John Stapp

John Paul Stapp (1910-1999) was an American Air Force flight surgeon and biophysicist known for his research into how far the human body can be pushed by extreme acceleration and deceleration, work that became foundational to modern vehicle safety. Riding his own specially built rocket sled at Holloman Air Force Base, he reached a peak speed of 632 miles per hour on December 10, 1954 before stopping in about a second and a half, briefly earning him the title of the fastest man on earth and demonstrating that a human could survive deceleration forces of over 46 times gravity. The injuries and data from his runs, including broken bones and temporary blindness, informed the design of aircraft ejection seats, backward facing safety seating and stronger automobile seat belts and harnesses. He later founded the Stapp Car Crash Conference, which continues to study crash safety.