Inventors

This celebration of American innovation recognizes the creators of can't-live-without-them products like the electric lamp (invented by Thomas Edison), oral contraceptives (Carl Djerassi), television (Philo T. Farnsworth), and the Apple computer (Steve Wozniak).

The inductees include several inventors who adapted food sources. Horticulturist Luther Burbank is honored for a hybrid peach, and George Washington Carver gets a nod for his pioneering peanut products. Percy L. Spencer, the man who revolutionized food preparation, is honored for his time-saving device, the microwave oven. Gertrude Belle Elion, who developed a drug to fight leukemia, is among those acknowledged for life-saving medicines.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office cofounded the hall, which explains why a nominee has to hold a U.S. patent to be eligible. Additionally, his or her invention must have done something to further society. So how did Farnsworth make it in?

221 S. Broadway St., Akron, OH, Phone: 330/849-6872. Cost: Adults $7.50, children under 18 and seniors (65+) $6; families $25. Call for hours. www.invent.org