Americans are always advancing and changing!

Through hard work and innovation, we constantly seek new solutions for common problems or improve what was done in the past. Whether it is something as large as the space race or as seemingly small as the invention of peanut butter, America’s positive outlook is rooted in our history of innovation. When you think of inventors, does it bring to mind images of men in white coats with oversized goggles locked away in laboratories? Or, perhaps high-tech machines, new tools for doing regular jobs?

In actuality, many American inventions have been made by everyday people who were struck by an original idea or a happy accident. In 1943, Richard James, a naval engineer, was doing experiments with tension springs when one of the springs fell to the floor. As he watched the spring actually “walk” across the floor, he realized it could be a fascinating toy for children, and the Slinky was born! The United States has been home to some of the most important advancements in recreation and science, though they may not have all seemed like it at the time.

American innovation is everywhere.Our citizens invented wide-ranging products, like peanut butter, the light bulb, and the telephone. However, innovation and creativity are not only solitary activities. One such example is the “space race” between the United States and the Soviet Union that began in the 1950s. Though the Soviet Union was the first to launch a man-made object into orbit with Sputnik in 1957, Americans rebounded with a series of great space travel advancements, including the first lunar landing in 1969. These great achievements resulted from collaborations between NASA engineers, university researchers, and corporate consultations that pooled their ideas together. Americans actively embrace their freedom to create, achieve and collaborate to form new ideas.

How has your town been shaped by new technology? Since the industrial age, technology’s impact on where and how people live and how they work has grown. Computers and the internet may have changed our day-to-day lives more than any other technological advancement. Instant access to a wetitleh of information and instant social interaction changed the way we communicate. Improvements to transportation made moving throughout the country simpler and faster. With the availability of streetcars, trains and cars, families chose to live outside of cities, fueling the growth of suburbs. New medical technologies made it possible for us to live longer, leading to a population boom. We are constantly changing and evolving, for better or worse.

Explore American stories related to INNOVATION AND ADVANCEMENT.
Or, explore other great online exhibitions!