He spoke withstudents about his development of the AcceleGlovean electronic glove that translates sign language into written and spoken form. Ellen grew up in the Golden State and attended San Diego State University for a degree in Physics. Born in Uruguay, Alejandro Zaffaroni was one of the most innovative and impactful pioneers in the history of biotechnology. Learn about our current legislative initiatives. As part of the Smithsonian's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), I have enjoyed conducting research on historical and contemporary Hispanic inventors and innovators. Today, there are so many ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! The X-ray reflection microscope was created in 1948 by Paul Kirkpatrick, a Stanford physics professor, and Mexican-American physicist Albert Vinicio Bez (1912-2007). Not only has she won numerous awards for her pioneering career and been inducted into boththe California Hall of Fame and the US Astronaut Hall of Fame, but also she has six schools named after her in four USstates. It was a man by the name of Philip B. ThoughtCo, Jul. He was laid to rest on the grounds of the St. Edward's Catholic Church in Sutton Green, Surrey. The primary active component of one of the first birth control pills, which Syntex Laboratories, Inc. later branded as Norinyl, was norethindrone. Carlos Finlay became famous for his work in identifying the mosquito as a carrier of the deadly yellow fever germ. After more than 20 years of study and labor by Lvano and his colleagues, the United States granted Lvano's patent. Im not a robot test or Captcha codes are the jumbled letters that users are required to match before entering a website. 7,077,022 on July 18, 2006. His life story would make a great Hollywood movie. These Hispanic inventors, many of which toiled in obscurity have incredible stories that are worth sharing. Lets start with inventor Victor LeatonOchoa, who was a fascinating character to say the least. Ochoa became most notoriousas a Mexican revolutionary; in the 1890s, he had a $50,000 bounty on his head,to be delivered dead or alive to President Porfirio Daz of Mexico! Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1993. According toEncyclopedia Britannica, from 2013-to 2018, Dr. Ochoa worked as the director of NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. In conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, the Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office is recognizing some Hispanic Americans whose inventions contributed to the nation's social and economic well-being. Other notable names include astrophysicist France A. Crdova, the first women to hold the position of NASA Chief Scientist and now Director of the National Science Foundation; Mexican engineer Guillermo Gonzlez Camarena, who invented an early color television transmission system; molecular biologist Lydia Villa-Komaroff, who conducted pioneering work in DNA technology and protein synthesis; and computer scientist Luis Von Ahn, a MacArthur Fellow who co-created CAPTCHA while a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University and then invented ReCAPTCHA and Duolingo. Ochoa is also known for inventing the ochoaplane, an adjustable wrench, and a pen and pencil clip, among other inventions. You could hone your cooking skills by inviting family and friends over for aHispanic-inspired dinnerparty, host a Spanish movie night, or attend a local event put on by a Hispanic organization. We recommend our users to update the browser. In the spirit of "Hispanic Heritage Month," we at IE thought it might be nice to collate some of the greatest inventors and scientists from the diverse and talented wider Hispanic community. Ellen Ochoa. (1941-) is an engineer and inventor. Artificial Heart. High-risk infants delivered before full-term gestation can benefit from this discovery by living longer in neonatal intensive care (NICU). Her inventions now help NASA process information collected on . Ochoa ended up in prisons in the USfor cross-border activities that violated USneutrality laws (he later escaped and was recaptured). Additionally, the date of October 12 also known as Columbus Day or Da de la Raza falls inside this 30-day window. The Peral submarine is considered the worlds first electric battery operated submarine. So, he famously gutted the submarine's interior and destroyed plans to prevent the technology from falling into foreign nations' hands. Born in Costa Rica, William Vsquez Ulate was granted U.S. Plant Patent PP21,549 for a "Dracaena Plant named 'Lauren.'". A whole bag of letters could be destroyed by one good rain or snow. Baez was a Ph.D. student at Stanford University in the 1940s when he . 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. Learn about these trailblazing Hispanic Americans who made history. 1860s - January 5, 1943. 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 . LEMELSON CENTER for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Walker was the first African American woman to become a self-made millionaire after creating a line of hair products geared toward Black hair. 