LibGuides: Inventors and Inventions: Inventions

Ancient Inventions

Smith College Museum of Ancient Inventions

21st Century Inventions

Best Inventions of 2001
Inventions come in all shapes and sizes. Some are as simple as purple catsup. Others push the limits of quantum physics. The real measure of an invention is not just how well it works or how impressively it is engineered, but how it changes our lives.
Best Inventions of 2002
A Foam-Rubber microphone, a stealth surfboard, a genetically modified tomato — among this year's crop of fresh ideas, here are some of our favorites
Best Inventions of 2003
Among this year's favorites: fish-skin bikinis, a new love drug, the car that parks itself and the invisible man
Best Inventions 2004
From strapless swim goggles to text messaging chandeliers, TIME takes a look at the year's hottest inventions
Best Inventions of 2005
Best Inventions of 2006
It's been an interesting year in technology. Nintendo invented a video game you control with a magic wand. A new kind of car traveled 3,145 miles on a single gallon of gas. A robot learned to ride a bike and somebody came up with a nanofabric umbrella that doesn't stay wet
Best Inventions of 2007
From the phone that has changed phones forever, to futuristic cars, to a building made of water, to a remote-controlled dragonfly — a dazzling display of ingenuity
Best Inventions of 2008
From a genetic testing service to an invisibility cloak to an ingenious public bike system to the world's first moving skyscraper — here are TIME's picks for the top innovations of 2008
Best Inventions of 2009
From a rocket of the future to a $10 million lightbulb, here are TIME's picks for the best new gadgets and breakthrough ideas of the year
Best Inventions of 2010
Flying cars! Jet packs! Lasers that zap malaria-carrying mosquitoes! Here are the year's biggest (and coolest) breakthroughs in science, technology and the arts

Library of Congress - What in the World is That?

What is in the World is That? Ingenious Inventios Throughout History
Click on the thumbnails below for popup pages featuring larger images, a description of each invention's historical development and a second image related to the invention. Learn even more by exploring the related sites at the end of each description.

More Websites

What's That Stuff? - 'Ever wondered about what's really in hair coloring, Silly Putty, Cheese Wiz, artificial snow, or self-tanners?' These illustrated articles offer a look at the chemistry behind everyday products, as well as the history of their development. (American Chemical Society)

Audio

Case Files - Learn about the life and work of dozens of important inventors and innovators from the Franklin Institute. Files cover the fields of Computing, Transportation, Cosmic Inquiry, Energy, and Communications.

Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation - A great collection of online audio and video about inventors and inventions. For related materials, check out the Centerpieces and Resources sections of the site. (Smithsonian)

Video

How Everyday Things Are Made - 'If you've ever wondered how things are made - products like candy, cars, airplanes, or bottles - or if you've been interested in manufacturing processes, like forging, casting, or injection molding, then you've come to the right place.' Videos show how 40 different products, such as cars, jelly beans, chocolate, plastic bottles, and denim, are manufactured. Also provides links to virtual tours of factories. Middle school and up (Stanford University). See also How Products Are Made; includes inventor biographies (Thomson Gale Publishing).

How Stuff Works - How does the picture get into your television set? How can the sound of a whole orchestra come out of a compact disc? This website explains exactly how all kinds of technologies work, 'from car engines to search engines, from cell phones to stem cells, and thousands of subjects in between.' High school and up. (Commercial site; a subsidiary of Discovery Communications, LLC)

Inventing Modern America: From the Microwave to the Mouse - In-depth profiles of five inventors and their inventions: computer mouse, balloon catheter, UV water purifier, Kevlar, and human-powered aircraft. Includes video. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum - Invent Now

Hall of of Fame Database
'Search' to look for a specific invention or inventor. You will get a picture of the inventor and a short biography.

Interactive

What in the World is That?
An interactive game, plus images, descriptions, and links to related sites.
Smithsonian - Invention at Play
Nurture you own inventive talents

NPR - Engines of Our Ingenuity

Middle Ages

History of Technology in the Middle Ages via San Jose State University
In-depth history of technology in the Middle Ages, in Islamic Spain, and in China. High school and up.

Allentown Art Museum - Renissance Connection

Renaissance Connection
Demonstrates connections between the Renaissance and our own era in many aspects of life, including the arts, lifestyles, commerce, and science & technology.