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DO Try This at Home!

Create Your Own Cardboard Gramophone

The Gramophone is an early device created to reproduce sound recordings and was invented by a German-born American inventor named Emil Berliner. Learn how you can make your very own gramophone using objects from around your home with this great Spark!Lab activity!

Places of Invention

Invention Hot Spot: Growth of the Scientific Community in Washington, DC, in the Late 1800s

The nation's capital, home of the US Patent Office and the Smithsonian Institution, became an important invention center after the Civil War.

Places of Invention

MIT in World War II: A Hot Spot of Invention

Places of Invention tells the stories of historic and modern communities where people, resources, and spaces have come together to spark inventiveness.

Places of Invention

Invention hot spot: The rise of "Medical Alley" in Minnesota in the 1950s–1970s

Places of Invention tells the stories of historic and modern communities where people, resources, and spaces have come together to spark inventiveness.

Places of Invention

Invention Hot Spot: Birth of Hip-Hop in the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s

Hip-hop artists and their fans pursued joy and self-expression despite the dire realities of their surroundings.

Places of Invention

Invention hot spot: Green energy in Fort Collins, Colorado, today

Places of Invention tells the stories of historic and modern communities where people, resources, and spaces have come together to spark inventiveness.

Places of Invention

Places of Invention Exhibition Overview

Places of Invention takes visitors on a journey through time and place to meet people who lived, worked, played, collaborated, adapted, took risks, solved problems, and sometimes failed—all in the pursuit of something new.

Places of Invention

And We’re Off! Launching the “Places of Invention” Affiliate Pilot Project

Six Smithsonian Affiliate museums and their community partners participated in a kick-off workshop with the Lemelson Center

Places of Invention

On the Road with Smithsonian Affiliations: Places of Invention in Western Massachusetts

While on a trip through Western Massachusetts, Jennifer was excited to experience the truth of the Lemelson Center’s assertion that, while they have chosen historic and contemporary examples for their exhibition, invention can happen anywhere.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Chuck Hoberman Inspires the Next Generation, Part 2 (of 2)

Middle school students interview Chuck Hoberman about his innovative unfolding structures.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Arthur Ganson, Metaphysics in Motion

Playing with objects and ideas—bringing them together and setting them in motion—is the work of kinetic sculptor and inventor Arthur Ganson.

Invention Stories

Matt Capozzi and Nathan Connolly: Accessible Snowboard Inventors

While in college, these inventors designed a snowboard that works for people who can't use their legs.

Invention Stories

Krysta Morlan: Waterbike Inventor

While still in high school, Krysta Morlan invented the Waterbike—a semi-submersible, fin-propelled vehicle powered by the rider’s legs.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Artificial Parts: Van Phillips

How a tragic accident led to breakthroughs in prosthetic science.

Invention Stories

Art Fry: Post-it® Note Inventor

Art Fry turned a failed experiment into a new way to communicate or organize information.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Stephanie Kwolek and Kevlar®, The Wonder Fiber

A chemist testing new synthetic polymers at DuPont in the 1960s, Stephanie Kwolek discovered a substance that weighs very little but is strong and stiff beyond anyone's imagination. A few years later, her invention—Kevlar®—is used to make bullet-resistant vests and helmets, saving thousands of lives.