Product Timeline
Image | Product | Designer | Date | Summary | Key words |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Berliner Gramophone | Berliner, Emil | 1896 |
An improved version of the Gramophone, a talking machine invented by Emil Berliner (1851-1929)... |
Emil Berliner, phone, US Gramophone Company |
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First Dial Telephone | Strowger, Alman Brown | 1897 |
The first dial telephone was introduced in 1897 by the Automatic Electric Company, founded in... |
Alman Brown Strowger, Automatic Electric Company, phone |
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Curved Dash Oldsmobile | Durant, William C. | 1901 |
The first US gasoline-powered auto to be produced in quantity, the 425 Runabout, was introduced... |
Olds Motor Works, vehicle, William C.Durant |
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First Harley Davidson | Harley, William | 1903 |
The first Harley-Davidson motorcycle was produced in Milwaukee in 1902 and launched in 1903 by... |
vehicle, William Harley |
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Hotpoint Electric Iron | Richardson, Earl H. | 1905 |
This electric iron, introduced to the market in 1905 by Earl H. Richardson, arranged the heating... |
Earl H. Richardson, Houseware |
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Victrola Model XVI | Berliner, Emil and Johnson, Eldridge R. | 1906 |
Copy The Victor Talking Machine Company, founded in 1901 by Emil Berliner and Eldridge R.... |
Emil Berliner, Talking Machine |
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GE's First Toaster | General Electric | 1908 |
General Electric's GE First Toaster was a two-slice model with a porcelain base and a warming... |
General Electric, Houseware |
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Table Fan | Behrens, Peter | 1908 |
This table fan, designed by Peter Behrens, was introduced in 1908 by Allgemeine Elektricitäts... |
Houseware, Peter behrens |
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Stickley, Gustav | Stickley, Gustav | 1909 |
Gustav Stickley (1857-1942) was a designer and follower of the Arts and Crafts movement who... |
furniture, Gustav Stickley |
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Hughes Electric Range | Hughes, George A. | 1910 |
The Hughes Electric Heating Company was founded in Chicago by George A. Hughes (1871-1944), the... |
Houseware, Hughes Electric Heating Company |
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Model T Ford | Ford, Henry | 1913 |
n 1913, Henry Ford perfected the mass- production process with his re-designed Model T. Inspired... |
Henry Ford, vehicle |
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Corning Pyrex Bakeware | Littleton, Dr. Jesse T. | 1915 |
In 1915, Corning Glass introduced the first glass ovenware, made of a new, clear, heat-resistant... |
Bakeware, Corning Pyrex Bakeware, dishware, Glass, Glassware |
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Hotpoint-HughesElectric Range | Hughes, George A. | 1922 |
This 1922 Hotpoint range, made by the Edison Electric Company is typical of the period. The... |
Edison Electric Company, Houseware |
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MT 8 Table Lamp | Wagenfeld, Wilhelm and Jucker, Karl Jacob | 1923 |
This MT 8 table lamp with a hemispherical glass globe was designed by Bauhaus students Wilhelm... |
Lighting, Wilhelm Wagenfeld |
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The First Chrysler | Motors, Chrysler | 1924 |
In 1924 Chrysler became the last successful new car company start-up in the US for over 70 years... |
Chrysler, vehicle, Walter P. Chrysler |
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Vienna Cafe Chair | Thonet, Michael | 1925 |
The Vienna Café chair No. 14 is probably the most successful example of Thonet bentwood... |
furniture, Michael Thonet |
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Waters-Genter Toaster | Waters-Genter Company | 1926 |
This was the first consumer pop-up toaster, called the Toastmaster. It was introduced in 1926 by... |
Houseware, Waters-Genter Company |
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G.E. Monitor Top Refrigerator | Steenstrup, Christian | 1927 |
In 1927, General Electric introduced this "Monitor Top" refrigerator, so-named by the public... |
Christian Steenstrup, General Electric, Houseware |
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Kamden Writing Table Lamp | Bredendieck, Hin | 1928 |
This lamp produced by the Leipzig firm of Körting & Matthieson, was designed by Hin... |
Hin Bredendieck, Leipzig firm of Körting & Matthieson, Lighting |
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Kleinauto Type 32 | Porsche, Dr. Ferdinand | 1932 |
Dr. Ferdinand Porsche (1875-1951) developed this inexpensive rear-engine small car called the... |
Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, NSU Company, vehicle |
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Briggs Dream Car | Tjaarda, John | 1933 |
At the Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition (1933-1934), Ford displayed a concept vehicle... |
John Tjaarda, vehicle |
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Douglas DC-3 | Kindelberger, James H. (Dutch) | 1935 |
The Douglas DC-3, an airliner which carried 21 passengers, was first flown in 1935. It was... |
James H. (Dutch) Kindelberger, Transportation |
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American Modern | Wright, Russell | 1935 |
This line of furniture in natural maple was designed by Russell Wright, manufactured by Conant... |
