His earliest inventions at ALZA comprised a progesterone-releasing contraceptive and a thin film for treating glaucoma. Fortunately, the more I search, the more stories I unearth of Hispanicengineers, scientists, and other specialists developing inventions and innovations in fields ranging from aerospace and information technology to chemical engineering and medical devices. 10. I am slowly compiling a database thathopefully will provide the basis for more in-depth research on Hispanic inventors and innovators for publications, programs, and exhibitions at the Smithsonian and beyond. It is also thought that he invented the pencil and pen clips that allow them to attach to shirt pockets. from Santa Clara University, School of Law. His invention became famous in its day when opera singer Jenny Lind, who had had vocal damage from overuse in her early 20s, gave him credit for rescuing her career, thanks in part to Garca's groundbreaking device. According to the World Health Organization, over 5 percent of the population worldwide suffers from hearing trouble and this invention has the potential to revolutionize the way we communicate. Ellen grew up in the Golden State and attended San Diego State University for a degree in Physics. Peral was becoming impatient and felt he was losing control of his invention. In the 1970s, Zaffaroni was granted patents for transdermal systemic medication delivery. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Lets start with inventor Victor LeatonOchoa, who was a fascinating character to say the least. After having her invention stolen by a man who claimed that there was no way a woman could have invented such a . Well, Zaffaroni helped create multiple biotechnology companies that are responsible for many brilliant medical breakthroughs. Rounding out our list of famous Hispanic inventors is Argentinian-born Dr. Domingo Liotta, a man regarded as a pioneer in the medical community. A decade later, other submarine designs struggled to match its performance, and the Spanish Navy eventually retired the project. Courtesy of NASA, A few stories of often overlooked inventors and innovators in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. This version was a vast improvement on simply crushing the potatoes on your own as it produced a smoother and more buttery soft potato. Victor Ochoa with his folding wing plane (wings folded), circa 1933. Ochoa also developed the adjustable wrench and the Ochoaplane (an aircraft with foldable wings). As impressive as this was, the submarine's absence of a double hull and a diesel engine only limited its use to coastal actions. It was a man by the name of Philip B. Later, in a test with naval officials, it simulated an attack on a cruiser at night without being spotted and safely returned to port. The system's upgraded version, reCAPTCHA, is now used by almost all web servers. America's white-male-centered imaginings of inventorship and patenting extend beyond the nation's borders, in . However, the norethindrone version developed by Miramontes' team was approved shortly after and has since become an industry standard. Learn about our current legislative initiatives. Jose Hernandez-Rebollar invented the Acceleglove, a glove that can translate sign language into speech. President Ronald Reagan expanded it in 1988 to a 30-day period beginning on September 15 and concluding on October 15. The following list is composed of items, techniques and processes that were invented by or discovered by people from Spain.. Spain was an important center of knowledge during the medieval era.While most of western and southern Europe suffered from the collapse of the Roman Empire, although declining, some regions of the former empire, Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula), southern Italy, and the . Born in Colombia, Miguel Forero was granted U.S. Patent 5,336,562 for "Polyolefin Yarns with Good Performance for Rugs and Carpets and Method of Producing the Same" and U.S. Patent 5,556,684 "Manufacturing Process for Synthetic Fiber Carpets Fixed by Fusion at Regular Intervals with Crests or Tufts, without Using Glues or Using Small Amounts of Glues, where Threads Do not Loosen and thus Obtaining the Carpets.". Can you describe the problem? With an undergraduate degree in physics and a master's and doctorate in electrical engineering, she served as a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA's Ames Research Center and is the co-inventor of three optics-related US Patents (4,674,824 . His field is electrical engineering, and the sensor-studded glove was his doctoral engineering project. Puebla, Mexico. He participated in the Apollo Project with NASA and taught at numerous institutions, including MIT, the University of Chicago, and the University of Stockholm. Walker (1867-1919) Madam C.J. Norton is a master of figuring out a new purpose for each discarded part. Downing who invented a public mailbox design that featured both an outer and inner safety door, ensuring that when a letter or package went in, it would be safe until it was picked up by the mailman. Dr. Ellen Ochoa, a