Discoveries & inventions Archives

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, 100 years later (1905)

To Lewis and Clark belongs the credit for the discovery and exploration of The Oregon Country. They were the first white men, and excepting the narrowly ranging tribes of Indians, to traverse the country.

Watson and Crick discover and model the structure of DNA (1953)

The way life is carried on now seems near discovery By Watson Davis, Director, Science Service Washington -- One of the fundamental problems of living matter is the way life is handled on, that is, how th... Read more...

Her hat designs are far out! Making headgear for astronauts (1965)

United States astronauts who go to the moon may wear headgear designed and produced by a ladies' milliner.

New drug found in common soil (1948)

New drug found in common soil It is the first quick cure for typhus: Chloromycetin In a bit of common soil taken from a Venezuelan field, Yale scientists have found a new and spectacularly successful weapon... Read more...

Computer sports challenge players (1978)

Computer sports challenge players Once upon a time, playing a sports game entailed opening a board that simulated the arena, throwing some dice or spinning a spinner and then looking at a chart to see what had... Read more...

Television unveiled: TV finally a reality (1930)

Television unveiled by Robert Joyce Tasker Imagine a fire... hot, blistering, roaring and raging through a tenement district, impelled on a hurricane of its own making -- the television broadcasting stati... Read more...

Male ‘Pill’ shows promise (1976)

It's interesting that, 40 years later, we're still seeing the same kinds of news stories about the potential of male contraceptives. For example, 2011 brought us Could a birth control pill for men be on the hor... Read more...

The Rubik’s Cube delights – and frustrates – America (1981)

This summer’s big cube is a maddening Mondrian-colored plastic puzzle, composed of 27 subcubes that rotate on horizontal and vertical axes.

Photographic proof of the cancer germ (1912)

So strong was the need and desire to uncover the cause of cancer, researchers often grasped at straws -- and did their very best to prove their theories. From the year 1912, here is one such attempt to explain ... Read more...

The retro futuristic new look of TWA (1963)

This year, more people will be flying more places than ever before -- on the most powerful, most comfortable commercial jetliners ever built.

How Thomas Edison shaped our world (1964)

Here's a look back from 1964 at the career of "American folk hero" Thomas Edison.

Hula hoopers are whooping it up (1958)

Hula hoopers are whooping it up! How agile are you? The hula hoop, latest toy to send everyone into a spin, has hit the Steubenville area with a (pardon us) lot of hoopla. You've seen them. Practically ev... Read more...

The Telephone & How We Use It (from 1951)

The rotary-dial telephone and how we use it (1951)

The Telephone and How We Use It was published by Bell Telephone System in 1951. Geared toward children, the booklet covers the basics of how to use a rotary-dial telephone - the latest technology of the time.

Apple introduces the Macintosh personal computer (1984)

Here's the original press release that a small California company called Apple released back in January 1984, announcing the launch of their new PC -- the first mass-market personal computer featuring both a graphical user interface and a mouse.

1987’s hottest TVs, VCRs, stereos, cellular phones & more

The Good Guys! Grand Opening Celebration Join us for the fun and the savings, as we celebrate the Grand Opening of our new Stereo Video Showplace in Sacramento on Friday, April 24th. THE GOOD GUYS!, Northern C... Read more...

This suburban house hides something surprising (1972)

Posing as a 1-1/2 bath, three-bedroom home in suburban Freehold, New Jersey, this house is much more than a residence. Find out what's inside!

New Cadillac design announced (1913)

The Cadillac innovation mentioned herein was a two-speed rear axle, combined with a door-mounted, electrically-operated shifter which allowed the driver to change the rear axle ratios from low to high, ther... Read more...

King Tut’s coffin is uncovered (1923)

Tut's coffin is uncovered Resplendent shrine upsets Egyptian theories Luxor, Egypt, December 17, 1923 - All preconceived ideas of Tutenkhamun's golden shrine were upset by the sight of this impressive cof... Read more...

Phone faster by touching buttons (1965)

How you'll phone faster by touching buttons The new Touch-Tone Bell telephone, made by Western Electric, is actually an electronic musical instrument. Each button you touch causes it to produce a different c... Read more...

The new contact lenses: Eyeball spectacles (1931)

About five years before plastic was introduced to the contact lens market, glass lenses -- big glass contact lenses that were held in place by your top and bottom eyelids -- were the only alternative to glasses... Read more...

The woman who invented the dishwasher (1892)

The inventor of a dishwashing machine The patron saint of the emancipated woman of the future will be Josephine Garis Cochrane, the inventor of the dishwashing machine. She will be enshrined in the gratefu... Read more...

Maxell cassette tape ads (1980s)

Maxell was one of the leaders in the cassette tape world -- and, amazingly, the company is still making blank audio tapes. So if you still have your tape recorders from the seventies and eighties, you're set! ... Read more...

Space Fidgit – the magic color disc

Space Fidgit toys (1986) Rub my back... and create fantastic color patterns - Try it! Tilt Space Fidgit for more colors. Made in USA by Game Parts, Inc. Northvale, NJ 07647 Enjoy cosmic ... Read more...

Silly Putty: Wonder toy of the 20th century (1951)

Ulcers bothering? Try Silly Putty by Glenn Williams Well, sir, I'm here to tell you that in the past couple of days I've had more fun than the oft-cited barrel-full of monkeys. (And that, incidentally, ra... Read more...

Why the man-eating sharks off Jersey coast? (1916)

Shore men try to explain presence of big man-eaters What has attracted the man-eating shark to the North Atlantic bathing grounds? This has been a puzzling question. Charles W Beck, a resident of Beach Haven... Read more...

Vintage vacuum cleaners from Hoover

Hoover Suction Sweeper (patented 1908) Hoover for sanitary cleaning (1920) Immaculate rugs are safe playgrounds for the children. Clean thoroughly to protect childhood's precious health. Beat out ... Read more...

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