Introduction Every day each of us uses something that once existed only in the imagination of an inventor You can flip a switch and a light comes on thanks to Thomas Edison You can ride to soccer practice in a car thanks to a number of engineers especially Karl Benz You can cover great distances quickly in an airplane thanks to Orville and Wilbur Wright never giving up on their dream of flying And you can walk down the street while talking on a cell phone thanks to little-known inventor Marty Cooper Thomas Edison 1847 1931 OrvilleWright 1871 1948 4
Have you ever wondered who was behind famous inventions such as the car and airplane Are you curious about how inventions are created and then sold to people like you and your friends Are you interested in becoming an inventor STEAM Fast Fact The invention of the automobile changed the world Though the creation of the combustion engine involved many people German Karl Benz built an automobile in 1886 that led to modern cars including the one that bears his name the Mercedes-Benz WilburWright 1867 1912 Karl Benz 1844 1929 5
Invention Depends on STEAM All inventions from rockets that launch into space to a new kind of cell phone case involve STEAM That’s shorthand for science technology engineering art and math 6
For example engineering and a scientific understanding of aerodynamics the study of how objects move through the air allowed Orville and Wilbur Wright to get the first plane to fly A better toothpaste requires the work of chemists who study the composition of matter Creating new clothing designs requires a blend of art and technology skills STEAM Fast Fact The first successful flight of Orville and Wilbur Wright’s plane the Wright Flyer happened Dec 17 1903 near Kitty Hawk North Carolina Others had built planes but the brothers were the first to make a controlled powered heavier-than-air flight 7
