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	Browse Inventions: Acetabular Sockets Acetabular Sockets Acetabular Sockets Adhesive Tape Air Conditioner Apparatus for Treating Air American engineer and inventor Willis Haviland Carrier developed the formulae and equipment that made air conditioning possible. The world's first spray type air conditioning equipment was Carrier's 'Apparatus for Treating Air,' which he correctly predicted would be used to enhance comfort as well as improve industrial processes and products. In 1911 Carrier disclosed his basic 'Rational Psychrometric Formulae' to the . . . . Air Conditioner for Vehicles Aircraft Aircraft Afterburning Means for Turbo-Jet Engines Aircraft Stall Warning Device Stall Warning Device for Airplanes Leonard Michael Greene has patented dozens of inventions in aviation t . . . . Airplane Flying-Machine Orville and Wilbur Wright, American inventors and aviation pioneers, a . . . . Airplane Flying-Machine Orville and Wilbur Wright, American inventors and aviation pioneers, a . . . . Alternating Current Improvement in Steam-Power Brake Devices George Westinghouse invented a system of air brakes that made travel by train safe and built one of the greatest electric manufacturing organizations in the United States. After briefly attending . . . . Alternating Current Electro-Magnetic Motor Nikola Tesla invented the induction motor with rotating magnetic field that made unit drives for machines feasible and made AC power transmission an economic necessity. In 1887 and 1888 Tesla had an experimental shop at 89 Liberty Street, New York, and there he invented the induction motor. He sold the invention to . . . . Alternating Current Induction Coil / Transformer In the 1880s every system for distributing electricity used direct cur . . . . Alternating Current System of Distribution by Alternating Currents In 1893, Steinmetz joined the newly organized . . . . Altimeter Level Flight Indicator Kollsman's altimeter gives the pilot the ability to set the existing a . . . . Aluminum Manufacture of Aluminum Charles Martin Hall discovered the electrolytic method of producing al . . . . Anti-Leukemia drugs 2-Amino-6-Mercaptopurine Gertrude Belle Elion invented the leukemia-fighting drug 6-mercaptopurine and drugs that facilitated kidney transplants. Hired by Burroughs-Wellcome (now . . . . Arc lamp for street lighting Artificial Heart Soft Shell Mushroom Shaped Heart Medical researcher Willem J. Kolff invented the artificial kidney dial . . . . Aspirin Acetyl Salicylic Acid Audio Signals Variable Frequency Oscillation Generator Cofounder of the electronics giant . . . . Automated Sugar Refining Evaporating Pan Norbert Rillieux revolutionized the sugar industry by inventing a refi . . . . Automatic Engine Lubricator Improvement in Lubricators for Steam-Engines Elijah McCoy received his first patent for an automatic lubricating de . . . . Automatic telephone dialing system Automobile Engine Starting Device; Engine Starting, Lighting and Ignition System Charles Franklin Kettering invented the first electrical ignition syst . . . . Automobile Transmission Mechanism Pioneering automotive engineer Henry Ford held many patents on automot . . . . Automobile, bicycle, and diesel applications Automobiles Bakelite Method of Making Insoluble Products of Phenol and Formaldehyde Leo Hendrik Baekeland is cited for his research in electric insulation . . . . Ballpoint Pen Barbed wire Beehive Bessemer Process Manufacture of Iron and Steel Biasing scheme especially suited for integrated circuits Biasing scheme especially suited for integrated circuits Bob Widlar is considered the father of the analog monolithic integrate . . . . Bioluminescence Techniques Bottle cap Breakfast cereal Breech-Loading Firearm Bromine Extraction Process of Extracting Bromine Herbert Henry Dow, founder of the . . . . Cable car Calculator Calculating Machine William Seward Burroughs invented the first practical adding and listi . . . . Captopril Captopril Car Radio Radio Apparatus Though his name is most often associated with corporate jet airplanes, . . . . Carborundum Production of Artificial Crystalline Carbonaceous Materials; Article of Carborundum and Process of the Manufacture Thereof Edward Acheson's discovery of carborundum, a highly effective abrasive . . . . Cast-Iron Piano Frame CAT Scan Diagnostic X-Ray System Robert S. Ledley invented the whole-body CT (computerized tomographic) . . . . Catalytic Converter Extrusion Method for Forming Thin-Walled Honeycomb Structures Bagley developed the extrusion die and process that made a thin-walled . . . . Catalytic Converter Anisotropic Cordierite Monolith Working at Corning, Irwin Lachman co-invented the ceramic substrate fo . . . . Catalytic Converter Anisotropic Cordierite Monolith Ronald Lewis is co-inventor of the ceramic substrate found in catalyti . . . . Catalytic Cracking Method of and Apparatus for Contacting Solids and Gases Charles "Wes" Tyson and his three co-inventors at Exxon Rese . . . . Catalytic Cracking Method of and Apparatus For Contacting Solids And Gases Homer Martin was with Exxon Research & Engineering Co. (ER&E) . . . . Catalytic Cracking Process for the Manufacture of Liquid Fuels Eugene Houdry discovered a revolutionary method for cracking low-grade . . . . Catalytic Cracking Catalytic Cracking of Hydrocarbons with a Crystalline Zeolite Catalyst Composite Charles J. Plank and Edward J. Rosinski invented the first zeolite cat . . . . Catalytic Cracking Method of and Apparatus for Contacting Solids and Gases Eger Murphree, former president of Exxon Research & Engineering Co . . . . Catalytic Cracking Catalytic Cracking of Hydrocarbons with a Crystalline Zeolite Catalyst Composite Charles J. Plank and Edward J. Rosinski invented the first zeolite cat . . . . Catalytic Cracking Manufacture of Gasoline Chemist and oil industry executive William Meriam Burton recognized th . . . . Catalytic Cracking Method of and Apparatus for Contacting Solids and Gases Donald Campbell was one of four Exxon Research & Engineering Co. (ER&E . . . . Cataract Surgery Material Removal Apparatus and Method