INVENTOR
Frank Whittle
1907 - 1996

Frank Whittle
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer. He is credited with co-creating the turbojet engine. A patent was submitted by Maxime Guillaume in 1921 for a similar invention which was technically unfeasible at the time. Whittle's jet engines were developed some years earlier than those of Germany's Hans von Ohain, who designed the first-to-fly turbojet engine as well as Austria’s Anselm Franz. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Frank Whittle is the 40th most popular inventor, the 362nd most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 271st in 2019) and the 8th most popular British Inventor.
Frank Whittle is most famous for inventing the jet engine.
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Among INVENTORS
Among inventors, Frank Whittle ranks 40 out of 426. Before him are Gideon Sundback, John Herschel, Antonio Meucci, Igor Sikorsky, László Bíró, and Joseph Marie Jacquard. After him are Bob Kahn, Ismail al-Jazari, Adolphe Sax, Wilhelm Maybach, Herman Hollerith, and Robert Fulton.
Most Popular Inventors in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsGideon Sundback
1880 - 1954
HPI: 74.85
Rank: 34
John Herschel
1792 - 1871
HPI: 74.80
Rank: 35
Antonio Meucci
1808 - 1889
HPI: 74.80
Rank: 36
Igor Sikorsky
1889 - 1972
HPI: 74.38
Rank: 37
László Bíró
1899 - 1985
HPI: 74.34
Rank: 38
Joseph Marie Jacquard
1752 - 1834
HPI: 74.32
Rank: 39
Frank Whittle
1907 - 1996
HPI: 74.32
Rank: 40
Bob Kahn
1938 - Present
HPI: 73.96
Rank: 41
Ismail al-Jazari
1136 - 1206
HPI: 73.82
Rank: 42
Adolphe Sax
1814 - 1894
HPI: 73.75
Rank: 43
Wilhelm Maybach
1846 - 1929
HPI: 73.59
Rank: 44
Herman Hollerith
1860 - 1929
HPI: 73.59
Rank: 45
Robert Fulton
1765 - 1815
HPI: 73.39
Rank: 46
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1907, Frank Whittle ranks 20. Before him are Hergé, Maria Branyas, Lee Miller, Baldur von Schirach, Rachel Carson, and Laurence Olivier. After him are Bhagat Singh, Yakov Dzhugashvili, Nikolaas Tinbergen, Yang Shangkun, Hideki Yukawa, and Daniel Bovet. Among people deceased in 1996, Frank Whittle ranks 15. Before him are Carl Sagan, Gladwyn Jebb, Mohammad Najibullah, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Marguerite Duras, and Dzhokhar Dudayev. After him are Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly, Joseph Brodsky, Babrak Karmal, Joan Clarke, and Tiny Tim.
Others Born in 1907
Go to all RankingsHergé
COMIC ARTIST
1907 - 1983
HPI: 75.44
Rank: 14
Maria Branyas
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1907 - 2024
HPI: 75.38
Rank: 15
Lee Miller
JOURNALIST
1907 - 1977
HPI: 75.01
Rank: 16
Baldur von Schirach
POLITICIAN
1907 - 1974
HPI: 74.89
Rank: 17
Rachel Carson
BIOLOGIST
1907 - 1964
HPI: 74.42
Rank: 18
Laurence Olivier
ACTOR
1907 - 1989
HPI: 74.34
Rank: 19
Frank Whittle
INVENTOR
1907 - 1996
HPI: 74.32
Rank: 20
Bhagat Singh
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1907 - 1931
HPI: 74.23
Rank: 21
Yakov Dzhugashvili
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1907 - 1943
HPI: 73.68
Rank: 22
Nikolaas Tinbergen
BIOLOGIST
1907 - 1988
HPI: 73.65
Rank: 23
Yang Shangkun
POLITICIAN
1907 - 1998
HPI: 73.26
Rank: 24
Hideki Yukawa
