257 results for: Innovation and Invention
Children's Merry-Go-Round, "Kiddie-Whirl", made in Seattle, ca. 1950s
This child's four-seater Merry-Go-Round was designed and patented by Kenneth E. Ellenberger of Concrete, Washington, and manufactured and sold by Lynn F. Smith Mfg. Co. located at 711 Cherry Street in Seattle. The Kiddie-Whirl was originally owned by Frank Bishop, a construction company owner in Shoreline. He built his house at 12553 12th Ave NE, Seattle, and, when he sold…
ID Number:2015.57.1
Date:Circa 1950
Eddie Bauer down jacket, ca. 1962
Seattle outdoorsman and entrepreneur Eddie Bauer (1899-1986) helped bring high-quality outdoor gear to a wider audience. His company was established in 1920, and in 1940 Bauer patented the first quilted down jacket. This coat, from Bauer’s “Blizzard Proof” line, belonged to John Stuart Miller. Miller was an engineer who worked both in Seattle and Fairbanks, Alaska. This coat was purchased…
ID Number:2015.71.1
Date:1962
Collection of three Pacific Bag, Inc. (PBI) One-Way Degassing Valves used in the packaging of coffee, invented by Ed Urquhart, ca. 1983
This PBI one-way degassing valve bag, invented by Seattle entrepreneur Ed Urquhart, allows for immediate vacuum packing of roasted coffee beans. The valve allows carbon dioxide emitted by freshly roasted coffee beans to escape the bag, then seals shut so oxygen cannot enter. Previously the only safe way to ship coffee was by packing stale coffee in cans.
ID Number:2015.77.1
Date:Circa 1983
Foil coffee bag from Seattle's Best Coffee featuring a Pacific Bag, Inc. (PBI) One-Way Degassing Valve invented by Ed Urquhart in 1983
This PBI one-way degassing valve bag, invented by Seattle entrepreneur Ed Urquhart, allows for immediate vacuum packing of roasted coffee beans. The valve allows carbon dioxide emitted by freshly roasted coffee beans to escape the bag, then seals shut so oxygen cannot enter. Previously the only safe way to ship coffee was by packing stale coffee in cans.
ID Number:2015.77.2
Date:Circa 2000
Lazy Susan from Tai Tung Restaurant, Seattle, Washington, ca. 1959-1961
The Tai Tung Restaurant is one of the oldest restaurants in Seattle, established in 1935. The restaurant was a favorite of several Seattle mayors, and even Bruce Lee had a favorite booth. The donor of the Lazy Susan, Harry Chan, an immigrant from China in 1968, has worked at Tai Tung since her arrived in the US. He is now…
ID Number:2015.86.1
Date:1959-1961
Rapper's Delight LP, The Sugar Hill Gang, 1979
In 1979, local radio host Robert L. Scott became the first disk jockey to introduce Seattle to the Sugarhill Gang when he played “Rapper’s Delight” on KYAC 1250 AM.
ID Number:2015.96.1
Date:1979
Ouya game console, 2013
Ouya is a home video game console first released in 2013. Despite a record-breaking reception on Kickstarter and raising more than a million dollars, the company was purchased two years later by Razer, Inc.
ID Number:2015.OuyaGamingDevice
Date:2013
Wooden clothes hanger from the Edmond Meany Hotel, Seattle, WA, ca. 1950
The Edmond Meany Hotel, built in 1930, is located at the corner of 45th Avenue and Brooklyn Ave in the University District of Seattle. The cantilevered design and construction provided for a wide picture window in each room, thus the motto, "Every Room a Corner Room."
ID Number:2016.15.1
Date:Circa 1950
Black NASTYMIX bomber jacket owned by Nes "Nasty Nes" Rodriguez, ca. 1988
DJ “Nasty” Nes Rodriguez (1962-2025) wore this jacket from NASTYMIX records, the influential hip-hop label he co-founded in 1985 with promoter Ed Locke and rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot. The label started with hip hop acts, then went on to sign West coast synth-pop acts and the occasional punk band. Rodriguez also hosted “Freshtracks” on Seattle station KKFX 1250 AM, the first…
ID Number:2016.22.1
Date:Circa 1988
NuMark DM 1650 mixer from Nes "Nasty Nes" Rodriguez, ca. 1980s
In the early 1980s, Nasty Nes (1962-2025) launched the Northwest's first all-rap radio program, "Fresh Tracks." He used this mixer to create classic "Mastermizes" heard on Seattle-area radio stations, local parties, and popular nightclubs in the area.
ID Number:2016.22.2
Date:Circa 1980