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

 

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An undated pencil sketch by Leonard Karr of a hunting blind in the shape of a cow. Leonard Karr Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History (AC762-0000009)
Blog

Inventing for the Outdoors

Artist, sign painter, and outdoor sportsman Leonard Karr’s inventions drew inspiration from Indigenous Peoples.

A yellow plastic keychain commemorating the 2023 Spark!Lab Network Conference.
Blog

Reunited and Re-energized: The 2023 Spark!Lab Network Conference

For Spark!Lab educators near and far, their recent gathering in DC was key.

The Skylab 1 patch is a circle shape with a swirly-blue circle in the center to represent Earth, a bright orange gradient in the background represents the sun, and an artist's depiction of skylab is off-center. The words "Skylab 1" and "Conrad, Kerwin, Weitz" are inscribed on the inside edges of the circle.
Blog

Skylab: An Adventure Story

“This is Skylab 2, we fix anything.” – Commander Charles Conrad

Two young girls write, "Welcome to Spark Lab," on a chalkboard in white and purple chalk.
Blog

Readers are Inventors!

Punggol Regional Library in Singapore joins the Spark!Lab Network

Maxey bent over a workbench using tools
Blog

The Many Facets of Places of Invention

Our Innovative Lives program series continues the Lemelson Center’s exploration of inventors and their creative spaces.

U-Sketch pick your color green orange blue lavender purple black

Story Tags

  • African American inventors (Relevance: 25%)
  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 28.260869565217%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 23.913043478261%)
  • Computers (Relevance: 27.173913043478%)
  • DIY/Maker Movement (Relevance: 19.565217391304%)
  • Environment (Relevance: 25%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 100%)
  • Game Changers exhibition (Relevance: 22.282608695652%)
  • Household technology (Relevance: 28.260869565217%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 25.54347826087%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 52.173913043478%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 20.652173913043%)
  • Music (Relevance: 35.326086956522%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 25.54347826087%)
  • Places of Invention (Relevance: 40.217391304348%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 20.652173913043%)
  • Sports (Relevance: 58.695652173913%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 28.804347826087%)
  • Toys and games (Relevance: 22.826086956522%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 44.021739130435%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 45.108695652174%)
A planet earth globe with a green-hue is being plugged into a USB outlet.
Blog

In the Spotlight: Fort Collins’s Amy Prieto and Sunil Cherian

For some inventors, every day is Earth Day.

Black and white photo of Early French cinema pioneer Alice Guy-Blaché standing with camera tripod.
Blog

Ready for Their Close-ups: Women Inventors in Filmmaking

In honor of Women’s History Month, we celebrate female inventors in filmmaking.

STEM Pathways Lemelson Logo
Invention Stories

Inspiring STEM Pathways

Contemporary Inventors as Role Models for the Next Generation

A middle-aged woman sitting on a barrel next to an outside staircase. She is holding a sketchbook.
Blog

Immigrant Lili Réthi Revealed the Drama of Construction

Graphic illustrator Lili Réthi depicted engineering, construction, and industrial projects with sensational realism.

Hinda Miller and Lisa Lindahl wearing Jogbras running
Blog

Athletes as User Innovators

Frustrated athletes become “user innovators” when they invent for their sports.

Color woodcut of a turkey in profile, with a farmer sharpening his knife in the background
Blog

Inventing Thanksgiving Traditions

A look at the tech behind some popular Thanksgiving traditions.

Color woodcut of a turkey in profile, with a farmer sharpening his knife in the background
Blog

The Inventive Side of Thanksgiving

About 30 million turkeys are sold each year with built-in pop-up timers designed to tell cooks when the bird has reached that magic temperature. Here's the story behind the pop-up timer's inventor.

A young blonde woman sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a red tank top, and holding up a 3D printed racing glove.
Blog

Arielle Rausin’s Invention Fits Like a Glove

Wheelchair marathoner Arielle Rausin invented 3D printed gloves that helped her race faster for longer.

Single red urethane skateboard wheel, with the words “Cadillac Wheels Da Kine” molded into it. Da Kine is derived from a Hawaiian word meaning “the best.”
Blog

How Frank “Captain Cadillac” Nasworthy Re-invented the Wheel

Frank Nasworthy’s development of skateboard-specific urethane “Cadillac Wheels” revolutionized the sport in the 1970s and beyond.

A hand waving over a sensor mounted on a text label
Blog

Inventing a Touchless Button

The path from idea to working invention.

A skater in mid-air jumping over 13 skateboards stacked on horizontal edge
Blog

Innoskate South Dakota

Skateboarding and innovation? You bet! And don’t forget the jazz.

An illustration of an air-brushed eye from a pamphlet about air brushing for painting
Blog

How the Invention of the Air Brush Transformed Commercial Art

Simple in construction and operation, the air brush offered new opportunities in art and photography.

Cover of the book Moneyball, showing a closeup of a baseball player’s hand holding a baseball.
Blog

Sports Analytics Before Moneyball

Long before the book Moneyball hit bestseller lists in 2003, sports analytics had emerged as a quirky pastime practiced by operations researchers, freelance sports journalists, and internet hobbyists.

A town made of paper and craft materials, with a hospital, a NASA rocket, and other buildings
Blog

Innovating the Spark!Lab Experience during a Pandemic

Springfield Museums’ Spark!Lab pioneered methods to safely reopen their hands-on space to the public.

Drawing of ten ice cream cones on a plate, stacked in a pyramid shape.
Blog

The Inventive “Queens of Ices”

Some cool women inventors are behind a favorite summer treat!

See More Stories

VIEW 2736 Matching Results

Found 2736 Stories

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.1900584795322%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 6.7616959064327%)
  • Archives@NMAH (Relevance: 8.406432748538%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 3.0701754385965%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 3.2894736842105%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 7.5292397660819%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.5687134502924%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 3.3260233918129%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.3991228070175%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 11.330409356725%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.874269005848%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.4356725146199%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 3.5818713450292%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 3.3625730994152%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 5.9576023391813%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 3.3991228070175%)
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