Since 1995 Martin & Ottaway has been a New Jersey company. We like being a New Jersey company. If the world regards New Jersey at all, it sort of regards it as the armpit of the United States. It is dismissed as Soprano and Jersey Shore country.
Meanwhile, those that live here know better. New Jersey has this armpit image because it has no single defining hobby horse; it is just too great on too many levels. One area it excels in is innovation. North Carolina and Ohio both claim they are the birthplace of flight. Pffft, big deal, and only partially true anyway.
New Jersey has birthed so many technological innovations that they just won’t fit on a license plate. Yes, we can claim birth of controlled flight, but is it really the most important innovation created in New Jersey?
I asked Google AI: What major technical innovations occurred in New Jersey?
This was the answer:
- Thomas Edison’s Inventions: Menlo Park, New Jersey, was known as the “invention factory” because of the work of Thomas Edison and his team. His creations included:
- Incandescent Light Bulb: The commercially viable incandescent light bulb, demonstrated in 1879, revolutionized lighting and ushered in a new era of electrification.
- Phonograph: The phonograph, which enabled the recording and playback of sound, transformed entertainment and communication.
- Motion Picture Camera: This invention laid the groundwork for the modern film industry and changed how visual stories are captured and experienced.
- Bell Labs’ Groundbreaking Research: Bell Labs based in various locations in New Jersey, has been a driving force behind numerous technological advancements that have shaped communication and information. Notable innovations include:
- The Transistor (1947): This invention revolutionized electronics, enabling the development of computers, integrated circuits, and most modern electronic devices.
- The Laser (1957): The laser, with its many uses in medicine, manufacturing, and communications, was first described at Bell Labs.
- UNIX Operating System (1969): This operating system, developed at Bell Labs, laid the foundation for other operating systems and continues to impact modern computing environments.
- C Programming Language (1972) and C++ (1983): These programming languages, developed at Bell Labs, have been key in creating software applications.
- Information Theory (1948): Claude Shannon’s work at Bell Labs established the mathematical framework for information, impacting how data is understood and transmitted.
- Cellular Telephone Network Concept: Bell Labs researchers were pioneers in developing the concepts behind cellular communication, paving the way for modern mobile phones.
- The Telstar Satellite (1962): The first communications satellite, facilitated transatlantic television broadcasts and revolutionized global communication.
- Radio Astronomy (1930s): Karl Jansky’s work at Bell Labs in Holmdel led to the discovery of radio waves from the center of the galaxy, laying the foundation for this field of astronomy.
- Other Significant New Jersey Innovations:
- Streptomycin (1943): Developed at Rutgers University by Selman Waksman, this antibiotic revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections.
- Barcoding Technology (1952): Patented at IBM, barcoding streamlined inventory management and retail processes.
- Valium (1963): This tranquilizer was developed at Hoffman-LaRoche in New Jersey.
- ACE Bandage (1913): Developed by Becton, Dickinson and Company, the ACE bandage became a widely used medical device.
- Band-Aid (1921): Created by a Johnson & Johnson employee, the Band-Aid offered a convenient and sterile solution for treating minor cuts and scrapes.
- Modern Syringe Connectors (1925): BD’s Yale Luer-Lok™ Syringe and its connectors became the standard for syringes in the US.
Nice, although I really don’t think Ace bandages and Band-Aids changed the world, but this AI list is not even a feeble start.
AI did not mention the following:
First controlled flight: This was a controllable airship designed by Solomon Andrews from Perth Amboy, New Jersey and successfully flown in 1866.
Solar Cell: Robert Ohl in 1941 at Bell Labs and made practical by Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson in 1954 at Bell Labs.
Practical Submarine: John Holland in 1900 at Paterson New Jersey.
First nuclear commercial vessel: NS Savannah, built at New York Shipbuilding in Camden NJ in 1959.
Lithium Ion Battery: M. Stanley Whittingham at Exxon Laboratories in 1970.
Containerization: Malcolm McLean at Elizabeth in 1956.
Fiber optics: It was not just Bell labs that invented it, but they made it work.
Charge Coupled Devices: The things that make your digital camera work. Invented by Willard Boyle and George E. Smith in 1969 while working at Bell Labs.
Color TV: RCA Labs in Princeton in 1946.
Direct Distance Dialing (DDD): Englewood and Teaneck, New Jersey, 1951.
Suspension Bridge innovations: The Roebling family.
First Elevated Highway: Pulaski Skyway 1931. Technically not the first one (the West Side Highway had operating sections in 1929), but it was the first one that did not collapse.
First major commercial airport in the United States: Newark Airport 1928.
Liquid Fuel Rockets: Reaction Motors in Denville NJ. Their rocket motors made the Bell X-1 break the sound barrier in 1947.
John Stevens: Steam vessels and trains had many originators, but John Stevens certainly was a very major player.
Bar code: Norman Joseph Woodland, 1952.
Some did not truly change the world but are fun to mention.
Microwaveable TV Dinners: Campbell’s Soup 1986. TV dinners already existed, but who would want to heat them in an oven? Meanwhile, Campbell’s also invented condensed soup in 1897.
Bubble wrap: Invented in 1957 by engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes in Hawthorne New Jersey, even though they originally invented it as wall paper and then tried to sell it as greenhouse insulation. It eventually became prime entertainment for my dogs and grandchildren.
Drive-In Theaters: the first patented drive-in was opened on June 6, 1933 by Richard Hollingshead in Camden on June 6, 1933. They say he invented it because his mother was too fat to fit in a regular theater seat.
Traffic Circle: New Jersey highways were the first to adopt the traffic circle in the 1920’s. Most were killed off in the 1970’s, but now they are coming back. Go figure.
Jug Handle turn: Montville NJ in 1959. Just because out of staters don’t understand it, does not mean it isn’t brilliant.
Pork Roll: John Taylor 1856. Just because out of staters don’t get it, does not mean it isn’t delicious.
Electric Guitar: Yeah, there were others, but Les Paul made it work and showed others how to really use it. No Les, No Ax.
And the list goes on. But let’s keep it simple: No New Jersey; no cell phones, no electric light, no containerization, no lasers, no color TV, no fiber optics, no transistors, no movies, no Lithium Ion batteries and no solar cells.
Who would have thought? You’re welcome.
