Yesterday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker joined the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in inducting sixteen of America’s greatest innovators into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF).  Held at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.—a former home of the Patent Office—Secretary Pritzker addressed the important role that innovation plays in spurring economic growth, as well as the Department’s role as “America’s Innovation Agency.”   The NIHF was established in 1973 to honor individuals who have contributed great technological and scientific achievements and helped to stimulate economic growth for our nation and beyond.

CBS News correspondent and television personality Mo Rocca moderated the event, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Director of the USPTO Michelle K. Lee gave remarks, and Director Lee presented induction medals. Eight living inventors were inducted, and another eight were named posthumously. 

The inductees’ patented innovations revolutionized their industries and changed people’s lives. Those honored include JD Albert, Barrett Comiskey, and Joe Jacobson for electronic ink; Roger Angel for lightweight mirrors for astronomical telescopes; Jayant Baliga for the insulated gate bipolar transistor; Victor Lawrence for signal processing in telecommunications; Radia Perlman for robust network routing and bridging; and Ivan Sutherland for Sketchpad—a man-machine graphical communication system. View a complete list of the honorees and the stories behind their inventions online.

At the ceremony, Secretary Pritzker stated, “This year’s inductees did far more than discover new and useful things. Each unleashed ripples of innovation throughout our economy and our society at large… Their discoveries, and the ripples of innovation that followed, have created a healthier and more productive world.”  

USPTO Director Lee stated, “The contributions of tonight’s Inductees are not static but lay the foundation for future invention. Innovation leading to more innovation. This is precisely what our country’s founding fathers intended when they provided for intellectual property protection in our Constitution.” Read Director Lee’s full remarks.

Since 1973, the USPTO has partnered with the nonprofit National Inventors Hall of Fame, an organization that also educates more than 100,000 grade-school and middle-school students every year through interactive programs such as Camp Invention. To be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, one must hold a U.S. patent, as well as contribute significantly to the nation's welfare and the advancement of science and the useful arts. 

The induction ceremony on May 5 was part of a series of events to honor both the new and previous inductees, which kicked off with an illumination ceremony and official ribbon cutting for the new Intellectual Property Power™ exhibit at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum at the USPTO campus in Alexandria, Virginia. The National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum also reopened on May 5 to the public after renovations, with some new interactive installations. These include the chance to take a seat in a one-of-a-kind ride, a 1965 Ford Mustang merged with a 2015 Ford Mustang, plug into the story of Qualcomm’s smartphone technology, powered by the patent system, see the progression and development of the camera, courtesy of the George Eastman Museum, and discover the inspirational stories of past inductees on the illuminated gallery of icons.