Meet the Inventors Behind Classic Back-to-School Tech

Summer may be coming to an end, but the new school year right around the corner holds promises of exciting new academic adventures. As you and your family gear up for back-to-school time, fresh supplies are surely top of mind.

Read on to discover the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® Inductees behind technologies that improve our learning and work environments every day.

Douglas Engelbart – Computer Mouse

The computer mouse patent held by Inductee Douglas Engelbart represents just one of his groundbreaking achievements with computers. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he began his work in electronics in the Navy during World War II. After working for NASA’s Ames Research Laboratory and earning his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, he joined the Stanford Research Institute where he earned a number of patents related to computer components. Engelbart developed multimedia computer software that utilized text editing, and the mouse, used to position a pointer into text, was a crucial element. It was first introduced in 1968 and has since made computers more interactive, accessible and user-friendly.

Steve Wozniak – Personal Computer

The technological achievements of Inductee Steve Wozniak have influenced countless aspects of everyday life for so many people. He invented the PC and alongside fellow National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee Steve Jobs, founded Apple Inc. Wozniak grew up in San Jose, California, which would become the epicenter of Silicon Valley, the global center for technology and innovation. After attending the University of California, Berkeley, he turned his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics into helping propel the computer industry forward. In 1975, he began developing the Apple I PC, and then co-founded Apple just one year later. In 1977, he introduced the more refined Apple II, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, a floppy disk drive and color graphics.

Gary Starkweather – Laser Printer

While working for Xerox, Inductee Gary Starkweather had a vision for a laser printer, a machine that could print any image created by a computer. While computer printers did exist at the time, they were large, bulky mechanical machines that had many limitations. After producing a crude prototype, he continued developing his idea, creating SLOT, his “scanning laser output terminal,” using a Xerox 7000 copier as his base. With this model, a laser beam carried digital information to make a print. In 1977, Xerox launched the 9700 printer that would become one of its bestselling products.

Discover More Influential Innovators

Learn about more inventors who have shaped our school experiences.