Teachnology
Teachnology: Inventors Teaching Theme
A number of worksheets and lessons on inventors and inventing are available here to non-subscribers. There are also many links to other sites with additional materials, including to biographies of well known inventors.
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Invention Stories
Six categories of inventions highlight the inventors in those categories and describe their sometimes world-changing inventions. Other inventions are not so critical, but nonetheless fascinating.
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Spark!lab: Inventor Profiles: Charles F. Brannock
Charles F. Brannock's most famous invention was the Brannock Device. It is used worldwide today for measuring feet in order to determine proper shoe size. Original drawings for it can be viewed here, along with a biographical profile of...
Other
African American Inventors and Inventions: Elijah Mc Coy the Real Mc Coy
A brief biography of Elijah McCoy and a description of one of his inventions that made factory machinery run smoothly.
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Invention Features: Lewis Latimer
Smithsonian site features the life and many accomplishments of Lewis Latimer, the famous African-American inventor.
Science Struck
Science Struck: A List of Famous Inventors
A long list of famous inventors with some biographical information and descriptions of their inventions.
Other
American Artifacts: The Imaginative Inventor
Just for fun. A website with a list of strange inventions by would-be entrepreneurs. Click on any to see a picture and description of the device.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Teenage Inventor Alexis Lewis Thinks That Kids Have the Solutions
A learning module that begins with "Teenage Inventor Alexis Lewis Thinks That Kids Have the Solutions" by Megan Gambino, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as...
Other
Positive.news: Children's Inventions to Make the World a Better Place
Children's imaginations are infinite - so could they help draw up the ambitious projects that we need to fight the world's challenges? A group was asked to design inventions to make society a better place. Here's how they responded.
Vassar College
1896: Inventions
A brief recounting of the influx of inventions in the late 19th century that flooded the market. Of particular interest is the description of the use of hot air balloons.
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Invention Process
Through a number of articles, stories and research we learn about the invention process, including communicating your ideas, staying resilient when things go wrong.
Library of Congress
Loc: Everyday Mysteries: Who "Invented" the Tv Dinner?
Ever wonder who "invented" the TV dinner? This article provides a discussion of the people and companies involved in the creation of complete frozen meals starting in the 1940s and ending in 1954 when Swanson's frozen meals appeared and...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Invention of the Week: Alexander Graham Bell
This site provides a biographical sketch of Alexander Graham Bell and his inventions. Find out about Bell's patents in addition to the telephone.
PBS
Pbs Kids: How to Be an Inventor
Part of the Real Stories series from "Martha Speaks," this read-along story teaches young children how easy it is to be an inventor.
Great Idea Finder
The Great Idea Finder: Qwerty Keyboard Invention
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,...
Great Idea Finder
The Great Idea Finder: Invention of the Microwave Oven
Site includes fascinating facts about the invention of the microwave oven by Perry Spencer in 1945.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: You, Too, Can Be an Inventor!
How have inventions changed the world? This unit focuses on the importance, the process and the creativity involved in inventing. Through the study of inventions and inventors, students learn how inventions are created and the...
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Forgotten Inventors
Here is an accounting of a few inventions, most of which were invented in the 1800s, that often are overlooked. Find out about how the can opener was invented as well as that clothing staple, the denim jeans.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Special Feature: Forgotten Inventors
This fascinating site from PBS features seven inventions from the 19th and 20th centuries, along with information about the men and women who created them. Click on one of the small photos to learn more, or scroll down through the...
Other
History of Telephone Sets: Graham Bell Invents the Telephone
A short summary of how Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) came to invent the telephone.
Other
Black Inventor Online Museum: Lewis Latimer
The biography of the fascinating African-American inventor, Lewis Latimer. In addition to finding out about his development of the carbon filament for the incandescent lamp, you can read about his expertise in patent law, his association...
Other
Black Inventor Online Museum: Jan Matzeliger
A very complete biography of African-American inventor, Jan Matzeliger, who developed the shoe-lasting machine. Read about the development of his invention, and see pictures of the machine and the patent drawing.
Other
Smith College: Museum of Ancient Inventions
Look at these ancient inventions. Compare these inventions with ones we use today to see if you can find any similarities. Take a tour of the museum or click each invention to find out more info.