We here at BostInnovation are all about inventions. One of the great things about Boston is its history. We are the birthplace of the great innovator, Benjamin Franklin. If it hadn’t been for Franklin we wouldn’t have bifocal eye glasses or lightening rods: Two very important things when it comes to seeing and not getting electrocuted.

Unfortunately, Franklin ended up in Philadelphia, but innovation in Boston has persevered.

What are some of the inventions that led to Boston becoming the East Coast’s hub of Innovation?

1) Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone
Although the history of the invention is a little shady, Bell was stationed in Boston when he received the patent for the telephone. Bell was in a patent race with Elisha Grey and was accused of stealing some of Grey’s ideas, a fact that sullied the history of the invention. Technically, he was the first to be awarded with a patent for the telephone however. Bell would go crazy if he saw what telephones have become today. Thanks to Bell, we’ve got these things called cell phones that connect us with anyone at anytime and don’t have to be plugged into a wall.

2) King C. Gillette’s disposable blade safety razor
Gillette changed the way men shaved with the invention of the disposable blade safety razor, and he was in Boston when he did it. He discovered a way to make inexpensive razors and made wild profits by selling disposable blades that protected the skin. What resulted was a multi-billion dollar per year industry. Gillette is now one of the most well known brands in Boston and has gone way beyond selling men’s razors.

3) Dr. Percy Spencer’s microwave oven
The microwave is a college student’s best friend. If it weren’t for microwaves we would all go hungry. Thanks to an accident at Raytheon, Percy Spencer invented the microwave. Raytheon was experimenting with vacuum tube called a magnetron when a candy bar melted in Spencer’s pocket. Kitchens and cooking entered the future with the microwave, and college students everywhere became supremely reliant on Easy Mac.

4) Thomas Edison’s electric voting machine
We all remember what happened in the 2000 election when George W. Bush questionably beat out Al Gore: Dangling chads became the buzz word. The electronic voting system got in the way. Who invented the first voting machine? Our boy, Thomas Edison. It was Edison’s first patent and was originally meant for congress. They thought it was too slow but it lead to the electronic voting machines that have become key to modern democracy. Surely Edison was bummed that the big wigs didn’t like his patent, but he would have felt better to know that 135 years later, electronic voting machines can still seem sub par.

5) John Goscha, Jeff Avallon, and Morgan Newman’s IdeaPaint
We are kind of obsessed with IdeaPaint here at BostInnovation, and that’s why we’re putting such an untried invention on the list. With IdeaPaint you can paint a whiteboard on almost any surface. That means no you can eliminate the trip to Staples or Bed, Bath and Beyond when decorating a classroom or your child’s bedroom. All Babson graduates, Goscha, Avallon, and Newman invented the idea when they couldn’t afford white boards in school. They’ve been raising eyebrows (including ours) ever since.

The future for Boston inventions is promising and we are excited to see what the next big thing will be. What are some of your crazy invention ideas?