Boeing wouldn’t have been able to build a 747 aircraft without the inventions and early contributions of Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Henry Ford’s assembly line would not have been successful without the previous work of Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz.

Flat screen televisions wouldn’t exist without the invention of the transistor by John Bardeen. 

And light-emitting diodes wouldn’t be able to brighten up every home in the United States without the efforts of retired University engineering professor Nick Holonyak Jr.

Holonyak invented the first visible-spectrum LED light back in 1962, which has allowed for further advancements to the product. 

But last week, the Nobel Prize committee seemed to forget that when it awarded the physics prize. The award was granted to three researchers who invented the blue LED, or the version of the LED that has made computer screens and smartphones possible. The inventors — Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura — certainly deserved the recognition. 

The blue LED improves the quality and convenience of life of most Americans every day. We used a blue LED screen to write this editorial, in fact. But Holonyak’s contribution does not deserve to go unnoticed. 

The blue LED was built on the foundation of Holonyak’s research. He made the first visible LED, something that made the newer blue LED possible. 

When the Nobel Prize committee announced the award was given to the blue LED’s inventors, they said: “(The inventors) succeeded where everyone else had failed.”

That’s true, but Holonyak was part of this success as well. 

No one before them had made the LED able to have so many applications. No one before Holonyak had made the LED visible. 

Holonyak has received a myriad of awards for his invention. Prior to last week’s announcement, he said he’s not bitter about not receiving the Nobel Prize. 

But last week’s choice to honor only some of the key players in the invention of the LED was a snub that rightfully made him upset.  

In an Oct. 7 article in the News-Gazette, Holonyak is quoted as saying: “Are you going to tell me that the last slave to put a rock up on top of the pyramids gets all the credit for all of the rocks that are in there and up and down the sides? C’mon. What the hell is wrong with you people?”

To the Nobel Prize committee, we echo Holonyak.

While the three inventors of the blue LED deserved their recognition, the Nobel Prize committee should give credit where credit is due, and part of that credit goes to Nick Holonyak Jr.