Lodewijk Frederik Ottens (21 June 1926 – 6 March 2021), known as Lou Ottens, was a Dutch engineer and inventor, best known as the inventor of the cassette tape, and for his work in helping to develop the compact disc. Ottens was employed by Philips for the entirety of his career. Early life. Ottens was born in Bellingwolde on 21 June 1926. . Ottens showed an interest in technology and tinkering from an early age. While in his teens, during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II, he constructed a radio that he would use to secretly listen to Radio Oranje broadcasts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Ottens