Bobcat Prototype Arrives at NIHF Museum

A legendary piece of construction history arrived April 19 at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. Joe Keller, the son of 2023 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee Louis Keller and nephew of Inductee Cyril Keller, was on a cross-country trip with the Keller brothers’ invention — a 1958 prototype skid-steer loader. Keller brought the loader to the museum, where the prototype will be part of an exhibit at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum honoring the 2023 Class of Inductees, who will be recognized in October during NIHF’s 50th anniversary Induction Ceremony. Photo credit: … Read more

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Bobcat Skid-Steer Loader Inventors Cyril and Louis Keller Named 2023 NIHF Inductees

Cyril Keller and Louis Keller will be posthumously honored as part of the 50th class of National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees. Brothers Cyril and Louis Keller played a key role in launching the compact equipment industry in the late 1950s and early 1960s with their invention of the world’s first compact loader, which became the Bobcat skid-steer loader. In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, NIHF will honor inductees on Oct. 26, 2023 at “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation.” The event also will celebrate the 50th anniversary of NIHF’s founding in 1973, when Thomas Edison … Read more

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Hard Hat Inventor Being Posthumously Inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame

Edward W. Bullard, inventor of the first commercially available hard hat, will be posthumously honored as part of the latest class of National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees. In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office , NIHF will honor the inductees May 5 during “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation.” The event will take place at the USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Realizing the need for greater safety within the mines, Bullard designed a hard hat for miners inspired by the steel doughboy helmet he wore as a soldier. Bullard first produced the Hard Boiled Hat by … Read more

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