Cool Inventions And Products That Are All Minnesota
Minnesota is known for its many inventions, inventors and entrepreneurs. Here is just a few of them that you may recognize.
In 1935, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, physicians invent the first oxygen mask for Northwest Airlines.
In 1922, in Lake City MN, Ralph W. Samuelson was towed behind his motorboat, on what was the first practical water skis. He steam bent, two eight foot pine boards into water skis.
In 1946, Mound MN, Mound Metalcraft invented the Tonka Truck made of metal tie-rack and in 1955 changed its name to Tonka Toys, which honored the Lake Minnetonka, in which Mound is on the western shores of this lake.
In 1980, Minneapolis, MN soon to be inventor Scott Olson and his brother Brennan Olson invented Rollerblades. Scott was a student who played hockey, but wanted to create a skate with wheels that he could use for training during the summer months when the ice as scarce. He found a pair hockey skates at a second hand store and added wheels to invent a three wheel inline roller skate. Although many companies had been trying to invent an inline roller skate, it wasn’t until 1984, when Bob Naegele, Jr., a Minneapolis businessman, bought the small company from Scott Olson and created the first commercially successful inline skates and called the company Rollerblades Inc.
In 1956, at their plant in Roseau MN, Polaris Industries created the first practical, commercial snowmobile. Although Joseph-Armand Bombardier (BRP) of Valcourt, Quebec was inventing snow transport machines, Bombardier didn’t invent their snow mobile until 1959.
In 1957, Earl Bakken works from his small garage electronic repair business called Medtronic. Earl is working with the medical condition called “Blue Babies”, where babies born with a poor heart condition causes poor circulation and renders the babies with a blue tint. In October of 1957, a blackout in Minneapolis creates the need for a consistent power supply in the treatment of his “blue babies.” Dr. Lillehei talks to Earl Bakken to create a solution to remedy this problem and one month later, Medtronic creates the first battery operated, self-contained, transistorized cardiac pacemaker that is worn near the patient chest without cords.
In 1951, Bloomington, MN, The Toro Company created the first home use snow blower.
In the 1920’s, St. Paul MN, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, 3M created the first waterproof sandpaper that greatly reduces airborne particles and thus improving the working conditions in American automobile manufacturing plants. In 1925, Richard G. Drew who is a young lab assistant at 3M invents masking tape, leading the way to other products like Scotch Brand tapes.
In 1969, Savage MN, Terrell and Donavan Stern start Stern Rubber Company, creating molded rubber products for companies like Polaris, BRP, Toro, 3M and Medtronic.