257 results for: Innovation and Invention
Model, Boeing 2707 Supersonic Transport (SST) airplane, ca. 1965
The Boeing SST project was hampered by design and environmental concerns. Though the U.S. government eventually cut funding to the project and prototypes were never completed, contributing to massive Boeing layoffs, this project was the first of its kind in the United States and was part of a supersonic transport technology race against the Soviets during the Cold War years,…
ID Number:1971.5158.1
Date:Circa 1965
Model of the first Boeing 747 long-range transport jet airliner, ca. 1968
Boeing began building its first 747 in September 1967. Malcolm Stamper, General Manager of Boeing's 747 program put together a group of 50,000 engineers, administrators, secretaries and construction workers he called "The Incredibles." They were incredible for producing the world's largest civil airplane in only 16 months. The first 747 rolled out of Boeing's Everett plant on September 30, 1968.…
ID Number:1971.5158.3
Date:Circa 1968
High-powered industrial telephone used by Seattle City Light, 1916
The amplifier on this telephone was invented in Seattle by P.J. Hackett and produced by the Universal High Power Telephone Company. Hackett was an assistant to William Dubilier who created the first successful wireless telephone in 1910. After Dubilier left Seattle, Hackett continued to work on microphones and amplifiers that could handle the heavy currents of radio and landline telephones…
ID Number:1972.5366.1
Date:1916
Kirsten cigar holder patented by Professor Frederick K. Kirsten, ca. 1930-1950s
Frederick K. Kirsten was a German immigrant who became a professor of aeronautical engineering. In addition to the first Boeing wind tunnel, various machinery and ship parts, Professor Kirsten also invented and patented many pipes and cigarette holders, including this example, ca. 1930s-1950s.
ID Number:1974.5841.7
Date:1930-1950
Green and black wool ski suit, ca. 1948
This ensemble was made, in part, by the Seattle Woolen Company, which began with a focus on menswear and water-repellant garments to appeal to “woodsmen, cannery workers, and fishermen.” They soon expanded to include clothing for sport and recreation, and began making more for women. As it became increasingly acceptable for women to participate in sporting activities, local companies met…
ID Number:1976.6342.C2251
Date:1948
Red frame power scooter, 1931
This scooter is powered by pumping the handle and kicking. The purpose of the invention was to create a more simplified and practical toy for children. William Neuman, Jr., of Seattle designed and patented the scooter in 1931.
ID Number:1977.6433
Date:1931
Puget Sound Falling Axe, ca. 1910
Falling or felling is a term for cutting down trees. Like most falling axes this one is double-bit, meaning it has a blade on either end. What makes the Puget Sound axe different is that the bit is longer and narrower, typically about 12 to 14 inches from end to end. It also has a longer handle. This one is…
ID Number:1978.6600.1
Date:Circa 1910
Boeing 747 medal, 1968
This bronze medal commemorates the first roll out of the Boeing 747 on September 30, 1968. Boeing began building its first 747 in September 1967. Malcolm Stamper, General Manager of Boeing's 747 program put together a group of 50,000 engineers, administrators, secretaries and construction workers he called "The Incredibles." They were incredible for producing the world's largest civil airplane in…
ID Number:1979.6799.1
Date:1968
Computing scale that won grand prize at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE), 1909
This prize-winning computing scale was celebrated at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE) for its new springless design and the capability to calculate both price and weight. Manufactured by the Angldile Computing Scale Company in Elkhart, Indiana, and exhibited in the United States Government display, this device has long been considered the "Rolls Royce" of collectors. The AYPE was a world's fair…
ID Number:1980.6927.1
Date:Circa 1909
Ramage flatbed press No. 913, handmade by Scottish immigrant Adam Ramage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1800-1830
Handmade by Scottish immigrant Adam Ramage in Philadelphia in the early nineteenth century, this flatbed printing press saw a great deal of use in the western United States for probably forty years. While the early history of this machine is unclear, it is certainly one of the oldest presses on the Pacific coast. The first confirmed use of the press…
ID Number:1980.7094.438
Date:1800-1830