North Carolina is where the airplane first left the ground — and that’s just the start. Count down five tech firsts from the Tar Heel State, from the first university nuclear reactor to the UPC barcode designed at Research Triangle Park, plus two bonus picks including a real invisibility cloak.
#5: First university reactor (Raleigh, 1953)
A nuclear reactor built for teaching and research. NC State switched on its R-1 reactor in Raleigh in 1953. NC State had launched the first US nuclear engineering program. The name R-1 meant it was the first university reactor.
#4: SAS software (Raleigh, 1976)
Software that turns mountains of data into answers. SAS Institute was founded in Raleigh in 1976. It grew from an NC State project to study farm data. Its first office was right across the street from campus.
#3: Cree, blue LED pioneer (Durham, 1987)
Blue LEDs helped make giant full-color video screens. NC State grads founded Cree in Durham in 1987. In 1989 it sold one of the first blue LEDs. Its secret ingredient: a tough crystal, silicon carbide.
#2: UPC barcode (Research Triangle, 1973)
The striped code on almost everything you buy. IBM’s George Laurer designed it in Research Triangle Park. Grocers picked his design as the standard in 1973. The first idea was a bullseye — but it smeared.
#1: First powered flight (Kill Devil Hills, 1903)
A windy sand hill near Kitty Hawk, Dec. 17, 1903. Orville and Wilbur Wright flew at Kill Devil Hills. First try: 12 seconds and 120 feet. Last: 59 seconds. Wilbur won a coin toss, but Orville made the first flight.
Bonus Picks From North Carolina
Invisibility cloak (Durham, 2006). Duke engineers showed off a working cloak in 2006. Copper rings on circuit-board sheets bend waves around it. The catch: it hid things from microwaves, not from eyes.
WBT radio (Charlotte, 1922). Charlotte radio fans set up a transmitter in a chicken coop. It was licensed as station WBT in March 1922. It’s North Carolina’s oldest broadcast station.
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 North Carolina? Tell me in the YouTube comments — and give the video a thumbs up if you learned something.
