Inventing America

Before it became a household name, Tupperware was an experiment in chemistry—and culture. Earl Tupper, a meticulous New England inventor with a farmer’s grit and a chemist’s obsession, purified wartime polyethylene into a revolutionary plastic. But it took the sales genius of Brownie Wise to show the world how to use it. Together, they didn’t just transform food storage. They reshaped American kitchens, created a new model for w...

Episode Title: The Machine That Spit Money Topic: Donald Wetzel – Designer of the modern ATM interface Summary: Donald Wetzel helped invent the first American ATM interface, bringing banking into the modern age. From PINs to cash dispensers, his work redefined how people access money—and what they expect from machines. Key Themes: • Automated financial systems • User interface innovation • Convenience tech of the 20th ce...

Episode Title: The Fever and the Freeze Topic: John Gorrie – Inventor of the mechanical ice machine and early air conditioning Summary: John Gorrie, a 19th-century Florida physician, invented the first mechanical refrigeration system to help treat yellow fever. Though ridiculed in his lifetime, his invention laid the foundation for modern air conditioning, transforming medicine, comfort, and global development. Key Themes: ...

Episode Title: The Sculptor of Extinction Topic: Carl Akeley – Inventor of modern taxidermy and museum habitat dioramas Summary: Carl Akeley revolutionized museum exhibits by inventing lifelike taxidermy techniques and immersive wildlife dioramas. He turned static animals into emotional, educational encounters—and used art to preserve a vanishing natural world. Key Themes: • Natural history museum innovation • Intersectio...

Philo Remington didn’t invent the typewriter—but he turned it into a revolution. By applying industrial scale and visionary marketing to an awkward prototype, he helped launch the modern office and the global rise of typed communication. Key Themes: • Technology commercialization • Industrial manufacturing history • Evolution of writing and office work • The legacy of early American business visionaries Recommended Readin...

Episode Title: The Wringer Topic: Ellen Eglin – Inventor of the clothes-wringer Summary: Ellen Eglin, a Black laundress in 19th-century Washington, D.C., invented the clothes-wringer—a device that changed domestic work forever. Fearing racial backlash, she sold the rights anonymously. This episode explores how her quiet courage shaped an everyday revolution. Key Themes: • Black women in invention history • Labor-saving ho...

Episode 5 – "The Glass That Lasted"

In 1858, a tinsmith named John Landis Mason patented a humble glass jar with a screw-top lid—a design so perfect it would outlive him by centuries. The Mason jar revolutionized food preservation, empowering rural families, reducing waste, and becoming a symbol of self-reliance. But while his name became immortal, Mason himself died in obscurity, his profits lost to copycats and weak patent laws.

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Lewis Temple, a 19th-century Blacksmith in New Bedford, Massachusetts, invented the toggle harpoon that revolutionized American whaling. Though he never patented it, his design became the industry standard. This episode dives into the life of the man who reshaped maritime hunting—without ever leaving the dock. Key Themes: • Maritime innovation • Black inventors in early America • Whaling industry history • Patent exclusion a...

Summary: In 1830, Thaddeus Fairbanks invented the platform scale, revolutionizing how goods were weighed in industries from shipping to agriculture. This episode explores how his design brought fairness, speed, and precision to commerce—and became one of America’s first global exports. Key Themes: • Industrial standardization • Weighing and measurement history • Fair commerce and trade • Invisible infrastructure of industry Recomme...

In 1809, Mary Dixon Kies became the first woman in the United States to be granted a patent. Her invention—a method for weaving straw with silk—boosted America’s hatmaking industry at a critical time. This episode explores her life, her quiet courage, and the fragile legacy of the woman who made patent history. Key Themes: • Women in early American innovation • Domestic industry during wartime • Intellectual property and gend...

Long before the Industrial Revolution swept across America, Oliver Evans designed and built the first automated factory. This episode explores how one Delaware inventor reimagined labor, created machines that moved grain with no hands, and laid the groundwork for modern manufacturing.

Key Themes: • Early American industrialization • Automation before electricity • Steam power and labor innovation • The evolution of factory syst...