Person in history

Charles K. Kao

Charles Kuen Kao, Hong Kong-American-British electrical engineer and physicist (born 1933)

Life at a glance

Died: 2018 · September 23

Their story

Who they were

Sir Charles Kuen Kao was a Hong Kong electrical engineer who contributed to the development and use of fibre optics in telecommunications. In the 1960s, Kao created various methods to combine glass fibres with lasers in order to transmit digital data, which laid the groundwork for the evolution of the Internet and the eventual creation of the World Wide Web.

Why this date

Charles K. Kao appears on our September 23 calendar for 2018 as a death entry.

Sources

Cite this page

“Charles K. Kao”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/people/charles-k-kao, accessed October 24, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about Charles K. Kao

When did Charles K. Kao die?

September 23 2018.

Who else was born on this day?

The date page lists everyone we hold for that calendar day.

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