Who is Buckminster Fuller?
Born Richard Buckminster Fuller in Milton, Mass in 1895, Bucky, as he became affectionately known, was perhaps America’s most visionary thinker. Marshall McLuhan referred to Bucky as “The Leonardo da Vinci of our times.” He was described as: artist, mathematician, geographer, poet, visionary, designer, writer, architect, philosopher, futurist, machinist, sailor and a wide variety of other descriptors. He discovered, in nature, a 4-dimensional geometry that he spent much of his life demonstrating through the creation of unique artifacts such as the geodesic dome. With this “Synergetic Geometry” he believed that humans could develop systems that were much more efficient than those being used by “modern man” allowing for the increase in overall sustainability and therefore eliminate the need for war. He wrote 29 books, received 28 patents and received 47 honorary doctorate degrees. He was an extraordinary character in American history. Perhaps one day to be recognized for his commitment t
Buckminster Fuller was a renowned inventor and thinker of the 20th century. He is often called a visionary for his theories on the need for alternative energy such as solar and wind power, and for his best known designs. Fuller invented and realized the geodesic dome structure, and also created the standard soccer ball design used in professional leagues until 1996. Born in Massachusetts in 1895, Buckminster Fuller came from a philosophically minded family; his great-aunt Margaret Fuller was a noted journalist and activist. Always a bit unusual, Buckminster attended Harvard but was thrown out twice and never received an official degree from the university. He served in a variety of jobs and fought in World War I as a naval radio operator. When his young daughter died tragically of polio and meningitis, Fuller experienced a suicidal period that led him to an epiphany that would guide the rest of his life; he wanted to see “what a single individual can contribute to changing the world.”
Who is Buckminster Fuller?