More than just the lightbulb

Thomas A. Edison, inventor of the incandescent light bulb

I'd like to take this moment to say just how proud I am to be an American. Not only is the USA the land of the free and the home of the brave, but it has also cranked out some pretty awesome geniuses who make incredible things.


My top 16 list of awesome things invented by Americans (in chronological order):

Dental floss (1815, Levi Spear Parmly, New Orleans)
Thanks to this dude, Americans can be proud of their pearly whites. Apparently, it's not a world-wide thing to value oral hygiene, so straight, white teeth are sometimes referred to as "American teeth" in other countries.

Escalator (1859, Nathan Ames, Massachusetts)
Ah, the beginning of American laziness, um, I mean, ingenuity... Anyway, I am impressed that the first escalator was built in Coney Island, New York in 1896!

Breakfast cereal (1863, James Caleb Jackson, New York)
We have come a long way since the first bran nuggets which needed to be soaked overnight in order to be consumed, and thank goodness! How many people would go hungry in the morning if it wasn't for Corn Flakes, Cheerios, or Fruity Pebbles?

Hand mixer (1870, Walter Scott, Rhode Island)
Ever since the creation of the first hand-powered egg beater, Americans have been whipping their cream to perfectly stiff peaks without getting tired. You know what this means: more frosting for everyone!

Earmuffs (1873, Chester Greenwood)
Baby it's cold outside...

Comptometer (1887, Dorr Felt)
This is only a fancy term for a calculator. Thank you, Mr. Felt, for allowing me to make it through years of math class at a reasonable pace. Had it not been for you, I would still be in 5th grade, hitting my head against a desk while calculating long division. Much appreciated.

Drinking straw (1888, Marvin Stone)
Straws: making soda pop more fun since 1888. Believe it or not, the first straw was based on the design for a cigarette holder. Now, who invented the bendy straw??

Zipper (1891, Whitcomb L. Judson, Chicago)
Before the invention of the zipper, buttons were the primary means of connecting two edges of fabric. Can you imagine how long it would take you to get dressed in the morning if everything had to be buttoned or tied? I bet the phrase "let me just throw something on" didn't come about until this ingenious invention.

Radio (1893)
After a whole lot of drama over the patent of this device, we can now enjoy music broadcasts and NPR in most populated areas of the nation. My parents can also enjoy their favorite polka hits on Sunday mornings from 7 until 8am. Yipee!

Teddy bear (1902, Morris Michtom, Brooklyn)
Our furry friend really was inspired by President Theodore Roosevelt, who famously spared the life of a black bear cub on a visit to Louisiana. No doubt, if it had been the momma bear he had met, we would have no bear-shaped, stuffed companions.

Crayons (1903, Binney and Smith, New York)
Paraffin wax + pigment = hours of amusement.

Architectural acoustics (1905, Wallace Clement Sabine)
This is a shout out to my musical friends, whose vocal chords and diaphragms truly appreciate the proper use of space to amplify and direct sound. This also goes out to my audience-member friends, whose ears truly appreciate being able to hear just one coherent sound at a time, rather than ten, headache-inducing echoes. Bravo, Mr. Sabine!

Fortune cookie (1914, Makoto Hagiwara, San Fransisco)
Yup, you read that correctly. The fortune cookie was created by a Japanese-American who served them at his tea garden... is he also the nut who came up with the phony fortunes inside?

Dendrochronology (1920, A. E. Douglass)
Honestly, I just like this fancy word for tree-ring dating, which analyzes tree ring growth patterns.

Chocolate chip cookie (1930, Ruth Wakefield, Massachusetts)
If I could travel back to any time and place in history, I would transport myself to Whitman, Massachusetts in 1930, where I would experience the original Toll House Cookie. Then I would zap back into the future and compare it to my mother's version.

Drive-in theater (1932, Richard M. Hollingshead Jr., New Jersey)
The only problem for me is deciding whether to watch the movie or the stars!


There are hundreds of other American inventions, including soft-serve ice cream, disposable razors, and the golf cart, but I was afraid my excitement for American ingenuity would become too much for one day's post. So remember, if you have a good idea, go for it, because if Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavvanes hadn't gotten their act together, we would not have air-bubble packing!


For more cool inventions by super-smart people, check out these sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_inventions_%28before_1890%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_inventions_%281890-1991%29