Mihailo Pupin

Serbian-American physicist who transformed global communications through coaxial cable innovation

Mihailo Idvorski Pupin (1858–1935) pioneered long-distance telephone communication through his loaded coil invention (1899), which amplified signals enough to make transcontinental calls possible. This Serbian immigrant's work at Columbia University led to AT&T's first coast-to-coast call in 1915.

Pupin's coaxial cable patent laid groundwork for modern telecommunications, enabling everything from undersea cables to TV broadcasts. His autobiography From Immigrant to Inventor won the 1924 Pulitzer Prize, highlighting immigrant contributions to American science.

Beyond physics, Pupin established Serbia's first public health institute (1927) and negotiated with Woodrow Wilson to protect Balkan borders post-WWI. The Pupin Hall at Columbia remains a research hub, while his Nobel Prize nominations (32 times!) underscore his lasting impact. His loaded coils remained industry standard until fiber optics emerged in the 1980s.