisure' would produce social upheaval.
A character in David Foster Wallace's 'Infinite Jest' declares, 'Dennis Gabor may very well have been the Antichrist.'

Why he might not be annoying:

He had over 100 patents, getting his first one at age 11.
Applications for holography include data storage, security, biosensors and art.
He said he was 'one of the few lucky physicists who could see an idea of theirs grow into a sizable chapter of physics.'
Without holograms, Princess Leia would have had to tell Obi-Wan 'You're my only hope' using 8-track cassettes or something, which would not have been nearly as cool.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 20th Century Scientists
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 38]
• Google Modified Its Logo For My Birthday (Google Doodles)
• Hungary for a Bagel [Hungarian Jews]
• I am an Agnostic
• I am Hungarian
• I Died in 1979 (Ranked: 78)
• I was Cremated
• Inventors
• Nobel Prize for Physics (Ranked: 1971)
• Profiles 31751-32000 (Ranked: 31808)
• Scientists
• Served in World War I

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 121 Votes: 52.07% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 9 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 24 Votes: 54.17% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 19 Votes: 52.63% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 137 Votes: 61.31% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 14 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 12 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 14 Votes: 42.86% Annoying