Page "Gyroscope" Paragraph 18

In the 1860s, the advent of electric motors made it possible for a gyroscope to spin indefinitely ; this led to the first prototype gyrocompasses.

The first functional marine gyrocompass was patented in 1904 by German inventor Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe.

The American Elmer Sperry followed with his own design later that year, and other nations soon realized the military importance of the invention — in an age in which naval prowess was the most significant measure of military power — and created their own gyroscope industries.

The Sperry Gyroscope Company quickly expanded to provide aircraft and naval stabilizers as well, and other gyroscope developers followed suit.