Employing High Frequency Vibrations Charles Kelman is widely acknowledged as the leading innovator in the . . . . Cathode-Ray Tube Cathode-Ray Tube Most people think of television as a development of the mid-20th centu . . . . Cathode-Ray Tube Television System Farnsworth's basic television patents covered scanning, focusing, sync . . . . Cellophane Celluloid Charge-coupled device Information Storage Devices Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith invented the charge-coupled devic . . . . Charge-coupled device Cinematographe Cinematographe Clock Coaxial Cable Color Photography Kodachrome Film, Color Photography Created a practical film for color photography, and its ease of use an . . . . Color Photography Kodachrome Film, Color Photography Created a practical film for color photography, and its ease of use an . . . . Combine harvester Communications Satellite Non-Synchronous Time Division Multiplex Telephone Transmission In 1936, Pierce joined Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, New . . . . Computer Mouse X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System Douglas Engelbart's patent for the mouse is only a representation of h . . . . Computerized Telephone Switching Computerized Telephone Switching Electronic Switching Central Processor Overload Control Concentric Conduction System Concentric Conduction System Herman Affel and Lloyd Espenschied invented coaxial cable at AT&T Bell . . . . Configurable electrical circuit having configurable logic elements and configurable interconnects Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Ross Freeman invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA), a comp . . . . Containerized Shipping Containerized Shipping Apparatus for Shipping Freight Controlled Drug Delivery Cortisone Process of Treating Pregnene Compounds Chemist Lewis Hastings Sarett prepared a synthetic version of the hormone cortisone, which was soon demonstrated as an effective treatment against rheumatoid arthritis. Sarett prepared the first synthetic cortisone in 1944, when Merck & Co. was a participant in a government effort to improve military medicine. Four years later the . . . . Cortisone Preparation of Cortisone Percy Lavon Julian synthesized physostigmine for treatment of glaucoma and . . . . Cotton Gin Cotton Gin American inventor, pioneer, mechanical engineer, and manufacturer Eli Whitney is best remembered as the inventor of the cotton gin. He also affected the industrial development of the United States when, in manufacturing muskets for the government, he translated the concept of interchangeable parts into a manufacturing system, giving birth to the American mass-production concept. Whitney saw that a machine to clean the seed from cotton could make the South prosperous and make its inventor rich. He set to work at once and within days had drawn a sketch to explain his idea; 10 days later he constructed a crude model that separated fiber from seed. After perfecting his machine he filed an application for a patent on June 20, 1793; in February 1794 he deposited a model at the . . . . Coulter Principle Means for Counting Particles Suspended in a Fluid One of the giant corporate players in the field of medical technology . . . . CPU Memory System for a Multi-Chip Digital Computer In the late 1960s, many articles had discussed the possibility of a co . . . . CPU Memory System for a Multi-Chip Digital Computer In the late 1960s, many articles had discussed the possibility of a co . . . . CPU Memory System for a Multi-Chip Digital Computer One of the most important developments of the last half of the 20th ce . . . . CT Scan Cyclotron Method and Apparatus for the Acceleration of Ions Ernest Orlando Lawrence invented the cyclotron, a device that greatly . . . . Data Storage Machine Data Storage Machine Data Storage Machine Design of automobile and motorcycle engines Differential Analyzer In 1931, Vannevar Bush completed work on his most significant invention, the differential analyzer, a precursor to the modern computer. Digital Computer Complex Computer George R. Stibitz is internationally recognized as the father of the m . . . . Digital Packet Switching Packetized Ensemble Modem Paul Baran developed a fundamental concept behind today's advanced com . . . . Digital Packet Switching Direct current dynamo Dishwasher Disposable Medical Trays Medical Devices Disposable Medical Trays Dissolvable Pills DNA Sequencer Dolby Noise Reduction Noise Reduction Systems Ray Dolby revolutionized the audio industry in the 1960s by inventing . . . . Door lock DRAM Field-Effect Transistor Memory Robert Heath Dennard invented one-transistor Dynamic Random Access Mem . . . . Dynamite Improved Explosive Compounds Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was also a great industrialist . . . . Electret Microphone Electroacoustic Transducer Gerhard Sessler and James West invented the foil electret microphone w . . . . Electret Microphone Electroacoustic Transducer In 1962, James West and Gerhard Sessler patented the electret micropho . . . . Electric Field Controlled Semiconductor Device Electric Field Controlled Semiconductor Device Dawon Kahng was an inventor of the first practical field-effect transi . . . . Electric fire alarm system Electric Lamp Incandescent Electric Lamp Irving Langmuir's work led to two major inventions: the high-vacuum el . . . . Electric Lamp Electric Lamp One of the outstanding geniuses in the history of technology, Thomas Edison earned patents for more than a thousand inventions, including the incandescent electric lamp, the phonograph, the carbon telephone transmitter, and the motion-picture projector. In addition, he created the world's first industrial research laboratory. In September 1878, after having viewed an exhibition of a series of eight glaring 500-candlepower arc lights, Edison boldly announced he would invent a safe, mild, and inexpensive electric light that would replace the gaslight in millions of homes; moreover, he would accomplish this by an entirely different method of current distribution from that used for arc lights. To back the lamp effort, some