Who built the first laser?

Theodore Harold Maiman is credited with building the first laser because he successfully demonstrated the operation of the first working laser in 1960 at the Hughes Research Laboratories in California. His laser was based on the concept of using a synthetic ruby crystal to produce a coherent beam of light by means of a process called stimulated emission. Maiman's groundbreaking achievement paved the way for numerous applications of laser technology in various fields, including medicine, telecommunications, and manufacturing.