Frank Carlson Library

Shares the inspirational story of African-American inventor Garrett Morgan, whose incredible safety hood became a forerunner to the gas masks that saved thousands of soldiers during World War I. In 1911, 146 workers died in the shocking Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. Morgan decided to invent a safety hood for firefighters-- but people weren't interested in buying his safety hood when they discovered its inventor was black. When...

Mattie Knight loved to make things ranging from a foot warmer for her mother or toys for her older brothers. Or, when she was 12, a metal guard to prevent shuttles from shooting off looms and hurting workers. Later, Mattie invented a machine that could cut and glue the square-bottomed paper bags we still use today. Meet the woman known as "the Lady Edison."

"true, untold story of Jonas Hanway, the man who hated getting rained on so much that he fled London, traveled the world, and returned to popularize something totally shocking to 1750's London--the umbrella! Sometimes in London it drizzles. Sometimes it mizzles. Other times it pelts and showers and spits. And Jonas Hanway hates getting wet. How can he go about his day as a proper London gentleman when his shoes are soggy, his coat is always collecting...

"This picture book biography of Chester Greenwood explores the invention of the earmuffs and the patenting process"--

Capturing an engineer’s creative vision and mind for detail, this fully illustrated picture book biography sheds light on how the American inventor George Ferris defied gravity and seemingly impossible odds to invent the world’s most iconic amusement park attraction, the Ferris wheel. A fun, fact-filled text by Kathryn Gibbs Davis combines with Gilbert Ford’s dazzling full-color illustrations to transport readers to the 1893 World’s...