Carl Auer Freiherr von Welsbach (1 September 1858 – 4 August 1929) was an Austrian scientist and inventor who has a talent for not only discovering advances, but turning them into commercially successful products.

He is particularly well known for his work on rare earth elements, which leads to the development of the flint used in modern lighters, the gas mantle which, brings light to the streets of Europe in the late 19th century, and the development of the metal filament light bulb.