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Inventors
 Websites presented in alphabetical order The Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers at the Library of Congress, 1862-1939 
 These online materials include over 50,000 images of "correspondence, scientific notebooks, journals, blueprints, articles, and photographs documenting Bell's invention of the telephone and his involvement in the first telephone company, his family life, his interest in the education of the deaf, and his aeronautical and other scientific research." Also includes a timeline, family tree, collection highlights, and related material. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bellhtml/ Topics: Notable People, Technology Last updated Dec 22, 2008 Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Nobel Prize
"Articles, photographs, a slide show and poetry written by Nobel himself are presented here to give a glimpse of a man whose varied interests are reflected in the prize he established. Meet Alfred Nobel -- scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, author and pacifist." Also includes a FAQ, a timeline showing when he patented the safer explosives nitroglycerin (blasting oil) and dynamite, and his will. From the official website for the Nobel Foundation. http://nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/ Topics: Notable People, Science Last updated Nov 27, 2007 Benjamin Franklin ... In His Own Words
This online exhibition "concentrates on his [Franklin's] achievements as a printer and writer, an inventor and scientist, and, particularly, as a politician and statesman." It features images of "documents, letters, books, broadsides, and cartoons" on topics such as initial support and then opposition to the 1765 British Stamp Act, the Continental Congress, and the Treaty of Paris. Includes a chronology and partial transcriptions of selected manuscripts. From the Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/franklin-home.html Topics: Notable People, Notable People: Government Last updated Nov 22, 2006 Benjamin Franklin House
Introduction to the London house (near Trafalgar Square) that Benjamin Franklin occupied from 1757-1775, and which opened as a museum on Jan. 17, 2006, Franklin's 300th birthday. Includes a brief biography and a summary of his scientific discoveries from that period in his life. Also find newsletters and a guide for visitors. http://www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org Topics: Home & Housing, Notable People, Notable People: Government, Science, Technology Last updated Feb 20, 2006 The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
This website "[marks] the three-hundred-year anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's birth (1706-2006) with a celebration dedicated to educating the public about Franklin's enduring legacy." Find an exhibition on Franklin's life (also in French and Spanish), educational materials, a calendar of events happening in several states, and other material on Franklin. From a consortium of libraries, museums, and organizations. http://www.benfranklin300.org Topics: Notable People, Notable People: Government, Science, Technology Last updated Feb 8, 2006 Benjamin Franklin: An Extraordinary Life, An Electric Mind
Companion to this 2002 documentary series that explored Benjamin Franklin's "career from humble beginnings in Boston to international superstardom: first as a scientist and revolutionary, and then as a founding father and America's first diplomat to France." Features essays, a timeline, "Ben A to Z," a teacher's guide, and more. From Twin Cities Public Television. http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/ Topics: Notable People, Notable People: Government Last updated Jan 8, 2007 Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man
This searchable collection from the Franklin Institute Science Museum features a chronology, family tree, and information about Franklin as "a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, a philosopher, a musician, and an economist." Includes recommended websites and books for adults and children. http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/ Topics: Notable People, Notable People: Government, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Jul 13, 2005 Bob Moog Biography
Biographical information about Robert Moog, who developed an electronic music synthesizer in the early 1960s, and who died in August 2005. Also includes links to information about the theremin (an early electronic instrument invented by Leon Theremin), current Moog synthesizer instruments, and a photo gallery. From the company that manufactures Moog synthesizers. http://www.moogmusic.com/?cat_id=82 Topics: Musical Genres, Musical Instruments, Notable People, Technology Last updated Aug 25, 2005 Buckminster Fuller Institute
This site is devoted to the "principles articulated by Buckminster Fuller," creator of the geodesic dome and design science. Full text articles and books on alternative living structures, natural resources conservation, and sustainable development are available. There are links to related Web resources on Fuller, design science, domes, energy, hunger, synergetics, international conferences on global ecological issues, and more. http://www.bfi.org/ Topics: Architecture, Environment, Notable People, Notable People: Arts & Humanities, Poverty, Science, Technology Last updated Apr 10, 2009 Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud
A collection of materials on the life of this American engineer, architect, poet, and philosopher who developed the geodesic dome. From the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) "American Masters" series. http://www.thirteen.org/cgi-bin/bucky-bin/bucky.cgi Topics: Architecture, Notable People, Notable People: Arts & Humanities, Science, Technology Last updated May 2, 2005 The Complete Lee de Forest
Background about Lee de Forest (1873-1961), "an inventor who changed the world with electronics. His two major inventions were the vacuum tube and sound for motion pictures." Features an illustrated biography featuring a description of his audion (a three element vacuum tube), how he received an honorary Oscar in 1959, and litigation related to his work. From the chair of the Department of Television, Radio, Film and Theatre at San Jose State University. http://www.leedeforest.org/ Topics: Notable People, Technology Last updated Aug 2, 2007 Daisuke Inoue
1999 article about the Japanese musician and inventor who created the karaoke machine in the 1970s. This machine allows individuals to sing popular songs with the music and printed lyrics provided by the machine. From Time magazine. http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/inoue1.html Topics: Music, Notable People, Performing Arts, Science, Technology Last updated Mar 28, 2005 Doodles, Drafts, and Designs: Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian
See some amazing designs of inventions created before the computer technology of today. "This exhibition presents examples of industrial drawings in the collections of the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Libraries." This exhibit walks you through the creative process for the industrial drawings of a variety of inventions, such as the bra, the shopping cart, and Crayola crayons. http://www.sil.si.edu/exhibitions/doodles/ Topics: Arts and Humanities, Arts and Humanities, Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Jan 12, 2005 Edison's Miracle of Light
Explores the "web of personal, patent, and corporate battles" Thomas Edison encountered in forming a "new industry to provide electric power." Contains a historical essay, a complete list of Edison's patents, information on the AC and DC currents, recordings produced by the Edison company, a gallery of advertisements for Edison inventions, sources for further reading, and a timeline of the inventor's life. From the PBS American Experience series; features program transcript and teacher's guide. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/edison/ Topics: Electrical Energy, Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Apr 3, 2002 The Electric Ben Franklin
"The remarkable Benjamin Franklin, a printer by trade, a scientist by fame, and a man of action by all accounts, continues to shape American thinking and action. The Independence Hall Association has commissioned and assembled resources for you to explore the diversity that was Benjamin Franklin." Features biographical information, images, a timeline, articles, activities, interactive features (including panoramic views of historical buildings), quotes, and related links. http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/ Topics: Notable People, Notable People: Government, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Oct 4, 2004 The Fox Talbot Museum
William Henry Fox Talbot was a philosopher, classicist, Egyptologist, mathematician, philologist, and physicist but he is best known as the inventor of the positive/negative photographic process. This site includes a brief biography and a description of his work. There is also information about the museum at Lacock Abbey, in Wiltshire, England. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-lacockabbeyvillage/w-lacockabbeyvillage-talbotmuseum.htm Topics: Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Aug 12, 2008 Greatest Engineering Achievements of the Twentieth Century
Each achievement is presented with a brief introduction, timeline, and historical essay. The "top 20" are: electrification, automobile, airplane, water supply and distribution, electronics, radio and television, agricultural mechanization, computers, telephone, air conditioning and refrigeration, highways, spacecraft, Internet, imaging, household appliances, health technologies, petroleum and petrochemical technologies, laser and fiber optics, nuclear technologies, and high-performance materials. From the National Academy of Engineering. http://www.greatachievements.org/ Topics: Business, Business, Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Feb 11, 2004 International Chindogu Society
"Every Chindogu is an almost useless object, but not every almost useless object is a Chindogu." Presents the ten tenets for these inventions and ten examples by Kenji Kawakami, plus some submissions from readers. An eccentric page for an eccentric subject. http://www.chindogu.com/ Topics: Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Sep 16, 2009 Inventing Entertainment: The Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies
This searcable and browsable site showcases the life and work of Thomas A. Edison, the "Wizard of Menlo Park," who patented 1,093 inventions, including the phonograph, the incandescent bulb, and some that became the basis for today's motion picture and sound recording industries. Features early motion pictures and sound recordings, photographs, a biography, and a timeline of significant events. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edhome.html Topics: Film, Movies, & Video, Internet, Music, Notable People, Science, Technology Last updated Oct 2, 2004 Invention Dimension