of New York's leading financial figures joined with Edison in October 1878 to form the Edison Electric Light Company, the predecessor of today's . . . . Electric street car Electric Telegraphy Electric-Arc Lamp Electrocardiograph Electrocardiograph Receiving of Wireless Signals Electron Microscope Electron Lens Correction Device Physicist James Hillier is recognized for his contributions to the dev . . . . Electro-Optic Liquid Crystal Device Electro-Optic Liquid Crystal Device George Heilmeier discovered four new electro-optic effects in liquid c . . . . Electrophotography (Xerox) / Instant Copying Electrophotography Physicist Chester F. Carlson, the father of xerographic printing, was born in Seattle, Washington. Plagued by needs for copies of patent drawings and specifications, Carlson investigated ways of automatic text and illustration reproduction, working out of his apartment. While others sought chemical or photographic solutions to 'instant copying' problems, Carlson turned to electrostatics and in 1938 succeeded in obtaining his first 'dry-copy' and the first of many patents two years later. It took presentations to more than 20 companies before Carlson was able to interest the . . . . Electrostatic Precipitator Art of Separating Suspended Particles from Gaseous Bodies As industrial smokestacks became a common sight at the turn of the cen . . . . Elevator Brake Improvement in Hoisting Apparatus Elisha Graves Otis didn't invent the elevator, he invented something p . . . . Embolectomy Catheter Embolectomy Catheter In 1963, Thomas Fogarty received a patent for his Fogarty® balloon . . . . ENIAC Data Translating Apparatus ENIAC Data Translating Apparatus ePTFE, known by the GORE-TEX® brand name Erasable programmable read only memory array EPROM Dov Frohman-Bentchkowsky invented a computer chip that could be erased . . . . Escalator Escalator Ethernet Ethyl Gasoline Motor Fuel Knock was a destructive phenomenon that occurred in internal combustio . . . . Excimer Laser Surgery Far Ultraviolet Surgical and Dental Procedures In 1981, Rangaswamy Srinivasan discovered that an ultraviolet excimer . . . . Explosion and Combustion Motor Far Electrograph Ultraviolet Camera Far Electrograph Ultraviolet Camera With the Naval Research Laboratory since 1964, Carruthers has been a d . . . . Feedback Control Feedback Control Feedback Control Fiberglass Fiberglass Fiberglass Field-Effect Device with Insulated Gate; Self Aligned Gate MOSFET Field-Effect Device with Insulated Gate; Self Aligned Gate MOSFET Robert Bower invented the Field-effect Device with Insulated Gate know . . . . Filament for electric light bulb First steam locomotive built in America Flexible Flyer Sled Fluconazole Fluconazole Fluconazole Fluorescent Lamp Discharge Device; Metal Vapor Lamp Germer received the Frank P. Brown Medal from the Franklin Institute i . . . . Flying Wing Plane; All-Metal High-Wing Monocoque Airplane (Vega) All-Wing Airplane Northrop began his career in 1916, when he joined the Loughead Brother . . . . Foot Measuring Device Fountain pen Frozen Foods Frozen Foods In 1924 Birdseye launched General Seafoods to sell frozen fish. Two ye . . . . Game board Gas-Motor Engine Gas-Motor Engine Engineer Nicolaus August Otto invented the first practical alternative . . . . Genetic Engineering Process for Producing Biologically Functional Molecular Chimeras Herb Boyer was with the University of California, San Francisco when h . . . . Genetic Engineering Process for Producing Biologically Functional Molecular Chimeras Herb Boyer was with the University of California, San Francisco when h . . . . Genetic Fingerprinting Genetic Fingerprinting Alec Jeffreys invented genetic fingerprinting, a powerful technology t . . . . Glass Shaping Machine Glass Tile, Mosaic Global Positioning System Global Positioning System Remote Control System With Position Indicating Means The technological triumph known as the Global Positioning System of sa . . . . Glucose Detection for Diabetes Composition of Matter In the mid-1940s, Alfred Free and Helen Murray were both chemists work . . . . Glucose Detection for Diabetes Composition of Matter In the mid-1940s, Alfred Free and Helen Murray were both chemists work . . . . Glyphosate Herbicide Gramophone / Microphone Gramophone; Combined Telegraph and Telephone Emile Berliner invented the microphone that became part of the first B . . . . Ground Proximity Warning System Ground Proximity Warning System C. Donald Bateman has saved the lives of countless airplane passengers . . . . Gyroscopic Compass Ship's Gyroscopic-Compass Set Elmer Ambrose Sperry invented gyroscope-guided automatic pilots for sh . . . . HDPE and Polypropylene Plastics Polymers and Production Thereof Robert Banks and fellow research chemist Paul Hogan were working for P . . . . HDPE and Polypropylene Plastics Polymers and Production Thereof Paul Hogan and fellow research chemist Robert Banks were working for P . . . . Heart-Lung Machine Helicopter Direct-Lift Aircraft; Helicopter and Controls Therefor Igor I. Sikorsky designed the world's first successful multimotor airplane and the world's first true production helicopter. From 1925 to 1940 he created a series of increasingly successful aircraft which gained for America numerous world records for speed, range and payload. The famed Sikorsky flying 'Clippers' helped pioneer trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific commercial passenger services. Despite the success of the flying boats, Sikorsky continued studying the helicopter. His U.S. Patent 1,994,488, filed June 27, 1931, marked the crucial breakthrough. In late 1938, United Aircraft management (now . . . . Helium-neon laser High Resolution Radar and Sonar Electric System; Microwave Scanning System; Sound Ranging System Robert H. Rines' contributions to the technology of high-resolution image-scanning radar and sonar began in the era of the . . . . High-voltage induction coil HIV Virus Isolation and Diagnosis Human Immunodeficiency Viruses Associated With Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), A Diagnostic Method for AIDS and Pre-AIDS, and a Kit Therefor