Allison Marsh

9 min read Allison Marsh, a professor at the University of South Carolina, is currently a Fellow at the Linda Hall Library for Science, Technology, and Engineering. By holding a small charge to one end of the gold leaf, the reader could watch the electricity’s path—in this case, through the body of a poor sailor [right]. Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology In the mid-18th century, Benjamin Franklin helped elucidate the nature of

8 min read Allison Marsh, a professor at the University of South Carolina, is currently a Fellow at the Linda Hall Library for Science, Technology, and Engineering. The Stanford Racing Team’s Stanley won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. The race helped jump-start interest in self-driving cars. Division of Work and Industry/National Museum of American History/Smithsonian Institution The 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge was a spectacular failure. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency had offered a US $1

7 min read Allison Marsh, a professor at the University of South Carolina, is currently a Fellow at the Linda Hall Library for Science, Technology, and Engineering. Chuck E. Cheese is preparing to retire the animatronics from nearly all of its 600 or so locations by the end of 2024. Nick Mitchell/American Treasure Tour Museum When I was eight years old, I won a coloring contest that earned me a free birthday party at my

6 min read Allison Marsh, a professor at the University of South Carolina, is currently a Fellow at the Linda Hall Library for Science, Technology, and Engineering. Max-o-matic At 8:30 p.m. on 16 May 1916, John J. Carty banged his gavel at the Engineering Societies Building in New York City to call to order a meeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. This was no ordinary gathering. The AIEE had decided to conduct a

7 min read Allison Marsh, a professor at the University of South Carolina, is currently a Fellow at the Linda Hall Library for Science, Technology, and Engineering. Toshiba’s ER-4, introduced in 1955, was the world’s first automatic rice cooker. Toshiba Science Museum “Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.” These directions seem simple enough, and yet I have messed up many, many pots of rice over the years. My sympathies

7 min read Allison Marsh is a professor at the University of South Carolina and codirector of the university’s Ann Johnson Institute for Science, Technology & Society. The Regency TR-1 transistor radio ignited a passion for portable gadgets that continues to this day. Division of Work and Industry/National Museum of American History/Smithsonian Institution Imagine if your boss called a meeting in May to announce that he’s committing 10 percent of the company’s revenue to the

8 min read Allison Marsh is a professor at the University of South Carolina and codirector of the university’s Ann Johnson Institute for Science, Technology & Society. In the receiver for Baird’s televisor, electrical signals modulated the brightness of the neon tube [left], which was captured by the spinning Nipkow disk [back] to re-create an image. Science Museum Group Scottish inventor John Logie Baird had a lot of ingenious ideas, not all of which caught

9 min read Allison Marsh is a professor at the University of South Carolina and codirector of the university’s Ann Johnson Institute for Science, Technology & Society. AD-X2 was a battery additive that purportedly improved the durability of lead-acid batteries. National Institute of Standards and Technology Digital Collections Senate hearings, a post office ban, the resignation of the director of the National Bureau of Standards, and his reinstatement after more than 400 scientists threatened to

8 min read Allison Marsh is a professor at the University of South Carolina and codirector of the university’s Ann Johnson Institute for Science, Technology & Society. The Cyberdesk was a futuristic wearable computer that looked beyond the beige and boxy design of traditional computers. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art In 1993, well before Google Glass debuted, the artist Lisa Krohn designed a prototype wearable computer that looked like no other. The Cyberdesk was

6 min read William Thomson’s ingenious tide-predicting machine could plot a year’s worth of tides in just four hours. Science Museum Group In 1870, William Thomson, mourning the death of his wife and flush with cash from various patents related to the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable, decided to buy a yacht. His schooner, the Lalla Rookh, became Thomson’s summer home and his base for hosting scientific parties. It also gave him firsthand