Did you know that the man who invented the laser was born + raised in South Carolina?
From lasers, sweet tea + free-fall rides, we’ve compiled a list of some of the state’s most interesting inventors + inventions. 🧪
👨🏿🌾 George Washington Murray | Sumter County, SC
Murray received patents for various inventions, including the cotton chopper, fertilizer distributor + furrow opener. He also held a seat as the only Black man in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1893-1895. Later, he published two books titled “Race Ideals” and “Light in Dark Places.”
🥤 Simmons + Rundell | Charleston, SC
These two inventors are credited with creating soda water in 1810 when they were granted a patent for imitation mineral water. Thanks to them, we now have soft drinks + soda fountains.
🍋 Sweet Tea | Summerville, SC
A southern delicacy, sweet, iced tea can be traced all the way back to the 1890s, when receipts show Summerville guests purchasing the beverage for a soldier reunion. Now, when visiting the birthplace of sweet, you can also catch a glimpse of the World’s Largest Sweet Tea (200 S. Main St., Summerville), which weighs in at more than 2,500 pounds + measures around 15 feet tall.
👨🏻🔬 Charles Townes | Greenville, SC
A recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics 1964, Dr. Charles Townes spent a lifetime researching microwave physics that ultimately led to his inventions of first the maser – microwave amplification by stimulated emission – and what we now know as the laser. His contributions as a physicist were so great that he has received 27 honorary degrees from several colleges + universities.
🎢 Gerald L. Barber | Greenville, SC
With the help of this South Carolina inventor, we now have free-fall rides like the Tower of Terror at Disney World + Doctor Doom’s Fearfall at Universal Studios. But that’s not all Barber has done – he also owns the patent to the modern wind turbine .
🥣 Vernon Grant | Rock Hill, SC
Rice Krispies cereal is a staple in many cupboards + pantries, and thanks to this innovative artist, the box is decorated with beloved characters Snap, Crackle and Pop . That’s right – in the early 1930s, Vernon Grant teamed up with Kellogg’s to bring the silly little elves to life.
🥤 Blenheim Ginger Ale | Blenheim, SC
Did you know that South Carolina is home to one of the nation’s oldest soda bottling companies ? This plant has been distributing bottles of the unique beverage since 1903, but its history dates back to the 1800s when a local doctor served patients mineral water combined with Jamaican ginger to cure stomach pains.
💉 Joseph Burckhalter | Columbia, SC
This Columbia-native created Camoquin (artesunate/amodiaquine), one of the first medicines known to treat malaria. He also helped establish the use of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), which now allows doctors to identify diseases such as AIDS, leukemia + lymphoma.
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