The definition of ‘inventor’ is someone who “produces or contrives something previously unknown by the use of ingenuity or imagination”, or one who “devises some new process, appliance, machine or article”.
Our society and everything we have today is built upon the inventions of our ancestors. From the first stone knife, to the calculator, someone had to be the first to invent it. Not all inventions have been created by adults, though. Indeed, some popular items today were created by kids.
Did you know that Benjamin Franklin, when he was 12 years old, invented the first swim flippers? Some other items that were invented by youngsters are: earmuffs (15 year old Chester Greenwood, 1873), popsicles (11 year old Frank Epperson, 1905), and the trampoline (16 year old George Nissen, 1930), to name just a few.
On Jan. 17, Kid Inventor’s Day celebrates all the youth who have, or are, creating new things. One good site online that has information about this day and some of the many contests that young inventors can enter is www.kidinventorsday.com, and another good site is www.inventivekids.com, which has more Canadian content. Do you have a young inventor in your family? Have they invented anything interesting?