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Spark!Lab

Go-Go, the Funky, Percussive Music Invented in Washington, D.C.

Go-go music--known for its syncopated beats and pioneered by Chuck Brown--was born in D.C. in the 1970s. Here's its story.

Invention Stories

Send Me a Kiss by Wireless

In exchanging emoji's with my daughter, I'm part of a long history of communicating by wireless.

Invention Stories

The Electric Guitar’s Long, Strange Trip

From its gentle 16th-century acoustic origins to the souped-up "Frankenstein"

Invention Stories

The Invention of the Electric Guitar

The electric guitar may be the most important and popular instrument of the last half-century in American music. Certainly its introduction brought a major change to American musical technology and has shaped the sound and direction of modern musical styles.

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!

Beyond Words

Podcast: Bob Casey Spins Double Disks

DJ Bob Casey talks about introducing the dual turntable into the music scene in 1958.

Invention Stories

Bob Casey: Beyond the Podcast

I recently interviewed inventor Bob Casey for the Lemelson Center’s podcast series. As with many people I’ve interviewed, Bob had many interesting stories to share—far more than can be contained in a 20-minute podcast.

Places of Invention

Innovating Jazz: The Pittsburgh Sound

Our Affiliate partner in Pittsburgh is investigating how the city's geography, community, and networks shaped their distinctive jazz sound for the "Places of Invention" project.

Invention Stories

Michael Jackson, Patented Inventor?

While the moonwalk is not actually a patented dance move, musician Michael Jackson does indeed hold a patent.

Places of Invention

Revolutionary Invention: Hip-Hop and the PC

What do hip-hop music and personal computers have in common? They were both children of the turbulent 1970s, born to innovative people who, building on inventive skills and technologies, nurtured them through creativity, collaboration, risk taking, problem solving, flexibility, and hard work.

Places of Invention

Academic Hip-Hop

Both insiders and outsiders contribute valuable perspective to courses on hip-hop music taught at colleges and universities.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Innovation of Sound in Video Games

Jim Dooley talks about his process in composing music for modern video games. Also interviewed is Peter Berkman, lead songwriter from Anamanaguchi.

Beyond Words

Podcast: Extra: GameFest!

Watch musical group 8 Bit Weapon demonstrate their skills in using video game chips and systems to make live music.

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.

Invention Stories

Hip-Hop and African American Innovation

The creation of heroes has been important for American society. Heroes help define what it means to be an American, produce narratives about our collective historical past, stabilize our cultural surroundings, and represent the best of what we want our culture to be.

Beyond Words