In the opening years of the 19th century, a handful of Connecticut inventors and entrepreneurs transformed the way clocks were made in the United States. Recognizing a vast potential market for ...

This vibraphone, used by Lionel Hampton, was made by Musser in Elkhardt, Indiana, around 1980. It is a three-octave, M75 Century model, with gold finished bars, gold lacquered resonators, and covered ...

In the late 1970s, Chrysler designed a small but spacious van that looked and handled like a station wagon. Introduced in late 1983, the Dodge Caravan was a major success. Strong sales helped Chrysler ...

On February 16, 1862, General Buckner surrendered Fort Donelson. The unconditional surrender created jubilation throughout the North and shock in Dixie. It was the North’s first major victory of the ...

The view master was first introduced at the New York World's Fair (1939-1940.) Made by Sawyer's Photo Services, the device showed stereoscopic three-dimensional pictures. Originally intended as an ...

This "alligator" wrench (so-called because of its shape, like an "alligator's mouth") was used to turn iron and steel pipes and rods which could not be turned with a regular wrench. A pipefitter often ...

In keeping with the "America first" economic policy of her husband, Benjamin Harrison, Caroline Harrison's gown for the 1889 inaugural ball at the Pension Building was an "all-American" creation. The ...

Almost 10,000 patent models reside in the Smithsonian’s collections. About 70 of them demonstrate marine inventions from the 1770s to the 1950s. These watery innovations offer a glimpse of the ways ...