Martin "Marty" Cooper is an American pioneer and visionary in the wireless communications industry. With eleven patents in the field, he is recognized as an innovator in radio spectrum management. While at Motorola in the 1970s, Cooper conceived the first handheld mobile phone in 1973 and led the team that developed it and brought it to market in 1983. He is considered the "father of the cell phone" and is also cited as the first person in history to make a handheld cellular phone call in public. Cooper is co-founder of numerous successful communications companies with his wife and business partner Arlene Harris; also known as the "first lady of wireless." He is currently co-founder and Chairman of Dyna LLC, in Del Mar, California. Cooper also sits on committees supporting the Federal Communications Commission and the United States Department of Commerce. 

December 26th, 1928 in Chicago (Age 95)