Geniuses at work
We're here today because of them! Meet 10 Americans who changed history
Image: Quino Al
The United States is a land of progress and innovation, so it makes sense that many of the world's most important inventors and scientists are Americans. From breakthroughs like the lightning rod and the light bulb to advancements in the world of medicine, biology, and astronomy, there have been many men and women who, from different fields of study, have contributed to the scientific progress of our country and the entire world. Join us as we review these 10 American inventors and scientists who changed history!
1
Thomas Edison
Image: Call Me Fred
When it comes to inventors, we can't fail to mention the incredible Thomas Alva Edison.
Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio, and since he was a child, he showed his interest and talent in mechanics and electricity. At the age of 11, he set up his first laboratory in his parents' home, and by the age of 12, he ran his own business: a newspaper he designed, printed, and sold himself.
Creator of the phonograph (the first device capable of recording and reproducing sounds) and a fundamental part in the development and popularization of inventions such as the electric light bulb and the motion picture camera, Edison patented more than 1000 creations during his lifetime. Impressive!
2
Benjamin Franklin
Image: Dan Mall
Born in Boston, Benjamin Franklin was one of our Founding Fathers, the men whose principles, values, and ideas shaped America. But as if that weren't enough, Franklin was also a renowned scientist, inventor, and polymath.
A pioneer in the field of electricity, he's remembered for his famous kite experiment, which demonstrated the electrical nature of lightning and led to the invention of nothing less than the lightning rod. In addition, he's also credited with iconic inventions such as the first efficient wood-burning stove (later known as "the Franklin Stove"), the bifocal glasses, and the glass armonica.
3
Samuel Morse
Image: The New York Public Library
Unlike other scientists and inventors on this list, Samuel Morse began his journey in a completely different field: art.
Morse studied at Yale, where he completed his studies in 1810. He then embarked on a trip to Europe to continue his artistic education, but this trip awakened another peculiar interest in him. Frustrated by the communication methods of his time, Morse focused his creativity on finding ways to transmit information over long distances using electrical signals. Thus, the revolutionary telegraph was born, along with its way of communication, the Morse code.
4
The Wright Brothers
Image: Simon Fitall
The Wright Brothers were the famous siblings who, in the 20th century, achieved a goal long sought by humanity: flight.
Wilbur and Orville Wright are credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane. As you probably know, on December 17, 1903, they made the first sustained flight in history using the Wright Flyer, their iconic invention.
On that December morning, the brothers flipped a coin, letting fate decide who would be the first to test the aircraft. Although Wilbur won, that first attempt failed. So it was Orville who flew for 12 seconds, traveling 120 feet over Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
5
George Washington Carver
Image: Tom Hermans
George Washington Carver was born in the 1860s in Diamond, Missouri. In the 1890s, his intelligence and hard work enabled him to enter Iowa State College (now Iowa State University), where he earned a master's degree in agricultural sciences. In 1896, he became the head of the agriculture department at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where his career as a professor and a researcher took off.
Thanks to his investigations and tests, George Washington Carver made major contributions to agriculture, including his innovative techniques for crop rotation . In addition, he developed many and varied peanut products, such as oil, flour, soap, and ink, helping to make this crop one of the key products of the country's economy.
6
Carl Sagan
Image: Vaibhaw Kumar
The stars and the mysteries of the universe captivated the famous Carl Sagan from an early age. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1934, Sagan studied at the University of Chicago, where he earned degrees in physics, astronomy, and astrophysics, eventually working and collaborating with NASA.
His contributions to the field of astronomy earned him a position in projects such as the Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Galileo missions, thanks to which we have learned a lot about Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. The famous high temperatures of Venus, for example, were confirmed thanks to his work.
Additionally, his book and series Cosmos attracted the public's interest in astronomy, inspiring many others to follow in his footsteps.
7
Grace Hopper
Image: Museums Victoria
While computer programming may seem like a modern issue, the pioneers of this field were already working as early as the 1940s.
Grace Hopper graduated in mathematics and physics in 1928 and obtained a master's degree and a Ph.D in mathematics from Yale University in 1934. Famous as a pioneer in the world of programming, Hopper's work began during World War II when she joined the US Naval Reserve. There, she worked on the earliest electromechanical computers and developed extensive and complex manuals to operate them.
Her greatest contribution came from her work with mathematical codes, which she translated and adapted into innovative machine-readable language. That innovation led to the creation of the first high-level programming languages.
8
Jonas Salk
Image: Олег Мороз
Jonas Salk is none other than the mind behind a medical milestone: the polio vaccine.
In the 1940s, Salk was beginning his career in medical research. While working at the University of Michigan, his work was crucial in developing the first successful influenza vaccine for the military during WWII. This event marked his later study of the poliovirus.
Polio was devastating during the first decades of the 20th century, but that changed dramatically thanks to Salk's work. The scientist led a team that succeeded in developing the first safe and effective injectable inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) in 1955, and the rest is history.
9
Barbara McClintock
Image: digitale.de
Although her name may not be as instantly recognizable as some others on this list, her work definitely is. Barbara McClintock has undoubtedly made one of the most significant contributions to medicine and genetics.
In the 1940s and 1950s, she worked with chromosomes, investigating their role in inheritance, which led to discoveries that forever changed our understanding of genes.
Before her, genes were believed to be fixed and immutable. But McClintock came to change that idea with her most famous contribution: the discovery of transposable elements, aka "jumping genes." She demonstrated that jumping genes are present in multiple organisms, including humans, and play an essential role in genetic evolution.
10
Alexander Graham Bell
Image: Misho Tektumanidze
Alexander Graham Bell became interested in sound and communication at a young age, something that led to his greatest and most remembered contribution: the telephone.
Although born in 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Alexander Graham Bell settled in the United States in 1871 and became an American citizen years later. It was here that he developed most of his experiments and research.
After years of experimenting with methods to transmit sound through electrical currents, Bell finally spoke into his invention on March 10, 1876, saying to his assistant, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you." That was the first successful telephone call in history.
