The inventors and inventions are handily indexed and if you feel someone's been missed out, there is an opportunity to submit a nomination. If you wanted to know who invented the carbon microphone transmitter or what George Eastman invented then this site is for you. A good one for setting those quiz questions. The web is essential cruising for budding inventors with all sorts of places to check out the viability of your concept or design. Now, IBM has provided a place to search all the US patents issued since 1971 for free.
Illustrations going back ten years or so are also available.
It covers how to get a government grant or private start-up capital, and how to search patents, legal resources, discussion groups and books and web sites for inventors and entrepreneurs. It also includes information about Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the world's best-known inventors. You can also read about the national survey on American perceptions of inventions which concluded that while the car was the clear first choice for most important invention, the humble light bulb was number 2 and PCs are about as important as hair dryers. The American Government is one of the best in the world at the moment in providing its information electronically. By contrast, there are no plans to put British patents onto the Internet within the next year.