Sperry Gyroscope Company

Created by inventor Elmer Ambrose Sperry in 1910, Sperry Gyroscope Company was built around his work on the gyrocompass and other navigation-related inventions. Reliable historical sources describe the company as an early manufacturer of gyroscopic equipment for marine use, with a British branch following in 1913 and supplying instruments to the Admiralty.

As the business grew, it became closely associated with advances in navigation, stabilization, and aircraft instruments. Over time, the company’s work expanded beyond shipboard systems into aviation and military technology, helping shape the broader field of guidance and control.

The company is also part of a larger industrial story: its legacy continued through mergers and reorganizations, and the Sperry name remained influential in aerospace and defense for decades. Because this entry is for a company rather than an individual author, the portrait shown here is of its founder, Elmer Ambrose Sperry.