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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Sagle Inventor/Aviator Dr. Forrest Bird Dies

President Barack Obama presents the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Forrest Bird on Oct. 8, 2009, in the East Room of the White House.  (Associated Press file photo)
President Barack Obama presents the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Forrest Bird on Oct. 8, 2009, in the East Room of the White House. (Associated Press file photo)

Famed innovator and aviator Dr. Forrest Morton Bird has at his home in Sagle, Idaho, the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center has announced. Bird, 94, died Sunday with his family by his side. He created the first low-cost, mass-produced medical respirators, including the “Babybird” in 1970 that helped reduce infant mortality. Bird’s respirators and anesthesia ventilators have been used during many of the first human surgical procedures, including the first open heart procedure and the first liver transplant. In 1995, Bird was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his medical respirator/Scott Maben, SR. More here.



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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