Dr. Luc Montagnier is best known for his 1983 discovery of the Human I . . . . HIV Virus Isolation and Diagnosis Human Immunodeficiency Viruses Associated With Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), A Diagnostic Method for AIDS and Pre-AIDS, and a Kit Therefor Robert Gallo played a key role in identifying the cause and detection . . . . Hydroaeroplane Hydroaeroplane After establishing the G.H. Curtiss Manufacturing Company in 1902, Cur . . . . Ice-Rink Resurfacing Machine Implantable Heart Defibrillator Method and Apparatus for Monitoring Heart Activity, Detecting Abnormalities, and Cardioverting a Malfunctioning Heart Michel Mirowski conceived of the automatic implantable cardioverter de . . . . Implantable Heart Defibrillator Method and Apparatus for Monitoring Heart Activity, Detecting Abnormalities, and Cardioverting a Malfunctioning Heart Morton Mower co-invented the automatic implantable cardioverter defibr . . . . Implantable Heart Defibrillator Method and Apparatus for Monitoring Heart Activity, Detecting Abnormalities, and Cardioverting a Malfunctioning Heart Stephen Heilman co-invented the automatic implantable defibrillator, a . . . . Implantable Heart Defibrillator Method and Apparatus for Monitoring Heart Activity, Detecting Abnormalities, and Cardioverting a Malfunctioning Heart Implantable Pacemaker Medical Cardiac Pacemaker Wilson Greatbatch invented the cardiac pacemaker, an innovation select . . . . Improved Method for Opening and Closing Elevators Improved Velocipede Improvement in Boring-Mills Improvement in Electrical Signals Improvements in the steam engine Insulin pump Ambulatory Infusion Pump Dean Kamen's first major innovation was the AutoSyringe®, a class of a . . . . Integrated Circuit Miniaturized Electronic Circuits In 1959 electrical engineer Jack S. Kilby invented the monolithic integrated circuit, which is still widely used in electronic systems. In 1958 he joined . . . . Integrated Circuit Semiconductor Device-and-Lead Structure Robert N. Noyce, cofounder of . . . . Internal-Combustion Engine Internal-Combustion Engine Though best known for his invention of the pressure-ignited heat engin . . . . Internet Protocol System for Distributed Task Execution Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn designed the architecture of the Internet . . . . Internet Protocol Intravascular Stent Iron Buildings Iron Truss Bridge Isolated, Purified Insulin Extract Obtainable from the Mammalian Pancreas or from the Related Glands in Fishes, Useful in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus, and a Method of Preparing It The process for producing enough pure insulin for clinical trials was . . . . Isolated, Purified Insulin Extract Obtainable from the Mammalian Pancreas or from the Related Glands in Fishes, Useful in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus, and a Method of Preparing It Millions of diabetics owe their lives to Frederick Banting's idea and . . . . Isothiocyanate Compounds (Antigen) Isothiocyanate Compounds and Means of Producing the Same Antibodies are the body's protectors. When antigens, such as bacteria . . . . Isothiocyanate Compounds (Antigen) Isothiocyanate Compounds and Means of Producing the Same Antibodies are the body's protectors. When antigens, such as bacteria . . . . Jenny coupler for railroad cars Jet Engine Fluid Machine In August 1939, at Heinkel Airfield near Rostock, Germany, von Ohain's . . . . Jet Engine Aircraft Propulsion System and Power Unit Inheriting an inventiveness and love of things mechanical from his fat . . . . Kevlar Optically Anisotropic Aromatic Polyamide Dopes and Oriented Fibers Therefrom Kwolek's earliest work pioneered low-temperature processes for the pre . . . . Langmuir-Blodgett films Laser Ruby Laser Systems Physicist Theodore Harold Maiman invented the first operable laser. While employed at . . . . Laser Optically Pumped Laser Amplifiers; Light Amplifiers Employing Collisions to Produce a Population Inversion Gordon Gould coined the word laser and patented optically pumped and d . . . . Laser Masers and Maser Communications System Arthur L. Schawlow was co-inventor of the laser. He worked with Charle . . . . Laser Production of Electromagnetic Energy; Masers and Maser Communications System Charles Townes' invention of the maser, a device that amplifies electr . . . . LASIK Eye Surgery Far Ultraviolet Surgical and Dental Procedures James Wynne is co-inventor of a process using a short pulse ultraviole . . . . LASIK Eye Surgery Far Ultraviolet Surgical and Dental Procedures Samuel Blum was working with Rangaswamy Srinivasan and James Wynne at . . . . LED LED First LED in the Visual Spectrum Leukocyte Reduction Filter Leukocyte Reduction Filter Device and Method for Depletion of the Leukocyte Content of Blood and . . . . Link Trainer / Simulator Combination Training Device for Student Aviators and Entertainment Apparatus Link received his pilot's license in 1927 and purchased his first airp . . . . Linotype Machine for Producing Printing Bars Ottmar Mergenthaler's invention of the linotype composing machine in 1 . . . . Liquid Crystal Display Display Devices Utilizing Liquid Crystal Light Modulation James Fergason holds a series of patents that form the foundation of t . . . . Loading and unloading machine Localizer Antenna System Localizer Antenna System Andrew Alford invented and developed antennas for radio navigation sys . . . . Loom Low stand-by power complementary field effect circuitry CMOS Frank Wanlass invented the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CM . . . . Machine for Crushing Stone Machine for making flat bottom paper bags Magnetic Core Memory Magnetic Core Memory Kenneth H. Olsen, described by . . . . Magnetic Core Memory Pulse Transfer Controlling Device An Wang made many notable contributions to the advancement of computer . . . . Magnetic Disk Drive Magnetic Disk Drive Magnetic Recording Electromagnetic Talking Device; Electromagnetic Talking Machine Semi Joseph Begun was a pioneer of magnetic recording. He developed t . . . . Magnetic Recording Method and Means of Magnetic Recording Marvin