Inventors Science

Can you believe that the first tennis balls didn't bounce? Or that the world's first basketball hoop was a peach crate? Get ready to learn the amazing stories behind inventions you use every day. From the Minnesota teen who invented water skis to the Missouri mechanic who came up with the idea of driving over cars with his monster pickup truck, you'll find out how we got some of our favorite entertainment inventions.

Did you know that President Thomas Jefferson used a copier? Or that one of the world's fastest computers is the size of a two-story house? Get ready to learn the strange stories behind technology inventions you use every day. From the teenager who first imagined the television, to a $900 smartphone named Simon, you'll find out how we got the technological wonders that help us connect, create, and keep up.

Can you believe that the paint used on cars inspired the invention of nail polish in the 1920s? Or that people have been making hair dyes for thousands of years, using everything from boiled walnuts to gold powder? Get ready to learn the strange stories behind inventions you use every day. From the woman who invented "kissproof" lipstick to the role toothpicks played in the creation of Q-tips, you'll find out how we got the beauty inventions that help us look great.

Did you know that people with rakes used to do the work of garbage trucks? Or that porta-potties were put on ships to keep workers from running to shore for bathroom breaks? Get ready to learn the odd stories behind inventions you use every day. From the T.P. of Chinese emperors to the landfills of ancient Greece, you'll find out how we got the sanitation inventions that keep us healthy and keep the world smelling fresh.

No one thought much of young Thomas Alva Edison. He couldn’t focus at school and caused trouble around the house. But where others saw a distracted and mischievous boy, his mother saw imagination and curiosity. At only seven years old, Al, as he was called as a young child, was educated by his mother at home, who understood his potential could be unlocked with non-conventional learning, allowing him freedom to explore, dream, and be inquisitive.

Why should anyone who is not interested in aviation or history be interested in the Wright brothers? What do their life and struggle have to add to the lives of the common person out there? Do world changers possibly have more in common with us than many of us realize? As you will listen to in this book, the Wright brothers encountered many challenges within their lives. The buzzwords of the business world today all encompass what the Wright brothers possessed in great abundance.

Lena Blackburne loved baseball. He watched it, he played it, he coached it. But he didn't love the ways players broke in new baseballs. Tired of soggy, blackened, stinky baseballs, he found a better way. Thanks to a well-timed fishing trip and a top-secret mud recipe, Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud was born. For seventy-five years, baseball teams have used Lena's magic mud to prepare baseballs before every game. Listen to the story of how Lena's mud went from a riverbank to the major leagues and all the way to the Hall of Fame.

For decades, the blasts and howls of the electric guitar have been some of the defining sounds of popular music. But more than a century of effort and innovation had to happen before this instrument went electric. Learn about the master craftspeople who created the guitar as we know it, the inventors who figured out how to send guitar notes through amplifiers and give the guitar a bigger sound, and the musicians whose legendary playing put it at the center of rock 'n' roll.

Before Garrett Morgan became a successful inventor and saved countless lives with his creations, he was a little boy with a head full of ideas on how to make life better for everyone. At a tumultuous time filled with racism and discrimination, Garrett became a prominent business man and skilled inventor who produced the traffic signal, a gas mask, and others objects still used today.

Have you been wanting to know more about the significant impact black women had on the world? The Woman Who Invented Weaving is a fascinating audiobook that contains a catalog of several notable inventors and inventions by black women, which include the invention of the bathroom tissue holder, pastry fork, and ironing board, among others.

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, this stunning audiobook depicts Louis Bleriot's historic first cross-Channel flight.

As young boys, Orville and Wilbur Wright loved all things mechanical. As young men, they gained invaluable skills essential for their success by working with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and any sort of machinery they could get their hands on. As adults, the brothers worked together to invent, build, and fly the world's first successful airplane. This is the fascinating story of the two inventors and aviation pioneers who never lost sight of their dream: to fly, and to soar higher!

In the 1920s cotton buyer Earle Dickson worked for Johnson & Johnson and had a klutzy wife who often cut herself. The son of a doctor, Earle set out to create an easier way for her to bandage her injuries. Band-Aids were born, but Earle's bosses at the pharmaceutical giant weren't convinced, and it wasn't until the Boy Scouts of America tested Earle's prototype that this ubiquitous household staple was made available to the public.

Examines inclined planes, explains their functions, and suggests simple experiments to demonstrate how they work.

You know the Super Soaker. It's one of the top 20 toys of all time. And it was an accidental discovery that brought it into being. Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for the iconic toy. A love of rockets, robots, and inventions and a mind for creativity were present in Lonnie Johnson's early life.

Inspired by The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Michael J. Rosen's wry tale captures Ben's spirit in evocative yet playful language. A love story to the value of variety, A Ben of All Trades sheds light on an unconventional path to greatness and humanizes a towering figure in American history.

Sarah E. Goode was one of the first African American women to get a United States patent. Working in her husband's furniture store, she recognized the need for a multi-use bed, and through hard work, ingenuity, and determination, invented her unique cupboard bed. She built more than a piece of furniture. She built a life far away from slavery - a life where her sweet dreams could come true.

Here's a biographical profile of Charles F. Kettering, a man who always sought solutions to great problems. A philosopher, engineer, master salesman, scientist and genius inventor, Kettering, Delco's founder and major shareholder of GM, gave us many things: electric automobile starters, electric headlights, Freon, automatic transmissions, incubators for premature babies, premium gasoline, car generators, electric cash registers, and much more.

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin came from humble beginnings to take his place in the annals of history as one of the most celebrated Americans ever to stand on the world stage. The Boston apprentice who ran away because of his brother's ill-treatment found his destiny in Philadelphia, where he became a printer, a scientist, an author, an inventor, a politician, and a citizen of the world. His inventions and his philosophies had the same ultimate goal - to make the world a better place - and Franklin achieved that goal.

Robots help us understand our universe. Some fly to distant planets. Others work alongside astronauts in space. And some drive across the surface of Mars. How do these robots work, and what are they doing today? Listen to this audiobook to find out!