America has long been home to the tinkerer. Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Eli Whitney, Cyrus McCormick, and Robert Fulton are only some of the more famous inventors and innovators who, along with thousands of others, dabbled with technology and machines in their homes, barns, garages, and blacksmith shops.
In his 2013 book, “The Tinkerers: The Amateurs, DIYers, and Inventors Who Make America Great,” Alec Foege applauds these past and present builders and designers, noting that a tinkerer “can be anyone with big ideas and the time to pursue them.”