Camras' inventions are used in modern magnetic tape and wire re . . . . Magnetic Resonance Imaging Magnetic Resonance Imaging Magnetron Asymmetrically Conductive Device and Method of Making the Same Robert Hall invented the version of the magnetron that operates most m . . . . Magnetron High Efficiency Magnetron Percy Spencer, while working for the Raytheon Company, discovered a mo . . . . Mason jar Matrix for Linotype-Machine Maxim gun; smokeless gunpowder Measuring instruments Mechanical Reaper Improvement in Machines for Reaping Small Grain Cyrus Hall McCormick invented the mechanical reaper, which combined al . . . . Method for Fabricating Transistors Method for Fabricating Transistors As a cofounder of both Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, Gordon Moore . . . . Method of Making Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor with Controlled Threshold Voltage Method of Making Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor with Controlled Threshold Voltage John Macdougall is one of the inventors of the first commercially viab . . . . Method of Making Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor with Controlled Threshold Voltage Method of Making Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor with Controlled Threshold Voltage Kenneth Manchester is a pioneer in the development of ion implantation . . . . Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Devices Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Devices Early in 1959 while at Fairchild Semiconductor, Jean Hoerni invented t . . . . Method of producing a semiconductor element Method of producing a semiconductor element Gordon Teal began his career in 1930 concentrating on better vacuum tu . . . . Mobile Communication System Mobile Communication System Switching Concept for Cellular Phones Modern day fire hydrant Modern Photocopier Modern Photocopier Gundlach devoted over three decades to the task of transforming the ma . . . . Modern zipper Molecular Sieves Molecular Sieve Adsorbents In 1956, Edith Flanigen began working on the emerging technology of "m . . . . MRI Apparatus and Method for Detecting Cancer in Tissue Raymond Damadian invented the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner . . . . Multiplane Camera Multiplane Camera Seldom has an individual become so intrinsically linked to a concept a . . . . Negative Feedback Amplifier Wave Translation System Research engineer Harold S. Black revolutionized telecommunications by . . . . Neon Tubing Neutronic Reactor / Nuclear Fission Neutronic Reactor / Nuclear Fission Leo Szilard, along with Enrico Fermi, was awarded a patent for the nuc . . . . Novocain Nuclear Fission Neutronic Reactor While studying the creation of artificially radioactive isotopes in th . . . . Numerical Control Motor Controlled Apparatus for Positioning Machine Tool John Parsons changed the control of machines and industrial processes . . . . Nystatin (Antifungal / Antibiotic) Nystatin and Method of Producing It The world's first useful antifungal antibiotic, nystatin, was developed through a long-distance scientific collaboration. Working as researchers for the . . . . Nystatin (Antifungal / Antibiotic) Nystatin and Method of Producing It The world's first useful antifungal antibiotic, nystatin, was developed through a long-distance scientific collaboration. Working as researchers for the . . . . Optical Character Reading Optical Character Reading Jacob Rabinow patented over 200 inventions, including his optical char . . . . Optical Character Recognition Reading System Optical Devices Utilizing Single Crystal GaP or GaAs Films Epitaxially Grown on CaF Substrates and Method of Fabricating Same Molecular Beam Epitaxy, MBE Alfred Cho is considered "the father of molecular beam epitaxy," a pro . . . . Optical Fibers Fused Silica Optical Waveguide; Method of Producing Optical Waveguide Fibers Corning Glass researchers Robert Maurer, Donald Keck, and Peter Schult . . . . Optical Fibers Fused Silica Optical Waveguide; Method of Producing Optical Waveguide Fibers Corning Glass researchers Robert Maurer, Donald Keck, and Peter Schult . . . . Optical Fibers Fused Silica Optical Waveguide; Method of Producing Optical Waveguide Fibers Corning Glass researchers Robert Maurer, Donald Keck, and Peter Schult . . . . Oral Contraceptive Oral Contraceptives Estradiene Compounds Frank B. Colton developed Enovid, the first oral contraceptive. Colto . . . . Oral Contraceptives Oral Contraceptives Carl Djerassi is recognized for his breakthroughs in chemistry and for . . . . Outboard Motor Pasteurization Improvement in Brewing Beer and Ale French chemist Louis Pasteur was the founder of microbiological scienc . . . . Pattern lathe Thomas Blanchard devised a machine that transformed gun manufacturing . . . . Peach and Fruit Peach and Fruit During a lifetime devoted to plant breeding, Luther Burbank developed . . . . Peanut Products Cosmetic and Process of Producing the Same; Paint and Stain and Process of Producing the Same Agricultural chemist George Washington Carver developed . . . . Penicillin Method for Production of Penicillin Andrew J. Moyer's discoveries provided the foundation for the industri . . . . Penicillin Displacement of the Thiazolidine Ring in Penicillin with the Formation of a Biologically Active Cephem System Sir Alexander Fleming's 1928 discovery of penicillin in bread mold was a tremendous breakthrough for medical science. Unfortunately, Fleming's process for harvesting the antibiotic took months to generate a small amount. During World War II, as demand for penicillin rose, researchers worked feverishly to synthesize the penicillin molecule. More than a thousand scientists in 39 U.S. labs became involved in the project. But when the war ended and the molecule still had not revealed its structure, the funds for research ended. From 1948 to 1957 only one laboratory of continued the research-John Sheehan's. In March of 1957, while a professor at the . . . . Pentothal / Anesthesia Thiobarbituric Acid Derivatives Ernest H. Volwiler and Donalee L. Tabern discovered the general anesth . . . . Pentothal / Anesthesia