ABOUT THE BOOK
Nikola Tesla once said “Let the future tell the truth and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments”
In his lifetime, Henry Sutton not only helped shape Ballarat's history but also that of Australia and the world. Very few people have crossed as many scientific fields as Henry Sutton. His life’s work spanned all avenues of science and engineering and he stands alone in history as one of Australia’s first true men of science and innovation.
Based on previously unavailable personal papers as well as articles and letters published in journals worldwide, this book captures the personal triumphs and tragedies of this remarkable Australian.
By age 26 Henry Sutton had won world acclaim and graced the world stage among the giants of the scientific world. He stood as an equal alongside such men as Alexander Graham Bell, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Although applauded around the world in his day for his remarkable achievements, Henry Sutton went largely unnoticed in Australia by his peers and the public. It is not until you begin to document, in one place, his enormous body of work that you start to gain the true picture and depth of his remarkable achievements. It is a travesty that these slipped largely unrecognised between the pages of Australian scientific history for over a century.
Henry Sutton’s inventions and contribution to science has been a part of the evolution of many inventions, including the light globe, telephone, battery, television and wireless technology all of which are now part of our everyday lives. Henry Sutton’s contribution to Australian and world innovation has been methodically researched and documented in this book and is the first fully documented account of this largely forgotten but very extraordinary Australian.