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Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: True Colors Dyeing Yarn

For Students 9th - 10th
An interesting history and exploration of the technology and invention of dyes and dyeing from earliest times to present and the effects of new colors in yarns on the economy. This is a complete unit of lessons with activities and...
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Website
Other

History of Recording Technology: Edison's Invention of the Phonograph

For Students 9th - 10th
Click through the pages on this site to read about Edison's development of the phonograph as well as a discussion of Edison's rivals who were seeking to develop a similar product. Read about the changes in the ways to record sound as the...
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Website
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Otis Boykin 1920 1982

For Students 3rd - 8th
Otis Boykin was a successful African American inventor whose inventions include resistors for electrical equipment and missiles, a controller for pacemakers, and a burglar-proof cash register.
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Elijah Mc Coy

For Students 9th - 10th
According to this article, Elijah McCoy (1844-1929 CE) is one of the most prolific inventors in American history. Read about his parents who escaped slavery by traveling on the Underground Railroad and about his invention, the automatic...
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Granville T. Woods

For Students 9th - 10th
Inventor Granville T. Woods is featured in this brief biography for his multiplex telegraph which was a useful invention for the railroad industry.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Madame C. J. Walker

For Students 9th - 10th
Inventor Madame C. J. Walker is featured in this brief biography for her invention of the Walker Hair Care System.
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Invention of the Week: Ernesto E. Blanco: Stair Climbing Wheelchair

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about MIT teacher and practitioner Ernesto Blanco, inventor of the stair-climbing wheelchair. This article provides details on the inventor's life, his career outside of MIT, and his inventions that continue to help the handicapped...
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Graphic
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Young Inventors

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In this stills collage adapted from the National Science Teachers Association/Craftsman Young Inventors Awards, see several inventions by students in grades 4-7 and read about some of the challenges they faced during the design process.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Frederick M. Jones

For Students 9th - 10th
Inventor Frederick M. Jones is featured in this brief biography for his lasting contributions to the refrigerator and cinema industries.
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Website
National Inventors Hall of Fame

National Inventors Hall of Fame

For Students 9th - 10th
Get a taste of what inventors do by exploring exhibits at the National Inventors Hall of Fame in North Canton, OH.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Lloyd Augustus Hall

For Students 9th - 10th
Inventor Lloyd Augustus Hall is featured in this brief biography who made several contributions to the food and drug industry such as his patented method for curing meats so they would keep better.
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Handout
PBS

Pbs Who Made America? Timeline

For Students 3rd - 8th
A timeline of who made America- inventors and inventions.
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Activity
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Inventors' Stories: Newman Darby

For Students 3rd - 8th
Article on Newman Darby, the inventor of the windsurfer. It describes the various stages his invention went through as he refined it, and other watercraft that he designed.
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Handout
National Inventors Hall of Fame

National Inventors Hall of Fame: Orville Wright

For Students 9th - 10th
This site honors Orville Wright for his invention, in collaboration with his brother Wilbur, of the airplane. Content includes a brief biography of the inventor, as well as look at how his invention has impacted our society.
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Handout
Great Idea Finder

The Great Idea Finder: Inventor Granville Woods Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed biography of Granville T. Woods, who was known as "the Black Edison" because of his many inventions. He is best known for greatly improving the safety of railroads by his invention of the Multiplex Railway Telegraph.
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Wilson Greatbatch

For Students 9th - 10th
Cardiac pacemaker inventor, Wilson Greatbatch, is featured in this brief biography.
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Website
PBS

Pbs Nova: The Other Elevator Inventor

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the early world of elevator technology. You will find out that there were actually two people with the name of Otis involved in the invention of the elevator: Elisha Otis and Otis Tufts. The practical technology won out. Click on...
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Everyday Mysteries: Who Invented the Automobile?

For Students 9th - 10th
Not an easy answer! Many people contributed to the invention of the automobile as there were many different types of automobiles and many different types of parts that went into them. Here's a good summary of the inventors.
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Invention of the Week: Robert Jarvik: Artificial Heart

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about Robert Koffler Jarvik, the "inventor of the first permanently-implantable artificial heart." This article provides a biography of the inventor, the reasons why he became interested in creating an artificial heart, and his...
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Inventors' Stories: Paul Mac Cready

For Students 3rd - 8th
Article on the inventions of Paul MacCready, who developed the world's first human-powered flight machine, called the Gossamer Condor.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Invention of the Week: Cyrus Mc Cormick

For Students 9th - 10th
Called the "Father of Modern Agriculture," Cyrus McCormick invented the mechanical reaper, which turned the prairies of the Midwest into "the 'breadbasket' of the nation." This article, in addition to telling about the creation of the...
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Invention of the Week: Bessie Blount: Self Feeding Device for Amputees

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about Bessie Blount's contribution to medicine--her work as a physical therapist and her invention of a feeding device for amputees.
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Significant Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

For Students 4th - 8th
This resource presents a long list of important inventions during the First Industrial Revolutions, organized consecutively from 1701-1839. Includes short descriptions and images. This is followed by a table listing inventions from the...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: How an 11 Year Old Boy Invented the Popsicle by Shelby Pope for Npr

For Students 7th - 9th
A learning module that begins with "How an 11-Year-Old Boy Invented the Popsicle" by Shelby Pope, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned...

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