Thiobarbituric Acid Derivatives Ernest H. Volwiler and Donalee L. Tabern discovered the general anesth . . . . Peripherals Microcomputer System with Bus Control Means for Peripheral Processing Devices Dennis Moeller and Mark Dean together created a microcomputer system w . . . . Peripherals Microcomputer System with Bus Control Means for Peripheral Processing Devices Mark Dean and his co-inventor Dennis Moeller created a microcomputer s . . . . Personal Computer Microcomputer for Use with Video Display Wozniak's Apple II personal computer - introduced in 1977 and featurin . . . . pH Meter Apparatus for Testing Acidity Arnold O. Beckman invented a pH meter for measuring acidity and alkali . . . . Phonograph Record Photo Composing Machine Photo Composing Machine Louis Marius Moyroud and Rene Alphonse Higonnet developed the first pr . . . . Photo Composing Machine Photo Composing Machine Louis Marius Moyroud and Rene Alphonse Higonnet developed the first pr . . . . Photography Photographic Product Comprising a Rupturable Container Carrying a Photographic Processing Liquid Physicist, manufacturing executive, and inventor Edwin Herbert Land de . . . . Photography Method and Apparatus for Coating Plates for use in Photography Eastman began his search for a transparent and flexible film in 1884. The first commercial film, put into production a year later, was cut in narrow strips and wound on a roller device patented by Eastman and Walker. Film rolls sufficient for 100 exposures were mounted in a small box camera-the . . . . Photography Stroboscope Pioneering research in stroboscopic photography by Harold E. Edgerton . . . . Plows Improvement in Plows John Deere developed the first American cast steel plow. The implemen . . . . Plutonium Isolation Plutonium Isolation Glenn T. Seaborg was a central figure in the effort to develop atomic . . . . Pneumatic rubber tires Pneumatic tire for cycles Polymerase Chain Reacton Process for Amplifying Nucleic Acid Sequences The polymerase chain reaction, which was devised by Kary Mullis, has r . . . . Polyurethane Process for Making Polymeric Products and for Modifying Polymeric Products William Edward Hanford and Donald Fletcher Holmes invented the process for making the multipurpose material polyurethane. Holmes teamed up with Edward Hanford at . . . . Polyurethane Process for Making Polymeric Products and for Modifying Polymeric Products William Edward Hanford and Donald Fletcher Holmes invented the process for making the multipurpose material polyurethane.They teamed up at . . . . Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Synthetic Rubber-like Composition and Method of Making Same; Method of Preparing Polyvinyl Halide Products In 1926 Waldo Semon, newly employed in the research department at . . . . Portable electric vacuum cleaner Portable voltmeter Power loom Prednisone Printing Press Process for condensing milk Process for making malleable iron Process for weaving straw with silk or thread Process of Producing Ammonia Processor Which Sequences Externally of a Central Processor Processor Which Sequences Externally of a Central Processor Carver Mead is an inventor, chip designer, entrepreneur, and universit . . . . Production of Ammonia Pronged Vaccinating Needle Pronged Vaccinating and Testing Needle Microbiologist Benjamin A. Rubin ground the eyelet of a sewing machine . . . . Prozac Aryloxyphenylpropylamines Klaus Schmiegel and Bryan Molloy co-invented a class of aryloxyphenylp . . . . Prozac Aryloxyphenylpropylamines Bryan Molloy and Klaus Schmiegel co-invented a class of aryloxyphenylp . . . . Pullman car Pulse Code Modulation Communication System Employing Pulse Code Modulation Bernard Oliver, one of the most prolific and influential inventors of . . . . Pulse Code Modulation Communication System Employing Pulse Code Modulation Claude Shannon produced one of the great conceptual breakthroughs of h . . . . Punch Card Tabulator Art of Compiling Statistics; Apparatus for Compiling Statistics Herman Hollerith invented and developed a punch-card tabulation machine system that revolutionized statistical computation. Hollerith began working on the tabulating system during his days at MIT, filing for the first patent in 1884. He developed a hand-fed 'press' that sensed the holes in punched cards; a wire would pass through the holes into a cup of mercury beneath the card closing the electrical circuit. This process triggered mechanical counters and sorter bins and tabulated the appropriate data. Hollerith's system-including punch, tabulator, and sorter-allowed the official 1890 population count to be tallied in six months, and in another two years all the census data was completed and defined; the cost was $5 million below the forecasts and saved more than two years' time. His later machines mechanized the card-feeding process, added numbers, and sorted cards, in addition to merely counting data. In 1896 Hollerith founded the Tabulating Machine Company, forerunner of Computer Tabulating Recording Company (CTR). He served as a consulting engineer with CTR until retiring in 1921. In 1924 CTR changed its name to . . . . Purified Insulin Isolated,Purified Insulin Radio Transmitting Electrical Signals In 1895 Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi built the equipment and tra . . . . Radio Space Telegraphy In the early 1900s, the great requirement for further development of r . . . . Radio Apparatus for Signaling by Electromagnetic Waves Reginald Fessenden is known for discovering amplitude modulation (AM) . . . . Radio High-Frequency Alternator Inventor Ernst Alexanderson was the General Electric Company engineer . . . . Radio Method of Receiving High-Frequency Oscillations His crowning achievement (1933) was the invention of wide-band frequen . . . . Radio Distance and Direction Indicator Radio Distance and Direction Indicator Luis Walter Alvarez invented a radio distance and direction indicator. . . . . Radio Frequency Mass Spectrometer Radio Frequency Mass Spectrometer Willard Harrison Bennett pioneered the field of plasma physics and inv . . . . Railway Telegraphy Random Access Memory Multicoordinate