List of Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks

Last updated

The following is a list of Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) since it began the program in 1971. The designation is granted to existing artifacts or systems representing significant mechanical engineering technology. Mechanical Engineering Heritage Sites are particular locales at which some event or development occurred or which some machine, building, or complex of significance occupied. Also Mechanical Engineering Heritage Collections refers to a museum or collection that includes related objects of special significance to, but not necessarily a major evolutionary step in, the historical development of mechanical engineering. [1]

Contents

Clicking the landmark number in the first column will take you to the ASME page on the site where you will also find the downloadable brochure from the dedication.

There are over 275 landmarks on the list. [2]

Ref#Year addedNameImageDateLocationRegion/stateCountryNotes
1 1973 Ferries & Cliffhouse Cable Railway Power House

One of the most complicated cable-car systems to run from a single station.

San Francisco Cable Car Power House.jpg 1887 San Francisco CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
2 1973 Leavitt-Riedler Pumping Engine

Unusual triple-expansion, three-crank "rocker" engine, driving high-capacity, high-speed pumps.

Leavitt-Riedler Pumping Engine.JPG 1894 Boston MassachusettsUnited States ASME brochure
3 1974 A.B. Wood Screw Pump

The most advanced low-lift drainage pump in use in the early 20th century, later used worldwide.

Albert Baldwin Wood01.jpg 1914 New Orleans LouisianaUnited States ASME brochure
4 1975 Portsmouth-Kittery Naval Shipbuilding Activity

First US naval shipyard, achieving notable firsts in technology and producing many well-known US naval vessels.

United States Navy Yard at Portsmouth, NH.jpg 1774 Kittery MaineUnited States ASME brochure
5 1975 Boyden Hydraulic Turbines

Two of the oldest surviving water turbines, probably the largest and nearly the most powerful ever built in the United States for mechanical drive. Located at Harmony Mills.

Boyden Turbine.jpg 1871 Cohoes New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
6 1975Curtis 5000-kW Vertical Turbine

The most powerful steam turbine-generator in the world at the time of its construction.

5000 Kw. Curtis Turbine-Generator.jpg 1903 Schenectady New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
7 1975 Saugus Ironworks

Reconstruction of the first successful commercial ironworks in North America.

Saugus Iron Mill.jpg 1647 Saugus MassachusettsUnited States ASME brochure
8 1975 Pioneer Oil Refinery California Star Oil Works

A replica of the first successful commercial oil refinery in the US West.

Pioneer Oil Refinery - Star Oil Works.jpg 1876 Newhall CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
9 1975 Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Scoop Wheel & Engines

19th-century steam pumps at the (former) summit of the ship canal.

C&D Canal Pump House Wheel.png 1852 Chesapeake City MarylandUnited States ASME brochure
10 1975 USS Texas' Reciprocating Steam Engines

Last reciprocating marine engines installed in a naval ship.

USS Texas BB-35.jpg 1914 La Porte TexasUnited States ASME brochure
11 1975 Paige Compositor

First US typography machine to set, justify, and distribute foundry type from a common case using one operator.

Paige Compositor.jpg 1877 Hartford ConnecticutUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available.
12 1976Reynolds-Corliss Pumping Engine

Early 20th-century water pump driven by a Corliss steam engine.

Reynolds Corliss Pump - Jacksonville Water System.jpg 1917 Jacksonville FloridaUnited States ASME brochure
13 1976 Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Project

Early 20th-century hydroelectric plant incorporating innovative technologies.

Interior of Childs power plant (MS-2-1.4-1.018).jpg 1909 Phoenix ArizonaUnited States ASME brochure
14 1976 Hanford B Reactor

First US plutonium production reactor placed in commercial operation.

Hanford B Reactor.jpg 1944 Richland Washington United States ASME brochure
15 1976Magma Copper Mine Air Conditioning System

First air-conditioned mine in North America.

Magna Mine A-C System made large-scale air conditioning feasible.jpg 1937 Superior ArizonaUnited States ASME brochure
16 1976 Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway

Highest railway in the US and highest rack railway in the world.

Pikes Peak steam loco.jpg 1891 Pikes Peak ColoradoUnited States ASME brochure
17 1976Edgar Station, Edison Electric Illuminating Co.

Power-generation station with one of the world's only high-pressure topping turbines, which set new records in the late 1920s.

Edison-Edgar Station Weymouth.jpg 1925 Weymouth MassachusettsUnited States ASME brochure
18 1976 Mount Washington Cog Railway

World's first cog railway.

Mount Washington Cog Railway Ammonoosuc.jpg 1869 Mount Washington New HampshireUnited States ASME brochure
19 1976 Folsom Power House #1

One of the first successful uses of hydroelectric power in the world, including the first successful long-distance transmission of power.

FolsomPowerHouse.jpg 1895 Folsom CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
20 1977 Crawler Transporters of Launch Complex 39

Two of the largest ground vehicles ever built, including automatic load-leveling systems.

Crawler-Transporter.jpg 1965 Cape Canaveral FloridaUnited States ASME brochure
21 1977 Fairmount Water Works

First large-scale application of steam pumping, later water power, to public water supply.

Fairmount Water Works LOC 314409cu.jpg 1815 Philadelphia PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
22 1977 USS Olympia, Vertical Reciprocating Steam Engines

Two of the first vertical triple-expansion marine engines.

USS Olympia side.jpg 1892 Philadelphia PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
23 1977Pit-Cast Jib Crane

Last US pit-cast jib crane to operate in the casting of iron pipe.

1905 Birmingham AlabamaUnited States ASME brochure
24 1977 State Line Generating Unit 1

World's largest electric-power generator for nearly 25 years, achieving many design firsts.

