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Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Windsurfing Wonder Newman Darby

Meet the inventor of the sailboard, also known as a windsurfer. "You can feel the power of the wind and by feeling it, you can control it. It's the simplest form of sailing in the world. And now millions of people can do it."

Beyond Words

Podcast: Stan Winston Makes Robots Smart, Part 2 (of 2)

Stan Winston, a groundbreaking special effects artist, talks about his project with the MIT Media Lab to create robots with artificial intelligence.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Stan Winston Makes Movie Magic, Part 1 (of 2)

Stan Winston, a groundbreaking special effects artist, talks about his work on some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Tom Newby Makes the Muppets Move

Tom Newby explains how he brought Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and countless other Muppets to life with his innovations in animatronics.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Question Everything and Never Give Up: The Story of Inventor James McLurkin

What turns geeks, dorks, and dweebs—fanatics of the attic and garage—into the movers and shakers of the world?

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: The Heart of the Falcon: Akhil Madhani

MIT graduate Akhil Madhani developed the Silver Falcon, a robotic arm for doing heart surgery.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Marvelous Masers—Charles Townes

Nobel-Prize winning scientist Charles Townes shared the story of his invention of the maser and his early interests in science with middle-school students during an "Innovative Lives" program.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Supercool Scientist–William Phillips

A Nobel Prize winner inspired students to see how cool science can be through his research on supercool atoms.

Beyond Words

Video: Edison's Tinfoil Phonograph Reenactment

See a reenactment of Thomas Edison's first recording of sound, from the Lemelson Center's celebration of Edison's 150th birthday.

Invention Stories

Percy Spencer: Microwave Inventor

Beyond Words

Podcast: Walter Isaacson Explores Benjamin Franklin's Legacy

Author Walter Isaacson discusses Benjamin Franklin's contribution to the interplay of technology and democracy in American society.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Walter Isaacson at the National Archives, Part 1 (of 2)

Author Walter Isaacson and Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, discuss Benjamin Franklin and the interplay between technology and democracy.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Walter Isaacson at the National Archives, Part 2 (of 2)

Author Walter Isaacson and Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, continue their discussion of Benjamin Franklin and the interplay between technology and democracy.

Invention Stories

A Fitting Place for the Brannock Device Company Records

If you’ve ever been fitted for a pair of shoes, you’ve been in close contact with a Brannock Device, though you may not recognize it by its name. Charles F.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: UV Waterworks—Ashok Gadgil

Ashok Gadgil invented a portable, low-cost, and efficient water purifier that utilizes ultra-violet light to render viruses and bacteria harmless.

Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Making Hearts Beat: Wilson Greatbatch

Meet Wilson Greatbatch, a prolific American inventor who developed the first successful implantable cardiac pacemaker that has saved millions of lives. "Don't fear failure. Don't crave success. The reward is not in the results, but rather in the doing."

Beyond Words