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Handout
Other

Black Inventor Online Museum: Jan Matzeliger

For Students 9th - 10th
A very complete biography of African-American inventor, Jan Matzeliger, who developed the shoe-lasting machine. Read about the development of his invention, and see pictures of the machine and the patent drawing.
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Handout
The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute: A Century of Development

For Students 9th - 10th
The Franklin Institute looks at the invention of the Brownie camera, which helped put photography into the hands of amateurs and allowed the middle class to take their own snapshots as well in the early 20th century.
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Handout
Other

History of Telephone Sets: Graham Bell Invents the Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
A short summary of how Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) came to invent the telephone.
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Website
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Wallace Carothers

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology contains information on Wallace Hume Carothers and his invention of nylon.
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Handout
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: Inventors & Inventions From the 1700s

For Students 3rd - 6th
Use this site to learn more about early inventors and inventions from the 18th century. This web page offers text and images on various inventors and their inventions. You can also access information about inventors and inventions from...
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Website
Other

African American Inventors and Inventions: Elijah Mc Coy the Real Mc Coy

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief biography of Elijah McCoy and a description of one of his inventions that made factory machinery run smoothly.
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Invention Features: Lewis Latimer

For Students 9th - 10th
Smithsonian site features the life and many accomplishments of Lewis Latimer, the famous African-American inventor.
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Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Special Feature: Forgotten Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
This fascinating site from PBS features seven inventions from the 19th and 20th centuries, along with information about the men and women who created them. Click on one of the small photos to learn more, or scroll down through the...
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Handout
Other

Hewlett Packard Executive Biographies

For Students 9th - 10th
The executive biography of Bill Hewlett that is part of the Hewlett-Packard Company's web site.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Libraries:industrial Drawings at the Smithsonian: Doodles & Drafts

For Students 9th - 10th
Drawing is a key element in an inventor's skill set. When it comes to the working out of new ideas, inventors turn to pencil and paper. Mixing art and science, this exhibition site showcases a collection of industrial drawings that...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Libraries: Innovators Gallery

For Students 9th - 10th
Who invented the tennis racket, Crayola Crayons or Tupperware? Smithsonian site invites users to explore the achievements of a variety of American innovators and inventors.
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Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A fantastic resource where you can find biographies of historical figures. You can search by the person's name or by topics, such as Presidents, United States Leaders, Scientists, Inventors, Humanitarians, Explorers and Pioneers,...
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Website
Other

Eli Whitney/cotton Gin

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of websites on Eli Whitney and his invention, the cotton gin.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Women Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
Discover the contributions of several women inventors. Did you know a woman invented the Kevlar Vest? Teacher resources available for download.
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Handout
Other

Lemelson Center's Invention at Play: Surgical Robot Inventor

For Students 9th - 10th
Read a biography of Akhil Madhani, the inventor of the surgical robot, and about his teleoperated surgical instruments.
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Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers

For Students 9th - 10th
Over 49,000 digitized primary documents having to do with the Wright brothers and their work with flight. A timeline of the brothers' work, a family tree, and other special presentations are offered.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Famous Inventors Thomas Edison

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This short biographical piece shares information about Thomas Edison, the inventor of the phonograph, light bulb, motion picture camera, and more. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Famous Inventors Alexander Graham Bell: You Rang?

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage shares brief biographical information about Alexander Graham Bell and his role in inventing the telephone. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Alexander Graham Bell

For Teachers 5th - 7th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This site includes a biography of Alexander Graham Bell. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and establishes scaffolding for vocabulary...
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Activity
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Things to Do at Home

For Students 9th - 10th
Families can come together through games designed to make history something fun and integral to family life. Build a sod house like prairie settlers did in the 1800s. Go back in time to visit five families that lived in the same house...
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Everyday Mysteries: Who Is Credited as Inventing the Telephone?

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out who is credited for the invention of the telephone in this brief history.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Invention Stories

For Students 9th - 10th
Six categories of inventions highlight the inventors in those categories and describe their sometimes world-changing inventions. Other inventions are not so critical, but nonetheless fascinating.
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Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Peanuts, Pecans, and Peas, Please

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
George Washington Carver, a great scientist, changed the economy of the South with his agricultural knowledge. This lesson will investigate how the lowly peanut kept the cotton farmers from losing everything.
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Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Economic Spotter: Inventors and Entrepreneurs in the Industrial Age

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
The Industrial Age has also been called the Age of Edison. Edison patented more than 1000 inventions and gave rise to three industries: electric utilities, phonograph and record companies, and the film industry. This instructional...