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R. Buckminster Fuller
1895–1983
Inventor

R. Buckminster Fuller was one of the most innovative thinkers of the 20th century. A Harvard dropout, unemployed, and grieving the death of his firstborn, he stood on the shore of Lake Michigan in 1927 and vowed to begin a lifelong experiment to determine how a penniless individual could improve worldwide standards of living through technology and design.

Fuller returned home to his apartment at 429 West Belmont Avenue, and, dubbing himself "Guinea Pig B" (for Bucky), began formulating theories and developing inventions based on universal principles he found in nature. His "4-D" theory led the way to the energy and cost-efficient 1929 Dymaxion House (a portable factory-assembled dwelling that was suspended from a single mast) and the 12-passenger Dymaxion Automobile.

Later he would be renowned for inventing the geodesic dome—the lightest, strongest and most cost-effective structure ever devised-which he built with students from the Illinois Institute of Design, and for a map projection that accurately displays the earth's land mass. A prolific writer and lecturer, Bucky's goal of "doing more with less" inspired artists, engineers, and governments around the world.