The lightbulb, often used as a symbol for a new idea, was invented by Thomas Edison. He was not Jewish.

Photo EssayMr. Potato Head, the sewing machine and the bra: The inventions, and their Jewish inventors that you never knew about

In honor of National Inventors Month, we shine a spotlight on essential items invented by Jews

The lightbulb, often used as a symbol for a new idea, was invented by Thomas Edison. He was not Jewish. Photo by Cavan Images/iStock

Photo EssayMr. Potato Head, the sewing machine and the bra: The inventions, and their Jewish inventors that you never knew about

In honor of National Inventors Month, we shine a spotlight on essential items invented by Jews

DenBerg May 23, 2023

Contemporary life is filled with inventions. We change the channel on the television with a remote-control device, shop for groceries pushing a shopping cart, and play with Barbies as children. We wear hardy denim jeans to do yardwork and maybe pop an aspirin when our back gets sore from pulling weeds.

What’s less widely known is the astounding number of Jewish inventors, and their contributions to modern science, medicine, infrastructure and technology. All of the items mentioned above (TV remote control, shopping cart, Barbies, jeans and aspirin) were invented by Jews.

In honor of May being National Inventors Month, illustrator DenBerg set out to illuminate for the Forward some of the items and devices that we rely on that were invented by Jews. Whether it be a cardiac defibrillator or a USB flash drive, Jewish inventors have been leaving their mark on the world with dazzlingly useful and entertaining devices for decades, and more are sure to come.

To contact the author, email [email protected].

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DenBerg, the professional name of the artist Dennis Eisenberg, is an illustrator who lives in New York City.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward. Discover more perspectives in Opinion. To contact Opinion authors, email [email protected].

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