Invention Research Paper

Dynamite (Alfred Nobel)

Etch a Sketch

• History.com 

Microwave Oven (Percy Spencer)

• History.com – Who Invented the Microwave Oven?

• Lemelson‑MIT

Pacemaker (Wilson Greatbatch)

Penicillin (Alexander Fleming)

• Britannica Kids – Penicillin

• Britannica Kids – Alexander Fleming  

Post-it Notes (Spencer Silver)

Safety Pin (Walter Hunt)

Super Glue (Cyanoacrylate) (Harry Coover)

Teflon (Roy Plunkett)

• American Physical Society

• The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

• Smithsonian Institution 

• Teflon.com

Velcro (George de Mestral)

• Smithsonian Institution – George de Mestral

X-ray (Wilhelm Röntgen)

Introduction

Introduce the invention. Include the inventor’s name and a “hook” sentence to make the reader interested. If the invention happened by accident, you can mention that here.

Background

Explain what problem or need led the inventor to work on this invention. Include a little about the time period if you know it.

How It Was Invented

Describe exactly what the inventor did. Explain whether the invention was planned or happened by accident. Include important details about how it works or what makes it special.

How the Invention Has Changed or Been Used Over Time

Explain how the invention has changed, been improved, or is used today. Include modern examples if you can.

Why It’s Important

Explain how the invention solved a problem or made life better. Include why it is still important today.

Conclusion

Summarize why this invention is important. If it was an accident, restate how a mistake led to something amazing.

Silly Putty

Have you ever played with Silly Putty and stretched it across the table or bounced it like a ball? Silly Putty was invented by a man named James Wright, and he didn’t mean to make a toy at all. In fact, it was a complete accident.

During World War II, there was a big problem. The United States needed rubber for tires, boots, and other things because a lot of rubber came from places that were at war. Scientists were trying to make a new kind of rubber, and James Wright was one of them. He worked in a laboratory in 1943, mixing chemicals to create a synthetic rubber that could be used for the war effort.

While James Wright was mixing boric acid with silicone oil, something strange happened. Instead of making rubber, the mixture turned into a bouncy, stretchy, and squishy substance. It could stretch a lot, bounce like a ball, and even pick up ink from newspapers. He realized that what he had created was not useful for tires or boots, but it could be a fun toy. This was the birth of Silly Putty, completely by accident.

Since it was invented, Silly Putty has been used in many ways. At first, it became a popular toy for kids in the 1950s. People still use it today to play games, stretch it into shapes, or even copy words and pictures from newspapers. Over time, the colors, sizes, and packaging of Silly Putty have changed. There are even themed versions with glitter or glow-in-the-dark features, but the basic stretchy, bouncy putty works the same way James Wright invented it.

Silly Putty is important because it shows that even accidents can be amazing. It solved the problem of giving people a new kind of toy that is safe, fun, and creative. Kids and adults can use it to play, experiment, and even learn about science. It has lasted for decades and is still loved all over the world.

Silly Putty is a great example of an invention that came from a mistake. James Wright was trying to make rubber, but instead he created a toy that has entertained millions of people. Even though it was an accident, Silly Putty became something amazing that shows how science can lead to surprising and wonderful discoveries.