State Line Generating Plant by ikcyzrteip.JPG 1929 Hammond IndianaUnited States ASME brochure
25 1977 Pratt Institute Power Plant

The oldest steam-generating plant of its kind in the Northeastern United States.

Pratt Institute engine room (7912734708).jpg 1887 Brooklyn New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
26 1977 Monongahela Incline

First US passenger incline.

Monongahela Incline.jpg 1870 Pittsburgh PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
27 1977 Duquesne Incline

Second US passenger incline.

Duquesne Incline from top.jpg 1877 Pittsburgh PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
28 1977 Great Falls Raceway and Power System

First major US water power system and basis for integrating urban planning with industrial development.

Great Falls of the Passaic River, April 18, 2007.jpg 1792 Paterson New JerseyUnited States ASME brochure
29 1977 Vulcan Street Power Plant

First Edison hydroelectric central station. Coperating landmark by ASME IEEE and ASCE.

PaperDiscoveryCenterAppletonWI.jpg 1882 Appleton WisconsinUnited States ASME brochure
30 1977 Wilkinson Mill

Early 19th-century textile mill and machine shop.

Wilkinson Mill.jpg 1810 Pawtucket Rhode IslandUnited States ASME brochure
31 1978 Interborough Rapid Transit System (Original Line)

The first fully electrically signaled railroad in the United States and the first practical subway in New York City.

Columbia University-116th Street station, New York Subway.jpg 1904 New York New YorkUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available.
32 1978 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Old Main Line

First US railroad in public service.

B&O Railroad equipment of 1830s.jpg 1828MarylandMarylandUnited States ASME brochure
33 1978 Ringwood Manor Iron Complex

Surviving 18th-century iron manufacturing center.

Ringwood Manor Smithy.jpg 1740 Ringwood New JerseyUnited States ASME brochure
34 1978 Joshua Hendy Iron Works

Early 20th-century ironworks demonstrating the adaptability required for industrial survival.

HendyMarineEngine.JPG 1906 Sunnyvale CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
35 1979 Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza Sugar Mill Steam Engine

Typical beam steam engine of the mid-19th century, directly connected to sugar crushing rolls.

Hacienda La Esperanza Engine.jpg 1861 Manatí Puerto Rico United States ASME brochure
36 1979 RL-10 Rocket Engine

First rocket engine to use high-energy liquid hydrogen as fuel.

RL-10 rocket engine.jpg 1958 West Palm Beach FloridaUnited States ASME brochure
37 1979 A. O. Smith Automatic Frame Plant

Prototype of the automated factory; dubbed the 'Mechanical Marvel.'

Mechancial Marvel riviting during final assembly.jpg 1920 Milwaukee WisconsinUnited StatesNo longer exists.

ASME brochure

38 1979 Morris Canal (Reaction) Turbine

Early reaction, or Scotch, turbine, a type that later found widespread application.

Morris Canal, Scotch Turbine Display - general view.jpg 1850 Port Warren New JerseyUnited StatesScotch Turbine displayed at Hopatcong State Park.

ASME brochure

39 1979 Experimental Breeder Reactor I

World's first nuclear power plant to demonstrate the breeder concept.

Ebr-1.zdv.jpg 1951 Arco IdahoUnited States ASME brochure
40 1979 Drake Oil Well

First practical oil recovery system using salt-well drilling techniques and modern pipe-driving methods, marks beginning of US petroleum industry.

Drake Well, August 2006.jpg 1859 Titusville PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
41 1980 Springfield Armory

First US armory noted for machinery for mass production of small arms, including the Blanchard lathe.

SpringfieldMA Oldarm.gif 1794 Springfield MassachusettsUnited States ASME brochure
42 1980 East Wells (Onieda) Street Power Plant

Pilot plant for US development of pulverized-coal firing in power-plant boilers.

Oneida Street Station Apr11.jpg 1918 Milwaukee WisconsinUnited States ASME brochure
43 1980 Watkins Woolen Mill

The best preserved 19th-century woolen mill in North America.

Watkins Mill, County Highway MM, Lawson vicinity (Clay County, Missouri) crop1.jpg 1868 Lawson MissouriUnited States ASME brochure
44 1980Fusion-welded Test Boiler Drum

First fusion-welded boiler drum, tests on which led to widespread acceptance in industry.

First Welded Boiler Drum.jpg 1930 Windsor ConnecticutUnited States ASME brochure
45 1980 Georgetown Steam Plant

Steam plant with early Curtis turbines, marking the beginning of the end of the reciprocating steam engine as the central station prime mover.

Georgetown PowerPlant Museum boiler pan P.jpg 1906 Seattle Washington United States ASME brochure
46 1980 Commonwealth Building Heat Pump

First large commercial building in the United States to pioneer the use of heat pumps for heating and cooling.

Commonwealth-Equitable Building - Portland Oregon.jpg 1948 Portland OregonUnited States ASME brochure
47 1980 Shippingport Nuclear Power Station

First US commercial central electric-generating station to use nuclear energy.

Shippingport LOC 135430pu.jpg 1958 Shippingport PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
48 1980 Edison 'Jumbo' Engine-driver Dynamo

One of six dynamos from Edison's Pearl Street Station, the prototype for US central-station power generation.

1882 Dearborn MichiganUnited States ASME brochure
49 1980Marine-type Triple-expansion, Engine-driven Dynamo

Sole surviving engine-generator set marking the beginning of large-scale electric power generation in the United States.

1891 Dearborn MichiganUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available.
50 1980Cooperative Fuel Research Engine

Pioneer variable-compression laboratory engine for testing fuels.

