I have thought hard about whether or not I desired to spend my time creating a blog to help teach the principles of innovation, inventing, and entrepreneurship. After some deep thought, I decided it was important for me to teach and give to those who desire to better themselves in these areas. Now that I have clarity on what I desire, it will get done. So, the first lesson revolves around the word, desire, and it is the single most important step if you choose to be an innovator, inventor, or entrepreneur.

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Hymen L. Lipman registered the first patent for a lead pencil, with an attached eraser for edits and revisions, on March 30, 1858. Before Lipman’s all-in-one innovation, clunky erasers only accompanied pencils (hardly convenient for the ravenous thinker driven by creative momentum). Lipman’s attached eraser could be sharpened, in addition to the lead.

As a boy, Lipman immigrated to the United States from Jamaica, with his English parents, and settled in Philadelphia, PA for the remainder of his life. In 1840, he took over as the lead stationer in the city, succeeding Samuel M. Stewart. He would go on to start the first envelope company in the U.S.

Lipman sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000 in 1862. Sometimes, innovation is about marrying two existing things to create a more efficient, better way. Next time you scribble a sketch on an envelope, think of Lipman, a man with great vision who gave us the essential tools for making.

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He was born in England in 1955 to parents involved in the development of the first commercial computer, Ferranti Mark 1. He would go on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from The Queen’s College of Oxford and work as a software engineer for a telecommunications company.

While working as an independent contractor in 1989, Berners-Lee began developing an information management system based on now familiar concept of hypertext. The system would facilitate the sharing of information between researchers. He named his prototype ENQUIRE.

Several years later, after gaining valuable experience in computer networking, Berners-Lee applied his hypertext model to existing Internet infrastructures, like Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the domain name system to create the World Wide Web. He developed the first web browser to navigate this new documentation system, along with the first Web editor and server.

The first web page, hosted on the first web site and server, was http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html. The page provided information on the World Wide Web project and instructions for using a browser and setting up a web server.

Today, Berners-Lee is the director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is involved in the continual development of the Web. He contributes his expertise to a number of technology and education institutions. In 2004, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his work as a “pioneer” in technology.

Berners-Lee’s high level of abstract thinking and revolutionary approach to information management led to the development of the largest platform for innovation of our time. The WWW serves as proof: a big idea can be a vehicle for future generations of big ideas.

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Candy Canes

More than just a stocking stuffer, this confectionery innovation is believed to originate in 17th-century Germany by a choirmaster frustrated with noisy children during church service. Sweet striped sticks came to symbolize the shepherd’s staff and other Christian imagery. The treat spread throughout Europe and became synonymous with the Christmas holiday. The candy cane is an enduring favorite, thanks to a very clever and observant choirmaster.

Tinsel

17th-century Germany saw the rise of another Christmas invention. Tinsel, developed by an unknown inventor, was originally produced by machines that shredded genuine silver into thin strips. Before enhancing the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, tinsel was first used to adorn sculptures. Today, tinsel is made from non-tarnishing plastics and remains an enchanting staple in our holiday landscape.

Christmas Lights

We’ve been lighting up our spruces and pines since the reign of Queen Victoria. Up until the late 19th century, inefficient candles and lanterns were used to illuminate Christmas trees. An associate of Thomas Edison, and vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, Edward H. Johnson created the first known electrically-lit Christmas bulbs. His hand-wired tree featured 80 walnut-sized incandescent bulbs in red, blue, and white. Christmas Lights wouldn’t catch on widely until 1930, when they became financially accessible to average person.

It’s difficult to imagine a world without these holiday creations, a world with a lot less sweetness and sparkle. As you celebrate this year, remember: the stuff of our lives, the props of our traditions, each began as an idea, a solution, and an innovation that, when nurtured, grew to mean so much to our families and our lives.

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Muller-Munk immigrated to the United States in 1926, pre-Depression era, where he began his career as a silversmith at Tiffany & Co. But as the demand for luxury goods decreased, he adapted his work to suit mass production, designing a number of consumer goods for powerhouse companies like Westinghouse, Texaco, and U.S. Steel.

In 1935, Muller-Munk would design his most famous product, the art-deco inspired Normandie pitcher, a chromium-plated brass pitcher resembling the prow of its French ocean-liner namesake. Gaining traction, Muller-Munk was invited to head the industrial-design program at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh (now Carnegie Mellon University). He drew inspiration from the industrial hub, visiting factories and studying mass production methods.

In 1945, Muller-Munk established Peter Muller-Munk Associates, a nationally-recognized firm of over 30 designers servicing top clients with products like a chrome blender, home movie cameras, projectors, power tools, and even a frost-free refrigerator.

The CMA exhibit features Muller-Munk’s designs and project plans, chronicling the work of a man with a unique vision for the common props of everyday life. Stop by “Silver to Steel: The Modern Designs of Peter Muller-Munk” through April 11, 2016.

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The work of our veterans encourages us as a nation to strive for our best, making valiant efforts to create an impact on the greater good. To be leaders. To be thinkers. To be innovators.