Digital Information Storage Device Jay W. Forrester was a pioneer in early digital computer development a . . . . Respiration Apparatus Respirator / Ventilator Fluid Control Device; Respirator; Pediatric Ventilator On television every week in the 1960s, Dr. Kildare committed himself t . . . . Retractable Landing Gear; Folding Wing Retractable Landing Gear for Airplanes; Folding Wing After serving as a mechanic, flight instructor, test pilot and enginee . . . . Revolver with Interchangeable Parts Revolving Door Rigid airship Rotor Control Mechanism for Helicopter Rotor Control Mechanism for Aircraft of Rotary Wing Type In 1940 Kaman began working as an aerodynamicist with renowned helicop . . . . Safety Belt Safety Belt Safety pin Safety Razor Satellite Servicing Techniques Satellite Servicing Techniques When it comes to furthering innovation in space and technology, Cepoll . . . . Scanning Tunneling Microscope Scanning Tunneling Microscope Since the invention of the first microscope, scientists have searched . . . . Scanning Tunneling Microscope Scanning Tunneling Microscope Since the invention of the first microscope, scientists have searched for improved ways to explore the microscopic world. Optical systems were limited by the wavelength of light (roughly 2,000 times the diameter of an atom). Later, electron microscopes achieved much higher resolution by taking advantage of the much shorter wavelength of electrons in forming images. The most recent revolution came with Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Karl Binnig's scanning tunneling microscope (STM), invented in 1981, which provided the first images of individual atoms on the surfaces of materials. The STM can image atomic details as tiny as 1/25th the diameter of a typical atom, which corresponds to a resolution several orders of magnitude better than the best electron microscope. The STM's significance was quickly recognized throughout the world, and it has been used in fields as diverse as semiconductor science, metallurgy, electrochemistry, and molecular biology. Only five years after Binnig and Rohrer built the first STM, they were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Binnig and Rohrer began their STM work at the . . . . Scotchgard (TM) Textile Protector Block and Graft Copolymers Containing Water Solvatable Polar Groups and Fluoroaliphatic Groups Chemist Patsy Sherman and colleague Sam Smith were working at 3M Compa . . . . Scotchgard (TM) Textile Protector Block and Graft Copolymers Containing Water Solvatable Polar Groups and Fluoroaliphatic Groups Chemist Patsy Sherman and colleague Sam Smith were working at 3M Compa . . . . Screw Propeller Propelling Steam Vessels John Ericsson invented the ship propeller and incorporated the landmark device into his design for the Civil War ironclad the Monitor. In 1826 he moved to London, where he showed the breadth of his engineering genius by developing or improving transmission of power by compressed air, new types of steam boilers, condensers for marine steam engines (so ships could travel farther), placing warship engines below the water line (for protection against shell fire), the steam fire-engine, the design and construction of a steam locomotive (which competed with the historic Rocket, the first steam powered locomotive), an apparatus that made salt from brine, superheated steam engines, the flame or 'caloric' engine. His most enduring invention was the screw propeller, which is still the main form of marine propulsion. Early methods of applying steam power at sea-steam-driven oars, paddle wheels-were inefficient and, for warships, vulnerable to enemy attack. In 1839 Ericsson introduced propellers to vessels on the canals and inland waterways and commenced building a 'big frigate' for the . . . . Semiconductor Devices Having Dielectric Coatings MOSFET John Atalla is one of the inventors of the metal-oxide-semiconductor f . . . . Sewing Machine Sewing Machine Elias Howe invented the first practical sewing machine. Born in Spence . . . . Shoe-lasting machine Signal flares used by ships Silicon Solar Cell Silicon Solar Cell Silicon Solar Cell Silicon Solar Cell Silicon Solar Cell Solar Energy Converting Apparatus Silicon Solar Cell Silicon Solar Cell Solar Energy Converting Apparatus Small Fan-Jet Engine Twin Spool Gas Turbine Engine With Axial and Centrifugal Compressors "It's interesting to look back and see what the pioneers did and see h . . . . Soft Contact Lens Solid Fuel Rockets Control Mechanism for Rocket Apparatus Robert Hutchings Goddard pioneered modern rocketry and space flight an . . . . Solid-Body Electric Guitar Solid-Body Electric Guitar His innovations led to his first solid-body electric guitar in 1941. C . . . . Sound recording instruments Space Capsule Design Space Shuttle Vehicle and System Beginning his career designing supersonic aircraft as a part of the Na . . . . Spatial Light Modulator and Method Spatial Light Modulator and Method Larry Hornbeck is the inventor of the Digital Micromirror Device, an a . . . . Spin Stabilized Synchronous Communications Satellite Apparatus Providing a Rotating Directive Antenna Field Pattern Associated With a Spinning Body In 1957, the United States was facing a problem. The Russians had succ . . . . Spinning Machine Stabilizing Gyroscpic Gyroscopic Apparatus Aeronautical engineer and university professor Charles Stark Draper de . . . . Steam Engine High Pressure Steam Engine Steam Generator Improvement in Steam Generators Stephen Wilcox worked with George Babcock to invent the water tube ste . . . . Steam Generator Improvement in Steam Generators Steam Locomotive Steam Locomotive Matthias Baldwin built America's first great locomotive. The nation's . . . . Steam powered rock drill Steam powered transportation Steamboat Steamboat Steel making process in America Sterilizing Foodstuffs Food Preservatives Lloyd Hall was a pioneer in the field of food chemistry, creating many . . . . Stock ticker Streptomycin Streptomycin, a powerful antibiotic. Selman Waksman revolutionized medicine and saved the lives of countles . . . . Styrofoam Brand Foam Styrofoam