Waukesha CFR Knock Test Engine.jpg 1928 Waukesha WisconsinUnited States ASME brochure
51 1980 Port Washington Power Plant

The world's most thermally efficient steam plant for many years.

Port Washington Power Plant.jpg 1935 Port Washington WisconsinUnited States ASME brochure
52 1980 Saturn V Rocket (Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center)

Three sites (Texas, Florida and Alabama) were simultaneously designated (via satellite) in July 1980.

Saturn V building Johnson Space Center.jpg 1967 Houston TexasUnited States ASME brochure
53 1980 Saturn V Rocket (Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex)

Three sites (Texas, Florida and Alabama) were simultaneously designated (via satellite) in July 1980.

SaturnVcenter.JPG 1967 Cape Canaveral FloridaUnited States ASME brochure
54 1980 Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle (U.S. Space & Rocket Center)

Three sites (Texas, Florida and Alabama) were simultaneously designated (via satellite) in July 1980.

Davidson Center-27527-2.jpg 1966 [3] [4] Huntsville AlabamaUnited States ASME brochure
55 1980Blood Heat Exchanger

The first commercial human-blood heat exchanger for controlling hyperthermic temperatures during open-heart surgery.

1957 Amherst New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
56 1980Rocky River Pumped-storage Hydroelectric Plant

Early example of the pumped-storage principle, at a power plant.

1929 New Milford ConnecticutUnited States ASME brochure
57 1980 Kaplan Turbine at York Haven Dam

One of the first three Kaplan-type hydraulic turbines in the United States.

1929 York County PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
58 1980 Pioneer Zephyr

First US diesel-powered, stainless-steel streamlined train.

Pioneer Zephyr, observation end.jpg 1934 Chicago IllinoisUnited States ASME brochure
59 1981 Chestnut Street Pumping Engine

Typical US municipal steam water-pumping engine of the late 19th century and early 20th century.

1913 Erie PennsylvaniaUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
60 1981 Holt Caterpillar Tractor

Earliest track-type gasoline-powered tractor, influencing designs worldwide.

Holt75pk.jpg 1918 Stockton CaliforniaUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
61 1981 Michigan-Lake Superior Power Hydroelectric Plant

An early, extremely large-scale, low-head hydropower plant using many small turbines.

Soo Michigan hydro.jpg 1902 Sault Ste. Marie MichiganUnited States ASME brochure
62 1981 Southern Pacific #4294 Cab-in-Front Steam Locomotive

Example of the final phase of US steam locomotive development in size and power.

Southern Pacific 4294, a cab-forward steam locomotive.jpg 1944 Sacramento CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
63 1981 Jackson Ferry Shot Tower

One of the few surviving shot towers for making spherical lead shot.

Shottower wytheco.jpg 1807 Austinville VirginiaUnited States ASME brochure
64 1981 Graue Mill

One of a few survivors of typical US mill machinery with wood as the principal material.

Graue Water Mill, York Road, Fullersburg vicinity (Du Page County, Illinois).jpg 1852 Oak Brook IllinoisUnited States ASME brochure
65 1981 Evinrude Outboard Motor

Early model of outboard motor for small boats, first commercially successful.

Evinrude Patent Dwg.jpg 1909 Milwaukee WisconsinUnited States ASME brochure
66 1981 Mount Wilson Observatory, 100-inch Hooker Telescope

Unique telescope mirror support and use of mercury flotation to reduce friction.

100inchHooker.jpg 1918 Los Angeles County CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
67 1981 Hiwassee Dam Unit 2 Reversible Pump-Turbine

The first integrated pump-turbine to be installed in a US power plant and also the largest and most powerful in the mid-20th century.

Hiwassee-dam-1946-tva1.jpg 1956 Cherokee County North CarolinaUnited States ASME brochure
68 1981 Edison Experimental Recording Phonograph

The world's first practical sound recording machine.

Edison and phonograph edit1.jpg 1877 West Orange New JerseyUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
69 1981 Creusot Steam Hammer

The most powerful steam hammer in the world for many years.

Le Creusot - Marteau Pilon 5.jpg 1876 Le Creusot Saône-et-Loire France ASME brochure
70 1981 Newcomen Engine

Direct descendant of Thomas Newcomen's first atmospheric steam engine.

Newcomen6325.png 1712 Dartmouth South Devon United KingdomLocated at the Dartmouth Museum.

ASME brochure

71 1981ALCOA 50,000-ton Hydraulic Forging Press

One of the world's largest fabrication tools, dominant in aircraft and aerospace development.

Mesta press east side.jpg 1954 Cleveland OhioUnited States ASME brochure
72 1981Rotating-arm Model-test Facility at Stevens Institute of Technology

The world's first model-test facility to conduct maneuverability and control experiments for surface ships, submersibles, and airships.

1945 Hoboken New JerseyUnited States ASME brochure
73 1982 Turbinia

The world's first turbine-driven ship.

Turbinia At Speed.jpg 1897 Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear United Kingdom ASME brochure
74 1982Anderson-Barngrover Rotary Pressure Sterilizer

The world's first continuous-stream automation of the cooking and cooling system for canned food.

1920 Santa Clara CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
75 1982 Alden Research Laboratory Rotating Boom

Early 20th-century test facility for current meters, aircraft propellers, ships' logs, pitot tubes, and mine-sweeping paravanes.

Alden Research Laboratory - HAER 077088pu.jpg 1908 Holden MassachusettsUnited States ASME brochure
76 1982AC Electrification of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad

Pioneering venture in mainline railroad electrification. The Cos Cob plant operated until October 1986.

Coscobpowerplant1907.png 1907 Cos Cob ConnecticutUnited StatesDemolished 2001 and artifacts given to Smithsonian Institution.

