Not all inventions turn out to be good ideas! Read about Alfred Ely Beach's idea to build a pneumatic tube under the streets of New York City for subway trains to use.

Primary resource material on the way innovatons and machines have modernized and changed America in the 1920s and beyond.

Through art and text, lesson explores Modernism through the airplane as a symbol in the 1920s. Content includes questions for analysis and discussion, follow-up, and guide for discussing art.

A timeline of who made America- inventors and inventions.

Brief article about Otis, the developer of the electric elevator brake which made skyscraper construction so practical.

The Industrial Revolution is a phrase that encompasses the massive changes in agriculture and manufacturing processes during the 18th and 19th centuries that transformed the United States from an agricultural to an industrial society....

Where did the idea of the QWERTY keyboard come from? Read about typewriter inventor, Christopher Sholes, and how he came up with his idea of a new keyboard design way back in 1875. Additional links to related sites, fascinating facts,...

If you don't know that the incandescent light was a failure before it was a success, it's easy to write off some modern energy innovations like solar panels because they haven't hit the big time fast enough. Worse, the fairy-tale view of...

An organized timeline featuring major developments and inventions that made travel, communications, and trade easier for many people during Queen Victoria's reign.

This site describes how even though industry was expanding in the U.S., agriculture still remained the most important occupational sector in the US. As the population grew, farmers in the U.S. had to find ways to meet the explosive...

The clock radio, multi-tool pocket knife, and smartphone are all examples of mashup inventions: the combination of two or more ideas in a different configuration to create something new and productive, says Bernie Carlson, a history...

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.

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...

A prolific inventor and businessman, Sperry engineered a gyrocompass that made piloting ships, airplanes, and even spacecraft more reliable. He formed eight different companies to produce his inventions, some still in use today.

Drawing is a key element in an inventor's skill set. When it comes to the working out of new ideas, inventors turn to pencil and paper. Mixing art and science, this exhibition site showcases a collection of industrial drawings that...

Use this site to learn about how Leo Baekeland invented plastic, and how this simple invention resulted in a "plastic revolution."

A biography of John Ericsson, a man who invented in three countries over most of a century. He invented an early locomotive, a hot-air engine, screw propeller, and the Monitor, which was used in the Civil War. This is a transcript of an...

From the Stone Age to today, the search is constantly underway for better, more efficient ways to cook food. Reflecting many of the advances in science and technology, the electric range has become a popular choice for homes and businesses.

A synopsis of Gertrude Belle Elion's (1918-1999 CE) life. Read about her amazing discovery of a drug that could fight leukemia and also aided in the advancement of kidney transplants.

Have fun with history videos from the past which explored technologies and innovations of the future that is now, some relevant and others not, teaches students about the dreams of the past.

A ceaseless tinkerer created the first safe elevator, then died before he could see it revolutionize architecture, cities, and the way we live.

Did you ever wonder who invented something, and when it was invented? Go to this interactive timeline that highlights inventors/inventions from 1750-1990. Click on the topic to read a brief paragraph about that invention.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This is a review of famous inventors and people of the Second Industrial Revolution. Activotes questions are included. There is a citation for a United Streaming video clip at the end that could be...

This site, which is provided for by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, gives a very brief article on the developer of the early elevator. Images are included as well.