The Smithsonian National Museum of American History looks at key spots in America where invention has boomed, and why.
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s exhibit on “Places on Invention” explores when the right circumstances lead to a hotspot of invention and innovation.
Journalist Don Hoefler was the first to call Santa Clara Valley “Silicon Valley” in 1971 when talking about the development of microprocessors and personal computing.
It looks quite different than what we’re used to. It was invented at the Stanford Research Institute in 1964 by Douglas Engelbart and his colleagues there. Xerox PARC researchers took the design further, and the mouse became popular with the release of the 1984 Apple Macintosh.
Music would never be the same after the birth of hip-hop in the Bronx in New York City.
Early hip-hop artists figured out how to turn speakers, turntables, and other components into the first deejaying equipment.
Organizations like the Mayo Clinic, 3M Company, Medtronic, and the University of Minnesota helped form Medical Alley in Minneapolis as a place of medical innovation.
Here’s an example of an invention that came out of Medical Alley—this mechanism, created in 1955, oxygenates blood.
Hartford, Connecticut became home to precision manufacturing in the 19th century.
The sewing machine, created in 1844, was one of those inventions that changed a lot, including transferring the duty of making clothes from the housewife to the factory.
The American film industry headed west chasing land that was cheap, weather that was good, and scenery that was varied. They found Hollywood, of course, in Los Angeles, California.
A major innovation from Hollywood was the ability to shoot film in Technicolor. Here’s an early camera with that capability.
More recently, Fort Collins, Colorado has become an important spot for the research and development of green technology.
On the right you can see this 2011 prototype for a cookstove for people in developing countries. It burns cleanly, efficiently, and is affordable.
Erin Carson is a Staff Reporter for CNET and a former Multimedia Editor for TechRepublic.
