Road Trip to 13 Places of Invention across America

Which places of invention are worth the road trip? When it comes to American ingenuity, there's a lot of these qualities present all over the country. We have listed key places and landmarks that transcended humans into much greater lengths. From the very first horse-powered machines to the rise of the information age, we've got everything covered.

If you have any suggestions or additional information related to this post, please add them in the comments below or send us a message. If we publish a trip as a result, we'll include your name in the credits. 

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National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum
Alexandria, Virginia

The National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1973 to honor the inventors and engineers who hold a U.S patent(s) for innovative technology with high significance in society. NIHFM's primary mission: "be a catalyst for change through recognizing inventors and invention, promoting creativity and advancing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship."

The museum offers different activities for guests such as a free gallery of digital portraits of the honorees, a theater, as well as interactive kiosks. It also features a summer camp for children called Camp Invention. It was founded in 1990 and is well-known to push young minds to become more creative, innovative, and exceptional.

As of 2021, The museum has already inducted more than 600 inventors and engineers. Out of the 600 inventors inducted, 100 of them are still living to this day. 

 

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John Gorrie Museum State Park
Apalachicola, Florida

John Gorrie was more than just an inventor of mechanical cooling — he was also a scientist, a physician, and a humanitarian. His quest for inventing refrigeration came from his noble attempt of controlling the spread of Yellow Fever in Apalachicola by inventing the first-ever Ice Machine.

The John Gorrie State Museum is located at 46 Sixth Street, Apalachicola, Florida. The museum features the different inventions, as well as the life of John Gorrie. It is considered to be one of the most visited Florida State Parks in the Sunshine State.

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Computer History Museum
Mountain View, California

Ken Olsen, Gorden Bell, and Gwen Bell co-founded the Computer History Museum back in 1975 to celebrate the technological innovations the information age has given modern society. The museum features stories and artifacts from the computing revolution and it holds more than 90,000 objects that tourists can freely explore and interact with.

The Computer History Museum was unofficially established in 1968 when Gorden Bell started his fascination with collecting Whirlwind computers. Since then, his collections kept growing until they had the largest collection of computing artifacts in the world.

In 2010, the museum started collecting source codes of important software. Soon after, the APL Programming Language followed suit, then Adobe, and then Microsoft. The list continues on.

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Thomas Edison National Historic Site
West Orange, New Jersey

Thomas Edison is one of the most famous inventors in the history of the United States. He had submitted a total of 1,094 patents. Almost all of his patents were geared towards utility patents whether chemical, mechanical or electrical. 

The Thomas Edison National Historic Site is home to some of his most innovative inventions such as the phonograph, storage battery, and motion capture cameras. This was the place where Edison felt the most inspired as his research and development facility churned out inventions after inventions from 1876-1886.

One of Edison's inventions that modern society will forever be grateful for is the Electric Power Distribution utility. This was the birth of electric facilities to supply power in neighborhoods, towns, and cities.

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Thomas Edison's Fort Myers Laboratory
Dearborn, Michigan

Thomas Edison's Fort Myers Laboratory is where he dedicated his time and resources to finding ways to produce rubber locally. With the collaboration between Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Thomas Edison, the three of them started the Edison Botanical Research Corporation.

Thomas Edison was in charge of the majority of planting and research activities done in the lab. The laboratory was able to sample up to 17,000 plant types and was able to find a suitable plant to grow — Leavenworth's Goldenrod. This was done by the efforts of crossbreeding by Thomas Edison. The plant ultimately was capable of producing a latex yield of up to 12 percent.

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Wright Brothers National Memorial
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Orville and Wilbur Wright are the only siblings featured in places of invention because of the impact they were able to bring in modern transportation. They were both credited for the world's very first successful motor-operated airplane.

Ever since their first successful flight back on December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers found more ways to improve their airplane by making it fly longer and more stable. Their experimentations eventually led to the invention of the three-axis control system, which allowed pilots to control the equilibrium of the aircraft. 

It was at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina where the history of modern transportation has taken a dramatic push to modernization thanks to the Wright Brothers' Wright Flyer.

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Marconi and the South Wellfleet Wireless
Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts

Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi was an Italian electrical engineer and an inventor that would forever be remembered as the inventor of the radio. He was also responsible for long-distance radio transmission, the radiotelegraph system, and the development of Marconi's Law. Because of his brilliant contributions to society, he was given a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909, along with Karl Ferdinand Braun.

