David F. Noble

David F. Noble

David Franklin Noble (July 22, 1945 – December 27, 2010 ) was a critical historian of technology, science and education, best known for his seminal work on the social history of automation. In his final years he taught in the Division of Social Science, and the department of Social and Political Thought. at York University in Toronto, Canada. Noble held positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Smithsonian Institution and Drexel University, as well as many visiting professorships. In his final years he taught in the Division of Social Science, and the department of Social and Political Thought. at York University in Toronto, Canada.

Noble died suddenly in a Toronto hospital after contracting a virulent strain of pneumonia that caused septic shock and renal failure. He is survived by his wife Sarah Dopp of Toronto; daughters Clare O'Connor of Toronto, Helen O'Connor of Toulon, France, and Alice O'Connor of Vancouver, B.C.; sister Jane Pafford of Arcadia, Florida; brothers Doug Noble (his twin) of Rochester, New York, and Henry Noble of Seattle, Washington.

Noble was an anti-Zionist Jew, and an atheist. He was born in New York City.