On This Day In Alabama History: John Herbert Orr Was Born In Lee County

Alabama News Center | August 19, 2017 @ 5:01 am

By Graydon Rust

Alabama 200

August 19, 1911

Entrepreneur, inventor and engineer John Herbert Orr was born in Lee County. Orr served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was part of a team that discovered a new German-developed recording medium, magnetic recording tape. After the war, Orr used his knowledge of the technology to found Orradio Industries in Opelika as one of the first American companies to produce magnetic tape. He later sold his company, but continued to work with audio and video recording technology throughout his life. The John Herbert Orr Pioneer Award at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, which is reserved for leaders and innovators in the music industry, was named in his honor.

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