Science Struck
Science Struck: Inventions of the 1800s
Many modern items were invented in the 1800s. This resource presents a lengthy chronological list of significant inventions from the 1800s and their inventors.
Science Struck
Science Struck: 41 Smart Inventions of the 1920s
Provides descriptions of many well-known innovations that were invented in the 1920s.
Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: Social Studies: Grade 4: Inventions and the Great Plains
Read and study the sources about inventions from the late 1800s. As you read the three sources, think about the effects that the inventions had on the American economy.
A&E Television
History.com: 6 Key Inventions by Thomas Edison
Edison's genius was improving on others' technologies and making them more practical for the general public. Thomas Edison applied for his first patent in 1868, when he was just 21 years old. The famous inventor's first brainchild was...
Other
African American Inventors and Their Inventions: Granville T. Woods
Here is a thorough biography of inventor Granville T. Woods, who is credited with improving railway safety for bot the trains and trainmen. Find out what concepts in railroad safety are still being used today.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Granville T. Woods: The Multiplex Telegraph
A description of Granville Woods' successful invention, the multiplex telegraph, which greatly improved railroad safety. From the Lemelson-MIT Project.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Anna Keichline
At this site from Massachusetts Institute of Technology you can read about inventors, Anna Keichline and Lillian Gilbreth, who sought to make women's lives easier through their household items.
Science Struck
Science Struck: 8 Albert Einstein Inventions That Impacted the World
Describes the refrigerator invented by Einstein and many of his discoveries in physics.
Science Struck
Science Struck: Famous Scientists and Their Inventions
A long list of scientists and their world-changing inventions.
Read Works
Read Works: Steps to Inventing
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text listing the four steps kids can follow to become inventors. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Jan Matzeliger
Jan Ernst Matzeliger is remembered for his creation that had a tremendous effect on the shoe industry. He was a Surinamese inventor of the "lasting machine," patented in 1883.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Chester Carlson
Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides interesting information on Chester F. Carlson, the inventor of the photocopier. The site provides good background on the history of the photocopier, and a photo of Carlson.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: R. Buckminster Fuller
Read about the transcendentalist and inventor, R. Buckminster Fuller, who created the geodesic dome.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Hedy Lamarr
Use this site to learn about Hedy Lamarr (1913-2000 CE), the movie actress who "helped the Allies win World War II" through her involvement in inventing "a classified communication system."
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Innovative Lives: Stephanie Kwolek and Kevlar, the Wonder Fiber
Smithsonian site features Stephanie Kwolek, the inventor of kevlar. Learn about her famous discovery and the road she took to get there. Contains links to read more about women inventors.
Museum of Science
Museum of Science (Boston): Leonardo's Mysterious Machines
A game that showcases the inventive genius of Leonardo da Vinci, who made drawings of helicopters, planes, and tanks long before these machines ever became modern-era realities. Have fun learning about Leonardo's many ideas while you...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Nikola Tesla: The Electro Magnetic Motor
Use this site to learn about the inventor of the electro-magnetic motor, Nikola Tesla. Find out why Tesla's experimentation with alternating current was so important to later inventions and use of electricity.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: James T. Russell
This site provides a biography of James T. Russell, inventor of the compact disk, and the basic ideas behind the technology.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Wallace Carothers
This site from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology contains information on Wallace Hume Carothers and his invention of nylon.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: George Eastman
Read a biography of George Eastman and find out how his inventions and innovations revolutionized photography.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Jonas Salk
Read about Jonas Salk and the development of the polio vaccine. This article from the MIT Invention Dimension includes several links to further information on the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and the Salk Institute for...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Economic Spotter: Inventors and Entrepreneurs in the Industrial Age
The Industrial Age has also been called the Age of Edison. Edison patented more than 1000 inventions and gave rise to three industries: electric utilities, phonograph and record companies, and the film industry. This lesson will help...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Ruth Wakefield (Inventor of the Chocolate Chip Cookie)
Read a biography of Ruth Wakefield, the inventor of the chocolate chip cookie.
Great Idea Finder
Great Idea Finder: Invention of the First Typewriter
A review of the history of the typewriter and a description of the first practical one invented by Christopher Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel Soule.