INVENTOR
Bernard Lown
1921 - 2021

Bernard Lown
Bernard Lown (June 7, 1921 – February 16, 2021) was a Lithuanian-American cardiologist and inventor. Lown was the original developer of the direct current defibrillator for cardiac resuscitation, and the cardioverter for correcting rapid disordered heart rhythms. He introduced a new use for the drug lidocaine to control heartbeat disturbances. Throughout his medical career, Lown focused on two major medical challenges: the problem of sudden cardiac death and the role of psychological stress on the cardiovascular system. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Bernard Lown is the 304th most popular inventor (up from 328th in 2019), the 131st most popular biography from Lithuania (up from 149th in 2019) and the most popular Lithuanian Inventor.
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Among INVENTORS
Among inventors, Bernard Lown ranks 304 out of 426. Before him are Kálmán Kandó, L. L. Langstroth, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo, Bill Atkinson, Oleg Losev, and George Graham. After him are Ivan Kulibin, Marion Donovan, Walter Clopton Wingfield, Štefan Banič, Wilhelm Bauer, and Paul von Jankó.
Most Popular Inventors in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsKálmán Kandó
1869 - 1931
HPI: 57.55
Rank: 298
L. L. Langstroth
1810 - 1895
HPI: 57.54
Rank: 299
Leonardo Torres y Quevedo
1852 - 1936
HPI: 57.50
Rank: 300
Bill Atkinson
1951 - 2025
HPI: 57.38
Rank: 301
Oleg Losev
1903 - 1942
HPI: 57.38
Rank: 302
George Graham
1673 - 1751
HPI: 57.38
Rank: 303
Bernard Lown
1921 - 2021
HPI: 57.36
Rank: 304
Ivan Kulibin
1735 - 1818
HPI: 57.31
Rank: 305
Marion Donovan
1917 - 1998
HPI: 57.31
Rank: 306
Walter Clopton Wingfield
1833 - 1912
HPI: 57.28
Rank: 307
Štefan Banič
1870 - 1941
HPI: 57.26
Rank: 308
Wilhelm Bauer
1822 - 1875
HPI: 57.19
Rank: 309
Paul von Jankó
1856 - 1919
HPI: 57.09
Rank: 310
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1921, Bernard Lown ranks 274. Before him are John Agar, Ida Fink, Buddy Rogers, Yevgeniya Rudneva, Chuck Connors, and Rinaldo Martino. After him are Ottavio Missoni, Carlo Parola, Jamie Uys, James Blish, Reinhard Mohn, and Roberto Tucci. Among people deceased in 2021, Bernard Lown ranks 330. Before him are Angelica Bella, Nikolai Slichenko, Lee Wan-koo, Edmund Gettier, Ivo Trumbić, and Donald Kagan. After him are István Csom, Tomoyasu Asaoka, Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, Johnny Pacheco, Ronald Pickup, and Richard Lewontin.
Others Born in 1921
Go to all RankingsJohn Agar
ACTOR
1921 - 2002
HPI: 57.49
Rank: 268
Ida Fink
WRITER
1921 - 2011
HPI: 57.45
Rank: 269
Buddy Rogers
WRESTLER
1921 - 1992
HPI: 57.45
Rank: 270
Yevgeniya Rudneva
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1921 - 1944
HPI: 57.41
Rank: 271
Chuck Connors
ACTOR
1921 - 1992
HPI: 57.40
Rank: 272
Rinaldo Martino
SOCCER PLAYER
1921 - 2000
HPI: 57.37
Rank: 273
Bernard Lown
INVENTOR
1921 - 2021
HPI: 57.36
Rank: 274
Ottavio Missoni
ATHLETE
1921 - 2013
HPI: 57.32
Rank: 275
Carlo Parola
SOCCER PLAYER
1921 - 2000
HPI: 57.32
Rank: 276
Jamie Uys
FILM DIRECTOR
1921 - 1996
HPI: 57.22
Rank: 277
James Blish
WRITER
1921 - 1975
HPI: 57.21
Rank: 278
Reinhard Mohn
BUSINESSPERSON
1921 - 2009
HPI: 57.20
Rank: 279
Roberto Tucci
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1921 - 2015
HPI: 57.16
Rank: 280
Others Deceased in 2021
Go to all RankingsAngelica Bella
PORNOGRAPHIC ACTOR
1968 - 2021
HPI: 57.51
Rank: 324
Nikolai Slichenko
SINGER
1934 - 2021
HPI: 57.50
Rank: 325
Lee Wan-koo
POLITICIAN
1950 - 2021
HPI: 57.48
Rank: 326
Edmund Gettier
PHILOSOPHER
1927 - 2021
HPI: 57.48
Rank: 327
Ivo Trumbić
ATHLETE
1935 - 2021
HPI: 57.44
Rank: 328
Donald Kagan
HISTORIAN
1932 - 2021
HPI: 57.42
Rank: 329
Bernard Lown
INVENTOR
1921 - 2021
HPI: 57.36
Rank: 330
István Csom
CHESS PLAYER
1940 - 2021
HPI: 57.35
Rank: 331
Tomoyasu Asaoka
SOCCER PLAYER
1962 - 2021
HPI: 57.29
Rank: 332
Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi
POLITICIAN
1935 - 2021
HPI: 57.28
Rank: 333
Johnny Pacheco
SINGER
1935 - 2021
HPI: 57.26
Rank: 334
Ronald Pickup
ACTOR
1940 - 2021
HPI: 57.25
Rank: 335
Richard Lewontin
BIOLOGIST
1929 - 2021
HPI: 57.24
Rank: 336
In Lithuania
Among people born in Lithuania, Bernard Lown ranks 131 out of 328. Before him are Žemaitė (1845), Stanisław Witkiewicz (1851), Aušra Augustinavičiūtė (1927), Donald Kagan (1932), Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius (1882), and Phoebus Levene (1869). After him are Henryk Gulbinowicz (1923), Steponas Darius (1896), Iosif Grigulevich (1913), Cornell Borchers (1925), Jurgis Baltrušaitis (1873), and Grigory Gershuni (1870).
Others born in Lithuania
Go to all RankingsŽemaitė
WRITER
1845 - 1921
HPI: 57.54
Rank: 125
Stanisław Witkiewicz
PAINTER
1851 - 1915
HPI: 57.54
Rank: 126
Aušra Augustinavičiūtė
ECONOMIST
1927 - 2005
HPI: 57.46
Rank: 127
Donald Kagan
HISTORIAN
1932 - 2021
HPI: 57.42
Rank: 128
Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius
POLITICIAN
1882 - 1954
HPI: 57.40
Rank: 129
Phoebus Levene
CHEMIST
1869 - 1940
HPI: 57.37
Rank: 130
Bernard Lown
INVENTOR
1921 - 2021
HPI: 57.36
Rank: 131
Henryk Gulbinowicz
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1923 - 2020
HPI: 57.26
Rank: 132
Steponas Darius
PILOT
1896 - 1933
HPI: 57.25
Rank: 133
Iosif Grigulevich
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1913 - 1988
HPI: 57.17
Rank: 134
Cornell Borchers
ACTOR
1925 - 2014
HPI: 57.13
Rank: 135
Jurgis Baltrušaitis
WRITER
1873 - 1944
HPI: 57.08
Rank: 136
Grigory Gershuni
POLITICIAN
1870 - Present
HPI: 57.04
Rank: 137
Among INVENTORS In Lithuania
Among inventors born in Lithuania, Bernard Lown ranks 1.