Honoring Life-Changing Inventors at the 2024 NIHF Induction Ceremony
The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation® took place May 8-9, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Hosted in partnership with our founding partner – the United States Patent and Trademark Office – and our sponsors, this year’s National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony brought together world-changing creators, innovators and entrepreneurs.
As we honored our 2024 class of National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees, we also shared our commitment to advancing the Hall of Fame’s mission and connecting generations of innovators.
Illumination Ceremony
Our Induction events began May 8 with the Illumination Ceremony, held at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria, Virginia.
Our new Inductees and their families gathered in the museum’s Gallery of Icons®, a unique exhibit made up of icons representing each of our more than 600 Inductees. Our 2024 Inductees placed their names on their individual illuminated icons in the display, adding their contributions to this exhibit’s one-of-a-kind representation of the ongoing story of American innovation.
In addition to viewing the Gallery of Icons, our new Inductees and their family members toured more of the museum’s inspiring exhibits. This included the 2024 Class of Inductees exhibit, which tells each new Inductee’s story and invites visitors to view artifacts including invention prototypes.
Induction Ceremony
On May 9 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., our Induction Ceremony officially welcomed 15 visionary inventors to the National Inventors Hall of Fame family. Celebrating alongside our 2024 class at this black-tie event were past Inductees, sponsors and intellectual property leaders.
We were thrilled to welcome back our emcee for the evening, Mo Rocca, a humorist and journalist known for hosting “The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation” and his popular “Mobituaries” podcast. Rocca pointed out that the National Inventors Hall of Fame has been fulfilling an important mission for more than 50 years, and he encouraged all in attendance to celebrate the progress made so far, and to gather inspiration for what we might accomplish next.
Rocca was joined by speakers including Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of Commerce. Vidal spoke about the importance of bringing patents to positive impact, and she expressed gratitude to the 2024 Inductees, not only for their groundbreaking work, but also for serving as exceptional role models for aspiring innovators. Graves then shared his inspiring thoughts on the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in building and strengthening communities.
Vidal presented medals to our 2024 Inductees, who have shaped fields and industries from healthcare to communication to transportation to entertainment. Each new Inductee gave a heartfelt acceptance speech, with many sharing gratitude for their families and colleagues, reflecting on their invention journeys and encouraging the ambitions of aspiring inventors.
As we recognized our historical Inductees, Nathalie Bissonnette accepted the honors for her grandfather, Joseph-Armand Bombardier; Ralph Meyer accepted for his grandfather, Ralph Teetor; and Alice Stoll’s medal was accepted by retired U.S. Navy Capt. and engineer William McCracken, the former base commander at the Naval Air Development Center where Stoll worked.
During the ceremony, Rocca noted that a core part of the National Inventors Hall of Fame mission is to empower the next generation by ensuring that invention education is accessible to all. He then introduced special guests who are involved in National Inventors Hall of Fame education programs and represent the future of American innovation. These guests included educators and Camp Invention® Directors Patricia Abernathy, Vicki Moon and Shavaun Hawkins; Camp Invention campers Fiona Sheil, Sebastian Murphy and Edward Tersine; Leader-in-Training Ryan Moon; and Leadership Intern Mackenzi Saavedra.
This unforgettable evening concluded with the Innovation Celebration. Inductees and their guests continued celebrating with sponsors, intellectual property leaders and fellow inventors as they kept the party going on the dance floor and created wonderful memories.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Support for the National Inventors Hall of Fame makes it possible to continue honoring world-changing inventors every year. Our Hall of Fame team is grateful to our presenting partner, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and all our generous 2024 sponsors, including Qualcomm, PhRMA, Wilson Sonsini, The Amos E. Joel Young Inventors Fund, Bombardier, Mary Beth Carroll and Dr. Keith Wilson, Richard W. Pogue and Walt Disney Imagineering.
Want to join the Hall of Fame mission? Learn how you can honor inventors who have changed our lives – and empower those who will shape our future – at invent.org/give.