No ASME brochure available

77 1982Worthington Horizontal Cross-compound Pumping

Corliss-driven pump, typical of early 20th-century US practice.

1925 Erie PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
78 1982 Electro-Motive FT Freight-service Diesel-Electric Locomotive

Prototype of the first mass-produced diesel-electric locomotives used for US freight service. Located at National Museum of Transportation as Southern Railway Locomotive #6100.

1939 St. Louis MissouriUnited States ASME brochure
79 1982 Lombard Steam Log Hauler

The first practical example of crawler-tread vehicles now used in agricultural, construction, and military equipment. Located at the Lumberman's Museum.

Lombard steam log hauler.jpg 1910 Patten MaineUnited States ASME brochure
80 1982Aberdeen Range, Aberdeen Proving Ground

The world's first large-scale, fully instrumented ballistic range for producing data on aerodynamics.

1943 Aberdeen MarylandUnited States ASME brochure
81 1983Corning Ribbon Machine

Earliest example of the machine that automated light-bulb manufacture.

1926 Dearborn MichiganUnited StatesLocated at The Henry Ford museum.

ASME brochure

82 1983FMC Citrus Juice Extractor

Early example of machines that automated extraction of juices from fruit.

Juice extractor test facility - at JBT plant in Florida 2017.jpg 1947 Lakeland FloridaUnited StatesPlaque not on display.

ASME brochure

83 1983 Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 Electric Locomotive #4800

Locomotive prototype for use on electrified lines in eastern US, also exceptional for its flexible suspension system.

Gg1 4800 2.jpg 1943 Strasburg PennsylvaniaUnited StatesLocated at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

ASME brochure

84 1983 Reed Gold Mine Ten-Stamp Mill

Typical late 19th-century western-US stamp mill.

1895 Midland North CarolinaUnited States ASME brochure
85 1983PACECO Container Crane

World's first high-speed, dockside container-handling crane.

1959 Alameda CaliforniaUnited States1987: Purchased by and now located in Port of Nanjing, China.

1988: Rededicated in conjunction with Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society.

 ASME brochure 
86 1983Owens AR Bottle Machine

World's first automated bottling machine that introduced cheap and plentiful supply of glass containers.

1912 Toledo OhioUnited StatesNo longer exists.

No ASME brochure available

87 1983 NS Savannah

The world's first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship.

NSsavannah-1962.jpg 1962 Newport News VirginiaUnited States ASME brochure
88 1983 Xerography

Early models of revolutionary dry-copying process at the Battelle Memorial Institute.

1948 Columbus OhioUnited States ASME brochure
89 1983 Wyman-Gordon 50,000-ton Hydraulic Forging Press

One of the world's largest fabrication tools, influencing aviation and aerospace technology.

Wyman Gordon 50000 ton press.jpg 1955 Grafton MassachusettsUnited States ASME brochure
90 1984 IBM 350 RAMAC Disk File

World's first computer storage device with random access to large volumes of data.

BRL61-IBM 305 RAMAC.jpeg 1956 San Jose CaliforniaUnited States2019: Site demolished.

Artifacts now at Computer Museum; plaque not on display.

 ASME brochure 
91 1984Archimedes Screw Pump

One of the US's oldest surviving examples of the wind-driven Archimedes screw-pump.

1890 Newark CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
92 1984 Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

Unique electromechanical devices and systems in the longest accelerator in the world.

Stanford-linear-accelerator-usgs-ortho-kaminski-5900.jpg 1962 Menlo Park CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
93 1984 Holland Tunnel Ventilation System

The world's first long underwater tunnel designed for motor vehicles, with innovative ventilating system.

New York Land Ventilation Building south side 119149pv.jpg 1920 New York New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
94 1984 Norfolk & Western #611, Class J Steam Locomotive

The last survivor of US coal-fired passenger locomotives, considered among the most advanced of any 4-8-4.

NW 611.jpg 1941 Roanoke VirginiaUnited StatesLocated at Virginia Museum of Transportation.

ASME brochure

95 1984 Sikorsky VS-300 Helicopter

The first practical US helicopter, pioneering the single-main-rotor concept.

Igor Sikorsky 300.jpg 1939 Dearborn MichiganUnited StatesLocated at The Henry Ford museum.

ASME brochure

96 1984 Quincy Mining Company No. 2 Mine Hoist

The world's largest mine hoist.

QuincyMineNo2Shafthouse.jpg 1920 Hancock MichiganUnited States ASME brochure
97 1984 SS Great Britain

The world's first iron-hulled, screw-propelled ship to cross any ocean, leading to Britain's world leadership in maritime commerce.

SS Great Britain bow view.jpg 1843 Bristol South West England United Kingdom ASME brochure
98 1984 SS Jeremiah O'Brien

One of only two operating survivors of the US emergency-cargo fleet known as Liberty Ships.

Jeremiah O'Brien (Liberty ship, San Francisco).JPG 1943 San Francisco CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
99 1984Idols Station, Fries Manufacturing & Power Company

Typical 19th-century small-scale, low-head run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant.

1898 Winston-Salem North CarolinaUnited States ASME brochure
100 1984Belle Isle Gas Turbine

The first gas turbine used for electric utility power generation in the United States.

1949 Schenectady New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
101 1984 St. Charles Avenue Streetcar Line

The oldest surviving interurban-urban passenger rail transport system in the United States.

New-orleans-strassenbahn.jpg 1835 New Orleans LouisianaUnited States ASME brochure
102 1985 Atlas Launch Vehicle

First launch vehicle for the US space program.