Marconi's biggest achievement in modern history would be his Transatlantic transmission attempt. After years of hard work, he finally came with a transmission breakthrough that eventually led up to the South Wellfleet Wireless Station. 

Marconi was able to secure both U.S and British patents throughout his illustrious career. 

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Alexander Graham Bell First Telephone Marker
Cambridge Street, Boston, Massachusetts

Alexander Graham Bell made one of the most important inventions of modern history in Boston, Massachusetts. It was an invention that changed the way we communicate. The First Telephone Marker in front of the John F. Kennedy Building along Cambridge St. is known for two famous innovations, the first Sound Over Wire in 1875, and the first Practical Telephone in 1876.

His concept first came into fruition when he was attempting to transmit sound over telegraph lines. It wasn't until the mid-1870s when Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson were able to successfully communicate over the wire. The first telephone was featured at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 by Graham Bell, and he instantly gained popularity after his presentation.

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Manhattan Project National Historical Park
Los Alamos, New Mexico

The Manhattan Project was a code name for the United States Government's journey into building a fully functioning atomic weapon during the 2nd World War. The project was spearheaded by Dr. J Robert Oppenheimer, Norris Bradbury, Richard Feynman, Hans Bethe, and more. It was one of the biggest secret projects of the time.

Los Alamos, New Mexico is one of the 3 locations chosen for the Manhattan Project. What sets the Los Alamos apart was its advancement in theoretical and experimental tests. By using the enriched uranium from Oak Ridge, and the plutonium from Hanford, the first atomic weapons finally became a reality for the scientists and personnel involved in the project.

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Kennedy Space Center
Merritt Island, Florida

The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is one of NASA's 10 field centers. It is located on Merritt Island, Florida and it has over 700 facilities ranging from Launch Control Centers to Vehicle Assembly Buildings, and everything in between. The island has a total landmass of 144,000 acres. KSC has been NASA's primary launch center since 1968.

Kennedy Space Center was originally called the NASA Launch Operations Center but was later changed to KSC to honor the passing of the late president John. F. Kennedy. The renaming was officially handled by President Lyndon Johnson after assuming the position. 

From 2010 onwards, KSC has started managing the launch of both robotic and commercial crew missions, as well as multi-user spaceport partnerships with industry leaders. In 2015, The space center also added its newest launch pad, the LC-39C.

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John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum
Waterloo, Iowa

John Deere is one of the most important figures in the industrial revolution. He was an American blacksmith, manufacturer, and entrepreneur. He founded Deere & Company, which is known worldwide as the leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturer for several decades.

Deere's very first invention came around 1837 when he developed and manufactured the very first cast-steel plow. These were made of iron and steel. By 1841, he was able to sell an average of 75-100 cast-steel plows every year. Because of his huge success, he was given recognition as well as the title "The Plow that Broke the Plains." 

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HP Garage
Palo Alto, California

Hewlett Packard's HP Garage is where all the hopes and dreams of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard came into reality. Their unwavering innovation and entrepreneurial spirit soared them to greater heights by creating useful and innovative products.

In 1937, this 12x18-feet garage would soon be known as the birthplace of Silicon Valley, and for good reason. After Dave and Bill had their first successful business meeting, they started working on their first invention. 

In 1938, they were able to come up with their very first Capacitance Audio Oscillator called, the HP Model 200A. It is a tool used to test sound equipment. Around the same year, Walt Disney became their first client by selling 8 HP Model 200B audio oscillators in preparation for the show Fantasia.

The following year, HP moved out of the garage and into rented buildings around Palo Alto.

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New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
Albuquerque, New Mexico

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is one of the best natural science museums in the world. Founded in 1986, the museum's vision was to provide a learning experience of the distant past, where different creatures used to roam around the world. They feature exhibits dating back to the birth of the universe 13.6 billion years ago, as well as more recent ones like the Ice Age from 10,000 years ago.

The Science museum is best known for providing eight amazing journeys through time with their well-established exhibits such as Origins, Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Age of Volcanoes, New Mexico's Ice Age, as well as New Mexico's Seacoast, and much more. Their biggest attraction to date is the Jurassic Super Giants exhibit.

 

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