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Exploring invention and innovation through stories, activities, and research.
Learn more!

Masthead for Scientific American, January 3, 1906. Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Periodicals, Archives Center, National Museum of American History (AC0060-0005065)

Explore

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

 

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Blog

Illustrating "The Amateur Scientist" at Scientific American

Scientific American welcomed articles by amateur scientists and inventors—and Roger Hayward illustrated their ideas.

Dick Fosbury in mid-jump
Blog

The Fosbury Flop—A Game-Changing Technique

Dick Fosbury revolutionized high jumping by introducing a game changing technique.

Profile of Dorothy Lemelson smiling
Beyond Words

Remembering Dorothy Lemelson

Dorothy Lemelson was the guiding spirit of the Lemelson Center since its founding in 1995.

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.

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.

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Lemelson Center Research

2020 Lemelson Center Activities Report

In 2020, the Center pivoted much of its work to the digital realm to serve our audiences.

Collage of images of Black inventors, including Madam CJ Walker
Symposia & Conferences

Black Inventors and Innovators: New Perspectives

Join the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation for a week-long webinar series drawing renewed attention to historic and contemporary inventors of color and Black technology consumers, while discussing strategies for building a more equitable innovation ecosystem.

Try

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

DO Try This at Home!

Tinker Ball

Tinker Ball is back! Playing around with objects and ideas helps us see that there may be more than one solution.

Computer-generated sketch of tree picker machine
DO Try This at Home!

Design a 21st Century Farming Device

What types of farming will your device be used for? Who will use your invention?

Computer-generated drawing of solar panels in the shape of a houseplant charging a cell phone
DO Try This at Home!

Create a Solar-Powered Invention

Create a solar-powered invention with virtual materials—or design your own parts and pieces.

Surprise me!

Events

  • May 12, 2021

    Innovative Lives: Sarah Will & Mike Schultz

In the news

  • Mar 25, 2021

    Dorothy Lemelson, 1926–2021

  • Oct 14, 2020

    Lemelson Center Director Emeritus Awarded Leonardo Da Vinci Medal

  • Oct 01, 2020

    Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center Receives Grant from National Science Foundation: $1.8 Million to Fund “Game Changers” Exhibition Project

  • Apr 13, 2020

    Kara Swanson Named 2020 Arthur Molella Distinguished Fellow

On view

Visit the Lemelson Hall of Invention and Innovation

As a public health precaution due to COVID-19, all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are temporarily closed.

Draper Spark!Lab remains temporarily closed.

The Lemelson Hall of Invention and Innovation features:

Draper Spark!Lab, our hands-on invention workshop for children and families. Want to invent at home while Spark!Lab is closed? Check out the DO Try This at Home section of our website!

Places of Invention, an exhibition that explores what can happen when the right mix of inventive people, untapped resources, and inspiring surroundings come together.

Inventive Minds, a changing gallery that highlights the Lemelson Center’s work on documenting inventors.

Location and Hours:

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

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

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