Download

Inventors challenge

  • Thomas L. Jennings dry-cleaning delicate clothing invention

    Jennings invented a process called 'dry scouring,' a forerunner of modern dry cleaning. He patented the process in 1821, making him likely the first black person in America to receive a patent.
  • ry-cleaning delicate clothing invention

    ry-cleaning delicate clothing invention
  • John Deere Cast steel plow invention

    To alleviate the problem, Deere designed a plow of cast steel; it had a moldboard that allowed it to cut through heavy soil without having the soil constantly adhering to the plow. Made in 1837, the plow's cutting part was made from steel cut from an old sawmill blade and shaped by bending it over a log.
  • John Deere cast steel plow invention

    To alleviate the problem, Deere designed a plow of cast steel; it had a moldboard that allowed it to cut through heavy soil without having the soil constantly adhering to the plow. Made in 1837, the plow's cutting part was made from steel cut from an old sawmill blade and shaped by bending it over a log.
  • Cast steel plow

    Cast steel plow
  • Sewing machine invention

    Sewing machine invention
  • Elias Howe Sewing machine

    Elias Howe patented the first ever lockstitch sewing machine in the world in 1846.
  • Toilet paper invention

    Toilet paper invention
  • Joseph Gayetty Toilet Paper invention

    And finally in 1857, a New Yorker named Joseph Gayetty introduced and first patented toilet paper. He called it “Medicated Paper for the Water-Closet” and Gayetty's name was printed on every sheet. His medicated paper contained aloe and was sold in packages of 500 sheets for 50 cents.
  • Ezra Warner Can Opener

    Ezra Warner patented the first can opener on January 5, 1858 (US Patent No. 19,063), almost 50 years after metal cans appeared. Warner designed a tool with a cutting blade and a guard that prevented the blade from penetrating too far into the contents of a can.
  • Can Opener invention

    Can Opener invention
  • Nicholas August Otton Gas powered motor

    Engineer Nicolaus August Otto invented the first practical alternative to the steam engine. Born in Holzhausen, Germany, Otto built his first gas engine in 1861. Then, in partnership with German industrialist Eugen Langen, they improved the design and won a gold medal at the Paris Exposition of 1867.
  • Gas powered motor

    Gas powered motor
  • Jeans inventions

    Jeans inventions
  • Levis Strauss Blue jeans

    On May 20, 1873, San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada, tailor Jacob Davis are given a patent to create work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth of one of the world's most famous garments: blue jeans.
  • Alexander Graham Bell Telephone

    How was the telephone invented? Bell in 1876, aged 29.
  • Telephone invention

    Telephone invention
  • Light bulb invention

    Light bulb invention
  • Light bulb invention

    On January 27, 1880, Thomas Edison received the historic patent embodying the principles of his incandescent lamp that paved the way for the universal domestic use of electric light.
  • Coca cola invention

    Coca cola invention
  • Dr. John S. Pemberton Coca cola

    In May 1886, Dr. John S. Pemberton, a pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia, created the syrup for Coca-Cola.
  • George Eastman Handheld camera

    Eastman introduced the Kodak camera in 1888. Thanks to his inventive genius, anyone could now take pictures with a handheld camera simply by pressing a button. He coined the slogan, "you press the button, we do the rest," and within a year it became a well-known phrase.
  • Hand held camera

    Hand held camera
  • George Ferris Ferris Wheel Invention

    In 1893, Ferris completed the attraction and the Ferris wheel was born. Soaring to a height of 264 feet, the original Ferris wheel offered fairgoers a 10- to 20-minute ride unlike anything they'd experienced before.
  • Ferris wheel

    Ferris wheel
  • Radio invention

    Radio invention
  • Nikola Tesla Radio invention

    On March 1, 1893, at the National Electric Light Association meeting in St. Louis, inventor Nikola Tesla first publicly demonstrated radio by transmitting electromagnetic energy without wires.
  • Mary Anderson Windsheild wiper

    With her 1903 patent, Anderson's invention proved to be the first windshield-clearing device to be effective. As driving became more and more common, the windshield wiper was eventually adapted for automotive use. In 1922, Cadillac began installing the wiper as a piece of standard equipment on its cars.
  • Winsheild wiper

    Winsheild wiper
  • Orville and Wilbur Wright fly the airplane invention

    Orville takes off with Wilbur running beside, December 17, 1903. At 10:35, he released the restraining wire. The flyer moved down the rail as Wilbur steadied the wings.
  • Airplane invention

    Airplane invention