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Welcome to our blog, where you will find our latest musings on how invention and innovation—past, present, and future—influence our lives.

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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.

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

Story Tags

  • African American inventors (Relevance: 37.5%)
  • Archives@NMAH (Relevance: 56.25%)
  • Behind-the-scenes (Relevance: 28.125%)
  • DIY/Maker Movement (Relevance: 18.75%)
  • Design (Relevance: 25%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 31.25%)
  • Game Changers exhibition (Relevance: 59.375%)
  • Household technology (Relevance: 18.75%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 21.875%)
  • Invention process (Relevance: 56.25%)
  • Kid inventors (Relevance: 25%)
  • Kid-friendly (Relevance: 21.875%)
  • Materials science (Relevance: 18.75%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 28.125%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 25%)
  • Play (Relevance: 18.75%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 100%)
  • Spark!Lab Network (Relevance: 25%)
  • Sports (Relevance: 71.875%)
  • Toys and games (Relevance: 18.75%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 37.5%)
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!

Logo: words History Time in blue superimposed over a light blue magnifying glass with a red handle
Blog

Videos for Young Learners Encourage Object-Based Discovery

Use our History Time videos to engage your young learner in close noticing skills—and practice with objects from the museum’s collection.

A young child in a wheelchair works with a Spark!Lab facilitator on a stadium-building activity.
Blog

Spark!Lab Goes to Qatar!

The Lemelson Center team brought a pop-up Spark!Lab to Qatar.

Chien-Shiung Wu in profile, sitting at a desk with a panel of knobs and dials in front of her.
Blog

Diverse Voices: Chien-Shiung Wu, “The Chinese Marie Curie”

Chinese-born scientist Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu made significant contributions to experimental physics that helped change what we know about the atomic world.

Green metal button with “environment” in black letters above the Earth Day logo
Blog

Who Invented the Environment?

The work of artists, scientists, inventors, activists, and government regulators helps shape our changing ideas about the environment.

Cartoon-like drawing of a wrench with the words “tweak it”
Blog

Spark!Lab Reboot: Reflect and Tweak

Inventive thinking can turn interruptions into opportunities.

Detail of cover of a brochure showing different types of egg crates, about 1900
Blog

Egg-citing Inventions

The egg carton traces its origins to the early 20th century, with inventors from Great Britain, Canada, and the United States contributing to its evolution.

A round medal that looks like a coin, embossed with Morgan’s portrait and the words Garrett A. Morgan, Inventor, 1877–1963
Blog

Diverse Voices: Inventor Garrett Morgan

Garrett Morgan, called the “Black Edison,” invented safety devices in the early 20th century and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Portrait painting of Charles Drew, wearing a lab coat and holding a microscope
Blog

Diverse Voices: Blood Transfusion Pioneer Dr. Charles Drew

Raise a pint (of blood) in honor of Dr. Charles Drew’s life-saving research and inventions!

Fans pass walk past a tent labeled NFL Instant Replay
Blog

The Invention of Instant Replay

Tony Verna revolutionized the way we watch and officiate sports when he invented instant replay in 1963.

A handful of peanuts against a black background
Blog

Inventing Life-Saving Epinephrine Auto-Injectors

Peanuts—a tough nut to crack for those with allergies.

Patent drawing of a wagon tipping out trash
Blog

Sanitation Engineering Inventions Create a Healthier World

Prior to 1850, few, if any, United States cities had built sewage systems.

Drawing of a brain with a circuit diagram overlaid
Blog

Recognizing Artificial Intelligence Systems as Inventors

I doubt, therefore I invent?

Close-up of the Zip-R-Lok security clasp on a red purse
Blog

Defeating Pickpockets with Invention

If you have ever been concerned about theft from your bag, this invention story is for you.

See More Stories

VIEW 2720 Matching Results

Found 2720 Stories

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.2205882352941%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 6.7647058823529%)
  • Archives@NMAH (Relevance: 8.4191176470588%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 3.0882352941176%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 3.2352941176471%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 7.5367647058824%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.5955882352941%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 3.3455882352941%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.4191176470588%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 11.397058823529%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.8602941176471%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.4558823529412%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 3.5294117647059%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 3.3823529411765%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 5.9926470588235%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 3.2352941176471%)
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