Massachusetts has been a launchpad for big ideas. Count down five tech firsts from the Bay State — from the microwave oven and Goddard’s liquid-fuel rocket to the first email with an @ sign and the telephone — plus two bonus picks you might not expect.
#5: Microwave oven (Waltham, 1945)
A machine that heats food with invisible waves. Percy Spencer built it at Raytheon in Waltham. Radar waves made water in food jiggle — and heat up. It started when a candy bar melted in his pocket.
#4: Surgical anesthesia (Boston, 1846)
Before 1846, patients felt every cut of surgery. At Mass General in Boston, a patient breathed ether. A tumor came out of his neck while he felt no pain. The surgeon told the crowd: “This is no humbug”.
#3: Liquid-fuel rocket (Auburn, 1926)
A rocket powered by gasoline and liquid oxygen. Robert Goddard launched it on a farm in Auburn. It climbed 41 feet and flew for about 2.5 seconds. The launch spot is now part of a golf course.
#2: Network email with @ (Cambridge, 1971)
Sending a message from one computer to another. Ray Tomlinson did it at BBN in Cambridge in 1971. He picked @ to join a person’s name and computer. He later admitted he forgot what the first one said.
#1: The telephone (Boston, 1876)
A wire that could carry the human voice. Alexander Graham Bell made it work in Boston in 1876. Sound became electric signals and back into speech. First words: “Mr. Watson, come here! I want to see you”.
Bonus Picks From Massachusetts
America’s first subway (Boston, 1897). Boston, not New York, opened America’s first subway. Streetcars went underground on Tremont Street in 1897. Over 100,000 people rode it on the very first day.
Roomba robot vacuum (Burlington, 2002). iRobot was founded in Burlington by MIT robot makers. Its Roomba began cleaning floors on its own in 2002. Bump into a chair? It just turns and tries again.
Tech From Every State
This is part of my Tech From Every State series: the top tech inventions and firsts from each of the 50 states, told with simple animations. Watch the whole series on YouTube and subscribe to The Tech Ranch so you don’t miss your state.
Did we miss something invented in Massachusetts? Tell me in the YouTube comments — and give the video a thumbs up if you learned something.
