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Engineering Innovations

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Title Description
(not pictured) Old Lock Pump House
, MD
The Old Lock Pump House, whose first element was built in 1837, preserves a feature of the old canal, which relied on locks and pumps to move vessels over the low divide of the …
"Old Red" Cotton Picker
Washington, DC
"The development of the cotton picker was the most important single factor which enabled the American cotton industry to stay alive," observed Dr. George S. Buck, Jr., director of…
19th Century Collection of Textile Machinery/Tools
Lowell, MA
Referred to as the "catalyst of the Industrial Revolution," textile manufacturing helped to transform the American economy from an agricultural to a manufacturing economy. It led…
A.B. Wood Screw Pump
New Orleans, LA
With a water table several feet below ground level, New Orleans faced a crisis after every heavy rainfall, not just through flooding but also through disease (yellow fever and…
A.O. Smith Automatic Frame Plant A.O. Smith Automatic Frame Plant
Milwaukee, WI,
In 1899, during the earliest days of the automobile revolution, A. O. Smith developed a new, lightweight steel car frame. Within a few short years, he was selling these frames to…
AAR Railroad-wheel Dynamometer AAR Railroad-wheel Dynamometer
Pueblo, CO
This inertia dynamometer is used to test railroad wheels under controlled conditions that can greatly exceed normal service. It is the first and only railroad dynamometer to test…
abacus II ABACUS II Integrated-Circuit Wire Bonder
Dallas, TX
The ABACUS II, designed and built by Texas Instruments, was the first practical automated production machine for the assembly of integrated circuits. Using heat and pressure, it…
Aberdeen Range, Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Range, Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen, MD
During the 1930's, research into advanced ballistic measurement techniques began at Aberdeen Proving Ground—the world's first large-scale, fully-instrumented ballistic range…
AC Electrification New York, New Haven & Hartford AC Electrification New York, New Haven & Hartford
Cos Cob, CT
This was a pioneering venture in mainline railroad electrification and was a proving ground for railroad electrification technology. It established single-phase alternating…
AC Electrification of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (DUPE: IEEE+ASME) AC Electrification of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (DUPE: IEEE+ASME)
Cos Cob, CT
This was a pioneering venture in mainline railroad electrification. It established single-phase alternating current as a technical and economical alternative to direct current.…
The Espada Aqueduct, running over the Piedras Creek Acequias of San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
This is one of the earliest uses of engineered water supply and irrigation systems in the United States. The first of eight original acequias was under construction in 1718 and…
Acetyl Chemicals from Coal Gasification
Kingsport, TN
Chemicals from the Coal Facility of Eastman Chemical Company was the first in the United States to use coal rather than petroleum as a raw material in the commercial production of…
Ackley Covered Bridge Ackley Covered Bridge
Dearborn, MI
Ackley Bridge is an excellent example of a multiple kingpost truss and a noteworthy early example of covered bridge preservation efforts in the United States. Built in 1832 by…
Acquedotto Traiano-Paolo Acquedotto Traiano-Paolo
Rome, RI
The roman emperor Trajan ordered a new aqueduct be built to bring fresh water to Italy's Trastevere region and parts of Rome. The water is collected from five springs that feed…
paints Acrylic Emulsion Technology
Philadelphia, PA
Developed by Rohm and Haas in the 1940s, water-based acrylic emulsion technology filled a need for easy-to-use household paints for a growing suburban population in the United…
Acueducto de Queretaro Acueducto de Queretaro
Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro
Queretaro's aqueduct, in Central Mexico, is one of the most eloquent symbols of colonial Mexico. As one of the early major hydraulic engineering projects in North America, it…
Acueducto de Segovia Acueducto de Segovia
Segovia, SEG
For 2,000 years, Aqueducto de Segovia has been conveying drinking water from the Frio River to Segovia, approximately 18 kilometers away. Built under the reign of Roman emperor…
Adams Hydroelectric Generating Plant
Niagara Falls, NY
When the Adams Plant went into operation on August 26, 1895, it represented a key victory for alternating-current systems over direct-current. The clear advantage of high voltage…
Advanced Engine Test Facility at Marshall Space Center
Huntsville, AL
The Advanced Engine Test Facility was built in 1964, three years after President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to world leadership in aeronautical science. Conceived…
Agricultural Aviation Agricultural Aviation
Jackson, MS
Agricultural Aviation Began In 1921 When C. R. Neillie Got A Military Plane To Dust Catalpa Trees Near Troy, OH. In 1922 B. R. Coad And C. E. Wollman Began Research At Tallulah,…

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