The National Inventors Hall of Fame Historical Class of 2018

Warren S. Johnson Portrait by Courtesy of Johnson Controls Corporate ArchivesNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Warren S. Johnson

Warren Johnson was born in 1847 in Leicester, Vermont, to homesteading farmers. Two years later, the family moved to Wisconsin, where the largely self-taught Johnson would become a pioneer of temperature regulation technologies. His innovations and the company he co-founded, Johnson Controls, helped launch the multi-billion-dollar building controls industry.

Warren S. Johnson's Bio

Johnson Patent DrawingNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Warren S. Johnson Inductee Exhibit by National Inventors Hall of FameNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Howard S. Jones Jr. Portrait by Courtesy of The National Academy of SciencesNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Howard S. Jones, Jr.

Howard Jones invented the conformal antenna, a type of antenna found in applications including rockets, missiles, and spacecraft. His innovations in antenna technology dramatically expanded the capabilities of U.S. defense and space systems, and continue to impact defense systems to this day.

Howard S. Jones Jr.'s Bio

Jones Patent DrawingNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Howard S. Jones, Jr. Inductee Exhibit by National Inventors Hall of FameNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Mary Engle Pennington PortraitNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Mary Engle Pennington

Mary Engle Pennington was a pioneer in the safe preservation, handling, storage, and transportation of perishable foods. A bacteriological chemist, food scientist, and refrigeration engineer, Pennington devoted most of her career to the study of refrigeration and its application to food freshness and safety. Her work impacted the health and well-being of generations of Americans.

Mary Engle Pennington's Bio

Pennington Patent DrawingNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Mary Engle Pennington Inductee Exhibit by National Inventors Hall of FameNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Joseph C. Shivers, Jr. Portrait by Courtesy of the American Association of Textile Chemists and ColoristsNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Joseph C. Shivers, Jr.

One of the top clothing innovations of the 20th century was invented at DuPont during the 1950s by chemist Joseph Shivers. While working as a researcher developing polymers, Shivers created Lycra, the stretchy synthetic fiber known generically as spandex. Today, Lycra exists throughout the garment industry, from sportswear and undergarments to high fashion, and has found applications in other areas including healthcare, home furnishings, and the automotive industry.

Joseph C. Shivers, Jr.'s Bio

Shivers Patent DrawingNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Joseph C. Shivers, Jr. Inductee Exhibit by National Inventors Hall of FameNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Paul Terasaki Portrait by Courtesy of Leslie BartonNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Paul Terasaki

In the 1960s, UCLA professor Paul Terasaki invented a tissue-typing test that became an international standard for matching potential organ donors with recipients. The procedure, used for kidney, heart, liver, pancreas, lung, and bone marrow donors and recipients, remained for decades the most common method of HLA antibody screening. Terasaki also founded the first kidney transplant registry, and his contributions to developing a cold storage solution for kidney preservation during shipping helped define the field of transplantation science.

Paul Terasaki's Bio

Terasaki Patent DrawingNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Paul Terasaki Inductee ExhibitNational Inventors Hall of Fame Museum

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more
Related theme
Once Upon a Try
A journey of invention and discovery with CERN, NASA, and more than 100 museums around the world
View theme
Google apps