With the state motto “Forward,” Wisconsin is known for always progressing towards new horizons. As such, there are several inventions from Wisconsin. Plus, Wisconsin is often at the forefront of new discoveries. And just to prove our point, here are 10 Wisconsin inventions that set us apart from the rest of the country.
1. George Esterly invents the first harvesting machine (1844)
You like to eat, don't ya? We made it a heck of a lot easier.
2. A group of people came together to form the Republican party in Ripon, Wisconsin (1854)
These Republicans were former members of the Whig party and opposed the spread of slavery into Western territories
3. Christopher Latham Soles invented the typewriter (1868)
Hardly anyone under 30 knows what a ribbon is, but if not for the typewriter, we wouldn't have word processing machines, making this one of the most important inventions from Wisconsin.
4. Dr. John Carhart built the first steam-powered automobile (1871)
5. Ed Berner develops the ice cream sundae (1881)
It all happened when a customer asked Berner to put some chocolate syrup on top of ice cream. Ummmmm....awesome idea, resulting in not just one of the best things Wisconsin did first, but one of the sweetest, too.
6. William Horlick invented malted milk (1887)
And malted milk is delicious
7. Wisconsin was the first to introduce a statewide numbering system for highways--odd for north/south, even for east/west. (1918)
Pretty great idea, AMIRITE?
8. Wisconsin passed the first law ending all discrimination against women (1921)
Thanks, Wisconsin!
9. The Hamilton Manufacturing Company develops the first automatic clothes dryer (1935)
Sure beats having to hang all clothes outside on the clothesline!
10. Wisconsin was the first state to prohibit the sale and distribution of DDT (1970)
And the amazing part is that this list only talks about the things invented in Wisconsin - and not the multitude of things that Wisconsinites perfected. They certainly make us proud of our Wisconsin roots!
So, were you surprised by this list? Or did you already know about these Wisconsin inventions? Know of any other interesting things from Wisconsin to add to this list? Tell us!
Want to know more about inventions from Wisconsin? Check out our past article, which features one of the tastiest things invented in Wisconsin.
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