Science and Technology in Ohio

Explores how Ohio-generated science and technology has shaped our world and where it might lead us in the future.

Collections in the Scrapbook

Letters, photographs, tools, equipment, and patents document science and technology. Two topics given particular emphasis are medicine and invention. Collections relate to physicians, nurses, medicines, surgical instruments, medical education, and health (both personal and public). Inventions reflected in the scrapbook include the telephone, arc light, and phonograph. Several collections pertain to science education. Ohio inventors Charles F. Brush and Thomas Alva Edison are particularly well documented. Aeronautical and space research and development in Dayton, and the accomplishments of Buckeye State natives John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, are also covered.

Notable items are family photographs of Thomas Edison, photographs of mass polio immunization in Youngstown in 1962, the space suit worn by Neil Armstrong while training for his 1969 moon landing, and the "Wow!" signal detected by the Big Ear radio telescope in Delaware, Ohio in 1977

Background

Ohio has long been at the forefront of scientific and technological progress. From early anthropological studies and surveying efforts in the 18th century to the early development of the automobile and the engine-powered airplane, Ohioans have made indispensable contributions to the fields of science and technology.

Transportation and Communications

Ohioans have made a prominent mark in the areas of transportation and communications. They made improvements in the shipping industry by creating technologies to increase the efficiency of freight transport. The inventions of Columbus native Granville T. Woods (1856-1910), known as the "Black Thomas Edison," were crucial to the nationwide development of electric railways

Born in Barnesville and educated at Oberlin, Elisha Gray (1835-1901) filed a patent for a telephonic device on February 14, 1876. Unfortunately, Alexander Graham Bell had also filed a patent just hours earlier for a similar device. Although Gray's patent claim for the telephone was denied after a long legal dispute, he went on to make many important innovations in telegraphic technology.

James W. Packard (1863-1928), born in Warren, Ohio, built the first Packard automobile in 1899. In many ways, the early automotive patents and designs of Alexander Winton were as significant as those of Henry Ford for the future development of the automobile. In addition, Frank A. Sieberling (1859-1955), founder of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, was responsible for many innovations in tire design and manufacture.