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

 

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A sign reads CD STEM Fair Teacher Seminar, Grab Bag Inventing, Session 1: 8:30am, Session 2: 10:00am. Black letters on white background.
Blog

Grab Bag Inventing at the DC STEM Fair

This workshop offered Washington, DC-area teachers the opportunity to learn how to adapt a simple, inventive, skill-building activity for their students.

An engraving of the South Hall, Museum of Models, in the US Patent Office, 1887. Several well-dressed men and women and a young child admire the models in glass cases along the walls of a long room with high vaulted ceilings.
Blog

Patent Models and Prototypes on Display

To mark the issuance of the 10 millionth US Patent, we showcase ten nineteenth-century patent models and prototypes that are currently on display at the National Museum of American History.

Block print in black and white, showing stylized tree, river, house, sun, and clouds
Beyond Words

Inventing Green: Inventor Profiles

Contemporary inventors in diverse fields are committed to "inventing green." Here are a few of their stories . . .

Advertisement for a Linotype machine that shows a photo of the machine with 57 red lines coming out to the margins, noting individual features of the Linotype.
Blog

A Simple Operation

The Linotype was a marvel of the twentieth century, combining the casting, setting, and distributing of type in one machine, in one operation, by one operator.

A pink square on the left and a green square on the right with a black arrow connecting the boxes and pointing from left to right.
Blog

Then and Now

An outwardly seamless shift in Spark!Lab from one set of activities to another.

A black-and-white icon of a Mac Classic computer with a smiling face on the screen.
Blog

Susan Kare, Iconic Designer

Susan Kare designed the distinctive icons, typefaces, and other graphic elements that gave the Apple Macintosh its characteristic—and widely emulated—look and feel.

Military Invention Day logo: a pixelated head in profile surrounded by icons representing inventions
Invention Stories

Military Invention Day 2018

Come to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Saturday, May 19, to see leading-edge technologies from armed forces research, meet scientists and engineers, and try your hand at family-friendly invention challenges.

The reverse side of the John Scott medal, inscribed, “THE SCOTT PREMIUM TO THE MOST DESERVING To John McMullin [sic] of Sinking Valley, Huntingdon County Penna. for a Knitting Machine 1835.”
Blog

Knitting Stockings by Machine

John McMullen and Joseph Hollen, Jr. patented a machine for knitting stockings in 1831 that promised a greater facility in shaping the work, the production of firmer and more even fabrics, and “the employment of children” to attend the operation.

To-Morrow's Scientists flyer for a meeting of the New York Electrical Society and the American Institute Science and Engineering Clubs on Wednesday 28 May 1941. Speakers: Patrick Carner, Roy Gluber, Baruch Blumberg, William Diefenbach.
Blog

Junior Is in the Lab!

The American Institute of the City of New York and its science and engineering clubs provided opportunities for “tomorrow’s junior scientists."

A boy about 11 years old manipulates a robotic hand that he built in SparkLab. He is grasping a bottle with the oversized hand.
Blog

What Does Success Look Like in Spark!Lab?

People do such impressive things in our exhibition every day—here are some anecdotes and impressions from a Facilitator.

9 figures from US Patent 50,359, awarded to John Wesley Hyatt, Jr., in 1865. Figures 1 through 7 and 9 are circular, detailing different parts of the composition of the ball. Figure 8 shows the plug that runs through the core of the ball.
Blog

Imitation Ivory and the Power of Play

How nineteenth-century Americans' love of billiards paved the way for synthetic plastics . . .

Advertising image showing inventor Garthen Leslie holding the Aros air conditioner that he invented. He stands against a backdrop of blueprint-type sketches for the air conditioner. A cut-out of a polar bear wearing a red scarf is at his feet.
Blog

A Cool Story About A/C Inventor Garthen Leslie

Working with Quirky and GE, Garthen Leslie invented the Aros smart air conditioner.

Cropped studio portrait photo of Lewis Howard Latimer, 1882.
Blog

Lost Histories of African American Inventors

In a book written especially for kids, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shares fascinating stories you probably don't know about 16 historical and contemporary African American inventors.

Screenshot of pins on Places of Invention interactive map
Places of Invention

Explore the Places of Invention Interactive Map

Have you ever wondered where LEGO was invented? How about the electric guitar? Or penicillin? Or the Mars rover? Find these stories and more on our interactive map. And add your own story about a place of invention, too!

4 detailed ink drawings on facing pages of a gridded notebook. Left: 3 drawings are labeled Old Style Intermittent Kiln, Fort Warren Mortar Mill, and Steam Mortar Mill Used at Fort Taylor by Brevet-major J. Sanders. Right: Hoffmans Annular Kiln.
Blog

Communicating with Sketches

Sketching is an essential part of the invention process.

An array of parts from which a creature can be made; includes blue polyester fur, hinged aluminum rods, miscellaneous Lego bits and 3D-printed parts, and small balls made into eyes.
Blog

Blue Fur, Aluminum, 3D-Printed Parts, and Some Legos

Prototyping an easy method for creating Muppet-like characters in Spark!Lab

Informal portrait photo of Aimi Hamraie holding her book Building Access.
Blog

Kudos to Our Alumni Fellows

We proudly celebrate the recent accomplishments of our Lemelson Center Fellowship alumni.

A very crowded overview of Spark!Lab, taken from the rear of the room and looking towards the entrance. This photo was taken on opening day, July 1, 2015, and visitors are wearing the propeller beanies that they received as gifts from the museum.
Blog

What Does Happiness Look Like in Spark!Lab?

A reflection on visitor types and needs, and why this room is so much fun.

Red maple leaf design from the Canadian flag.
Blog

O Canada! Inventors from Across the Border

Inspired by visitor stories submitted to our Places of Invention map about Canadian inventors and inventions

Miles Barr, smiling at camera and holding out a small flexible solar panel that he invented.
Blog

Where Are They Now?

An update on some of Spark!Lab’s featured young inventors.

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VIEW 2296 Matching Results

Found 2296 Stories

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.1393728222997%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 7.2299651567944%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 3.1358885017422%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 2.918118466899%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 7.4912891986063%)
  • Maritime (Relevance: 3.1358885017422%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.4425087108014%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 3.5714285714286%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.9198606271777%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 12.064459930314%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.2665505226481%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.7020905923345%)
  • Research and development (Relevance: 3.0487804878049%)
  • Telegraph, telephone, and telecommunications (Relevance: 3.4407665505226%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 2.918118466899%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 6.2282229965157%)
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