Web site devoted to American inventors and information related to past and current inventors. Equally interesting are the Hotlist sections: sites for children, research and development labs, the invention extension -- an eclectic collection of invention sites including the "Wacky Patent of the Month," and links to related resources. http://web.mit.edu/invent/ Topics: Business, Notable People, Science, Technology Last updated Sep 29, 2003 Inventor of the Week Archive: George Ferris
Profile of George Ferris, who "conceived, designed and built an engineering marvel [the Ferris wheel], which astonished the world at its debut and became a mainstay of American recreation." Topics include the design, which was based on a bicycle wheel, and the debut of the Ferris wheel at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. From the MIT School of Engineering. http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/ferris.html Topics: Notable People, Recreation, Technology Last updated Jun 27, 2006 Inventor of the Week: Marion Donovan (1917-1998): Disposable Diaper
Profile of Marion Donovan, who "helped revolutionize the infant care industry by inventing the prototype of the disposable diaper." Topics include Donovan's development of a waterproof diaper cover, her work on the disposable paper diaper, and her other inventions that earned her over a dozen patents. From the Lemelson-MIT Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/donovan.html Topics: Notable People, Notable People: Women, Technology Last updated Apr 8, 2008 Inventors
Find information about inventions and inventors: where to take an idea, marketing an invention, avoiding scams, getting funding, history of computers and the Internet, and lengthy alphabetical and chronological lists of people and creations. An About.com site. http://inventors.about.com/ Topics: Business, Business, Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated May 28, 2003 The Lemelson Center: Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Created to "document, interpret, and disseminate information about invention and innovation" and "to encourage inventive creativity in young people," this site focuses on the U.S. "Invention at Play" has learning activities and applications interspersed with inventors' stories and historic documents. Special resources for students, teachers, inventors, historians, and museum visitors are gathered under "Short Cuts." Searchable. Part of the National Museum of American History. http://invention.smithsonian.org/home/ Topics: Business, Notable People, Science, Technology Last updated Feb 4, 2005 Leonardo
This site presents a collection of models and drawings of machines designed by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as architectural models. Includes important events in Leonardo's life; background on his manuscripts, with links to where they are housed; and related links. Searchable. http://www.museoscienza.org/english/leonardo/ Topics: Artists, Business, Business, Notable People, Science, Technology Last updated Feb 9, 2005 Leonardo da Vinci: Scientist, Inventor, Artist
This site provides a biography and background of some of Leonardo da Vinci's work, as well as images of his art, scientific drawings, and inventions. Includes classroom activities and a glossary. "Appropriate for students in grades four through eight, many of the activities can be adapted for younger or older students as needed." From the Museum of Science, Boston. http://www.mos.org/leonardo/ Topics: Art by Region, Artists, Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Dec 7, 2004 Louis Braille
Biography of Louis Braille, the man who "invented 'braille,' a world wide system of embossed type used by blind and partially sighted people for reading and writing." Includes links to related information about braille (some links include commercial content). From the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), a UK charity that produces braille and offers support and services for blind and visually impaired people. http://www.rnib.org.uk/aboutus/aboutsightloss/famous/Pages/louisbraille.aspx Topics: Disabilities, Notable People Last updated Sep 17, 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial
"January 4, 2009, marks the bicentennial of the birth of Louis Braille, a genius inventor who bestowed the gift of literacy to blind people around the world." This site celebrates the 200th anniversary of Braille's birth by providing images of panels and text from a Braille bicentennial traveling exhibit, excerpts from a book about Braille, listing of international Braille events, and links to related sites. From National Braille Press. http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/louis/ Topics: Disabilities, Notable People Last updated Dec 16, 2008 Medieval Technology Pages
This website provides information on "technological innovation and related subjects in western Europe during the Middle Ages." Agricultural tools, silk, windmills, and the horizontal loom are among the subjects covered. The articles are organized by subject and in chronological order with 200-year intervals. From a chemistry and history professor. http://scholar.chem.nyu.edu/tekpages/Technology.html Topics: Business, History, History By Place, Notable People, Regions of the World, Science, Technology Last updated Nov 25, 2006 The Mind of Leonardo: The Universal Genius at Work
