Happy 4th of July: Celebrating Innovation After the Tea Party

Americans love to invent.

In 1773, some innovative Americans decided to experiment with making tea in cold, salty water. Namely, the Atlantic Ocean.

The result was undrinkable.

Okay, so it wasn’t actually an attempt to innovate a new way of making tea. We did not discover a new way of making tea then — our Southern states had far more success later when they added ice and sweetener to create iced sweet tea.

Revolutionary acts aside, we can say that Americans like to invent things.

A little over a century after our ocean tea party, an inventor named Thomas Edison had a light bulb moment…and invented the light bulb. He could have called someone to tell them about his success, due to the invention of the telephone a mere three years before by Alexander Graham Bell.

Beyond the lightbulb, we have another reason to be grateful to Mr. Edison. Having invented the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell decided that the greeting should be “Ahoy.” Mr. Edison — his rival — preferred “Hello” for telephone greetings. While it might seem more fair that Mr. Bell should choose the greeting, people adopted Hello instead.

Almost three decades would pass before two brothers named Orville and Wilbur Wright visited a place called Kitty Hawk and their airplane took flight. Getting this invention to the masses would be made easier when an innovative thinker came up with the idea of the assembly line a decade later. Henry Ford’s revolutionary concept enabled cars to become more affordable and accessible — and transformed manufacturing.

After two world wars, the transistor appeared on the scene. The transistor laid the foundation for modern electronics. Computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices all could be developed after this invention by William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain.

A little over a decade later, the internet was developed during the 1960s and 1970s. The 1970s also brought the invention of the personal computer and GPS.

In 1990, the World Wide Web connected us, and in 2007, the first smartphone was introduced.

People all around the world have invented wonderful things. However, on this 4th of July, let’s celebrate the innovative history of the United States.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

And if you need the right technology partner to bring your innovative idea to life, schedule a free assessment.