257 results for: Innovation and Invention
Empathy Belly pregnancy simulator, 1985
The Empathy Belly was invented in the 1980s by Linda Ware, Director and CEO of Birthways Childhood Resource Center in Redmond, Washington. It was originally made so men could experience and empathize with their partner's physical symptoms of pregnancy. However, the device soon became useful for teaching health and sex education in high schools.
ID Number:2000.42.1
Date:1985
Sport Air Cushion Vehicle model, ca. 1966
Walter A. Crowley (1917-2008) was an engineer at Boeing and a self-styled "garage" inventor. While at Boeing, he developed an air-bearing system for moving heavy objects like a 747 Jumbo Jet. Boeing established a subsidiary, Aero-Go, to develop this invention. This is a model of his actual working air cushion vehicle which was similar to the hydrofoil, but ultimately not…
ID Number:2000.49.1
Date:Circa 1966
Seattleopoly Board Game, ca. 1989
This board game, based on the famous Monopoly game, features actual Seattle businesses, industries, and organizations such as Safeco, Cutters, Warwick Hotel, Victoria Clipper, and KOMO 4 TV. Each property has an address and phone number for the business named.
ID Number:2000.57.1
Date:Circa 1989
Homegrocer.com shopping bag, ca. 1999
Homegrocer was an early online grocery delivery business, founded in Bellevue in 1997. The company developed its own technology, including an award-winning website, a wireless picking system, and high-tech phones for drivers. Homegrocer went public in March of 2000, just as the dot-com bubble was becoming the dot-com bust. While initially successful and profitable, the company found itself struggling to…
ID Number:2001.41.10
Date:Circa 1999
Homegrocer.com shopping bag, ca. 1999
Homegrocer was an early online grocery delivery business, founded in Bellevue in 1997. The company developed its own technology, including an award-winning website, a wireless picking system, and high-tech phones for drivers. Homegrocer went public in March of 2000, just as the dot-com bubble was becoming the dot-com bust. While initially successful and profitable, the company found itself struggling to…
ID Number:2001.41.11
Date:Circa 1999
Boeing 377 Load Computer, 1952
Boeing engineer, Cliff Heckard, invented this mechanical computer device in the early 1950s to calculate the center of gravity and load of aircraft in order to assist in rapid loading. The device did reach full production due to the introduction of electronic computers around that time.
ID Number:2001.54.1
Date:1952
Microsoft Windows software, 1992-1995
Microsoft first unveiled Windows in 1983. Windows has been consistently one of the company's top selling products. In August 1995, retailers sold over 1 million copies of Windows 95 in its first four days of release. As processor speed and chip size increased, so did sales of each new improved Windows product, not to mention Microsoft's revenues.
ID Number:2001.64
Date:1992-1995
Nippon Electric Company (NEC) PC-8201A digital computer, ca. 1983
The NEC brand PC-8201A portable computer was very popular in its day and included a text-editor, telecom software, and a BASIC language programmer. The original operating system (OS) software was written by a small Bellevue company called Microsoft.
ID Number:2002.4.1
Date:Circa 1983
Frango mints food box, ca. 1950s
Frango's chocolates were originally made in the candy kitchen atop the Frederick & Nelson store in downtown Seattle and were sold in the store starting in 1918 until it closed in 1992. Ownership of the name changed with mergers and Chicago store Marshall Field's produced their own version using a different recipe. Today, you can still buy these delicious candies…
ID Number:2002.10.1
Date:Circa 1950
Jamacas Rum Frango container, ca. 1950s
Frangos were first developed and sold by Seattle department store Frederick & Nelson in 1918 and continue to be sold at Macy's stores everywhere. This round box, once filled with Jamacas Rum flavor Frango chocolate truffles, was sold in the 1950s.
ID Number:2002.10.2
Date:Circa 1950