Companion to a 2006-2007 exhibit that explores Leonardo da Vinci's "very mode of thinking and his unitary conception of knowledge." Features essays and images of associated works on topics such as portraits of Leonardo, Leonardo's studio and library, the "grammar of forms," motion, and the science of painting. In English and Italian. From the Italian Institute and Museum of the History of Science, Florence. http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/menteleonardo/ Topics: Artists, Notable People, Technology Last updated Jul 10, 2006 MIND: Modern Inventors Documentation Program
This site "promote[s] the advancement and diffusion of knowledge about American inventors" by providing a database that "identifies the locations and contents of invention-related archival materials in the United States." The database is browsable by subject (such as agriculture, air and space, maritime, and medicine) or searchable. From the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Smithsonian National Museum of American History. http://invention.smithsonian.org/resources/MIND_Search_Basic.aspx Topics: Notable People, Technology Last updated Jun 26, 2006 Museum of Ancient Inventions
This online exhibit contains photos and descriptions of reproductions of forty-six inventions, including devices for early brain surgery (a trepanation kit) from 2000 BCE, a tumbler lock from 1000 BCE, a battery from 250 BCE, and devices from ancient Greek theater. The method of construction is described for each reproduction. From Smith College. http://www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/hsclist.htm Topics: Business, Notable People, Science, Technology Last updated Nov 25, 2001 National Inventors Hall of Fame
Hundreds of inventions and inventors, biographies, pictures, indexes of inventions and inventors. Searchable. http://www.invent.org/ Topics: Business, Business, Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Feb 6, 2004 North Side: George Ferris
Reprints of two newspaper articles from 1893 about George Ferris, inventor of the Ferris wheel. One discusses the building of the Ferris wheel for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and the other talks about the debut and first riders of the Ferris wheel. From the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/northside/nor_n105a.html Topics: Notable People, Recreation, Technology Last updated Jun 27, 2006 The Official Rube Goldberg Web Site
This Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor, and author was best known for his crazy, convoluted "inventions." They were his "symbols of man's capacity for exerting maximum effort to accomplish minimal results." Included is a biography, a gallery of the "inventions," and information about the National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest held at Purdue University in Indiana. http://www.rubegoldberg.com/ Topics: Notable People, Notable People: Arts & Humanities, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Oct 4, 2004 The Philo T. Farnsworth Archives
Official site about Philo Farnsworth, credited with inventing television in the 1920s. Find a brief chronology, photos of Farnsworth (who died in 1971) and his wife Pem (who died in 2006), early television tubes, and the controlling patent for television. Includes a list of patents held by Farnsworth and a bibliography. Site created and maintained by the Farnsworth family. http://philotfarnsworth.com Topics: Notable People, Technology, Television Last updated Oct 13, 2006 Re-Living the Wright Way
Allows students and teachers to follow the Wright Brothers' invention process with links to lesson plans, simulations, videos, and activities. Features an overview of the Wright Brothers' discoveries, biographies of Wilbur and Orville Wright, a contemporary photo gallery, and extensive information about aerodynamics. From the NASA Glenn Research Center. http://wright.nasa.gov/ Topics: Business, Notable People, Science, Technology, Transportation Last updated Oct 4, 2004 Robert Hooke
This site has biographical material and describes some of the contributions of this 17th century experimental scientist, architect, and inventor of (among many things) the conical pendulum, the universal joint, and the balance spring. From the School of Mathematics, University of St. Andrews, Scotland. http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Hooke.html Topics: Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Oct 2, 2004 Samuel F. B. Morse Papers at the Library of Congress
This collection documents Morse's invention of the electromagnetic telegraph, role in developing telegraph systems, "career as a painter, his family life, his travels, and his interest in early photography, religion, and the nativist movement." Includes correspondence, diaries, notebooks, maps, drawings, and material from various publications. Also features a biographical timeline and a family tree. Searchable. From the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sfbmhtml/ Topics: Correspondence, Electrical Energy, History, Nonfiction by Genre, Notable People, Photograph Collections, Photograph Collections: Nature & Wildlife, Science, Technology Last updated Nov 28, 2004 Sydenham Town: John Logie Baird: TV Inventor
This website describes the work of John Logie Baird, an inventor of television who "helped the BBC begin the first public television service in 1932" and who "moved to Crescent Wood Road on Sydenham Hill and established the world's first major TV Studio and Broadcasting Complex at the Crystal Palace." Includes photos and links to articles about Baird and his work. From the community website for Sydenham Town, the SE26 district of London. http://www.sydenham.org.uk/john_logie_baird.html Topics: Notable People, Technology, Television Last updated Jan 15, 2008 Teaching With Documents: Eli Whitney's Patent for the Cotton Gin
