Smithsonian Channel - My Million Dollar Invention Series 1 (2015) Part 5 Need for Speed

My Million Dollar Invention

What was Edison's questionable role in the development of the electric chair? Which household utensil came from the mind of a prisoner? How was the Maclaren baby buggy inspired by a fighter plane? Behind many million-dollar inventions are priceless stories of inspiration, controversy, triumph, and tragedy. Explore inventions large and small, lifesaving and life-taking, scary and playful, and meet the men and women who dedicated, and often risked, their lives to follow their vision and ultimately change the world.

Part 5 Need for Speed

What's the relation between a World War II fighter jet and the baby stroller? A Joseph Pulitzer challenge and the evolution of air travel? A heated argument and the invention of vulcanized rubber? A running shoe and a waffle iron? Unlikely inspirations, fortunate accidents, and unwavering dedication highlight the stories of four innovations that transformed transportation and ushered in the modern age. We reveal what brought these amazing ideas to life, and made billions…though not always for the inventor himself.

Smithsonian Channel

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