Atlas missile launch.jpg 1957 El Cajon CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
103 1985First Hot Isostatic Processing Vessels

Early examples of fabrication vessels using gas pressure and temperature to produce advanced alloy and ceramic products.

1956 Columbus OhioUnited StatesLocated at Battelle Memorial Institute.

ASME brochure

104 1985Basic-Oxygen Steel Making Vessel

Vessel that introduced the basic oxygen process to the United States.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers 1985 Plaque.jpg 1955 Trenton MichiganUnited StatesPresently owned by Detroit Steel Company.

ASME brochure

105 1985 Detroit Edison District Heating System

Early example of typical US district heating plant.

1903 Detroit MichiganUnited States ASME brochure
106 1985 Cornwall Iron Furnace

Typical 19th-century US charcoal-fueled blast furnace, fully intact.

CornwallFurnacePA.jpg 1742 Cornwall PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
107 1985 Lowell Power Canal System and Pawtucket Gatehouse

Early major US water-power system and the first Francis inward-flow water turbine placed in service and oldest in existence.

Suffolk mill turbine exhibit.jpg 1796 Lowell MassachusettsUnited States ASME brochure
108 1985 Jacobs Engine Brake Retarder

The first practical mechanism for braking large trucks with engine compression as they descend long, steep grades at controlled speeds.

Jake Brake.jpg 1957 Bloomfield ConnecticutUnited States ASME brochure
109 1985 Geysers Unit 1

The first commercial geothermal electricity-generating station in North America.

1960 Sonoma County CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
110 1985Harris-Corliss Steam Engine

Example of a late 19th-century 350-hp Corliss-type steam engine.

1895 Atlanta GeorgiaUnited StatesLocated at Randall Brothers, Inc.

ASME brochure

111 1986 Boulton & Watt Rotative Steam Engine

Oldest surviving operable rotative steam engine by Boulton and Watt.

Boulton and Watt sun and planet gear.jpg 1785 Sydney New South Wales AustraliaLocated at the Powerhouse Museum.

ASME brochure

112 1985 TV Emery Rice Steam Engine

Mid-19th-century horizontal compound marine steam engine with return connecting rod.

Emory Rice back-acting engine diagram - detail.jpg 1873 Kings Point New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
113 1986 Fairbanks Exploration Company Gold Dredge No. 8

One of the last mammoth gold dredges in the United States accessible to the public.

Fairbanks Exploration Company, Goldstream Dredge No. 8, Fox, Fairbanks (North Star Borough, Alaska).jpg 1927 Fairbanks AlaskaUnited States ASME brochure
114 1986 Pitney-Bowes Model M Postage Meter

Early model of world's first commercial postage meter.

1920 Stamford ConnecticutUnited States ASME brochure
115 1986 Disneyland Monorail System

The first commercial Wenner-Gren monorail system.

MonorailOverLagoon wb.jpg 1959 Anaheim CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
116 1987 McKinley Climatic Laboratory

Test facility with unequalled capacity to simulate a wide range of climatic conditions from arctic cold to jungle moisture for full-scale equipment testing.

F-117 on ice at McKinley Climatic Laboratory 022808-F-0000P-064.jpg 1944 Eglin Air Force Base FloridaUnited States ASME brochure
117 1987 Icing Research Tunnel, NASA Lewis Research Center

The world's oldest and largest refrigerated icing wind tunnel, with unique heat exchanger and spray system.

Icing Research Tunnel - GPN-2000-001836.jpg 1944 Cleveland OhioUnited States ASME brochure
118 1987 Samson Mine Reversible Waterwheel & Man Engine

Hoists representative of bygone practice, including a waterwheel for ore hoisting and a mechanism to hoist workers.

FahrkunstGrSamson2.jpg 1837 Sankt Andreasberg Lower Saxony Germany ASME brochure
119 1987 American Precision Museum American Precision Museum Windsor Vermont.jpg 1966 Windsor VermontUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
120 1987Robbins & Lawrence Machine Shop

Site of first machine shop to achieve interchangeable manufacture on a practical scale.

Oblique view of east elevation looking southwest. Middle Dam of Mill Brook in distance. - Robbins and Lawrence Armory, 196 Main Street, Windsor, Windsor County, VT HAER VT-39-2.tif 1846 Windsor VermontUnited States ASME brochure
1211987 Holly Fire Protection and Water System

Site of the first US integrated system to supply water for public safety.

1869BirdsillHollyHydrantSideTop.jpg 1863 Lockport New YorkUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
122 1987 Holly District Heating System

Site of the first US district heating steam-heating system.

1877 Lockport New YorkUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
123 1987Kingsbury Thrust Bearing

First and still-operating Kingsbury thrust bearing in hydroelectric service, later used worldwide for all types of large machinery.

1911 Holtwood PennsylvaniaUnited StatesLocated at Holtwood Dam.

ASME brochure

124 1987Chapin Mine Pump

Late 19th-century steeple compound-condensing engine and one of the largest at the time.

ASME Brochure Chapin Mine Pump.jpg 1893 Iron Mountain MichiganUnited States ASME brochure
125 1987Pullman Sleeping Car Glengyle

Earliest known survivor of the fleet of heavyweight, all-steel sleepers built by the Pullman Company.

1911 Dallas TexasUnited StatesLocated at Museum of the American Railroad.

ASME brochure

126 1987Westmoreland Iron Works

An early and long-running malleable ironworks.

1850 Westmoreland New YorkUnited StatesEarly 1990s: Foundry closed and plaque given to the Westmoreland Historical Society.

No ASME brochure available

127 1987 Big Brutus Mine Shovel

One of the world's largest power shovels.

