The Yankeur suction device was invented in 1907 by Dr Sidney Yankauer, originally for use in tonsillectomies. This instrument is a rigid suction catheter that features several small holes dispersed over its bulbous tip. It allows for ample suction, whilst minimising damage to the adjacent tissues. It has a straight handle which continues onto a gentle curved end to improve maneuverability and access. With around 40 million units sold worldwide per year, it is used frequently in the operating theatre across many surgical specialities as well as in airway care. Despite its commonplace use across the medical field, few are knowledgeable about its inventor and his other contributions. Sidney Yankauer (1872-1932) was an American otolaryngologist from New York City. He obtained his medical degree in 1893 from The College of Physicians and Surgeons and became an attending laryngologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in 1917. He was a pioneer in the speciality of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery and in particular, per-oral endoscopy. Yankeur was a prolific writer and inventor of both surgical and anaesthetic instruments, inventing the Yankauer Ether Chloroform Mask in 1904. His other medical inventions include a nasopharynx speculum, laryngeal medicator and tonsil scissors. His inventions even spanned outside the medical field, owning patents for internal shock absorbers for wheels and an electric pipe lighter. Although the Yankeur suction catheter remains is his most enduring creation, he should also be remembered for his innovative mind and advances in and outside of the medical field.