Giving Thanks to Inventors

This holiday, we’re thankful for inventors like Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist who invented dynamite and held more than 350 patents, and Stephanie Kwolek, the American chemist whose work led to the development of bulletproof vests. And of course, we appreciate inventor superheroes like Ellen Ochoa, a space pioneer, and Nikola Tesla.

We’re also grateful for the work of those who continue to champion transformative invention, like IV inventor-in-residence Lowell Wood, the record holder of U.S. patents, and our many Behind the Breakthrough participants who know full well that success is a product of both determination and failure. Take, for example, Dr. Michael Manion, the director of Keon Research, who has created more than 100 diverse inventions and continues to work on innovative ideas like “smart tattoos” for cattle and other animals.

Then there’s Sgt. Gary Walters, a veteran who created a prosthesis cooling mechanism that improves the lives of amputees. And we can’t forget about young inventors like Lindokuhle Mnikati, who developed an advanced electric washing line to help his neighbor dry clothes in South Africa.  

We could go on about the tremendous inventors who have changed our world. But instead we’ll be thinking of them as we slice our delicious turkey with an electric carving knife – an invention, for the record, by Jerome Murray, who also created the audible pressure cooker, a pump for open heart surgery, and much more. 

From all of us at IV, thank you to the many inventors around the globe working tirelessly to make our world a better place, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.