Hans Berger (21 May 1873 – 1 June 1941) was a German psychiatrist, best known as the inventor of electroencephalography (EEG) (the recording of "brain waves") in 1924, coining the name, and the discoverer of the alpha wave rhythm known as "Berger's wave".
Berger was born in Neuses (now part of Coburg), Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Germany.
After attending Casimirianum, where he gained his abitur in 1892, Berger enrolled as a mathematics student at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena with a view to becoming an astronomer. After one semester, he abandoned his studies and enlisted for a year of service in the cavalry. During a training exercise, his horse suddenly reared and he landed in the path of a horse-drawn cannon. The driver of the artillery battery halted the horses in time, leaving the young Berger shaken but with no serious injuries. His sister, at home many kilometres away, had a feeling he was in danger and insisted their father telegram him. The incident made such an impression on Berger that, years later in 1940, he wrote: “It was a case of spontaneous telepathy in which at a time of mortal danger, and as I contemplated certain death, I transmitted my thoughts, while my sister, who was particularly close to me, acted as the receiver.”
Hans Berger, a noted Swiss inventor, formed Berger-Helicopter, to develop a series of light helicopters of his own design. The BX-50 of 1961 and the BX-110 of 1974 were built as prototypes, with the BX-110 proving sound enough to earn a certificate of airworthiness from the Swiss Board of Aviation. Besides these two machines, Berger's other inventions were a jet-powered car, and numerous other helicopter designs. Professionally, Berger was the sales representative for Brantly in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.