Product Timeline

Product	Designer	Date	Summary	Key words
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Table Fan	Behrens, Peter	1908	This table fan, designed by Peter Behrens, was introduced in 1908 by Allgemeine Elektricitäts...	Houseware, Peter behrens
Stickley, Gustav	Stickley, Gustav	1909	Gustav Stickley (1857-1942) was a designer and follower of the Arts and Crafts movement who...	furniture, Gustav Stickley
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
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
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
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
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
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
Vienna Cafe Chair	Thonet, Michael	1925	The Vienna Café chair No. 14 is probably the most successful example of Thonet bentwood...	furniture, Michael Thonet
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
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
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
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
Briggs Dream Car	Tjaarda, John	1933	At the Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition (1933-1934), Ford displayed a concept vehicle...	John Tjaarda, vehicle
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Wurlitzer	Fuller, Paul	1946	In 1946 Wurlitzer introduced its Model 1015 jukebox, designed by industrial designer Paul Fuller...	Audio, Paul Fuller
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
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
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
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
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
Margrethe Bowls	Bernadotte, Sigvard	1950	This nesting set of five melamine mixing bowls in various sizes and colors were designed by...	Houseware, Sigvard Bernadotte
Schick Model “20” electric razor	Otto, Carl	1951	In 1951, the Industrial Designers Institute (IDI) a predecessor organization to IDSA, initiated...	Carl Otto, Electronics
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
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
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
Servel Wunderbar	Dailey, Donald	1953	Servel, Inc., the sole manufacturer of gas absorption refrigerators since 1926, introduced the...	Donald Dailey, Houseware, Inc., Servel
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.
Ford Thunderbird	Burnett, Bill	1955	Ford's Thunderbird, its first sports car, was designed by Bill Burnett, William F. Boyer, and...	Bill Burnett, vehicle
Karman-Ghia Coupé	Ghia, Carrozzeria	1956	Volkswagen of America (just established) introduced its Karmann Ghia coupé in the US. An...	Carrozzeria Ghia, vehicle
Chrysler Look Forward	Exner, Virgil	1957	A complete new line of Chrysler Corporation cars, including Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler...	vehicle, Virgil Exner
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Amana Radarange	Raytheon Manufacturing Company	1967	Amana Refrigeration, a subsidiary of Raytheon Manufacturing Company, in 1967 introduced this...	Houseware, Raytheon
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
Canon Pocketronic Calculator	Haggerty, Pat	1971	This collaboration between Canon and Texas Instruments (TI) is the first handheld battery-...	Computer, Pat Haggerty
Ergon Chair	Stumpf, William	1976	The Ergon chair, with an innovative gas-cylinder post mount to absorb impact of "heavy" sitters...	furniture, William Stumpf
The Dustbuster	Gantz, Carroll	1979	The Dustbuster, the most successful product in Black & Decker history, was introduced in...	Black & Decker, Carroll Gantz, Houseware
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
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
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
Ford Taurus	Telnack, Jack	1986	The Ford Taurus and its companion, the Mercury Sable, were designed by Jack Telnack, Fritz...	Ford, Jack Telnack, vehicle
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
Good Grips	Stowell, Davin	1989	OXO International—founded in 1989 by Sam Farber—introduced Good Grips kitchen utensils, with...	Davin Stowell, Houseware, OXO
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
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
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
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
Volkswagen Beetle	Mays, J	1998	The new Beetle ‘Concept 1’ was unveiled in 1994 by Volkswagen at the North American...	J Mays, vehicle, Volkswagen
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

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Product Timeline