9 Items Tagged

Patent

Methods for determining if love is true date back centuries. In the early 1900s, serious scientists and penny-arcade entrepreneurs alike tried to measure the emotion.

Inside a Decades-Long Quest to Measure Love

The journey of the "Love Tester," from serious-seeming science to the penny-arcade amusements.

April White February 10, 2023

Edison concrete houses along Polk Street in Gary, Indiana

Montclair, New Jersey

Thomas Edison's Concrete Houses

Edison's cast-in-place concrete houses were a failure, but way ahead of their time.

The oldest fire hydrant in New Orleans.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Oldest Fire Hydrant in New Orleans

This Birdsill Holly fire hydrant is the remnant of a very different type of hydration innovation.

An articulated view of a Discopter in flight, floating through the night sky above the San Francisco Bay.

The Long, Strange History of People Filing Flying Saucer Patents

From the "Discopter" of Alexander Weygers to a soaring car.

Ernie Smith October 27, 2017

The bell-house.

Hajdúszoboszló, Hungary

Harangház Bell House

A beautiful display of nearly 50 bells crafted with a unique design and distinct sound.

Inside the old model museum

Washington, D.C.

The Old Patent Model Museum

During the Industrial Revolution this “Temple of Invention” was full of intricate miniature machines and gadgets.

Why Making a Better Umbrella Is Way Harder Than It Seems

Their design hasn't changed in a very long time.

Ernie Smith September 27, 2016

Found: The Wright Brothers' Lost 'Flying Machine' Patent

Misplaced for 36 years, the patent was in a cave in Missouri all along.

Sarah Laskow April 4, 2016

The Incredible World of Period Underwear Patents

Rose Eveleth January 7, 2016