Guillermo González Camarena (Mexico)
Who: Guillermo González Camarena was born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1917 and died in a car accident in 1965. He built his first radio transmitter at age 12 and was largely self-taught particularly in his early years. He became an electrical engineer at the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico city.
Invention: Recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WPO) as the creator of one of the earliest color television transmission system (1939). In 1940, he patented the system in Mexico and, two years later, in the U.S.
Impact: His patent paved the way for color broadcasting worldwide. In 1950, CBS adopted Camarena’s system for its color broadcasts, and NASA later used his simplified color system during the 60s and 70s.
Juan Vucetich (Argentina)
Who: Juan Vucetich was born in Hvar, Croatia and died in 1925. He emigrated to Argentina and became Argentinian citizen in 1882. later joined the Buenos Aires provincial police department. There, he became familiar with the fingerprint studies of English anthropologist Francis Galton. In 1892, the method he developed helped solve the murder of two children aged 6 and 4. Their mother, Francisca Rojas, had accused a family friend, but Vucetich’s fingerprint analysis proved her guilt—the first criminal case solved through fingerprint.
Invention: Fingerprint identification system (1891).
Impact: Adopted globally by law enforcement, banks and other institutions, it remains the foundation of modern biometric identification systems.
Luis Miramontes (Mexico)
Who: Luis Miramontes was born in 1925 in Tepic, Nayarit, and died in 2004. He studied at the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso and later at UNAM, where he earned a degree in chemical engineering. While at the university, he was recruited by Syntex Research Laboratories in collaboration with UNAM to study sexual hormones.
Invention: Co-inventor of norethindrone, the key ingredient in the first oral contraceptive (birth control pill) synthesized in 1951. It was introduced in the U.S. in 1961.
Impact: His work revolutionized family planning and advanced women’s reproductive rights worldwide.
René Favaloro (Argentina)
Who: René Favaloro was born in La Plata, Buenos aires, in 1923 and died in 2000. He pursued medical studies at La Plata University. Early in his career, he declined a post at Hospital Policlínico after refusing to sign a political loyalty card. He then moved to a rural town, where he and his brother opened a clinic that improved the community’s health and education standards. His passion for thoracic surgery led him to further training in Buenos Aires and later in the U.S., where he specialized for a decade. Upon returning, he founded the Favaloro Foundation (1975) and the Laboratory of Basic Research (1980), followed by Favaloro University (1998).
Invention: Coronary bypass surgery (1967).
Impact: Now a standard procedure worldwide, it is considered one of the most important surgical techniques in modern cardiology. Between 600,000 and 700,000 bypass surgeries are performed annually in the U.S. alone.
Pedro Paulet (Peru)
Who: Pedro Paulet was born in Arequipa, Peru in 1874 and died in Argentina in 1945. He showed interest in chemistry and physics from an early age. He had a strong academic background. In 1895, he moved to France and joined the French Astronomical Society. Three years later, he studied at the prestigious Sorbonne Institute of Applied Chemistry and eventually becaming a member of the Paris Chemical Society. In parallel, he conceived plans for his liquid-fueled rochet plane.
Invention: The “Autobolide,” an early liquid-fuel propulsion engine prototype (1890s).
Impact: Considered a pioneer of modern astronautics, Paulet reportedly experimented with liquid-fuel rocket engine decades before the space age. His vision and theoretical work inspired future generations of aerospace engineerts.
References
Luis E. Miramontes: Reflexiones a 70 años de la síntesis del princip activo del primer anticonceptivo oral
https://bsqm.org.mx/pdf-boletines/V16/V16N1/BSQM221601_iMiramontes.pdf?utm_source
Gracias a él, millones de mujeres decidieron cuándo ser madres: Luis Miramontes, el creador mexicano de la píldora anticonceptiva
https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2025/09/17/gracias-a-el-millones-de-mujeres-decidieron-cuando-ser-madres-luis-miramontes-el-creador-mexicano-de-la-pildora-anticonceptiva/
Juan Vucetich, el comisario argentino precursor en el uso de las huellas digitales para resolver crímenes
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cnlzr5ewn9eo
Dos niños muertos, una madre herida y un misterio: el primer crimen que fue esclarecido por sistema de identificación por huellas digitales
https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2019/09/01/dos-ninos-muertos-una-madre-herida-y-un-misterio-el-crimen-de-quequen-que-dio-origen-al-sistema-de-identificacion-por-huellas-digitales/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20993778607&gbraid=0AAAAADmqXxS-yRWkx0zBKoFrUy458qnjU&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgKjHBhChARIsAPJR3xdtc93spTegLrq3eN2_E7h21JZCzlPpaKzKRbfH4HlTCBD8CQ1hJucaAruKEALw_wcB
Made in Mexico: Color T.V.
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/made-in-mexico-color-t-v/
Fundación Favaloro
https://www.fundacionfavaloro.org/
La nave espacial diseñada por el peruano Pedro Paulet 67 años antes de que la NASA llegue a la Luna
https://www.infobae.com/peru/2025/05/30/la-nave-espacial-disenada-por-el-peruano-pedro-paulet-67-anos-antes-de-que-la-nasa-llegue-a-la-luna/
