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4 photos in a row show, left to right, swimmer Michael Phelps wearing a Speedo LZR swimsuit, a group of men playing polo while riding Segways, Marilyn Hamilton playing tennis in her ultralight sports wheelchair, and a high jumper executing the head first, back-to-the-bar Fosbury Flop technique.
Exploring invention and innovation through stories, activities, and research.
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Left to right: drag-reducing Speedo LZR swimsuit; Segway Polo; Marilyn Hamilton, creator of the Quickie wheelchair; Fosbury Flop. Courtesy of Speedo, Focus Designs, Marilyn Hamilton, and Oregon State University

Explore

Behind every invention, there is a story. Discover those stories here.

 

High jumper Dick Fosbury goes over the bar head first with his back to the bar.
Blog

Testing Exhibition Ideas about Sport and Invention

Innovation can take different forms when applied to the topic of sports, so we asked visitors what was most important to them.

A detail from the logo banner for Military Invention Day 2018, showing stylized drawings of an armored vehicle, a parachute, a hypodermic syringe, a scuba diver, an integrated circuit, and a drafting compass, set among a mosaic of squares in shades of green, brown, and blue.
Invention Stories

Military Invention Day 2019

Come to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Saturday, May 18, to see leading-edge technologies from armed forces research, meet scientists and engineers, and try your hand at family-friendly invention challenges.

Masthead illustration for The Woman Inventor, 1890, depicting women at work in drafting, agriculture, and industry
Invention Stories

Inventive Minds: Women Inventors

The word “inventor” may conjure images of men like Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, but the history of women inventors is as long as that of their male counterparts.

Study

Scholars and students, join us in studying our passion: invention! Apply for a fellowship, travel grant, or internship. Explore our collections. Consult our research reports and best practices for documenting and collecting inventors’ materials. And check out our Lemelson Center/MIT Press book series.

The cover of the book, with the title, “Does America Need More Innovators?” in white letters against a dark royal blue background. 3 rectangular “thought bubble” outlines in yellow (upper left), red (center), and white (lower right) overlap beneath the title, and 3 triangular arrows, like a fast forward button, are superimposed across the upper and middle bubbles. “Edited by” is within the yellow bubble and the editors’ names are within the red bubble.
Lemelson Center Books

Does America Need More Innovators?

The newest book in the Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation series with MIT Press is a critical exploration of today's global imperative to innovate, by champions, critics, and reformers of innovation.

Montage of book covers published in the Lemelson Center Studies series
Lemelson Center Books

Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation

Books in the interdisciplinary Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation series explore the history of invention and innovation and the work of inventors and the technologies they create.

Archival intern Elizabeth Garber
Research Opportunities

Lemelson Center Archival Internships

Lemelson Center Archival Interns work on invention-related collections at the National Museum of American History Archives Center.

Try

Get hands-on with the history and the process of invention! Try all sorts of ways to get creative!

An adult man is working with a young girl on an activity in SparkLab
Spark!Lab

About Spark!Lab

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors.

An outline of a gear, pictured in solid orange, with the words (in white lettering): Think about a new invention that enhances the daily lives of older adults.
DO Try This at Home!

The 2019 Spark!Lab Dr. InBae Yoon Invent It Challenge

It's time for the annual Invent It Challenge!

A young girl works on the Invent a Skate Park activity
Spark!Lab

Current Spark!Lab Activities

Spark!Lab visitors can enjoy inventing ways to ADAPT people, places, and things while exploring the history and process of invention.

Surprise me!

Events

  • May 24, 2019

    Innoskate London 2019

  • May 25, 2019

    Innoskate London 2019

  • Jun 12, 2019

    Software as Intellectual Property

In the news

  • Nov 08, 2018

    Spacewar! Creators Honored at Smithsonian “Innovative Lives” Event

  • Nov 08, 2018

    Spacewar! Creators Honored at Smithsonian “Innovative Lives” Event

  • Sep 14, 2018

    Lemelson Center Moves Women Inventors to the Front in New Display

  • Jul 26, 2018

    2018 National Trademark Exposition Highlights the Important Role Trademarks Play

On view

Visit the Lemelson Hall of Invention and Innovation

The Lemelson Hall of Invention and Innovation features:

  • Places of Invention, an exhibition that explores what can happen when the right mix of inventive people, untapped resources, and inspiring surroundings come together.
  • Draper Spark!Lab, our hands-on invention workshop for children and families.
  • Inventive Minds, a changing gallery that highlights the Lemelson Center’s work on documenting inventors.

Location and Hours:

The Lemelson Center and the Lemelson Hall of Invention and Innovation are located at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

  • Draper Spark!Lab is open daily (except Tuesdays and Dec. 24 and 25) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Places of Invention and Inventive Minds are open daily (except Dec. 25) from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Click for visiting information. Hours are subject to change for holidays, inclement weather, and urgent maintenance issues. Please check the museum calendar for updates.

Learn more about our exhibitions

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Tweets by @SI_Invention

VIEW 2381 Matching Results

Found 2381 Stories

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.3338933221336%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 6.6358672826543%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 2.8979420411592%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 2.8979420411592%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 7.4338513229735%)
  • Maritime (Relevance: 2.8979420411592%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.409911801764%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 3.359932801344%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.6119277614448%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 12.137757244855%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.569928601428%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.8219235615288%)
  • Research and development (Relevance: 3.0659386812264%)
  • Telegraph, telephone, and telecommunications (Relevance: 3.1919361612768%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 3.2759344813104%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 6.1318773624528%)
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