Inventions
How the Escalator Forever Changed Our Sense of Space
Sure, the 19th-century invention transformed shopping. But it also revolutionized how we think about the built environment
How a Toaster-Sized Atomic Clock Could Pave the Way for Deep Space Exploration
NASA's Deep Space Atomic Clock is now orbiting Earth for a year-long test run
The Voting Machine That Displayed Different Ballots Based on Your Sex
In an era of partial suffrage, these inventions helped women cast their votes
The Unexpected History of the Air Conditioner
The invention was once received with chilly skepticism but has become a fixture of American life
The Accidental Invention of the Super Soaker
A leak in a heat pump gave rocket scientist Lonnie Johnson the idea for his powerful squirt gun
Snail-Inspired Super Glue Can Support the Weight of a 200-Pound Human
The adhesive offers both impressive strength and reusability, avoiding the problems posed by strong but irreversible glues and vice versa
How the Invention of Scotch Tape Led to a Revolution in How Companies Managed Employees
College dropout Richard Drew became an icon of 20th century innovation, inventing cellophane tape, masking tape and more
Engineers Built a Robotic Lionfish With an Energetic Bloodstream
The robo-fish pumps energy-packed liquid through vein-like tubes to move its fins and swim for hours
The Patents Behind Toy Story's Beloved Characters
The Pixar series is full of classic toys, from the Slinky Dog to the Speak & Spell, that sprung from the minds of clever inventors
The Invention That Won World War II
Patented in 1944, the Higgins boat gave the Allies the advantage in amphibious assaults
Meet the Product Designer Who Made Mid-Century America Look Clean and Stylish
From refrigerators to cars to Air Force One, Raymond Loewy's distinctive "cleanlining" sold products
This 1950s Heart-Lung Machine Revolutionized Cardiac Surgery
Open-heart procedures evolved rapidly once Mayo Clinic surgeon John Kirklin made his improvements to an earlier invention
This Ink Is Made From Air Pollution
About 45 minutes of diesel car pollution reaps 30 milliliters of AIR-INK, now on display at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Morse Code Celebrates 175 Years and Counting
The elegantly simple code works whether flashing a spotlight or blinking your eyes—or even tapping on a smartphone touchscreen
These Glowing Plants Could One Day Light Our Homes
The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum gives us a glimpse into a world where we read by a natural greenish glow
How Nanoscale 'Signatures' Could Keep Counterfeit Parts Out of Military Equipment
Navy scientist Alison Smith will describe her novel authentication system at Smithsonian's Military Invention Day
Clothing May Soon Be Able to Change Color in the Presence of Harmful Gases
Tufts University engineers have developed dyed threads that change hues when exposed to carbon monoxide and other hazards
How a Squid's Color-Changing Skin Inspired a New Material That Can Trap or Release Heat
The stretchy 'thermocomfort material' has potential energy-saving applications in buildings and wearables
Meet Marion Donovan, the Mother Who Invented a Precursor to the Disposable Diaper
The prolific inventor with 20 patents to her name developed the "Boater," a reusable, waterproof diaper cover in the late 1940s
A History of Cribs and Other Brilliant and Bizarre Inventions for Getting Babies to Sleep
Generations of parents have relied on contraptions, both clever and crazy, to give their infants—and themselves—some rest
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