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. Before being hired at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas as Director of the Artificial Heart Program, he worked in Lyon, France. A full list of Beulah Louise Henry's inventions would be a lengthy one she's known for 110 inventions and 49 patents, and the American inventor profited from all of them. Color TV. 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). According to the Smithsonian Institution, Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman astronaut. 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). The first publicly-announced color broadcast in Mexico . At the ripe old age of 97, Liotta passed away on the 31st of August, 2022. She also contributed to creating three patents in the field of optics. Although progesterone was used in contraception before 1951, it needed to be injected. (1st Hispanic woman to travel to space) Alyssa Carson (@nasablueberry, Projected to go to Mars in 2020) Mexican chemist Luis Miramontes was only a graduate student when at 25, he was recruited by the Syntex Corporation to work at their labs. the most famous invention from your state. from Santa Clara University, School of Law. Liotta's device was implanted in a 47-year-old patient with severe heart failure. He stopped performing on stage at a young age and started giving lessons at the Paris Conservatory in the 1830s and the Royal Academy of Music in London from the 1840s onwards. It was the first scientific Nobel for a person of Spanish origin. So every time you turn on the TV and enjoy your favorite show or sport, remember the contributions of Gonzlez Camarena! She was looking for a way to allow her students to carry fewer books to and from classes, so she created a mechanical encyclopedia. NASA has much to thank the Spanish inventor. Miramontes worked out the missing piece of the puzzle to create progestin, a progesterone-like hormone that could be taken orally to prevent ovulation. Their technological inventions have paved the way in the fields of physics, the medical sciences, and music, among others. Her fascination with the field of optics came during her time as a fellowship student at Stanford University. Born in Mexico in 1850, Victor Ochoa invented electric brakes for streetcars. The Three-Light Traffic Signal, Invented by Garrett Morgan in 1923. With an undergraduate degree in physics and a masters and doctorate in electrical engineering, she served as a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories and NASAs Ames Research Center and is the co-inventor ofthree optics-related USPatents(4,674,824, 4,838,644, and 4,949,389). Her first trip was a nine-day mission in 1993 to conduct atmospheric and solar studies from the space shuttle Discovery, which you can visit at the Smithsonians Udvar-Hazy Center. In order to keep heart arteries open after an angioplasty, Palmaz created a balloon-expandable stent in collaboration with physician Richard Schatz. In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, we took a look at some of those influential figures who have brought important innovations to a variety of . 6. Thats why in the early aughts, Mexican scientist Jos Hernndez-Rebollar invented an electric glove that can turn sign language into spoken words and text. 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. 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 . Born in Guadalajara, Mxico, Guillermo Gonzlez Camarena was granted U.S. Patent 2,296,019 for a "Chromoscopic adapter for television equipment", an early color television transmission system. Those early . Ochoa was a revolutionist who sought to overthrow the rule of Mexicos chief executive in the early nineties. 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. The word kayak means "hunter's boat", as they were originally built for hunting and used to drag animals . Richwine's dissertation parts from a fallacy. Shereturned to the Discovery in 1999 to help perform the first shuttle docking to the International Space Station, and her final flight was on Atlantis in 2002. Unfortunately, there isnt a lot of detailed information about his invention career since then but, according to his 2017 TEDxBuap biography, Hernndez-Rebollar returned to his native country and is now a professor and researcher at his undergraduate alma mater. In her second patent, 276,364, granted in 1962, she changed the design by eliminating the buttons and replacing them with rotating reels that displayed the topics and study materials. Norton is a robot who creates inventions with his robotic dog Alpha. Manny Villafaa at St. Jude Medical headquarters, June 27, 2013. His best-known invention, the Ochoaplane was a small flying machine with collapsible wings. In 1881 he received a patent for inventing a method of producing carbon . In addition to inventing, Ochoa was also an ardent supporter of the Mexican Revolution and at one point there was a $50,000 bounty on his head. He was the first to employ the idea of cryo-ultramicrotomy, which is used to section vitrified biological samples, and