Provides information on the development and use of barbed wire. Includes biographies on Joseph F. Glidden, Jacob Haish, and Isaac L. Ellwood, who were instrumental in its invention and marketing. For more information on barbed wire,...

Hinderances to technological advances included poor education and hostility to innovation and experimentation. See how this opposition was overcome by the many smalltime tinkerers and inventors who ignited people's interest in technology.

The Scottish instrument maker and inventor James Watt had a tremendous impact on the shape of modern society. His improvements to the steam engine were a significant factor in the Industrial Revolution, and when the Watt engine was...

Students research and explore the importance of two inventions that people use every day: sticky notes and Velcro.

Invent Now Hall of Fame explores the life and career of the "father of television", Philo Taylor Farnsworth. In 1983, he was honored with a postage stamp bearing his picture.

Biographical information and a photograph of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.

Read about the linotype machine, the most important invention since Guttenberg's printing press, and Ottmar Mergenthaler, its inventor.

Provides a short biography of Samuel F.B. Morse, and his invention of the one-wire telegraph and the Morse Code. Also contains pictures.

This site from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides information on Garrett A. Morgan (1877-1963 CE), who is credited with inventing the gas mask, and, in turn, saving firefighters from suffocating while putting out fires...

Learn about one of the scientists responsible for inventing insulin for use by diabetics. Read a brief biography on James Collip, and follow links to inventors who worked with Collip, Charles Best and Frederick Banting.

The hideaway bed was originally invented by a former slave and furniture store owner, Sarah E. Goode.

Read about some of the significant inventions of Albert Einstein.

Presents some ideas for inventions that 6th graders could try for a science project.

Provides a brief biography on the inventor of the plow, John Deere and the success of the plow.

Read about James J. Wynne, co-inventor of the laser technique used in LASIK eye surgery. This page includes a bio, an overview of the invention's impact on the medical world, and a portrait of Wynne.

At this site from the MIT Program you can read how Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker, or Madame C.J. Walker, and Marjorie Joyner "founded beauty schools for blacks" and changed the lives of African-Americans.

Read about Samuel Blum, inventor of the laser technique used in LASIK eye surgery. This page includes a bio and a brief explanation of how Blum discovered that lasers could be used in surgery.

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.

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.

This site honors Julius Nieuwland for his inventions of synthetic rubber, vinyl derivatives, and his method of preparing them. Content includes a brief biography of the inventor as well as a look at how his invention has impacted our...

Use this site to learn about the man who invented the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, and view links to further related information on this inventor and his invention.

This site honorsThomas Alva Edison as a historic inventor and focuses attention on his invention of the electric lamp.