PHYSICIST
1907 - 1981
HPI: 73.06
Rank: 25
Daniel Bovet
BIOLOGIST
1907 - 1992
HPI: 72.63
Rank: 26
Others Deceased in 1996
Go to all RankingsCarl Sagan
ASTRONOMER
1934 - 1996
HPI: 76.23
Rank: 9
Gladwyn Jebb
POLITICIAN
1900 - 1996
HPI: 75.89
Rank: 10
Mohammad Najibullah
POLITICIAN
1947 - 1996
HPI: 75.28
Rank: 11
Krzysztof Kieślowski
FILM DIRECTOR
1941 - 1996
HPI: 75.06
Rank: 12
Marguerite Duras
WRITER
1914 - 1996
HPI: 74.83
Rank: 13
Dzhokhar Dudayev
POLITICIAN
1944 - 1996
HPI: 74.42
Rank: 14
Frank Whittle
INVENTOR
1907 - 1996
HPI: 74.32
Rank: 15
Ella Fitzgerald
SINGER
1917 - 1996
HPI: 74.12
Rank: 16
Gene Kelly
ACTOR
1912 - 1996
HPI: 73.81
Rank: 17
Joseph Brodsky
WRITER
1940 - 1996
HPI: 73.53
Rank: 18
Babrak Karmal
POLITICIAN
1929 - 1996
HPI: 73.45
Rank: 19
Joan Clarke
MATHEMATICIAN
1917 - 1996
HPI: 72.55
Rank: 20
Tiny Tim
SINGER
1932 - 1996
HPI: 72.53
Rank: 21
In United Kingdom
Among people born in United Kingdom, Frank Whittle ranks 362 out of 8,785. Before him are George Michael (1963), Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792), Jimmy Page (1944), Henrietta of England (1644), Laurence Olivier (1907), and Ritchie Blackmore (1945). After him are Richard of Cornwall (1209), Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (1982), Peter O'Toole (1932), Peter Ustinov (1921), Ken Loach (1936), and Rod Stewart (1945).
Others born in United Kingdom
Go to all RankingsGeorge Michael
SINGER
1963 - 2016
HPI: 74.39
Rank: 356
Percy Bysshe Shelley
WRITER
1792 - 1822
HPI: 74.38
Rank: 357
Jimmy Page
MUSICIAN
1944 - Present
HPI: 74.38
Rank: 358
Henrietta of England
NOBLEMAN
1644 - 1670
HPI: 74.37
Rank: 359
Laurence Olivier
ACTOR
1907 - 1989
HPI: 74.34
Rank: 360
Ritchie Blackmore
MUSICIAN
1945 - Present
HPI: 74.33
Rank: 361
Frank Whittle
INVENTOR
1907 - 1996
HPI: 74.32
Rank: 362
Richard of Cornwall
POLITICIAN
1209 - 1272
HPI: 74.31
Rank: 363
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
NOBLEMAN
1982 - Present
HPI: 74.29
Rank: 364
Peter O'Toole
ACTOR
1932 - 2013
HPI: 74.28
Rank: 365
Peter Ustinov
ACTOR
1921 - 2004
HPI: 74.28
Rank: 366
Ken Loach
FILM DIRECTOR
1936 - Present
HPI: 74.28
Rank: 367
Rod Stewart
SINGER
1945 - Present
HPI: 74.27
Rank: 368
Among INVENTORS In United Kingdom
Among inventors born in United Kingdom, Frank Whittle ranks 8. Before him are Alexander Graham Bell (1847), Charles Babbage (1791), George Stephenson (1781), John Logie Baird (1888), Thomas Newcomen (1663), and John Herschel (1792). After him are Richard Trevithick (1771), John Boyd Dunlop (1840), Henry Fox Talbot (1800), Rowland Hill (1795), Thomas Savery (1650), and John Harrison (1693).
Alexander Graham Bell
1847 - 1922
HPI: 85.31
Rank: 2
Charles Babbage
1791 - 1871
HPI: 81.59
Rank: 3
George Stephenson
1781 - 1848
HPI: 77.03
Rank: 4
John Logie Baird
1888 - 1946
HPI: 75.44
Rank: 5
Thomas Newcomen
1663 - 1729
HPI: 75.31
Rank: 6
John Herschel
1792 - 1871
HPI: 74.80
Rank: 7
Frank Whittle
1907 - 1996
HPI: 74.32
Rank: 8
Richard Trevithick
1771 - 1833
HPI: 72.40
Rank: 9
John Boyd Dunlop
1840 - 1921
HPI: 71.68
Rank: 10
Henry Fox Talbot
1800 - 1877
HPI: 70.63
Rank: 11
Rowland Hill
1795 - 1879
HPI: 69.62
Rank: 12
Thomas Savery
1650 - 1715
HPI: 68.36
Rank: 13
John Harrison
1693 - 1776
HPI: 68.12
Rank: 14