1

1776

Image: Bureau of Engraving and Printing., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During the American Revolution, the Grand Union Flag, also called the Continental Colors, was created to represent the colonies. It featured 13 alternating red and white stripes (symbolizing the original colonies), but instead of stars in the upper left corner like we see today, it displayed the Union Jack.

2

1777

Image: Bureau of Engraving and Printing., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1777, following the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress adopted the first official flag of the United States. It featured 13 alternating red and white stripes, which still honor the original colonies today. Replacing the Union Jack, it introduced a new element that would be key for the rest of its history: 13 white stars set in a blue field, or canton, arranged in a circle to symbolize equality and unity among the states.

3

1795

Image: Nyttend, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It wasn’t until 1795 that the flag changed again, when two more stars and two additional stripes were added to represent the recently admitted states of Vermont (1791) and Kentucky (1792). This version was the only US flag to feature more than 13 stripes and later became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner", since it was the very flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would later be the lyrics of the national anthem.

4

1818

Image: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1818, the flag’s design changed once again. The 15 stripes were reduced back to 13 to permanently honor the original colonies. Five new states had joined the Union, bringing the total number of stars to 20. These stars were sometimes arranged in straight rows and other times in the shape of a large star, which earned this version the nickname "The Great Star Flag."

5

1912

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Each new state joining the Union meant one more star on the flag. In 1912, when New Mexico and Arizona were added, the number of states reached 48, so their stars also took their place. That year, President Taft issued an executive order setting the official proportions of the flag and specifying that the stars should be arranged in six horizontal rows of eight.

6

1960

Image: chris robert

The most recent design change came in 1960. After Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union in 1959, two more stars were added, bringing the total to 50. They were arranged in nine alternating rows of six and five stars, like the official flags you see displayed across the country today.

7

Flag time

Image: Jon Sailer

Beyond its official design, the US flag follows a set of protocols established over the years. One key rule specifies the time to display it: generally, the flag should be flown from sunrise to sunset. If displayed at night, it must be properly illuminated.

8

Weather conditions

Image: Anandu Vinod

The flag code doesn’t just set the time of day; it also indicates the proper weather conditions for display. According to the protocol, the flag should not be flown in bad weather, such as rain, snow, or storms, unless it’s an all-weather flag designed for such conditions.

9

Position

Image: Roger Starnes Sr

Of course, the flag must always have the blue canton in the upper left corner. But there are more rules for its position. When flown with other symbols, such as state flags, the national flag must be in the center and slightly higher. Additionally, if it needs to be lowered from the flagpole, the flag must never touch the ground.

10

Don'ts

Image: Alex Martinez

If you need to handle the flag, it’s important to know the proper way. But it's also crucial to know what not to do. Some of the key "don'ts" include never letting it touch the ground, avoiding creasing it, not writing or drawing on it, and one that might surprise many: don’t use it as clothing or decoration.

1

The frisbee

Image: Robin Jonathan Deutsch

The best things are often created by accident, and you never know when that accident will strike. For example, did you know the Frisbee was born from a humble cake pan?

In 1938, Fred Morrison and his girlfriend were tossing a pan around on a beach in Connecticut when a passerby offered to buy it. That moment sparked an idea that stayed with Morrison through his service in World War II, where he learned about aerodynamics and began to dream of creating the perfect flying disk. After several failed attempts, he finally hit on a design in the 1950s, calling it the "Pluto-Platter."

Enter Wham-O, a company known for quirky toys like the Hula-Hoop. They bought the rights in 1957, gave it the now-iconic name "Frisbee" (inspired by Yale students tossing pie tins from the Frisbie Pie Company), and refined the design. The Frisbee took off—quite literally—spinning its way into parks, beaches, and backyards across America.

2

The slinky

Image: Adam Valstar

The slinky was also the result of accidental creativity in 1943 when Richard James, a naval engineer, knocked a spring off a shelf and noticed it "walked" in a curious way. Intrigued, he refined the design, and with his wife Betty’s help, they turned it into a toy sensation. Although the name was purely her idea!

In 1945, a demo at Gimbels Department Store sold 400 units in 90 minutes, and the Slinky quickly became a household name.

Without going into too much detail, Richard later took a wrong turn, and it was Betty who stepped in as CEO, saving the company from financial ruin. She even commissioned the iconic Slinky jingle! Under her leadership, the Slinky sold 300 million units before she finally sold the company in 1998. Talk about female power, huh?

3

The Ferris wheel

Image: Steve Shreve

Did you know the Ferris wheel was named after a person? That person was George Ferris who, in 1893, introduced the Ferris wheel at the Chicago Columbian Exposition.

Ferris, a young engineer, proposed the idea of a massive steel wheel that would rival the Eiffel Tower both in size and symbolism. He certainly set quite the challenge for himself!

Though initially rejected, Ferris funded his own research to prove the design’s safety, and his persistence paid off. The Ferris wheel became the star attraction—naturally since it stood 250 feet tall and offered visitors a thrilling 20-minute ride for fifty cents.

Sadly, Ferris’s success was short-lived. After the fair, he faced legal battles and financial ruin, and so the original wheel had one last appearance at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 before being destroyed.

4

Gatorade

Image: Jacob Rice

Sports legends become such because they strive to get better. And because they had a good coach who had their back. An example of a coach who went above and beyond was that of Florida’s football team.

In 1965, the Florida Gators’ football coach asked a group of professors if there was a way to help players reload fluids lost during games. Led by Dr. Robert Cade, the team created a mix of water, sodium, sugar, and lemon juice, later called "Gatorade," you can imagine why.

Of course, the first few versions tasted awful, but after some adjustments, the drink became more palatable. The Gators credited their improved performance, including their 1967 Orange Bowl win, to this new beverage.

No gatekeeping on the teams’ side, word spread, and by 1970, Gatorade was under the national spotlight when the Kansas City Chiefs used it in their Super Bowl victory.

5

The super ball

Image: Shubham Dhage

Some toys became popular after being discovered to be useless for anything else! That was the case with the Super Ball.

In 1964, chemist Norman Stingley invented a unique synthetic rubber but couldn't find an industrial use for it. However, he quickly found a solution: he turned to Wham-O, the toy company behind the Hula-Hoop and they released the Super Ball in 1966. The ball, made from the secret ingredient "Zectron," could bounce to incredible heights.

Aside from the fun, we have something else to thank the Super Ball for—it inspired the name of one of the biggest events in sports today. Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, saw his daughter play with the toy and jokingly suggested to NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle that the first championship game between the NFL and AFL should be called the "Super Bowl." The rest is history!

6

Fritos

Image: Roberto Carlos Román Don

Few things are as American as snacks, don’t you think? Let’s take a look at how Fritos came to be!

In 1932, Charles E. Doolin, a San Antonio confectioner, was looking for a new product when he bought a fried corn recipe from a man named Gustavo Olguin for $100.

After tweaking the recipe, Doolin created bite-sized corn chips called Fritos, which quickly became a hit. By 1933, Fritos were being mass-produced, and Doolin pioneered new marketing strategies, like direct stocking and placing clip-racks near cash registers—making his product even more accessible. (We all fall for that one, don’t deny it!)

But that’s not all. Doolin’s business success led him to invest in Disneyland, where his "Casa de Fritos" restaurant accidentally gave birth to Doritos.

7

Crossword puzzle

Image: Ross Sneddon

It feels like the crossword puzzle has been around forever, but it wasn’t actually invented until 1913. Arthur Wynne, working for the New York World newspaper, was asked to create a challenging puzzle for the "Fun" section. The concept of fun is indeed a time-sensitive concept!

The inspiration came from a childhood word game: he designed a puzzle with clues instead of words and the first crossword was published on December 21, 1913. Want to hear a fun fact? One of the clues was "What this puzzle is." The answer? "Hard."

And this invention is full of interesting tidbits. For instance, the name "Cross-word" was the result of a typing mistake—but it stuck! And, over a hundred years later, here we are!

8

Alka-Seltzer

Image: Daniel Gregoire

Alka-Seltzer was born in 1928 when Hub Beardsley, president of the Dr. Miles Medical Company, noticed a local newspaper staff staying healthy during a flu epidemic. The editor told him their secret: aspirin with baking soda dissolved in water. Inspired by this, Beardsley asked his chief chemist, Maurice Treneer, to create a remedy based on the idea, leading to a compound of aspirin, bicarbonate of soda, and Vitamin C. When Beardsley tested it on flu sufferers, the results were promising—and Alka-Seltzer was born.

You can imagine what happened next, a strong advertising campaign in the 1930s, turned Alka-Seltzer into the go-to remedy for everything from colds to hangovers. The company rebranded as Miles Laboratories in 1935 and was later acquired by Bayer in 1979. Even today, Alka-Seltzer remains a staple of American medicine cabinets.

9

Zamboni

Image: Aleksi Partanen

One would think that a machine like the Zamboni, which is used to make ice smooth was created in a place like Alaska, right? Or at least a place where snow is present almost all year round. Surprisingly, it wasn’t—the Zamboni was invented in sunny Paramount, California.

Frank Zamboni, a man who came from the ice and refrigeration business, built the machine to save time at his Skateland Skating Rink. Before the Zamboni, resurfacing the ice was a 90-minute task done manually by five workers. Can you imagine how tedious that must have been?

Using parts from an airplane, oil derrick, Jeep, and wooden bin, Zamboni created a machine that could clean and smooth the ice in only a few minutes. Realizing its potential, Zamboni turned his invention into a business, with the first orders coming from Olympic skater Sonja Henie and the Chicago Black Hawks.

10

Baseball scoreboard

Image: Taiki Ishikawa

It goes without saying that baseball is one of Americans’ favorite pastimes. Everything about it is fun; it’s not just the game.

In the late 1800s, English immigrant Harry M. Stevens saw that and made the most of it. After moving to Ohio, Stevens started a business providing food and drinks at baseball games and eventually secured contracts with major league ballparks. While he’s often credited with popularizing the hot dog, his real innovation was the creation of the modern baseball scorecard. Using Henry Chadwick's shorthand scoring system, Stevens designed a simple grid fans could use to track the game. Does the phrase "You can't tell the players without a scorecard" ring any bells?

Stevens’s scorecard caught on, and fans began scoring games themselves. Today, his scorecard system is still in use, and we all love it!

1

The light bulb

Image: Zach Lucero

Delivering electricity to the masses was one of the greatest technological advances in human history. The mid-1800s saw great competition in this area, as inventors around the world raced to invent their own electric light. The first filament bulb was developed by British inventor Warren de la Rue in 1840, but his use of a platinum filament made it expensive and impractical.

A few years later, Joseph Swan in the UK and Thomas Edison in the US each independently invented bulbs using cheaper elements. However, Edison received a patent on his bulb in early 1880, slightly before Swan. The light bulb, an invention that quickly reached every home, revolutionized life around the world, led to the development of the electrical grid, and set the stage for our modern electricity-dependent society.

2

The telephone

Image: viarami

In this modern era of emails and text messages, it can be hard to appreciate that the telephone was once revolutionary. The telegraph, the phone’s predecessor, only transmitted brief written messages. The telephone, however, allowed people to speak with one another in real time over long distances.

Inventor, scientist, and engineer Alexander Graham Bell invented the electric telephone in 1876. Although Bell was Scottish-born and also lived in Canada, he patented his invention in the US . The telephone was a game-changing technology that improved business efficiency, enabled instant global connections, and allowed emergencies to be reported as they occurred. It effectively made the world more connected and faster-paced.

3

The fire escape

Image: Lewis J Goetz

When we think of US inventions, the first things that come to mind are usually the light bulb or the telephone. But did you know that the modern fire escape was also a US innovation? Designed in 1887, this simple yet life-saving invention changed building safety forever.

In the late 1800s, fires were devastating cities across America. One woman, Anna Connelly, saw this horror up close and decided to do something about it. She designed an external iron staircase system, and in 1887, she patented it. At a time when women couldn’t even vote, Anna’s invention became a safety standard in most major cities, saving thousands of lives. Today her name is barely known, but next time you see a fire escape, remember the woman who made them possible.

4

The cash register

Image: Di Du

The first mechanical cash register for calculating and recording sales transactions was invented by saloonkeeper James Ritty following the American Civil War. He was looking for a way to stop cashiers from stealing, and finally patented his novel invention in 1879.

When a transaction was completed, Ritty's Incorruptible Cashier made a bell sound, and the amount was displayed on a large dial on the front of the machine. During each sale, a paper tape was hole-punched so the vendor could keep track of sales. Pretty ingenious, don’t you think?

5

Interchangeable parts

Image: gayulo

Standardized interchangeable parts for machines are now a staple of modern manufacturing, but it’s not a new idea. There’s evidence that thousands of years ago, ancient Carthage used them to build warships, and ancient China applied the idea to crossbows. Many centuries later, French experimentation with interchangeable musket parts inspired Thomas Jefferson.