Conant Ball Company, furniture, Russell Wright |
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Lincoln Zephyr | Tjaarda, John and Bonbright, Howard | 1936 |
The Lincoln Zephyr, designed by John Tjaarda and Howard Bonbright of the Briggs Manufacturing... |
John Tjaarda, vehicle |
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Model K KitchenAid | Arens, Egmont | 1937 |
The Hobart Manufacturing Company introduced a KitchenAid Model "K" stand mixer for $55, designed... |
Egmont Arens, Hobart Manufacturing Company, Houseware |
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S-1 Locomotive | Loewy, Raymond in collaboration with Cret, Paul Philippe | 1938 |
In 1938, the Pennsylvania Railroad introduced the world's largest steam locomotive, the S-1 and... |
Raymond Loewy, Transportation |
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RCA Television Sets | Vassos, John | 1939 |
RCA introduced America's first consumer television receiver sets at the New York World's Fair in... |
Electronics, John Vassos, RCA |
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Willys Jeep | The American Bantam Car Company | 1941 |
Many know that today's ubiquitous Jeep can trace its design to a famous World War II military... |
The American Bantam Car Company, vehicle |
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Jens Risom Chair | Risom, Jens for Hans Knoll | 1943 |
This chair, of simple wood construction using surplus military webbing, was designed by Jens... |
furniture, Hans Knoll, Jens Risom |
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Wurlitzer | Fuller, Paul | 1946 |
In 1946 Wurlitzer introduced its Model 1015 jukebox, designed by industrial designer Paul Fuller... |
Audio, Paul Fuller |
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Eames Chairs LCW and DCW | Eames, Charles | 1947 |
These molded plywood chairs with compound curved seats and backs and rubber shock mounts were... |
Charles Eames, furniture, Herman Miller Furniture Company |
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Eames Fiberglass Chairs | Eames, Charles | 1948 |
The first successfully mass-produced molded plastic chairs, these were molded in fiberglass... |
Charles Eames, furniture, Herman Miller Furniture Company |
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Tucker | Tucker, Thomas | 1948 |
A new US postwar car, the Tucker 48, was introduced by Preston Thomas Tucker (1903-1957), who... |
Preston Thomas Tucker, vehicle |
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Polaroid Model 95 | Walter Dorwin Teague Associates | 1948 |
The Polaroid "Land Camera", the first to develop its own prints in minutes, went on sale at... |
Camera, Walter Dorwin Teague Associates |
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Ford | Ford, Henry II | 1949 |
This was one of the most successful post-war car designs, that Ford Motor Company from decline.... |
Ford Motor Company, vehicle |
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Margrethe Bowls | Bernadotte, Sigvard | 1950 |
This nesting set of five melamine mixing bowls in various sizes and colors were designed by... |
Houseware, Sigvard Bernadotte |
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Schick Model “20” electric razor | Otto, Carl | 1951 |
In 1951, the Industrial Designers Institute (IDI) a predecessor organization to IDSA, initiated... |
Carl Otto, Electronics |
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The Lamb Handle | Lamb, Thomas B. | 1952 |
In 1952, this line of cutlery was introduced into its Cutco product line by Alcas, a subsidiary... |
Houseware, Thomas B. Lamb |
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Flight Bath Scale | DeFano, Don | 1952 |
In 1952, this Model 1500 Flight bathroom scale was designed by Don DeFano, Richard Latham (see... |
Don DeFano, Health |
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Studebaker Coupe | Bourke, Robert E. | 1953 |
This Studebaker Commander Starliner hard-top coupé design was acclaimed by the Museum of Modern... |
Robert E. Bourke, vehicle |
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Servel Wunderbar | Dailey, Donald | 1953 |
Servel, Inc., the sole manufacturer of gas absorption refrigerators since 1926, introduced the... |
Donald Dailey, Houseware, Inc., Servel |
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Sweepmaster, Bissell | Balmer, James G. | 1954 |
In 1954, the Sweepmaster, designed by James G. Balmer, Jr., IDSA and Frederick W. Hertzler; and... |
Houseware, James G. Balmer, Jr. |
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Ford Thunderbird | Burnett, Bill | 1955 |
Ford's Thunderbird, its first sports car, was designed by Bill Burnett, William F. Boyer, and... |
Bill Burnett, vehicle |
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Karman-Ghia Coupé | Ghia, Carrozzeria | 1956 |
Volkswagen of America (just established) introduced its Karmann Ghia coupé in the US. An... |
Carrozzeria Ghia, vehicle |
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Chrysler Look Forward | Exner, Virgil | 1957 |
A complete new line of Chrysler Corporation cars, including Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler... |
vehicle, Virgil Exner |
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The Museum Watch | Horwitt, Nathan | 1958 |
In 1947, Nathan Horwitt designed a wristwatch with a plain black face without numerals and a... |
Nathan Horwitt, watch |
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The Secretary | Highberger, Samuel M. | 1958 |
