Category: Time Tested
A Crawl, Not a Zoom
It took nearly a century of fits and starts before videoconferencing exploded during COVID-19.
Read More
Ringing the Bell
Faced with pilfered profits, saloon owner James Ritty invented the mechanical cash register. He was inspired by the automatic mechanism that recorded the revolutions of a ship’s propeller.
Read More
Vexing Virus Vaccines
Although human innovation and technology have landed a man on the moon, developing prompt and effective vaccines for viruses could be an ongoing challenge.
Read More
Purposeful Repurposing
Innovator and designer Charles Harrison improved the trash can and hundreds of other everyday items.
Read More
Tops of the Flops
The anticipation of failure and having a healthy attitude about it are essential traits for anyone trying to bring a new idea or product to the masses. However, it’s true that some inventing failures get added notoriety—whether due to their unconventional nature, excess hype, or number of dollars invested.
Read More
New Coke’s Old Debate
Although blind taste tests showed the revised formula was preferred to Pepsi, public reaction to New Coke was even more bitter than the original drink’s taste.
Read More
Icon for All Seasons
Antonio Pasin’s marketing gamble at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair helped cement the Red Flyer’s place in American history.
Read More
Sci-Fi Movie Inventions
Here’s a fun look back at some memorable movie gadgets and their chances of becoming real-world reality.
Read More
Cheers for Fears
Since their commercial debut 100 years ago, haunted houses’ popularity is scary. Learn more about technology and innovation in haunted houses.
Read More
Gaming Greatness
One day in the late 1970s during his train commute, Nintendo employee Gunpei Yokoi saw a man playing with an LCD calculator. Gaming history soon changed forever.
Read More
Fortunate Misstep
It was 1943. Richard James, a naval engineer, was trying to develop a meter for measuring horsepower on naval battleships. During his work with tension springs, one of them fell from a shelf to the floor. The spring didn’t stop moving when it landed, briefly “walking” along the floor. An idea for a children’s toy was soon put into motion.
Read More