contributed to the electron microscope. Copyright 2023, Smithsonian Institution, All Rights Reserved, Highlighting Hispanic Inventors and Innovators, blog-smith-monica-2017-09-22-victor-ochoa-undated-ac0590-0000008-ochoaplane-undated-ac0590-0000009-cnmah-750-inline-edit.jpg, blog-smith-monica-2017-09-22-ellen-ochoa-sts110-e-5254-11-april-2002-cnasa-750-inline-edit.jpg, visit at the Smithsonians Udvar-Hazy Center, named Director of NASAs Johnson Space Flight Center, blog-smith-monica-2017-09-22-manny-villafana-at-st-jude-medical--27-june-2013-cmonica-smith-750-inline-edit.jpg, blog-smith-monica-2017-09-22-nsf-director-france-cordova-presenting-fy17-budget-9-february-2016-cnsf-750-inline-edit.jpg, Notes from the Director: Hispanic Heritage Month. Check out these everyday things that were actually invented for World War I. His primary invention was the Ochoaplane, created around 1908-1911, which underwent several designs over the years, starting with a simple version mounted on two bicycle frames, with a small motor in between, that weighed only about 250 pounds. Side note: He is the father of singer Joan Baez. That honor for the earliest incubator ever developed goes to a device created in 1800s France. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Gonzalez Camrena received a patent for a chromoscopic adapter for television equipment in 1942. Ochoa also developed the adjustable wrench and the Ochoaplane (an aircraft with foldable wings). From searching for solutions to climate change challenges to finding cures for terminal illnesses, Latin American women innovators are . Due to the sponge's practicality, Silva developed a basic prototype. While we commonly learn about imperative African-American figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Maya Angelou, and many others, we don't often hear about the . Madam C.J Walker was an inventor, entrepreneur and first African American woman to become a millionaire. World Book Online is an engaging, verified, and trustworthy digital resource for grades pre-K through high school. He was the first to transmit the human voice via radio waves, sending a signal from one radio tower to another. 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. Miramontes wrote a new procedure for the synthesis of the progestin norethindrone, the active ingredient for what would become the oral birth control pill. For example, alongside Luis Alvarez, there are at least three other National Inventors Hall of Fame members who are Hispanic: Miguel Angel Ondetti, inducted in 2004 for captopril, the first of a new class of drugs known as angiotensin converting enzyme, or ACE, inhibitors (US Patent4,105,776); Julio Palmaz, inducted in 2006 for the first commercially-successful intravascular stent, known as the Palmaz Stent (US Patent4,733,665); and Alejandro Zaffaroni, inducted in 2012 for transdermal bandages for administering drugs (US Patent3,598,122). Juan Lozano, a Mexican inventor with a lifelong obsession with jet packs, invented the Rocket Belt. Victor L. Ochoa Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Courtesy of NASA, A few stories of often overlooked inventors and innovators in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. . Juan Lozano's company Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana sells the Rocket Belt for a hefty price. 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. In 1995, he was awarded the National Medal of Technology and has also been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. 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. 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. Dr. Villalobos would combine his highly precise scalpel with a microtome into a new device that enabled researchers to cut very thin slices of tissue, minerals or plant matter to be examined under the microscope. Can we breathe on Mars? She's written countless articles on health and wellness and contributed to the book "The Handmaid Mama" by Mary Helen Leonard as a prenatal yoga expert. Ms. Mar-Spinola is currently serving her second term as a PPAC member. A brief listing of notable Black American inventors. Made from a material that is specifically designed to retain moisture, rather than repel it, the beautyblender gives the perfect application of foundation every time. For his invention, Camarena became the first person in history to receive a patent for the development of a color television (U.S. Patent 2,296,019). Bellis, Mary. A Netflix series based upon her life, Self Made, premiered in March 2020. Mention their names and achievements below to share with the Direct Auto community! And one group of Latinos who are deserving of recognition is made up of scientists and inventors whose . A fury erupted when the Washington Post reported last week that Former Heritage Foundation researcher Jason Richwine argued in his Harvard doctoral dissertation that Hispanics are genetically predisposed to have lower IQs. Claudio Castilln Lvano, an engineer from Peru, developed a portable incubator and respirator for premature infants. This procedure helps clear blocked blood vessels and improves blood flow to the heart. Mario Molina is a Mexican scientist and chemist. 