The Secretary, a copying machine, designed by Samuel M. Highberger, 32, of Harley Earl, Inc. for... |
office, Samuel M. Highberger |
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Xerox 914 Copier | Balmer, James G. | 1959 |
The first automatic office copier to make copies on plain paper, the 914, is introduced by... |
James G. Balmer, office, Xerox |
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Chevrolet Corvair | Hill, Ron | 1960 |
Chevrolet's new compact car, the Corvair, designed by Ron Hill and GM Styling Staff, entered the... |
Chevrolet, Ron Hill, vehicle |
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IBM Selectric I Typewriter | Noyes, Eliot | 1961 |
In 1961 IBM introduced a revolutionary electric typewriter, the Selectric I, which replaced the... |
Eliot Noyes, IBM, office |
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Studebaker Avanti | Loewy, Raymond | 1962 |
With the company on its last legs in 1961, new Studebaker president Sherwood H. Egbert called on... |
Raymond Loewy, vehicle |
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Kodak Instamatic 100 | Zagara, Frank A. | 1963 |
In 1963, Kodak introduced its Instamatic 100 camera designed by Frank A. Zagara of Kodak staff.... |
Camera, Frank A. Zagara, Kadak |
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Model 800 Kodak Carousel | Harvey, D.M. | 1964 |
Kodak’s carousel projector was a dramatic innovation that established a new typeform for... |
Camera, D.M. Harvey, Kodak |
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Royal Traveller Attaché Case | Samhammer, Claire | 1965 |
This elegant Royal Traveller attaché case, designed by Claire Samhammer of Design West, Inc. for... |
Claire Samhammer, luggage |
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Amana Radarange | Raytheon Manufacturing Company | 1967 |
Amana Refrigeration, a subsidiary of Raytheon Manufacturing Company, in 1967 introduced this... |
Houseware, Raytheon |
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Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet | Walter Dorwin Teague Associates | 1969 |
The Boeing 747 "jumbo-jet" made its first public flight in 1969. It carried 342-490 passengers... |
Transportation, Walter Dorwin Teague Associates |
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Canon Pocketronic Calculator | Haggerty, Pat | 1971 |
This collaboration between Canon and Texas Instruments (TI) is the first handheld battery-... |
Computer, Pat Haggerty |
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Ergon Chair | Stumpf, William | 1976 |
The Ergon chair, with an innovative gas-cylinder post mount to absorb impact of "heavy" sitters... |
furniture, William Stumpf |
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The Dustbuster | Gantz, Carroll | 1979 |
The Dustbuster, the most successful product in Black & Decker history, was introduced in... |
Black & Decker, Carroll Gantz, Houseware |
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Narrow Aisle Reach Truck | Tompkins, David | 1980 |
The Crown Rider Reach Series Trucks were designed by David Tompkins, IDSA, Frank Wilgus, Nilo-... |
David Tompkins, vehicle |
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Motorola DynaTAC 8000x | Rudy Krolopp’s design team | 1984 |
The world’s first commercial handheld cellular phone, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, received... |
Motorola, phone, Rudy Krolopp |
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Apple IIc Computer | Apple Inc. | 1984 |
Introduced in April 1984, the IIc was Apple’s first compact model, the first with user-friendly... |
Apple, Computer |
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Ford Taurus | Telnack, Jack | 1986 |
The Ford Taurus and its companion, the Mercury Sable, were designed by Jack Telnack, Fritz... |
Ford, Jack Telnack, vehicle |
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NeXT Computer | Jobs, Steve | 1988 |
NeXT, Inc. was founded in 1985 by Steve Jobs and a number of former Apple employees, after Jobs... |
Computer, NeXT, Steve Jobs |
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Good Grips | Stowell, Davin | 1989 |
OXO International—founded in 1989 by Sam Farber—introduced Good Grips kitchen utensils, with... |
Davin Stowell, Houseware, OXO |
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Mazda Miata MX5 | Yamamoto, Kenichi | 1989 |
The Mazda Miata was conceived in 1976 by Kenichi Yamamoto, head of R&D at Mazda in Japan,... |
Kenichi Yamamoto, vehicle |
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Apple PowerBook | Brunner, Robert | 1991 |
The Apple PowerBook was one of the most revolutionary computers ever made. It changed the way... |
Apple, Computer, Robert Brunner |
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Aeron Chair | Stumpf, Bill | 1994 |
The Aeron ergonomic chair was designed by Bill Stumpf, FIDSA (1936-2006), of Stumpf, Weber +... |
Bill Stumpf, furniture, Herman Miller |
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Personal Harbor Workspace | Steelcase Inc | 1995 |
This design won a gold in the 1995 IDEA national design awards sponsored by IDSA and Business... |
Steelcase Inc, Workspace |
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Volkswagen Beetle | Mays, J | 1998 |
The new Beetle ‘Concept 1’ was unveiled in 1994 by Volkswagen at the North American... |
J Mays, vehicle, Volkswagen |
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Apple iPod | Ive, Jonathon | 2001 |
In 2000, digital music players were either big and clunky or small and useless with terrible... |
Apple, Audio, Jonathon Ive |