Election 2024How We SurviveOffice PoliticsI've Always Wondered ...My Economy

Loading...

0:00
0% played
Stories Tagged as

Inventions

The Transistor at 75

Bell Labs: The research center behind the transistor, and so much more

by David Brancaccio and Alex Schroeder
Dec 13, 2022
Bell Labs was the research arm of AT&T, a monopoly at the time the transistor was invented.
Physicists John Bardeen (left), William Shockley (center) and Walter Brattain won the Nobel Prize for their work on the transistor. It's one of nine Nobel Prizes that Bell Labs researchers have received.
Nokia USA Inc. and AT&T Archives
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Delays skew patent system in favor of big corporations, some inventors say

by Andy Uhler
Jun 16, 2022
It can take years for a patent to be granted, unless the inventor can pony up extra cash for expedited handling.
The first patent was granted in 1790. Since then, the Patent and Trademark Office has issued about 11 million.
jammyphotouk/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

The story of Hedy Lamarr, the Hollywood beauty whose invention helped enable Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth

by David Brancaccio and Paulina Velasco
Nov 21, 2017
A new documentary about the Golden Age of Hollywood actress turns the spotlight on her brilliant mind.
Inventor and actress Hedy Lamarr in"Dishonored Lady."
Wikimedia Commons
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE
Marketplace Tech Blogs

6 everyday inventions that were born from space tech

by Molly Wood and Kristin Schwab
Sep 26, 2017
Baby formula, braces, air purifiers and more.
A digital illustration of the newly discovered gaseous planet Kepler-16, which is orbiting its two stars.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE
Innovators

Thomas Jennings perfected dry cleaning as he pushed for abolition

by Dan Bobkoff
Feb 25, 2014
Thomas Jennings was the first African American to receive a U.S. patent, 44 years before slavery ended.
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Channeling Nikola Tesla's electric currents today

by Molly Wood
Jul 26, 2013
The inventor has been cast as Thomas Edison's more magical nemesis and contemporary -- and he's currently being celebrated at the New York Hall of Science.
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

The biggest obstacle for the Hyperloop? Money

by Molly Wood
Jul 22, 2013
Musk has only hinted at what the Hyperloop is, but he's described his latest idea as a 'cross between a Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table.'
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

For public good, not for profit.

Donate
By The Numbers

A look at the 'Hyperloop,' and other off-beat inventions in history

by Molly Wood
Jul 16, 2013
Tesla's Elon Musk hopes to revolutionize transportation with a combination railgun, air hockey table and Concorde. What can he learn from past inventions?
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

What is the best age for innovation?

by Jeremy Hobson
Apr 8, 2013
Are you more innovative in your 20s or your 50s? Tom Agan, managing partner at innovation and brand consultancy Rivia, has come up with answer that might surprise you.
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

As the cellphone turns 40, the story behind the famous first call

by Molly Wood
Apr 4, 2013
40 years ago the cellphone was invented by Martin Cooper at Motorola, much to the dismay of a competing team at AT&T's Bell Labs.
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE