Photo EssayMr. Potato Head, the sewing machine and the bra: The inventions, and their Jewish inventors that you never knew about
In honor of National Inventors Month, we shine a spotlight on essential items invented by Jews
The lightbulb, often used as a symbol for a new idea, was invented by Thomas Edison. He was not Jewish. Photo by Cavan Images/iStock
Photo EssayMr. Potato Head, the sewing machine and the bra: The inventions, and their Jewish inventors that you never knew about
In honor of National Inventors Month, we shine a spotlight on essential items invented by Jews
DenBerg May 23, 2023
Contemporary life is filled with inventions. We change the channel on the television with a remote-control device, shop for groceries pushing a shopping cart, and play with Barbies as children. We wear hardy denim jeans to do yardwork and maybe pop an aspirin when our back gets sore from pulling weeds.
What’s less widely known is the astounding number of Jewish inventors, and their contributions to modern science, medicine, infrastructure and technology. All of the items mentioned above (TV remote control, shopping cart, Barbies, jeans and aspirin) were invented by Jews.
In honor of May being National Inventors Month, illustrator DenBerg set out to illuminate for the Forward some of the items and devices that we rely on that were invented by Jews. Whether it be a cardiac defibrillator or a USB flash drive, Jewish inventors have been leaving their mark on the world with dazzlingly useful and entertaining devices for decades, and more are sure to come.
To contact the author, email opinion@forward.com.
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