Manufacture of Cellular Thermoplastic Products Submarine Supercomputer Computer Vector Register Processing Seymour Cray unveiled the CRAY-1 in 1976, considered the first superco . . . . Supercritical Wing Airfoil Shape for Flight at Subsonic Speeds In the years after World War II, military aviators found it so hard to . . . . Superglue Alcohol-Catalyzed Cyanoacrylate Adhesive Compositions Harry Coover's discovery of cyanoacrylates, a class of chemicals with . . . . Suspension Bridge Anchoring Suspension-Chains for Bridges In 1841, John Roebling invented a wire rope in order to improve upon t . . . . Synthetic Rubber Diamine-Dicarboxylic Acid Salts and Process of Preparing Same; Synthetic Fiber Wallace Hume Carothers, who has been called one of the most brilliant organic chemists ever employed by . . . . Synthetic Rubber Vinyl Derivatives of Acetylene and Method of Preparing the Same Rev. Julius Nieuwland, C.S.C., was the inventor of the first synthetic . . . . Tagamet - Cimetidine Pharmacologically Active Guanidine Compounds Graham J. Durant, John Colin Emmett, and C. Robin Ganellin led the Smi . . . . Tagamet - Cimetidine Pharmacologically Active Guanidine Compounds Graham J. Durant, John Colin Emmett, and C. Robin Ganellin led the Smi . . . . Tagamet - Cimetidine Pharmacologically Active Guanidine Compounds Graham J. Durant, John Colin Emmett, and C. Robin Ganellin led the Smi . . . . Tapered Roller Bearings Roller Bearing for Vehicles; Roller Bearing Henry Timken invented the Timken^® tapered roller bearing. H . . . . Teflon Tetrafluoroethylene Polymers Chemist Roy J. Plunkett discovered tetrafluoroethylene resin while researching refrigerants at . . . . Telegraph Improvement in the Mode of Communicating Information by Signals by the Application of Electro-Magnetism Morse developed 'lightning wires' and 'Morse code,' an electronic alph . . . . Telegraphic Instruments Telephone / Telegraphy Telephone / Telegraphy Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone grew out of his research into ways to improve the telegraph. On April 6, 1875, Bell was granted the patent for the multiple telegraph, which sent two signals at the same time. In September 1875 he began to write the specifications for the telephone. On March 7, 1876, the . . . . Telescope Television Television Receiver Louis W. Parker invented the intercarrier sound system for television . . . . Television Remote Control Control System Robert Adler invented the first practical, wireless television remote . . . . Tempered Glass Tempered Glass Glass Tempering System Including Oscillating Roller Furnace Tetracycline Tetracycline Lloyd H. Conover invented the antibiotic tetracycline, which became th . . . . The Gas Mask and the Three-way Traffic Signal The Gas Mask and the Three-way Traffic Signal Garrett Morgan invented the gas mask and three-way traffic signal in t . . . . Thrust Bearing Titanium Method for Manufacturing Titanium and Alloys Thereof In 1932, Luxembourg native William Kroll invented a process to produce . . . . Toy Train Traction-Engine Transistor Semiconductor Amplifier; Three-Electrode Circuit Element Utilizing Semiconductive Materials Physicists John Bardeen, William B. Shockley, and Walter Brattain shar . . . . Transistor Semiconductor Amplifier; Three-Electrode Circuit Element Utilizing Semiconductive Materials Physicists John Bardeen, William B. Shockley, and Walter Brattain shar . . . . Transistor Semiconductor Amplifier; Three-Electrode Circuit Element Utilizing Semiconductive Materials Physicists John Bardeen, William B. Shockley, and Walter Brattain shar . . . . Transparent Silica Method of Making a Transparent Article of Silica A periodic chart that Franklin Hyde once designed had the element sili . . . . Traveling grate furnace Turbojet Process and Apparatus for Making Aerial Propellers Von Kármán began his research in aerodynamics while teaching at the Un . . . . Typewriter Type Writing Machine Christopher Sholes invented the first practical typewriter and introdu . . . . Vaccine for Hepatitis B Vaccine Against Viral Hepatitis and Process; Process of Viral Diagnosis and Reagent Baruch Blumberg discovered an antigen in 1963 that detected the presen . . . . Vaccine for Hepatitis B Vaccine Against Viral Hepatitis and Process; Process of Viral Diagnosis and Reagent Baruch Blumberg discovered an antigen in 1963 that detected the presen . . . . Vaccines Vacuum Tube (X-Ray) Vacuum Tube (X-Ray) William D. Coolidge's name is inseparably linked with the X-ray tube-p . . . . Valium Benzodiazepines, Valium Leo H. Sternbach is known throughout the scientific world for the disc . . . . Valve for Steam Engines Various inventions for daily use Beulah Henry became known as “Lady Edison” for the number and variety . . . . Velcro Velvet Type Fabric and Method of Producing the Same In 1955, George de Mestral patented VELCRO® hook and loop fasteners, a . . . . Video Tape Recording Broad Band Magnetic Tape Systems and Method Charles Ginsburg led the research team at Ampex Corporation in develop . . . . Vitamins Alloxazines and Isoalloxazinesand Processes for their Production; 2-Sulphanilamido-quinoxaline Organic chemist Max Tishler developed methods for synthesizing the essential vitamin B2 as well as a poultry disease antibiotic that opened the door to broad expansion of the poultry industry. In 1937 he joined . . . . Vitamins Process for Obtaining Vitamins Robert R. Williams, Jr., was a telephone company researcher who in his spare time developed ways to synthesize vitamins that helped fight malnutrition and vitamin-deficiency diseases. The vitamin research was conducted in his spare time with the aid of grants and space provided by . . . . Vulcanization of Rubber Improvements in India-Rubber Fabrics Natural or India rubber, as it was then known, was of limited usefulness to industry. Rubber products melted in hot weather, froze and cracked in cold, and adhered to virtually everything until the day in the mid-19th century when inventor Charles . . . . Waterwheel Wrinkle Free Cotton Wrinkle Free Cotton Method for Producing Cotton Fabrics Through partial Esterification Zig Zag sewing machine