Mary's Inventors Blog April 2008 Archive

What is a Solar Panel?
A solar panel is a collection of solar cells. Although each solar cell provides a relatively small amount of power, many solar cells spread over a large area can provide ... Read More

Wednesday April 30, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Who Invented the Seismograph?
Seismic waves are the vibrations from earthquakes that travel through the Earth; they are recorded on instruments called seismographs. The first crude seismograph was the dragon jar. The dragon jar ... Read More

Friday April 25, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

The Jumping Inventor
In 1797, Andrew Garnerin was the first person recorded in history to jump with a parachute without a rigid frame. Garnerin jumped from hot air balloons that went as high ... Read More

Thursday April 24, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Upcoming Events: Everyday Edisons & Annual Minnesota Inventors Congress
These are great events folks. Also if you have ever wondered about TV shows featuring inventors and inventions, do read Stephen Paul Gnass' article America's Funniest Inventors? May 6-8 - ... Read More

Sunday April 20, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

History of Microscopes
The first vision aid was invented (inventor unknown) called a reading stone. It was a glass sphere that magnified when laid on top of reading materials. Timeline of Microscopes History of the ... Read More

Saturday April 19, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Gallery of Famous Ear Plugs
Did you know that Ray and Cecilia Benner invented the first moldable pure silicone ear plugs in 1962 and swimmers everywhere have been thanking them every since? These ear plugs ... Read More

Thursday April 17, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Can You Patent a Swimsuit?
Most swimsuits are not patentable - they fall under copyright law. However, there are patents that have been issued for innovative swimsuits. Carol Wior patented the Slimsuit, a women's swimsuit ... Read More

Sunday April 13, 2008 | permalink | comments (3)

What Did Samuel Morse Do?
While a professor of arts and design at New York University in 1835, Samuel Morse proved that written messages could be transmitted by electrical wire. He used pulses of current ... Read More

Friday April 11, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

The Elevator Pitch
How do you make an effective sales pitch in a minute or less? I've put together a directory of resources that can help you improve your one-minute pitch.

Friday April 11, 2008 | permalink | comments (2)

Attention Canadian Inventors & Entrepreneurs - April 14 '08 Dragons Den
Sorry about the short notice folks but I just got this. I have been to events like this before and they are a great opportunity to learn how to pitch ... Read More

Monday April 7, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Alternatives to Patenting
A reader wrote in asking, “How do inventors successfully 1) market, 2) distribute and 3) grow profit from unpatented or unpatentable ideas?” The reader had an invention that was unpatentable ... Read More

Thursday April 3, 2008 | permalink | comments (3)

Ginger Ale
Around 1851, the first ginger ales were created in Ireland. One of the first commercial soda pop made in the U.S. is said to have been Vernor's Ginger Ale, created ... Read More

Thursday April 3, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)