Journeys of Innovation

Each month, our Journeys of Innovation series tells the stories of inventors or entrepreneurs whose groundbreaking innovations have made a positive difference in the world. 

Browse all stories below, or search for a name or story title.

A left hand rests on a tabulation machine, and a right hand picks up a card.
This Month's Journey of Innovation
Count me in
Herman Hollerith
How a statistician's competitive spirit laid the groundwork for the modern census.
Full Story
Jim West seated in his lab and surrounded by three students
Going beyond the horizon >
Jim West
Highly regarded as an acoustic scientist, inventor Jim West is also a devoted mentor and advocate of diversity in STEM. Full Story >
Bob Metcalfe holding an Ethernet cable
Defying the doubters >
Bob Metcalfe
The one wire that connected us all. Full Story >
Rory Cooper in leaned back in a racing chair on a red track, leaned down to become aerodynamic, pushing himself to win
Engineering a better life >
Rory Cooper
An accident changed Rory Cooper’s life and set him on a path to improving the well-being of people with mobility impairments. Full Story >
Image: 1950s KitchenAid illustrated advertisement of a housewife and husband excitedly admiring their new dishwasher. I the top right, dishes magically float from a hospital and industrial dishwasher into their household dishwasher.
"I'll do it myself >
Josephine Cochran
How Josephine Cochran defied social norms and invented the modern dishwasher. Full Story >
Portrait of Temple Grandin
Thinking like the herd >
Temple Grandin
A trip to the farm changed Temple Grandin's life forever. Full Story >
Image: The Black and Decker cordless Lunar Drill operated by an astronaut on a simulated surface of moon
Moondust and marketing magic >
Carroll Gantz
How NASA's moon missions and a patented design led to a popular hand-held vacuum cleaner. Full Story >
Young founders of Agrospheres sitting casually on a couch
Origins of innovation >
Payam Pourtaheri and Ameer Shakleel
For a young startup, the seeds of risk and reward were planted long ago. Full Story >
Image: Helmeted U.S. soldiers look out over the prow of a Higgens boat as it navigates crashing waves towards the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.
The patented boat that won >
Andrew Higgins
How a New Orleans inventor helped defeat the Nazis. Full Story >
Image: Port City® Brewing Company founders Bill and Karen Butcher in the brewery’s taproom hold six packs of some of their registered trademark beers, including, from left, Optimal® Wit, Metro Red®, Monumental® IPA, and Integral® IPA.
Brewing the brand >
Bill and Karen Butcher
In a crowded marketplace, intellectual property helps customers discover new tastes. Full Story >
Image: Chemist Frances Arnold holds a beaker with yellow liquid up to the light.
Beyond the Nobel >
Frances Arnold
Insights from the first American woman to win the Nobel prize in chemistry. Full Story >
Image: Johnson plays around with a Super Soaker® while wearing a shirt patterned with images of his famous creation.
Perseverance and prototypes >
Lonnie Johnson
How eight years of hard work led to the 'overnight success' of the Super Soaker®. Full Story >
Image: Irina Buhimschi and Cherry Murray speak on a panel at the US Capitol on empowering women
Failure or challenge? >
Irina Buhimschi and Cherry Murray
Two trailblazing innovators share insights on science, life in the lab, and beyond. Full Story >
Image: Crops being irrigated in the California Imperial Valley, circa 1919.
A strong will >
Harriet Strong
How one woman’s fortitude shaped agriculture and brought water to the American West. Full Story >
Image: Student studying at night using solar lights
An end to darkness >
Steve Katsaros
For the 1.2 billion people without electricity, one bright idea could change everything. Full Story >
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