veteran astronaut shown here on the flight deck of the space shuttle Atlantis on April 15, 2002, is currently the 11th director of NASAs Johnson Space Center. From 1958 to 1965, Arias Surez was the director of Chile's Instituto de Investigacin y Ensayos de Materiales (IDIEM, or Materials Research and Testing Institute). At the young age of 23, Mexican engineer Guillermo Gonzlez Camarena patented a system that would allow television to be viewed in color, instead of in black and white. The most recent biotech business formed by Zaffaroni is Alexza Pharmaceuticals. However, we'll use the official U.S. Census definition for this compilation of inventors, with no distinction made between U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens. (Originally published by VOXXI as "5 influential inventions by Latinos") Hispanic Heritage Month is coming to an end, and here at VOXXI we wanted to salute the great Latino inventors. First observed as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, the commemoration has expanded to a month-long event honoring the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. These inventions have changed the world in the last decade. the most famous invention from your state. Manny Villafaa at St. Jude Medical headquarters, June 27, 2013. X-Ray microscope. The result was the creation of the term "Hispanic", first introduced in the US Census in 1970. Richwine's dissertation parts from a fallacy. His early work with controlled drug delivery techniques, particularly his early thoughts on transdermal patches, sparked an increase in a study into innovative drug delivery systems. Her inventions now help NASA process information collected on missions. A laundry operation circa 1925 . Born in Los Angeles, California in 1958, Ellen Ochoa is probably the best known example of a successful Hispanic inventor and innovator. It became law on August 17, 1988, after Public Law 100-402 was approved. Spanish singer and voice teacher Manuel Garca invented the laryngoscope in 1854. Though annoying at times, reCAPTCHA helps computers differentiate between robots and human beings, keeping internet users safe from malware and spam. USPTO - United States Patent and Trademark Office, Hispanic Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program event series, Madrid Protocol & international protection, Checking application status & viewing documents, Checking registration status & viewing documents, Enforcing your trademark rights/trademark litigation, International intergovernmental organizations, Transferring ownership / Assignments help, Office of the Chief Communications Officer. The electric brake. Argentinian surgeon Domingo Liotta developed the artificial heart in the late 1950s. By successfully isolating stem cells, Tsukamoto's team opened up a whole realm of possibilities for future medical advancements and cures. First African-American female physician to receive a patent for a medical invention; inventions relate to cataract surgery and include the Laserphaco Probe, which revolutionized the industry in the 1980s, and an ultrasound technique for treatment. Madame C.J. ", Born in the Dominican Republic, Hoyma J. Mazara was granted U.S. Patent 7,798,868 for "Electrical Switching Apparatus and Terminal Connector Assembly thereof" and U.S. Patent 7,695,313 for "Electrical Enclosure, and Panel Assembly and Mounting Assembly therefor.". A later version, shown here, had a framework of steel tubing with wings that he wanted to construct so they could fold back and over the plane so it could be stored in a barn or garage. Additionally, on September 16 and September 18, respectively, Mexico and Chile commemorate their respective independence days. Her mechanical book was created decades before Michael Hart's Project Gutenberg and is often referred to as the true inventor of the modern e-book. While serving as Secretary of Health, he traveled to China and Israel, where he signed agreements with President Ephraim Katzir and Premier Chou En-lai. She also added co-inventor to her resume when she helped develop three patents in the field of optics. Arias later taught seismic engineering at MIT while serving as a visiting professor in 1969. Before Ochoa was born, her family, originally from Mexico, relocated to California, where she was born and raised. He is best known as the creator of an electrical glove called the "AcceleGlove," which converts American Sign Language hand gestures into spoken and written words. Born in Hungary and then later he migrated to Argentina, Jozsef Bir Laszlo was granted U.S. Patent 2,258,841 October 14, 1941 for a "Fountain Pen" - the father of the modern ballpoint pen. According to the Smithsonian, Victor Ochoa had a reward of $50,000 offered for his delivery dead or alive to Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico. The network that would later become Univision released this series of ads calling on "Hispanics" to fill out the 1980 Census. National Association of Hispanic Nurses. This includes people who reported detailed Hispanic or Latino groups.". Frank S. Greene, an electrical