The co-inventor of the contraceptive pill. A patent for an early color television. A glove that can turn sign-language hand gestures into speech.

    These are only some of the accomplishments of Hispanic inventors. Over centuries, Hispanic inventors have created a widely diverse set of accomplishments, as befits the wide diversity of backgrounds.

    Back in 1856, for instance, Spanish physicist and inventor Narciso Monturiol improved upon a machine that had been around since the early 17^th century - the submarine. In the initial versions of his Ictineo submarine, the vehicle could stay submerged for up to two hours and sixteen men were required to manually turn the propeller. In 1864, he added a steam generator – which meant the sub could stay underwater for as much as seven hours.

    More recently, a young chemistry student named Luis Miramontes worked with two other researchers to develop a new process for synthesizing the active ingredient in an invention that has had a greater impact than submarines. In 1956, Miramontes and his colleagues received U.S. patent #2,744,122 – for the birth control pill.

    You can learn more about such inventions through this site – with articles and a monthly Newsletter; links to useful sites like Invention Resource International, Sell Idea, Virtual Prototype, and Invention Publicity; and access to our Free Invention Kit, which can help you bring your own invention dream to life.