05. Walker, she manufactured beauty products for other African-American women using formulas she developed after working for a pharmacist who taught her chemistry. The first time I discovered Dr. Ellen Ochoa (1958-) Mexican-American, who invented Optical Lenses for Space was on Google. What Were Other Inventions Made by Hispanics? Often know as Madame C.J. Rea Ann Silva and her now famous invention. According to the National Museum of American History, it was implanted in a patient while they waited for a real human heart to be available for transplant. There he met a lot of children who complained that they couldn't play football. Later, in a test with naval officials, it simulated an attack on a cruiser at night without being spotted and safely returned to port. Dr. Liotta developed the organ in 1969 at a hospital in Houston, Texas. According to their website: Emilio Sacristan of Santa Ursula Xitla, Mexico, invented an air-pressure powered driver for pneumatic ventricular assist device (VAD). He created his . 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. Frank S. Greene, an electrical engineer, inventor, teacher, and advocate, was a Silicon Valley powerhouse. Madam C.J. ", Born in Bolivia, Hugo Tern Salguero was granted U.S. Patent 4,055,156 for a "Rotary Engine. Born in California, Ellen Ochoa was granted U.S. Patent 4,838,644 for "Position, Rotation, and Intensity Invariant Recognizing Method " and two other optical-related patents. The system's upgraded version, reCAPTCHA, is now used by almost all web servers. She is a member of the California State Bar, the Federal Circuit Bar, the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, and a licensed Patent Attorney. Born in Per, Claudio Castilln Lvano was granted U.S. Patent 6,884,211 for a "Neonatal Artificial Bubble" that improves the intensive care of high-risk newborns. 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. Is Europa habitable? Bez died of natural causes on the 20th of March 2007 in Redwood City, California. The electric brake. Born in El Salvador, Jacobo G. Maria was granted U.S. Patent 4,366,935 for a "Device and Process for Spinning or Twisting and Winding Yarn.". Chewing Gum. Born in Los Angeles, California in 1958, Ellen Ochoa is probably the best known example of a successful Hispanic inventor and innovator. Details about his numerous outstanding pupils and accomplishments are recorded on his headstone. A teacher in Galicia, Spain, ngela Ruiz Robles invented the first mechanical book way back in 1949. Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena - Invented an early color television transmission system; Luis Von Ahn - Inventor of the anti-spam and web robot captcha Uruguayan entrepreneur and biochemist Alejandro Zaffaroni created a system for drugs to be administered to the body through skin bandages. Learn about these inventors who regretted their inventions. Guillermo Gonzlez Camarena invented an early color television system. He continued to study and teach privately until his death in London in July of 1906 at the age of 101. Madame C.J. Can you describe the problem? Liotta belonged to several international medical associations throughout his life. It successfully pumped blood through the body of the patient for nearly three days. Hispanic Americans have not only contributed socially and economically to the well-being of the country. Von Ahn is also a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the language-learning software Duolingo and a consulting professor in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As impressive as this was, the submarine's absence of a double hull and a diesel engine only limited its use to coastal actions. Then it was up to Spanish-language media to get the word out. (2021, July 31). Material in this article is for general information or entertainment purposes only and was accurate as of the date of first publication. Courtesy of NASA. Mexican American physicist Albert Baez co-invented the x-ray microscope with Dr. Paul Kirkpatrick in 1948. Guatemalan-born Luis von Ahn created the CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA systems for cyber security. President Ronald Reagan expanded it in 1988 to a 30-day period beginning on September 15 and concluding on October 15. A prototype of her invention is exhibited at the National Museum of Science and Technology in A Corua, even though it was never produced. In 1963, Liotta and E. Stanley Crawford successfully implanted the Left Ventricle Assist Device (LVAD) in surgery. In other words, his invention helped introduce the world to colored television! Chemist, Luis Miramontes co-invented the contraceptive pill. Many Hispanic inventions have changed the world. Ruiz Robles was a dedicated teacher and educator who began her career at a time when only 25% of the female population knew how to read and write. "Top List of Mexican Inventors." Born in California, Elena T. Medo has been granted nine U.S. 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.