Worldwide, Texas has been recognized for its Western cowboy heritage, but the Lone Star State is also a land of innovation where genius minds create inventions that pretty much make modern life what it is today!.......

Here is a list of just 10 of the Texas inventions and innovations that have changed our world over the years.

1. Handheld calculator.....In 1967, a group of engineers at Texas Instruments introduced the handheld calculator. Future TI Vice President Dean Toombs, formed a team and were granted a patent eight years after the products’ invention.

2. Integrated Circuit.....If you’re reading this on a laptop or mobile device, you can thank Texas. In 1958, Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments created the first integrated circuit that eventually led to the invention of the microchip. The microchip is the reason computers went from being large enough to fill an entire room to small enough to fit in your back pocket.

3. 3-D Printing.....You probably didn’t know that what’s now known as 3-D printing began in the early 1980s with a process called selective laser sintering. University of Texas alum Carl Deckard began inventing the process, commonly referred to as SLS, while he was still a graduate student.

4. Stadium Nachos.....Whenever you go to a football game or any other stadium event, chances are you’ll find some concession stand nachos. It all started in 1976 at a Texas Rangers baseball game when Frank Liberto made the genius discovery that if you dilute cheese sauce with water and jalapeño juice, you can dispense it from a pump, cover with jalapeños, and you’ve got a delicious snack that’s ready in seconds.

5. Liquid Paper.....In the 1950s, typist and Texan native Bette Nesmith Graham needed a way to correct typing errors so that one typo didn’t completely destroy a memo or letter. She mixed up tempera paint in her kitchen and used that to fix her mistakes. She began marketing the product, originally called “Mistake Out”, in 1956 out of her home. What came to be known as “liquid paper” was enormously successful. In 1979, she sold her invention to the Gillette corporation for 47 million.

6. Mary Kay Cosmetics.....At the age of 45, armed with nothing but a $5,000 investment from her son, a business plan she wrote and a sense of grim determination, Mary Kay Ash started her cosmetics business in Dallas in 1963. Mary Kay Cosmetics is now not only a household name, but the sixth largest direct sales corporation in the world.

7. Shiner Beer.....We have to include Shiner Beer, named for the small town in which the Spoetzl Brewery resides. What began as a locally popular beer label has exploded into an extensive line of different products that are nationally distributed. The brewery opened in 1909, and really took off in the 1970s when distribution was extended to Austin. Shiner Beer is now available in 49 states.

8. Fritos.....If you enjoy Fritos, you can thank Texas. Invented in 1932 in San Antonio by Charles Doolin, Fritos were immensely popular first in Texas, then nationwide. The little company eventually joined forces with the business started by Herman Lay out of Nashville, Tennessee.

9. Dr Pepper.....On Dec. 1, 1885, at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas, pharmacist Charles Alderton served Dr Pepper for the very first time. In 1904, the product was taken nationwide.

10. Frozen Margaritas.....In 1971, Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez adapted a soft-serve ice cream maker to blend tequila, lime juice and sweet n’ sour. This clever invention turned into the world’s first frozen margarita. Martinez was actually inspired by the slushy machines he found at the 7-Eleven, also a Texas company.

These are just some of the many inventions and innovations to come from our Lone Star State. We will list some more for you in the near future!

 

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