Brutus 2006-07-02 2244.jpg 1962 West Mineral KansasUnited States ASME brochure
128 1987 Vallecitos Boiling Water Reactor

The world's first privately owned and operated nuclear power plant to deliver significant quantities of electricity to a public utility grid.

Vallecitos Nuclear Center.jpg 1957 Alameda County CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
129 1987 Holyoke Water Power System

Major 19th-century US industrial center for paper and textile industries, known for its machine shops and water-power system.

Map of Holyoke Canal System (Holyoke, Massachusetts).jpg 1859 Holyoke MassachusettsUnited StatesSee also: Holyoke Dam, Holyoke Heritage State Park.

No ASME brochure available

130 1987 Stirling Water-tube Boilers

Oldest existing steam generator in a US cotton mill.

1906 Dalton GeorgiaUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
131 1988Roosa Master Diesel Fuel-Injection Pump

Early developmental models of distributor-type injection pump for controlling engine speed.

1947 Windsor ConnecticutUnited States ASME brochure
132 1988 Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Roundhouse

Innovative railroad yard machine shop for first railroad linking Chicago and the Mississippi River.

Aurora Roundhouse.jpg 1858 Aurora IllinoisUnited States ASME brochure
133 1988 Buckeye Steam Traction Ditcher

Earliest surviving example of the first successful traction ditching machine for laying agricultural drainage tiles.

1902 Findlay OhioUnited StatesLocated at Hancock Historical Museum.

ASME brochure

134 1988 Geared Locomotives of Heisler, Shay, Climax

Early examples of small slow-speed 19th-century geared locomotives.

RCBT Tuolumne.jpg 1872 Felton CaliforniaUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
135 1988Neuchâtel Gas Turbine

The world's first successful electricity-generating gas turbine to go into commercial operation.

1939 Neuchâtel Neuchâtel Switzerland ASME brochure
136 1988 AAR Railroad-wheel Dynamometer

The first and only railroad dynamometer to test track wheels using vertical and lateral loads as well as thermal braking at the wheel rim.

1955 Pueblo ColoradoUnited States ASME brochure
137 1989 Texas & Pacific #610 Lima Superpower Steam Locomotive

The sole surviving example of the earliest form of "superpower" steam locomotives.

Texas and Pacific Locomotive.jpg 1927 Rusk TexasUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
138 1989ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code

The first comprehensive standard for the design, construction, inspection, and testing of boilers and pressure vessels, greatly influencing public safety.

1915 Dearborn MichiganUnited StatesEarly book on loan to The Henry Ford museum.

No ASME brochure available

139 1989Roebling 80-ton Wire Rope Machine

The only remaining Roebling machine, largest wire-rope closing machine in 1893.

Roebling 80-ton Wire Rope Machine.jpg 1893 Trenton New JerseyUnited States ASME brochure
140 1989 Propulsion Wind Tunnel Facility Wind Tunnel

The world's first large-scale testing facility for jet and rocket engines in simulated high-speed flight conditions.

Arnoldafb-3.jpg 1955 Arnold Air Force Base TennesseeUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
141 1989Browning Firearms Collection

Collection of sporting and military firearms designed by John Moses Browning.

1878 Ogden UtahUnited StatesLocated at Ogden Union Station Museum.

ASME brochure

142 1990Pierce-Donachy Ventricular Assist Device

The world's first implantable heart pump to receive widespread clinical use.

Ventricular assist device.png 1973 Hershey PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
143 1990 USS Cairo Engine and Boilers

The sole survivor of the fleet of river gunboats built by the Union during the US Civil War.

U.S. gunboat Cairo (a.k.a. USS Cairo) - Mississippi River Fleet - Original.tiff 1862 Vicksburg MississippiUnited States ASME brochure
144 1990 Curtis 500-kW Vertical Turbine

The first steam turbine electric-generation station.

1903 Indianapolis IndianaUnited States ASME brochure
145 1990Southern Gas Association-PCRC Analog Facility

The first computer system to be applied to the design of natural-gas pipeline systems.

1955 San Antonio TexasUnited States ASME brochure
146 1990National Soil Dynamics Laboratory

The world's first full-size laboratory for tillage tools and traction equipment in all types of soils.

1935 Auburn AlabamaUnited States ASME brochure
147 1990 Baltimore & Ohio #4500, Freight, USRA 2-8-2A

The first USRA freight locomotive built, representing the first standardized family of US locomotives.

USRA Light Mikado.jpg 1918 Baltimore MarylandUnited States ASME brochure
148 1990 Atlantic Coast Line #1504, USRA 4-6-2A

An early example of USRA passenger locomotives representing the first US standardization program.

Atlantic Coast Line Locomotive No. 1504.jpg 1919 Jacksonville FloridaUnited StatesLocated at the Prime Osborn Convention Center.

ASME brochure

149 1990Hydromatic Propeller

Early example of propeller innovations, including variable-pitch control and feathering capability.

1938 Windsor Locks ConnecticutUnited StatesLocated at the New England Air Museum.

ASME brochure

150 1990Pin-Ticketing Machine

Early model of first successful price-marking, tag-attachment machine for US retail merchandising.

1902 Miamisburg OhioUnited States ASME brochure
151 1991 Victoria Dutch Windmill

Mid-19th-century wind-powered gristmill of Dutch turret-mill style.

Victoria grist windmill 2008.jpg 1870 Victoria TexasUnited States ASME brochure
152 1991 Jeep Model MB

Early four-wheel drive, multipurpose field vehicle representing an unusual combination of modern vehicle design.

Wiki Jeep 5.jpg 1947 Toledo OhioUnited States ASME brochure
153 1991 Cruquius Pumping Station

19th-century steam pumping station that drained the Haarlemmermeer.

