Brainstorm!

Inspiring young inventors, from ages 5 to 19

Of the thousands of inventions filed each year since 1790 with the United States Patent Office, some have come from enterprising kids, and not just those who have grown up to be famous adult inventors. Here are the stories of twenty ingenious young Americans. Among them are Chester Greenwood, creator of ear muffs; Ralph Samuelson, originator of water-skiing; Vanessa Hess and her colored car wax; and Jerrald Spencer, whose electronic gizmo has made a line of toys so popular that over five million of them have been sold