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Found 78 Stories
A detail from the logo banner for Military Invention Day 2018, showing stylized drawings of an armored vehicle, a parachute, a hypodermic syringe, a scuba diver, an integrated circuit, and a drafting compass, set among a mosaic of squares in shades of green, brown, and blue.
Invention Stories

Military Invention Day 2019

Come to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Saturday, May 18, to see leading-edge technologies from armed forces research, meet scientists and engineers, and try your hand at family-friendly invention challenges.

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.

William J. Hammer seated among his large collection of scientific and experimental apparatus
Blog

In Uncle Sam’s Service: WWI Inventor William J. Hammer

Inventor William J. Hammer was one of thousands of patriotic inventors who mobilized for World War I.

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

Military Invention Day 2017

Inventions for the Armed Forces, Innovations for Society

Tappan Model RL-1 microwave oven
Blog

The Devil Is in the Details: Researching an Inventor’s Biography

The quest to confirm biographical details about the life and work of Percy Spencer

Higgins Industries shop floor. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum
Places of Invention

Birth of a Slogan: the Higgins Worker

Over 20,000 individuals contributed to WWII through their work at Higgins Industries.

10,000th Boat Ceremony, July 23, 1944. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum
Places of Invention

D-Day in New Orleans: July 1944

On July 22, 1944, Higgins Industries staged a reenactment of the landings on the beaches of Normandy that took place not even two months earlier.

Students during The National WWII Museum’s STEM Field Trip. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum
Places of Invention

A Stable of Geniuses: Ideas Win the War

The special STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) field trip for middle and high school students at The National WWII Museum focuses on science and technology of WWII.

Troops approaching Omaha Beach in an LCVP on June 6, 1944. National Archives Image.
Places of Invention

Brought to You from New Orleans: Jazz, Mardi Gras, and Amphibious Invasions

Jazz, Bourbon Street, and Mardi Gras are all well-known, recognizable symbols of the melting pot that is New Orleans. The National WWII Museum showcases another product of New Orleans—“Higgins boats.”

WWII propaganda poster.
Invention Stories

Keep It Secret. Keep US Safe.

Espionage and sabotage were serious concerns for U.S. citizens during WWII. Poster campaigns promoted maintaining secrecy.

A photo of Edgerton's lab at MIT
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.

Edgerton's aerial recon system.
Invention Stories

Seeing in the Dark: Aerial Reconnaissance in WWII

The General Electric Mazda FT-17 flash lamp was invented by Harold “Doc” Edgerton at MIT to take aerial reconnaissance photographs at night.

Stephanie Kwolek in her lab
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.

Inventor Hal Walker
Invention Stories

Innovative Lives: Hal Walker, The Coherent Light of Persistence

Hal Walker's life is a lesson in hard work and conviction. "In my experience," he asserts, "an awareness of how things work helps an individual to master events around him."

MIND database logo for Smithsonian-held archival materials
Archives

Twentieth Century Small Arms Development Videohistory Collection 1988-1990

Inventor Name Stoner, Eugene M. and Kalashnikov, Mikhail T.

Logo for the Modern Inventors Documentation database, showing a stylized head with words like creativity and innovation written on different parts of the brain
Archives

Elmer A. Sperry Photograph Collection

Inventor Name Sperry, Elmer

Logo for the Modern Inventors Documentation database, showing a stylized head with words like creativity and innovation written on different parts of the brain
Archives

John Krider Business Records, 1817-1939 (bulk 1837-1900)

Inventor Name Krider, John

Logo for the Modern Inventors Documentation database, showing a stylized head with words like creativity and innovation written on different parts of the brain
Archives

Premier Mitchell F. Hepburn Correspondence on War Situations, Devices and Inventions, 1941

Inventor Name Unknown Repository Archives of Ontario77 Grenville Street, Unit 300Toronto, ONM5S 1B3Canada416-327-16001-800-668-9933 (Toll-free number-Ontario only) Physical Description 1 file of textual records

MIND database logo for Smithsonian-held archival materials
Archives

Segre Scherbatskoy papers,

Inventor Name Scherbatskoy, Segre Repository National Museum of American HistorySmithsonian InstitutionArchives CenterP.O. Box 37012MRC 601/Room 1100Washington, DC 20013-7012202-633-3270www.americanhistory.si.edu/archives

MIND database logo for non-Smithsonian archival materials
Archives

Sir Charles Ross fonds, 1862-1972

Inventor Name Ross, Charles

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