engineer, inventor, teacher, and advocate, was a Silicon Valley powerhouse. In 1969, Liotta developed the first total artificial heart to . Venezuelan Baruj Benacerraf won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Jean Dausset and George D. Snell "for their discoveries concerning genetically determined structures on the cell surface that regulate immunological reactions. And there are two Argentinian Nobelists in Physiology or Medicine: Bernardo Houssay, co-winner with Carl and Gerty Corti in 1947 "for his discovery of the part played by the hormone of the anterior pituitary lobe in the metabolism of sugar," andCsar Milstein,who shared his award in 1984 with Niels K. Jerne and Georges J.F. Attacking Asian innovation. Born in Puerto Rico, Oscar Marty was granted U.S. Patent 7,185,467 for a "Modular system of forms for casting reinforced concrete buildings on site. Search recorded assignment and record ownership changes, Offering opportunities for independent inventors, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and intellectual property (IP) professionals to learn about resources available to the. Bellis, Mary. Their technological inventions have paved the way in the fields of physics, the medical sciences, and music, among others. His invention was used in NASA's Voyager mission in 1979 to take pictures and video of Jupiter. And one group of Latinos who are deserving of recognition is made up of scientists and inventors whose . She created the mechanical encyclopedia to reduce the weight of the books that her students had to carry, make studying more appealing, and customize the learning materials to meet the needs of each individual student. The erectile dysfunction drug, Viagra, on the other hand, was an accidental discovery. These Hispanic inventors, many of which toiled in obscurity have incredible stories that are worth sharing. The word kayak means "hunter's boat", as they were originally built for hunting and used to drag animals . He made a number of inventions related to high speed trains. Two male inventorsCharles Gabriel Pravaz of Scotland and Alexander Wood of Franceindependently created the first fine-needle syringes usable on humans in the early 1850s. These are some of their most notable names and contributions. She also contributed to creating three patents in the field of optics. Csar Milstein (1927-2002): A Pioneer in the Field of Monoclonal Antibodies #8. 27. More than two decades ago, and only three years after her first space flight, Ochoa spoke about her life and inventive career with middle-school students at a 1996 Innovative Lives program at the Lemelson Center. Rea Ann Silva was raised in Los Angeles, California, and studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Philanthropist and entrepreneur Madam C.J. Peruvian engineer Claudio Castilln Lvano created a portable respirator and incubator for premature babies. Airplane. In 1881 he received a patent for inventing a method of producing carbon . We are not responsible or liable for the availability of links to websites or resources, or for any content, advertising, products, services, or other materials on or available through these websites or resources, or for your reliance thereon. Walker pioneered the use of female sales agents, who . Uruguayan-born Zaffaroni moved to the United States to pursue his doctoral degree at the University of Rochester. Have a comment about the web page you were viewing? The 15th of September is noteworthy because it marks the anniversaries of the independence of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Guatemala. Other inventions he patented in the USincluded: a reversible motor (USPatent718,508), a pen for fountain pens (US Patent825,153), rail magnetic brakes (US Patents867,147 and 873,587), a windmill (US Patent1,319,174), and wrenches (US Patents1,417,196 and 1,454,333). Ochoa was a revolutionist who sought to overthrow the rule of Mexicos chief executive in the early nineties. Guerilla warfare was first documented during the Napoleonic invasion of Spain in the 19the Century. Allegedly, the idea of the naturally occurring flow system in a waterfall led him to take his diamond scalpel invention and combine it with an ultramicrotome to significantly improve the ultra-thin sectioning of electron microscopy samples. ", Born in Chile, Luis Alejandro Cavallo Caroca was granted U.S. Design Patent D582,231 for the "Ornamental Design of a Corkscrew" and also U.S. Design Patent D584,122 for the "Ornamental Design of Scissors.". Inventors Jacob Fitzgerald and William H. Silver applied for a patent for the 'potato-masher and fruit-crusher' which was designed to crush the potato through a series of small holes, similar to a garlic press. Garca retired from the Royal Academy of Music in 1895 at the age of 90. A whole bag of letters could be destroyed by one good rain or snow. Bez died of natural causes on the 20th of March 2007 in Redwood City, California. Walker (real name Sarah Breedlove), born to formerly enslaved sharecroppers, was orphaned at just seven years old . When his team developed the progestin norethisterone