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Exploring Ideas
Ever wondered how much of our life has been affected by inventions? How
has the telephone, for example, impacted human society? Would our society
be different without the television? Can you imagine modern society without
the personal computer?
Inventions, creations of new gadgets or processes, have dramatically
shaped our world. They have given us control over our environment and
enabled us to live better, easier, and happier lives. Although most inventions
have benefited people, some inventions, such as weapons of war, have been
harmful. Certain other inventions have been both beneficial and harmful.
The automobile, for example, has given us a fast, convenient means of
transportation. However, it has also contributed greatly to air pollution.
According to an old saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention."
However, if we examine the processes of successful inventors, we learn
that it takes more than mere need to produce innovation. It also takes
knowledge, skill, creativity, and, sometimes, luck.
Places To Go | People To See | Things To Do | Teacher Resources | Bibliography
Places To Go
National
Inventors Hall of Fame
Visit the National Inventors Hall of Fame where the creativity and entrepreneurial
spirit of great inventors is celebrated. You can search for a specific
inventor or for a certain invention.
MIT's Invention
Dimension
MIT's Invention Dimension enchants, inspires, and entertains emerging
Edisons and simple gadget fanatics alike. The site offers an archive of
inventions ranging from the absurd to the sublime. Aspiring inventors
can get advice from the Inventors' Handbook and compete in contests.
Lemelson Center
for the Study of Invention and Innovation
From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the Lemelson
Center's "Centerpieces" provides virtual tours on such inventions
as the electric lightbulb, the electric guitar, whole cloth, and the quartz
watch. Their "Digging Deeper" section has links to other web
sites. 
People To See
About.com's
Inventors
Loads of information here on inventors of assorted ethnic backgrounds
and nationalities. It also covers many angles about inventions.
American
Inventors and Inventions
This exhibit at the Virtual Smithsonian features American inventors and
their inventions.
Benjamin
Franklin: Glimpses of the Man
He became famous for being a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer,
a philosopher, a musician, and an economist. Today, we honor Ben Franklin
as one of our Founding Fathers and as one of America's greatest citizens.
Alexander
Graham Bell: The Inventor
American inventor whose interest in the applications of electricity to
sound led him to invent a new telegraph system, patented in 1875, and
to experiment with methods of transmitting voice sounds. On March 10,
1876, he sent his famous telephone message, the world's first, to his
assistant, Thomas A. Watson: "Mr. Watson, come here; I want you."
He established the Bell Telephone Company the following year.
Thomas
A. Edison
When Americans think of inventors, they typically think of Thomas Alva
Edison. Learn more about the man that is credited with numerous inventions
such as the light bulb, phonograph, automatic telegraph repeater, electric
vote recorder, and much much more.
The
Farnsworth Chronicles
At age 13 Philo Farnsworth dreamed of "trapping light in an empty
jar and transmitting it, one line at a time, on a magnetically deflected
beam of electrons." His dreams led to a revolutionary invention that
has transformed our society--the television. Although he was born in Rigby,
Idaho, Farnsworth is celebrated as a Utah hero.
Exploring
Leonardo
Explore this site and learn about this fascinating scientist, inventor,
and artist of the Italian Renaissance. This online exhibit developed by
the Boston Museum of Science focuses on Leonardo Da Vinci's inventions
and scientific studies.
Things To Do
American
Experience Technology Timeline
View the timeline of important American inventions. Spanning the years
from 1752 to 1900, this site lists everything from the lightening rod
to the Hubble telescope.
How Stuff Works
Have you ever wondered how the engine in a car works or what makes a refrigerator
cold? The "How Stuff Works" site is the place to find answers
to such questions.
Riley's Kid
Inventor Resources
Check out this site that shows students what it takes to be an inventor.
Plenty of advice here on how to get started on the road of invention.
A
Walk Through Time
Learn about the history of keeping and measuring time. Beginning with
ancient civilizations and the earliest recorded year (4236 BCE), this
site progresses through the "atomic" age. Each section has photographs
and/or sketches.
