A. C. Gilbert
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| Born |
February 15, 1884 Salem, Oregon |
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| Died | 24 January 1961 (aged 76) Boston, Massachusetts |
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Alfred Carlton Gilbert (February 15, 1884, Salem, Oregon – January 24, 1961, Boston, Massachusetts) was an American inventor, athlete, magician, toy-maker and businessman. Gilbert is best known as the inventor of the Erector Set.
Gilbert was educated at the Tualatin Academy and attended Pacific University in nearby Forest Grove, Oregon, where he was a brother of the Gamma Sigma Fraternity. He left Pacific after 1902 and transferred to Yale University, financing his education by working as a magician, and earning a degree in sports medicine.
An accomplished athlete, he broke the world record for consecutive chin-ups (39) in 1900 and distance record for running long dive in 1902. He invented the pole vault box and set two world records in the pole vault including a record for 12' 3" (3.66 meters) at the Spring meet of the Irish American Athletic Club, held at Celtic Park, Queens, New York, in 1906. He tied for gold with fellow American Edward Cook at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London for pole vaulting.
Choosing not to pursue a medical career, Gilbert co-founded Mysto Manufacturing, a manufacturer of magic sets, in 1907. This company would later become the A. C. Gilbert Company. Gilbert developed the Erector Set, a popular construction toy, in 1913 (preceded by the similar Meccano set first conceived of by Frank Hornby in 1898 which he developed and patented as "Mechanics Made Easy" in 1901). His inspiration was steel construction girders being used on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. In 1918, with the United States embroiled in World War I and the Council of National Defense considering a ban on toy production, Gilbert argued successfully against it. The press gave him the nickname "The man who saved Christmas."
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