Cruquius-gemaal-achter.jpg 1849 Haarlemmermeer North Holland Netherlands ASME brochure
154 1991Greens Bayou Generator Plant

The first fully outdoor turbine-generator to be placed in commercial operation.

1949 Houston TexasUnited States ASME brochure
155 1991Milam High-rise Air Conditioned Building

The first US air-conditioned high-rise office building.

Milam Building, San Antonio.jpg 1928 San Antonio TexasUnited States ASME brochure
156 1991 Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

19th-century 3-rail incline.

Inclinerailway.jpg 1895 Chattanooga TennesseeUnited States ASME brochure
157 1991 Pelton Waterwheel Collection

Collection on the origins of the Pelton turbine and its principle of the "splitter" bucket.

Pelton wheel (patent).png ca. 1880 Grass Valley CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
158 1991 Fresno Scraper

19th-century example of the scraper whose design served as the basis for most giant earth-movers.

FresnoScraper.GIF 1883 Fresno CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
159 1991 Nassawango Iron Furnace

The earliest surviving hot-blast furnace in the United States.

Nassawango Iron Furnace.jpg 1828 Snow Hill MarylandUnited States ASME brochure
160 1992ABACUS II Integrated-Circuit Wire Bonder

The world's first practical production machine for the assembly of integrated circuits, making possible their economical production.

Dallas TexasUnited States ASME brochure
161 1992Q-R-S Marking Piano

One of the first machines to produce master rolls for player pianos by recording actual performances.

1912 Buffalo New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
162 1992 Apollo Space Command Module

Apollo command module incorporating many innovations to allow safe transport of humans to moon and back.

Apollo 14 CM Saturn V Centre.JPG 1968 Titusville FloridaUnited States ASME brochure
163 1992 Meter-type Gas Odorizer

Early safety device for introducing odor into natural-gas lines to make leaks apparent.

1937 Dallas TexasUnited States ASME brochure
164 1992 New England Wireless and Steam Museum

Collection of Rhode Island steam engines, including one of the few surviving built at the Corliss Works.

1964 East Greenwich Rhode IslandUnited States ASME brochure
165 1992 Old Mill in Nantucket

The oldest operating smock-type windmill in the United States.

Nantucket Windmill - Frank C. Brown, Photographer, 1935.jpg 1746 Nantucket MassachusettsUnited States ASME brochure
166 1992Milwaukee River Flushing Station
A water pump which reduced the concentration of pollutants in an urban stream had the world's greatest capacity.
Milwaukee River Flushing Pump.jpg 1888 Milwaukee WisconsinUnited StatesNow part of coffee shop.

ASME brochure

167 1993 Ginaca Pineapple Processing Machine

Example of automated peeling and slicing machine that led to commercial pineapple production.

Ginacamachinepatent.jpg 1911 Honolulu HawaiiUnited States ASME brochure
168 1993 Pegasus 3 Engine BS 916

Earliest surviving example of the prototype engine for vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jets, namely Harriers and AV-8Bs

Rolls-royce pegasus engine arp.jpg 1960 Bristol South West England United Kingdom ASME brochure
169 1993 Cryogenic Cooling System, Fermilab Tevatron

The largest cryogenic system ever built, providing benchmark for superconducting magnet designs.

U.S. Department of Energy - Science - 270 075 001 (10291938195).jpg 1983 Batavia IllinoisUnited States ASME brochure
170 1993 Advanced Engine Test Facility at Marshall

Unique cooling system for the testing of aerospace engines.

Redstone Arsenal Testing Platform.jpg 1964 Redstone Arsenal AlabamaUnited States ASME brochure
171 1993 Voyager Spacecraft Interplanetary Explorers

The two most intelligent machines ever built by NASA space program.

2007 jpl open house.jpg 1972–1977 Pasadena CaliforniaUnited StatesLocated at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

ASME brochure

172 1994 Bay City Walking Dredge

The last remaining dredge in the United States with unique propulsion system, designed for a wetlands environment.

Collier-Seminole SP dredge pano03.jpg 1924 Naples FloridaUnited States ASME brochure
173 1994Burton Farmers Gin Mill

The earliest known survivor of an integrated cotton ginning system widely used in the southern United States.

Texas cotton gin museum 2013.jpg 1914 Burton TexasUnited States ASME brochure
174 1994 Crown Cork and Soda Filling Machine

One of two surviving automated machines that founded the bottling industry.

1892 Baltimore MarylandUnited States ASME brochure
175 1994 Bergen County Steam Collection

A collection of operational steam engines and auxiliary equipment from the 19th century to the 1940s.

1987 Hackensack New JerseyUnited States ASME brochure
176 1994 Union Pacific Big Boy 4023 and Centennial 6900

Two heavy-tonnage locomotives incorporating the best features of the day.

Big Boy 4023.jpg 1941 Omaha NebraskaUnited States ASME brochure
177 1994 Barker Turbine/Hacienda Buena Vista

The only known example of a Barker hydraulic turbine, the earliest practical reaction type.

Barker Turbine Rotor located at historic Hacienda Buena Vista coffee plantation, near Ponce.jpg 1853 Ponce Puerto Rico United States ASME brochure
178 1994 Boeing 367-80

Prototype of the Boeing 707 and most jet transport systems, establishing economic feasibility of commercial air travel.

Air to air photo of the Dash 80 FA239925.jpg 1954 Fairfax County VirginiaUnited StatesLocated at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

ASME brochure

179 1994Newell Shredder

The second and earliest surviving automobile shredder for recycling scrap metal.

