Editor’s note: This is one installment in a One Small Step series exploring how our founding principles apply to policy change movements. See the series introduction and full collection here.
When we consider the innovation this country has produced, it is astounding to recognize that each invention is the result of curiosity, questioning, and ingenuity from every day Americans.
The traffic light, invented in 1923, is the creation of Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. Mr. Morgan was born in 1877 in Paris, Kentucky, the son of parents who were both freed slaves. Mr. Morgan received a sixth grade education in Kentucky and at age 14 moved to Cincinnati in search of work. Mr. Morgan also received a patent for the first gas mask in 1914.
The vacuum-sealed ice cream freezer, patented in 1912, is the handiwork of Beulah Louise Henry. Ms. Henry was considered the most prolific woman inventor of the 1920’s and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. She was self-educated, and “said that she had a complete picture of each finished product in her mind before she began the difficult task of describing her idea clearly enough to enable a model maker to reproduce each device as she envisioned it.” In all, she was granted 49 US patents and is responsible for over 100 inventions.
New York City born Robert S. Ledley received a patent for the CT Scan. His work revolutionized diagnostic medicine by doing medical imaging and three-dimensional reconstructions using CT in radiation therapy planning and in the diagnosis of bone diseases.
Albert Vinicio Baez, who was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States as a child, made important contributions to the early development of X-ray microscopes, X-ray optics, and X-ray telescopes. Dr. Baez received his Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University in 1950 and worked at several universities and research institutions including the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Harvard.
Each of these individuals initially took one small step to bring to fruition the ideas that were conceived in their minds.
The same can be said for those American patriots who took a bold step in opposition to the tyranny of the British Crown. As a result, we have a nation and a Constitution based on principles of liberty and freedom. Our nation was built on ideas; but an idea will remain just that until a step is taken to turn it into a reality.
What can you do? Is there an idea that has been ruminating in your mind that could make life easier for people? Could it revolutionize an industry? It all starts with one small step. Consider taking that step today.
Faith Burns is an Energy Policy Fellow at Americans for Prosperity.
