Tinius Olsen (December 7, 1845 – October 20, 1932) was a Norwegian-born American

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

and

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an id ...

. He was the founder of th
Tinius Olsen Material Testing Machine Company
a maker of material testing machines. He was awarded the

Elliott Cresson Medal The Elliott Cresson Medal, also known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, was the highest award given by the Franklin Institute. The award was established by Elliott Cresson, life member of the Franklin Institute, with $1,000 granted in 1848. The ...

The Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memor ...

in 1891 for his autographic testing machine.

Life and career

Tinius Olsen was born in

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud, Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. K ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. He was one of eight children. Olsen graduated from the Horten Technical School (''Horten tekniske skole'') in 1866.

Employment and Immigration

Olsen first became the foreman of the machine department at a large naval machine shop. Olsen subsequently immigrated to the United States during 1869.

"Little Giant"

In 1880, he submitted a patent application for an improved testing machine and the patent was granted the same year, on June 1, 1880.

Later years

Olsen was awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1907. Olsen retired from the company in 1929 and died during 1932 in Philadelphia. Olsen remembered his origin with gifts to his home land including awards to Horten Technical School and Kongsberg Church as well grants to a retirement home in his wife's home town of

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , , ) is a city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edit ...

, Sweden.

Personal life

In 1874, Olsen married Swedish-born physician, Amalie Charlotte Yhlen (1839–1920). Olsen died during 1932 and his wife during 1920. Both were buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 73rd-most populous county in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 856,553 ...

. They were the parents of Thorsten Yhlen Olsen (1879- 1957) who succeeded his father as president of the firm.

Selected list of patents

*Improvement In Testing Machines – United States Patent # 213,586. Issue date: Mar 1879 *Testing Machine – United States Patent # 228,214. Issue Date: June 1, 1880 *Recording Testing-Machine – United States Patent # 445,476. Issue date: Jan 27, 1891 Tinius Olsens skole

Tinius Olsen's School

The Tinius Olsen's School (''Fagskolen Tinius Olsen'') is a combined technical vocational college and secondary school in Kongsberg. ''The industrial founder Tinius Olsen'' (Go Norway – Kongsberg)
/ref>

References

Other sources

* Lovoll, Odd Sverre (1999) ''The Promise of America'' (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press) * Bjork, Kenneth (1947) '' Saga in Steel and Concrete Norwegian Engineers in America'' (Northfield, MN: Norwegian-American Historical Association) *Tatnall, Francis G. (1925) ''Evolution of the Testing Machine'' (Philadelphia: Riehl Brothers Testing Machine Co.)

External links

Abstract of Tinius Olsen Testing MachineTinius Olsen Material Testing Machine CompanyFagskolen Tinius Olsen. Kongsberg, Norway
Norwegian {{DEFAULTSORT:Olsen, Tinius 1845 births 1932 deaths People from Kongsberg People from Philadelphia Norwegian engineers 20th-century Norwegian inventors American civil engineers 20th-century American inventors Norwegian emigrants to the United States Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Engineers from Pennsylvania