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Found 84 Stories
Cover to the book, Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age by Kurt Beyer
Lemelson Center Books

Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age

Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age reveals the vibrant, complex, and intriguing woman whose career paralleled the rise of the postwar computer industry. Published in the Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation book series with MIT Press.

Black and white photograph of crowds on the beach in Atlantic City, NJ in 1908.
Invention Stories

Invention Hits the Beach

Curious about the origins of the beach chair, research led me to the story of Wilhelm Bartelmann, a German basketmaker who invented the “strandkorb,” a wicker chair designed for the beach.

Kwolek behind a table full of Kevlar products, including gloves, helmets, rope, and spools of the Kevlar fiber.
Invention Stories

Inspiring Inventor: Stephanie Kwolek (1923-2014)

Monica Smith pays homage to Stephanie Kwolek, inventor of Kevlar® and a great friend to the Lemelson Center, who recently passed away.

Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Recognize the Unusual

The tendency to see non-obvious connections and relationships often leads inventors to the key insight that is the basis for their invention.

DO Try This at Home!

Make a Polymer

Be inspired by the work of Kevlar© inventor Stephanie Kwolek with this How-To guide to making your own polymer!

Close-up of Stephanie Kwolek
Invention Stories

Stephanie Kwolek: Kevlar® Inventor

The ubiquitous fiber that had an unlikely beginning.

Inventor Krysta Morlan uses her Waterbike in the pool
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.

Patti McGee and Di Dootson Rose at Innoskate 2013
Beyond Words

Podcast: Patti McGee and Di Dootson Rose, Pioneering Skateboarders

Patti McGee and Di Dootson Rose talk about their lives as women skateboarders and offer some insight on skateboarding's place in American culture.

Invention Stories

Inventing for Man's Best Friend

Inventions over the years have lengthened pet lives—and increased their quality of life with safer toys.

Cindy Whitehead speaks at Innoskate 2013
Beyond Words

Podcast: Robin Logan and Cindy Whitehead, Pioneering Skateboarders

Robin Logan and Cindy Whitehead talk about their lives as two of the first professional women skateboarders and offer some insight on skateboarding’s place in American culture.

Invention Stories

Joining the Boys Club: Cindy Whitehead and Skateboarding

Cindy Whitehead is one of the only women ever to be featured riding vert in the centerfold of a skateboarding magazine.

Yvonne Brill
Invention Stories

Rocket Scientist and Inventor Yvonne Brill

I venture to guess that when most people hear “rocket scientist” either they envision a man wearing a lab coat. Meet rocket scientist and inventor Yvonne Brill.

Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Girls Get Science (and Invention)

Since the Lemelson Center was founded in 1995, we’ve had the great fortune of researching, documenting, and highlighting an array of amazing historic and contemporary women inventors, and one of the great parts of my job is sharing those stories with girls and their parents.

Invention Stories

Charismatic Women

Former Lemelson Center staff member Anna Karvellas reminisced about strong women in history who inspired her.

Fresh Paper inventor Kavita Shukla
Invention Stories

Try It: Fresh Paper

A young woman's concern for food waste lead to a remarkable invention.

Barbara Walters interviews inventors Jacob Rabinow and Marion O'Brien Donovan in 1975.
Beyond Words

From the Archives: Daytime Talk and Invention

Jacob Rabinow and Marion O'Brien Donovan’s inventive lives intersected in 1975, when they both appeared in two episodes of "Not For Women Only" titled “Inventors and Inventions.”

Liz Lerman
Beyond Words

Podcast: Liz Lerman Nurtures Civic Dialogue and Creativity through Dance

The choreographer’s studio is a hot spot of innovation for the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.

Jane Lancaster
Beyond Words

Podcast: Historian Jane Lancaster Follows Lillian Gilbreth’s Quest to “Have it All Ways”

Industrial psychologist Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972) revolutionized management techniques and improved workplaces for all kinds of workers.

Lemelson Center Books

The Spirit of Invention

The Spirit of Invention: The Story of the Thinkers, Creators, and Dreamers Who Formed Our Nation (2009) by Julie M. Fenster tells the stories of both heralded and unknown inventors from all eras and walks of life.

Cover to the book, Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age by Kurt Beyer
Beyond Words

Podcast: Grace Hopper Led America into the Information Age

Author Kurt Beyer describes the life and legacy of inventor and computer programmer Grace Murray Hopper.

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