This lesson plan provides materials about the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, in the context of learning about U.S. patent law. Features an essay about the invention and its effects on industry and on slavery, images of the patent documents, and classroom activities. From the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/cotton-gin-patent/ Topics: Black Resources, Business & Consumer Law, Crops, Intellectual Property, Notable People, Technology Last updated Apr 4, 2006 Technology in America
This site explores some technology history in the U.S. Specifically, the development of the telephone, the New York subway, and television, as well as the U-2 CIA spy plane and its pilot, Gary Powers. In addition, there is a technological timeline that provides brief information on many other American inventions, as well as a section called Forgotten Inventors with brief information on seven inventors. Also available are bibliographies, teacher's resources, and transcripts of the programs. Based on the PBS American Experience documentary series on Technology in America . http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/technology/ Topics: Business, Business, Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Nov 28, 2004 Tesla: Master of Lightning
PBS presents the life, times, and legacy of Nikola Tesla, scientist, inventor, and visionary. Attributed to his genius were the inventions of radio, alternating current (AC), electricity, neon, remote control, hydroelectric power, wireless electricity, death ray, particle beam weapons, and the Tesla coils (high frequency electricity). The program recounts Tesla's intense rivalries with contemporaries Thomas Edison and Guglielmo Marconi. http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ Topics: Electrical Energy, Energy, Notable People, Science, Technology Last updated Oct 2, 2004 They Made America
Companion to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) series that "examines America's evolution over two centuries." The site features images and profiles of the "extraordinary innovators whose ideas and entrepreneurial spirit gave birth to landmark advances like the steamboat and the 747 jetliner, and cultural touchstones like the Barbie doll and CNN. Profiles of each innovator can be viewed chronologically, geographically, and by category." Also includes resources for teachers and an "Innovators Tournament" game. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/ Topics: Business, Business, Notable People, Science, Technology Last updated Nov 16, 2004 Thomas A. Edison Papers
This ambitious project on the prolific American inventor contains a searchable document database of the microfilm and book editions of Edison's papers, some of the editorial materials from those publications, a timeline, a list of the major Edison companies, and copies of his 1,093 patents. A portion of the developing digital edition is available, combining the images of the microfilm and the text of the print volumes into an integrated body of information. http://edison.rutgers.edu/ Topics: Notable People, Science, Science, Technology Last updated Oct 2, 2004 The Time 100: Leo Baekeland
Profile of Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland, who developed in 1907 the first all-artificial plastic, which he called Bakelite. Includes a discussion of his attempts to create artificial shellac, which lead to his creation of Bakelite. Bakelite was advertised as "'the material of a thousand uses.' It became the stuff of everything from cigar holders and rosary beads to radio housings, distributor caps and telephone casings." From Time magazine. http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/baekeland.html Topics: Notable People, Technology Last updated Jul 19, 2007 United States Patent and Trademark Office Kids Pages
This U.S. Patent and Trademark Office site features puzzles, freebies, games, links, and other activities for children. The site is divided into three sections: "Twinkle Lights" (grades K-6), "Bright Lights" (grades 6-12), and "Guiding Lights" (parents, teachers, and coaches). "Guiding Lights" features curriculum guides, contest announcements, and advice on "assisting minor children with patent applications." Searchable. http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ahrpa/opa/kids/ Topics: Business, Intellectual Property, Internet Guides & Search Tools, Mysteries and More, Notable People, Science, Technology Last updated Oct 16, 2009 Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company
This virtual museum seeks to "tell the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the invention of the airplane, and man's first flights." The site includes history, stories, activities, information on building replica airplanes, historical photographs, bibliographies, related links, and more. Search the site, or browse using the Museum Guide. From "a non-profit organization of aviators, historians ... [and] educators." http://www.first-to-fly.com/ Topics: Business, Notable People, Science, Technology, Transportation Last updated Oct 4, 2004 Wright Brothers Digital Photographs
This searchable and browsable collection of over 400 photographs and cards "provides thorough coverage of the Wrights’ early inventive period documenting their experimental gliders and flight testing in both North Carolina and Ohio." From Ohio's Wright State University Libraries. http://dmc.ohiolink.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?page=index;c=wbc Topics: Notable People, Science, Technology, Transportation Last updated Dec 2, 2008 |
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