Not only do we take this time to commend our veterans for their service, but also to highlight further world-changing contributions they have made in the way of innovation.

U.S. Army Sgt. Gary Walters

Walters is part of a legacy of inventors who created solutions to solve societal problems. After losing his leg from an exploded IED, Walters found that the limb-to-socket interface of his prosthetic leg often became hot and uncomfortable. So with the help of eight others, Walters developed the Aquilonix Prosthesis Cooling System designed to improve comfort for amputees in need of a way to keep the interface cool and dry.

George Westinghouse

Before making his mark as founder of the successful Westinghouse Electric Company in 1886, Westinghouse enlisted in the Union Army at age 17 and served from 1862 to 1863, before transferring to the Union Navy as an engineer before his discharge in 1865.

After the war, his involvement in developing railroad technology would lead him to invent and patent the air brake in 1869, later followed by a gas meter and natural gas pipe system for homes. Westinghouse had over 400 patents awarded during his lifetime.

Laurens Hammond

World War I veteran Laurens Hammond invented and manufactured the Hammond electric organ in 1935 as an alternative to expensive, wind-driven pipe organs. The invention turned a new note when legendary jazz musician Jimmy Smith took to the music industry with the Hammond organ as his iconic instrument. Hammond would go on to hold 110 patents.

In honor of our inspiring and innovative veterans – thank you!

Sources:

http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/famous-veteran-george-westinghouse.html

http://www.intellectualventures.com/insights/archives/veteran-inventors-protecting-and-advancing-society?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily+Intellectual+Ventures+IV+Insights+Blog&utm_content=Daily+Intellectual+Ventures+IV+Insights+Blog+CID_3f83c8de817b4c7b544e716b91978d9e&utm_source=Email+marketing+software&utm_term=Veteran+Inventors+Protecting+and+Advancing+Society

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Did you know that the first African-American man to acquire a patent was abolitionist leader Thomas Jennings, the inventor of “dry-scouring,” a dry-cleaning process that utilizes solvents to clean clothes?

Jennings was a respected tailor and an owner of a prominent clothing shop in New York City. He began researching cleaning methods after receiving frequent requests for advice on delicate garment care. He experimented with cleaning solutions and stain-removal processes, eventually developing the process known as “dry-scouring.”

Jennings received a patent for this process in 1821; however, the US patent laws of 1793 posed significant challenges and controversy for the 30-year-old inventor. Legally, the “fruits of the labor of the slave” were owned by the master. Slaves during this time were prohibited from patenting inventions, which became the property of their owners. Fortunately, Jennings was born free, and so able to secure rights to his dry-cleaning process. Later, the US Congress would pass a law to allow slaves patent rights.

Jennings put his first profits toward purchasing family members from slave owners and contributing to abolitionist efforts. He would become the assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a meeting that would significantly impact the road to freedom. He continued to lead the movement until the end of his life. Jennings would die just years before the abolishment of slavery.

There are challenges to every idea and obstacles to every success. Sometimes, they are vast and complex. Thomas Jennings represents the courage and resilience of a true thinker.

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Anderson was born in Green County, Alabama in 1866, during a time of significant economic and social development in the south. In young adulthood, she moved to Birmingham, Alabama with her widowed mother. At the age of 36, Anderson traveled to New York City for a visit. While on a trolley car during a sleet storm, she noticed that the trolley operator drove with the windshield windows open, unable to keep his view clear of sleet. This observation would set her brainstorm into motion.

After returning to Alabama, Anderson worked with a designer and a local company to produce a model of a hand-operated device that would clear obstructed windshields. A year later, she patented the device, which utilized a lever fitted inside of a vehicle, which moved a rubber arm across the windshield. This windshield wiper was the first effective solution for a significant problem in transportation safety.

Anderson was unable to sell the rights to the windshield wiper, but when the patent expired seventeen years later, the automotive industry was booming. Her design became standard equipment in automotive manufacturing, and it serves as the origin for more complex and effective designs used today.

Mary Anderson, the inventor of the windshield wiper, is an inventor you should know!

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Over 30 years ago, the production of plastic prototypes was arduous and time-consuming, which could slow the development of product designs by up to two months. Hull began observing his employer’s process of applying plastic veneers on furniture with UV light. Identifying his own frustrations with prototyping, he used his knowledge of current technologies to develop a solution.

Hull theorized that it would be possible to layer plastic and manipulate its form using light in order to create three-dimensional objects. After a year of experimentation, he invented the method of stereolithography, or the process of tracing and reproducing layers of an object using photopolymer, which hardens under light.

Hull went on to patent his method and found his company 3D Systems, which continues to offer commercial 3D printing products to manufacturers like General Motors. Three decades later, subsequent innovators have developed Hull’s technology further to increase efficiency and diversify materials and outcomes.

Hull’s story is a familiar one—the common man identifies a kink in a process and uses foundational knowledge and a lot of creativity to develop groundbreaking technology as a solution. Then, he releases it to the world of emerging thinkers who shape and refine it to suit a rapidly changing world.

Pay attention, dream a lot, and get to work. Today’s idea is tomorrow’s global impact.

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