In 1798, President George Washington and his Congress finally agreed to Jefferson’s idea of implementing the technology in America. They awarded a contract to Eli Whitney—the inventor of the cotton gin—to supply the government with 20,000 muskets. Whitney recognized the potential of developing firearms with identical parts and mechanisms. His advancements in interchangeable parts laid the foundation for modern manufacturing, enabling improved quality control, reduced costs, and faster production of goods.

6

The assembly line

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

For most of human history, manufactured goods were custom-made. Every model of a machine, piece of clothing, or tool was unique. The development of interchangeable parts was a huge advancement, but automobile manufacturer Ransom Olds took it a step further with the assembly line in 1901. By standardizing and automating many aspects of manufacturing, uniform goods could be created faster and at lower costs.

Olds’ vehicle, the Oldsmobile Curved Dash, became the first mass-produced car . His method was later adopted and perfected by Henry Ford, whose moving assembly line for the Model T in 1913 revolutionized manufacturing. Today, the assembly line combines human labor and automation to produce nearly every mass-market product on Earth. Many experts agree it was one of the most significant technological developments of the 20th century.

7

The airplane

Image: Wright Brothers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

People have always observed birds and insects and dreamed of flying. The Greeks told the story of Icarus and Daedalus, who crafted wings of wax and feathers; Leonardo da Vinci sketched and theorized flying machines, but it wasn’t until 1903 that the airplane became a reality in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Wilbur and Orville Wright experimented with aeronautics for several years before achieving their successful first flight. A few years later, airplanes were first used in warfare. Within seven decades, their technology evolved and took us to the Moon. Today, the airplane is an indispensable technology that allows us to transport goods and people around the world in no time.

8

GPS

Image: Stanislav Kondratiev

It’s hard to imagine life without GPS—but do you know how it began? When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, American physicists realized they could track the satellite’s radio transmissions using the Doppler effect.

Soon after, the U.S. military began testing and launching the Navstar Global Positioning System satellites. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan approved GPS for civilian use, and by the start of the 21st century, GPS devices were widely available in vehicles and mobile phones . Today, GPS is an essential technology for business, travel, and military operations.

9

Personal computers

Image: Unidentified U.S. Army photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The first electronic general-purpose computer, ENIAC, was built in 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania. It occupied 1,800 square feet of floor space and weighed 30 tons. At the time, imagining a consumer-grade computer small enough to fit in every home would have seemed impossible. Yet, just one generation later, the impossible became reality.

Over the years, computers became smaller, cheaper, and more powerful than the ENIAC’s creators could have imagined. In 1971, John Blankenbaker developed the first PC, the Kenbak-1. Fifty years later, it is clear that personal computing has fundamentally shaped the modern world.

10

The internet

Image: Lorenzo Herrera

Revolutionary technologies such as the wheel, the internal combustion engine, the telephone, and the airplane have forever changed the way we travel and communicate. The internet is no exception; it gives people access to the entirety of human existence with just a few clicks.

In 1969, computer scientists at the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) created the first network connecting labs at UCLA and Stanford. Over time, their network expanded, connecting anyone with a device. Since then, the internet has revolutionized the way human beings access resources and share information.

11

E-mail

Image: Brett Jordan

After the personal computer and the Internet, we only needed to invent a modern method of sending messages and letters to each other. The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, known as ARPANET, sent the first email in 1971. Within five years, the majority of exchanges within the ARPANET community were via email.

With the introduction of attachments in the early 1990s, electronic mail became the fastest and easiest way to send information from point to point. By the start of the 21st century, email enabled people around the world to communicate quickly and inexpensively, and the technology quickly became one of the primary tools for global communications.

12

Magnetic resonance imaging

Image: MART PRODUCTION

The impact of the MRI machine on medicine is invaluable. The principles behind nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have been known since at least the end of World War II. Yet, two researchers in the late 1960s and early 1970s recognized the potential of this technology to revolutionize medicine forever.

American chemist Paul Lauterbur and physician Raymond Damadian separately experimented with NMR in scanning for cancer cells. After publishing the promising results of their experiments, a patent was filed. By 1977, the first full-body scanner was developed. Since then, millions of lives have been saved by the MRI machine. For his contributions, Lauterbur was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2003.