Amanda FrancoeurIn 1957, Gordon Gould, an American physicist, was inarguably the first to coin the term “laser” and to write a complete explanation of its construction and application. If you haven’t heard of Gould before, you might imagine that the two feats would have earned him the title of inventor of the laser, but that’s where you’d be wrong. Gould’s effort to acquire a patent was a long and dispiriting endeavor that continued for 30 years. Gordon Gould is known mainly for his 30-year endeavor to claim rights to the invention of the laser. 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