Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Leo Baekeland
Use this site to learn about how Leo Baekeland invented plastic, and how this simple invention resulted in a "plastic revolution."
Great Idea Finder
The Great Idea Finder: Inventor George Westinghouse Biography
A very readable biography of George Westinghouse, Jr., inverntor of the train air brake, among many other things. Find a list of his achievements and a discussion of the development of his inventions.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller Brown
Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller Brown, inventors in New York state who developed the antifungal drug Nystatin, are featured in this brief biography.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Robert Hall
A bio on this important 1960's inventor who provided the world with the semiconductor injection laser, a purification of germanium and much more - most of which is still in use today.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Vinton Cerf
Use this site to learn about Vinton Cerf, the inventor who co-designed and developed "the protocols and structure of what became the Internet."
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Lloyd Conover
Use this site to learn about Lloyd Conover, the inventor of tetracycline, an antibiotic which is used to treat bacterial infections, such as Lyme Disease.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Edwin Perkins
Read about the history of the popular drink, Kool-Aid, and its inventor, Edwin Perkins.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Rachel Fuller Brown
The National Inventors Museum highlights Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller Brown for their work with the antifungal antibiotic, nystatin.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Isaac Merrit Singer (1811 75)
Biographical sketch of inventor Isaac Merrit Singer, who produced the first commercially successful sewing machine in New York, in the late 1850s.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Sam Colt (1814 62)
Brief article, with biographical details, about Sam Colt's invention of the Colt revolver, the first weapon with a revolving cylinder that could hold six bullets.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Luther Burbank
This brief article talks about how Luther Burbank (1849-1926 CE) invented the "Idaho" potato, the July Elberta peach, the Santa Rosa plum, and the Flaming Gold nectarine through his crossbreeding experiments, which changed the world of...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Roy J. Plunkett
Read about Roy Plunkett's invention, teflon, one of the best-known and most widely used polymers that was created by accident.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Invention of the Week: Forrest Bird: Medical Respirator
Learn about the inventor of "the first reliable low-cost, mass-produced medical respirator," Forrest Bird. This article overviews his education and career, the development of the respirator, and the effects the respirator has had on the...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Invention of the Week: Raymond Damadian: Medical Resonance Scanning Machine
Read about the education and career of Raymond V. Damadian, inventor of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and learn how the MRI has impacted the field of medicine.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: The Antifungal Drug Nystatin
This site from the MIT Invention Dimension provides information regarding the long-distance collaboration of Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller which resulted in the development of the first anti-fungal antibiotic.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Rudolf Diesel
A short biographical sketch of Rudolf Diesel. Describes his personal and professional interests. Also discusses the details of the first diesel engine as invented by Rudolf Diesel.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Alfred Nobel
This site honors Alfred Nobel for his invention of dynamite. Content includes a very brief biography and a focus on the impact of dynamite on our culture.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Ernst F. W. Alexanderson
This site honors Ernst F. W. Alexanderson for his invention of the high-frequency alternator radio and his pioneering efforts in developing picture transmission for television.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Invention of the Week: Thomas Alva Edison
As the inventor of the lightbulb, phonograph, and the printing telegraph, Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), improved the daily lives of everyday people.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Charles Goodyear (1800 60)
Brief article, with biographical details, about Charles Goodyear's invention of vulcanization, a process to make rubber durable for industrial use.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Gertrude Belle Elion
In a career spannig over 40 years, [Gertrude Belle] Elion (1918-1999 CE) invented some of the 20th century's most significant lifesaving drugs. Read about the life and accomplishments of this scientist who won the Nobel Prize for...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Invention of the Week: Colin Twitchell: Multi Terrain Wheelchair
This site provides information on Colin S. Twitchell, inventor of the multi-terrain wheelchair. Learn what inspired Twitchell and about his career at MIT.
University of Houston
University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: No. 435: Hedy Lamarr, Inventor
Read about the remarkable actress Hedy Lamarr who, together with composer George Antheil, invented a technology that used frequency hopping to improve the effectiveness of Allied torpedoes during WWII. Their invention was not put into...
Ducksters
Ducksters: Word Search: Scientists and Inventors
A fun word search game with terms about Scientists and Inventors. Play online or print out a version for use in class or at home.