Showing 51 - 75 of 88 results
Charles Proteus Steinmetz
Alternating Current
Without Charles Steinmetz's theories of alternating current, the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States in the early 20th…
James Fujimoto
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
James Fujimoto, David Huang and Eric Swanson invented optical coherence tomography (OCT), a method for imaging subsurface structure in biological…
David Crosthwait
Heating and Ventilation System Design
David Crosthwait was a pioneer in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry. He devoted his career, which included groundbreaking…
Joseph Muhler
Stannous Fluoride Toothpaste
During the early 1940s, when dentist and biochemist Joseph Muhler was an Indiana University undergraduate, he began studying fluoride and tooth decay…
Frank Whittle
Jet Engine
By 1929, Frank Whittle had conceptualized the turbojet engine. The 1930s, however, proved challenging as he sought financial support and interest…
Zenobe Theophile Gramme
Direct-Current Dynamo
Zenobe Theophile Gramme invented the first successful direct-current (DC) dynamo. His dynamo, or generator, produced much higher voltages than…
Marjorie Stewart Joyner
Permanent Wave Machine
Marjorie Stewart Joyner invented a permanent wave machine and was a leading figure in the beauty industry as a beautician, salon owner, instructor…
Frederick Novello
Thiazide Diuretics (Chlorothiazide)
In 1943, scientist Frederick Novello embarked on a 38-year career with Merck Sharp & Dohme, working on compounds for the development of new drugs…
Albert B. Dick
Duplicating Machine
Albert Dick, who founded the A.B. Dick Company in 1883, invented the mimeograph stencil in 1884 based on an early design by Thomas Edison. Dick…
Frederick Ellsworth Sickels
Valve for Steam Engines
Frederick Ellsworth Sickels is considered one of the pioneers of steam engines. Sickels, born in Gloucester County, New Jersey, invented an…
Richard Schatz
Palmaz-Schatz Coronary Stent
Cardiologist Richard Schatz collaborated with fellow National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductee Julio Palmaz to invent a vascular stent suitable for…
Paul Kollsman
Altimeter
In 1928, Paul Kollsman forever changed the way pilots would fly. By introducing the first accurate barometric altimeter, an instrument used to…
Gertrude Belle Elion
Anti-Leukemia Drugs
Gertrude Belle Elion invented some of the most important lifesaving drugs of the 20th century, including the leukemia-fighting drug 6-mercaptopurine…
George Washington Carver
Peanut Products
Agricultural chemist George Washington Carver shaped the future of farming by developing innovative crop-rotation methods for conserving nutrients in…
Vannevar Bush
Differential Analyzer
In 1931, Vannevar Bush completed work on his most significant invention, the differential analyzer, a precursor to the modern computer. It used…
Marion Donovan
Waterproof Diaper Cover
Marion Donovan invented an innovative waterproof diaper cover and earned several more patents for inventions designed to improve everyday life.Born…
Percy Lavon Julian
Preparation of Cortisone
Pioneering chemist Percy Lavon Julian synthesized physostigmine, which is used to treat glaucoma, and cortisone, which is used in treating…
Charles Richard (C.R.) Patterson
Carriages
Charles Richard (C.R.) Patterson was an inventor and entrepreneur whose successful carriage company, C.R. Patterson & Sons Co., evolved to become…
Ashok Gadgil
Water Disinfecting Device
Physicist Ashok Gadgil developed inventions including UV Waterworks and the Berkeley-Darfur stove, enabling access to clean drinking water and…
William Stanley, Jr.
Induction Coil
William Stanley Jr. invented an array of electrical devices and is best known for designing the induction coil, the first practical transformer that…
Rory Cooper
Wheelchair Technology
Biomedical engineer Rory Cooper developed innovations in wheelchair technology that have improved manual and electric wheelchairs, and advanced the…
Jennifer Doudna
CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing
Biochemist Jennifer Doudna and microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier co-invented the gene-editing system CRISPR-Cas9, a technology for editing DNA…
Elisha Gray
Telegraphic Instruments
Elisha Gray made many contributions to the telegraph and telephone industries, including his invention of the telautograph, a forerunner of the…
Alice Stoll
Fire-Resistant Fibers and Fabrics
Alice Stoll, a research physiologist and pioneer in aerospace medicine, led the development of fire-resistant fabrics in the 1960s. Her work made it…
Ruth Benerito
Wrinkle-Free Cotton
Ruth Rogan Benerito was a visionary chemist and inventor who made important contributions in the textile, wood and paper industries. She is most…