used in one of the first three oral contraceptives in 1951, Mexican chemist Luis Miramontes (1925-2004) was only 26 years old and a doctoral student working in the lab of Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkranzin's at Syntex SA in Mexico City. The Three-Light Traffic Signal, Invented by Garrett Morgan in 1923. "Top List of Mexican Inventors." Please let me know if you have recommendations for additional Hispanic inventors and innovators to include in my database! The first oral contraceptive, tradename Norinyl, was manufactured by Syntex Corp. Victor Celorio patented the "Instabook Maker" a technology supporting e-book distribution by quickly and elegantly printing an offline copy. President Lyndon Johnson established the celebration in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week. She participated in four NASA missions and spent 978 hours in space. Most recently, Villafaa started a new venture, Medical 21, which aims to develop artificial blood vessels as a safer, less invasive alternative for coronary artery bypass graft surgeries. Some of the things you have used -and some you haven't- were invented by a Latino and you didn't even know it. 1. Born in California, Elena T. Medo has been granted nine U.S. California-born Luis W. Alvarez was the sole winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physics for his decisive contributions to elementary particle physics, in particular the discovery of a large number of resonance states, made possible through his development of the technique of using hydrogen bubble chamber and data analysis. He was also the first Hispanic inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1978 for his radio distance and direction indicator (US Patent2,480,208). With only an elementary school education, Black inventor (and son of an enslaved parent), Garrett Morgan came up with several . Mention their names and achievements below to share with the Direct Auto community! Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Gonzalez Camrena received a patent for a chromoscopic adapter for television equipment in 1942. According to theSmithsonian Institution, Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman astronaut. Mexican American physicist Albert Baez co-invented the x-ray microscope with Dr. Paul Kirkpatrick in 1948. He is most famous today for his invention of an early laryngoscope in 1854. Few Hispanic Americans have made a bigger impact in recent pop culture than Lin-Manuel Miranda. Her inventions now help NASA process information collected on . Bellis, Mary. The"auto shutter Tico". The Sept. 15 start . Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, William R. Cumpiano was granted U.S. Patent 5,333,527 for a "Compression Molded Composite Guitar Soundboard. The first incubators were used in France in 1880, but Lvanos design, called the Incuven, regulates temperature and reduces risk of contamination to babies. His legacy is lasting, and his inventions are helping humans have a higher quality of life each day. It was expanded to its current month-long duration by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. (1941-) is an engineer and inventor. Its those I am not a robot checkboxes and distorted text images that you have to complete before accessing certain pages. Later, in 2002, Silva was able to capitalize on the product and develop a commercial product that would earn her numerous honors and propel her business to the top of the cosmetics sector. Madam C.J. There, she created three inventions that improved the speed and effectiveness of how computers handle information. Today, transdermal drug patches are used to distribute contraceptives, antidepressants, nicotine, and pain medications. Hispanics are among the most widely dispersed and diverse ethnicities in the world. The primary active component of one of the first birth control pills, which Syntex Laboratories, Inc. later branded as Norinyl, was norethindrone. As a veteran of three space flights, logging over 719 hours in space, she was also an electrical engineer with patents on high-tech optical . On April 18, 1965 (at the age of 48), he was killed in an automobile accident in Puebla while traveling back from Las Lajas, Veracruz, where he had been examining a television transmitter. For the next three hours, you enjoy the vibrant colors and pristine pictures as your favorite team defeats the opposition. The Beauty blender was developed to save performers from having to be pulled off the set when using an airbrush to apply foundation mid-shoot. Garcia did not foresee the significance of laryngoscopy for medicine; instead, he was concerned about the movements associated with the development of the singing voice. He spoke withstudents about his development of the AcceleGlovean electronic glove that translates sign language into written and spoken form. It was described as a mechanical, electric, and air-pressure driven method for reading books. Although patented, Robless creation did not get the funding it needed to succeed, putting her among many on a list of lesser-known female inventors.