Founding innovations
Before the airplane, to float across the skies, people used this heat-propelled vehicle.
Hot Air Balloon
Originally called the ‘horseless carriage,’ this 1890s invention reshaped American infrastructure.
Automobile
Before Television, families listened to music and news on this box with speakers.
This government agency, founded in 1958, was responsible for putting a man on the moon.
NASA
This fast-food item, invented at a baseball game, combines a sausage and a bun.
Hot-dog
The first version of this fast communication system used dots and dashes instead of voices.
Telegraph
This 1879 Thomas Edison invention brought light to American homes
Light Bulb
This small invention, often used with a computer, replaced typewriters and made writing easier.
Keyboard
This American company, famous for its search engine, became one of the biggest tech companies in the world.
This famous fast food item, made from potatoes, was first sold in American restaurants but its name is misleading.
French Fries
The first versions of this portable everyday object, used for keeping time, were not tied to one's wrist.
Pocket Watch
Before cars and planes, Americans built extensive networks to travel faster using these vehicles.
The Train
This post-war kitchen appliance, first sold in 1946, changed how we heat leftovers.
The Microwave
Before USB sticks, people saved files on these small, square disks.
Floppy Disk
This invention, used to clean floors, was first sold by a company called Hoover.
Vacuum Cleaner
Though he didn't invent it, Samuel Colt made this weapon famous with mass production.
Revolver
Alexander Graham Bell changed how people talked to each other with this invention.
The Telephone
This invention from 1956 let people watch their favorite movies at home for the first time.
VHS tapes, VCR
Launched in 1990, this space telescope helped us see farther into the universe.
Hubble Space Telescope
This soft treat was created by accident when a chef mixed together sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin.
Marshmallow
This Founding Father’s bifocals helped him read both near and far.
Ben Franklin
Before refrigeration, this 1860s invention allowed Americans to keep their food cold.
Icebox
This medical breakthrough, developed in the 1950s by Jonas Salk, helped eradicate a devastating disease.
Polio Vaccine
Who invented the World Wide Web in 1989?
Tim Berners-Lee
This fun, bouncy invention was discovered by accident when a scientist tried to make rubber for airplane tires.
Super Ball