Inventions
and Technology
Learn about nine inventions that were developed during the Renaissance:
clocks, gunpowder and artillery, eye glasses and spectacles, printing
press, flush toilet, microscope, telescope, submarine, and the match.
Great Engineering
Achievements of the 20th Century
How many of the 20th century's greatest engineering achievements will
you use today? A car? Computer? Telephone? Explore this list of the top
20 achievements, and learn how engineering shaped a century and changed
the world.
Schoolhouse
Rock Lyrics: "Mother Necessity Room"
Read the lyrics to the SchoolHouse Rock song "Mother Necessity," which focuses on famous American inventors and their inventions.
Teacher Resources
The
World of Simple Machines
This virtual tour about simple machines explores the tools people have
developed to make work easier.
Inventive
Thinking Curriculum Project
This website, produced by the United States Patent and Trademark Office,
is designed to provide resources to encourage students to develop critical
and creative thinking and problem-solving skills through the activity
of creating an innovation or invention.
African
American Inventors
Using this webquest, students can create a program on a famous African-American
inventor.
Inventing
a New Kind of Pencil
Some ideas for teaching a lesson on inventing a new kind of pencil. The
site has a link to a similar page on inventing a new kind of eraser also.
Inventing
is Kid's Stuff
A unit plan from New Brunswick in which students in grades 4-8 use "things
that bug them" to brainstorm, create, and advertise inventions.
Clever
Contraptions
In this lesson plan, grade 6-12 students use a New York Times article
as a starting point to "appraise the qualities of successful inventors
and inventions, as well as examine the ways in which the Internet supports
inventors, as a springboard for designing and patenting inventions that
would be helpful to them in their daily lives."
Doing
Things the "Wright" Way: Investigating Influential Inventions
of the 20th Century
In this lesson plan, grade 6-12 students "investigate 20th century
inventions in order to examine how inventions reflect the historical events
during which they were developed and improved. Students research what
they feel are significant 20th Century inventions and create illustrated
timelines of the evolution of those inventions." They use a New York
Times article as a starting point for their explorations.
Bibliography
- Baker, David. Inventions from Outer Space : Everyday Uses for Nasa
Technology. Random House, 2000.
- Caney, Steven. Steven Caney's Invention Book. Workman Publishing Company,
1985.
- Carrow, Robert and Rick Brown. Turn on the Lights - From Bed! : Electronic
Inventions, Contraptions, and Gadgets Kids Can Build. McGraw-Hill, 1996.
- Egan, Lorraine Hopping. Inventors and Inventions : Creative Cross-Curricular
Activities, Fascinating Background Information, Problem-Solving for
All Students. Scholastic Trade, 1997.
- Erlbach, Arlene. The Kids' Invention Book. Lerner Publications Company,
1999.
- Flatow, Ira. They All Laughed : From Light Bulbs to Lasers : The Fascinating
Stories Behind the Great Inventions That Have Changed Our Lives by Ira
Flatow. Harperperennial Library, 1993.
- Jones, Charlotte Foltz and John O'Brien. Mistakes That Worked. Doubleday,
1994.
- Kenda, Margaret. The Big Book of Cool Inventions: Tons of Inventions,
Experiments, and Mind Bending Games. McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing,
2000.
- Hudson, Wade and Ron Garnett. Five Notable Inventors. Cartwheel Books.
1995.
- Thimmesh, Catherine and Melissa Sweet. Girls Think of Everything :
Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women. Houghton Mifflin Company,
2000.
- Tucker, Tom and Richard Loehle. Brainstorm! : The Stories of Twenty
American Kid Inventors. Sunburst, 1998.
- Wulffson, Don L. The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle : And Other Surprising
Stories About Inventions. Puffin, 1999.
- Yenne, Bill and Dr. Morton Grosser. 100 Inventions That Shaped World
History. Bluewood Books, 1993.
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