1969 San Antonio TexasUnited States ASME brochure
180 1994 Johnstown Incline

One of the world's steepest vehicular inclines, typical of several built in the 19th century in Western Pennsylvania.

Johnstown Inclined Plane.jpg 1891 Johnstown PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
181 1994 B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill

The oldest steam powdered cider mill in the US. A rare survivor of a once-commonplace rural US industry.

1898 Mystic ConnecticutUnited States ASME brochure
182 1995 Knight Foundry and Machine Shop

One of the earliest US water-powered foundry-machine shops, including Knight impulse turbines.

KnightWheels SuttersCreekCA.jpg 1873 Sutter Creek CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
183 1995 Wright Field 5-foot Wind Tunnel

Early example of the "modern" wind tunnel for aircraft-model testing.

1921 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base OhioUnited States ASME brochure
184 1995Gravimetric Coal Feeder

The earliest known coal feeder, representing innovations that influenced nearly all industries using coal-fired boilers.

1957 Cleveland OhioUnited States ASME brochure
185 1995 Ljungström Air Preheater

Experimental model of the industrial air preheater, now used worldwide.

Ljungstrom regenerative heat exchanger.jpg 1920 Stockholm Stockholm County Sweden ASME brochure
186 1995 Steamboat William G. Mather

Prototypical ore boat on the Great Lakes.

SteamshipWilliamGMather.jpg 1925 Cleveland OhioUnited States ASME brochure
187 1996 NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel

R&D facility for testing of supersonic aircraft and spacecraft.

Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel Modification Project 1996.jpeg 1956 Mountain View CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
188 1996 Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel

Unique experimental facility for hydrodynamic research and testing.

Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel (3).JPG 1949 State College PennsylvaniaUnited StatesLocated at Pennsylvania State University.

ASME brochure

189 1996 Montgomery Glider

First heavier-than-air human-carrying aircraft to achieve controlled piloted flight.

Montgomery Glider replica, International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, 1996, original glider by John Joseph Montgomery, 1883 - Hiller Aviation Museum - San Carlos, California - DSC03210.jpg 1883 San Carlos CaliforniaUnited StatesLocated at Hiller Aviation Museum.

ASME brochure

190 1996 Hart Parr Tractor

Earliest known internal-combustion-engined agricultural tractor in the United States.

1903 Charles City IowaUnited States ASME brochure
191 1996 SS Badger Carferry

One of the last operating American steam lake boats with reciprocating engines and coal-fired boilers.

SSBadgerDockedManitowocWisconsinUS10.jpg 1952 Ludington MichiganUnited States ASME brochure
192 1996 Thermo King© C Refrigeration Unit

Earliest known refrigeration unit for trucks, having worldwide impact on food preservation.

Thermo King 001.JPG 1940 Minneapolis MinnesotaUnited States ASME brochure
193 1997Alligator Amphibian

Prototype of all tracked ship-to-shore landing vehicles.

Alligator LVT prototype c1940.jpg 1940 Quantico VirginiaUnited StatesLocated at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum.

ASME brochure

194 1997 Kew Bridge Cornish Beam Engines

Five notable 19th-century Cornish beam engines for municipal water supply.

90 inch engine valves,Kew Bridge Steam Museum.jpg 1975 Brentford Greater London United Kingdom ASME brochure
195 1997 Bay Area Rapid Transit System

The most advanced automated urban rail transit system incorporating many innovations, marking a new generation of rail travel.

BART train at Lafayette station, January 2014.jpg 1972 San Francisco Bay Area CaliforniaUnited States ASME brochure
196 1997Bessemer Conversion Engine

An early example of the successful conversion of steam engines to internal-combustion engines.

ca. 1900 Rockford MichiganUnited States ASME brochure
197 1998 David Taylor Model Basin

Among the world's largest test facilities for the development of ship design.

David Taylor Model Basin - exterior view, c. 1946.jpg 1939 Bethesda MarylandUnited States ASME brochure
198 1998GE's Ultra High Pressure Apparatus for the Production of Diamonds

First apparatus to consistently produce industrial diamonds, demonstrating fundamentals of producing and containing very high pressures and becoming the basis for the industrial-diamond production that followed.

1954 Schenectady New YorkUnited StatesLocated at the Schenectady Museum.

No ASME brochure available

199 1998 Hulett Ore Unloaders

The largest and oldest surviving example of a highly efficient materials-handling machine unique to the Great Lakes that revolutionized ore handling and led to its rapid adoption throughout the lower-lake ore ports.

Pennsylvania Railway Ore Dock (Whiskey Island, Lake Erie).jpg 1912 Cleveland OhioUnited States2000: 2 of the 4 loaders have been demolished and scrapped, while the other 2 were disassembled.

ASME brochure

200 1998Paddle Steamer Uri

The oldest operating vessel with a diagonal, compound steam engine, with disc valve gear.

1901 Lucerne Lucerne Switzerland ASME brochure
201 1998Cooper Steam Traction Engine Collection

Engines from the collection are among the oldest surviving agricultural steam engines, from 1860 to 1883, showing the conversion to mechanized farming.

1860–1883 Mount Vernon OhioUnited StatesLocated at the Knox County Historical Society.

ASME brochure

202 1998William Tod Rolling-Mill Engine

Representative of steam-powered rolling-mill-engine drives early in the transition to electric drive and typical of the largest work pieces produced by U.S. foundries and forges.

1914 Youngstown OhioUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
203 1998 Siegfried Marcus Car

Direct predecessor of the modern automobile.

MW2 05 02 24 klein.jpg ca. 1875 Vienna AustriaLocated at the Technical Museum, Vienna.

No ASME brochure available

204 1999Kinne Water Turbine Collection

The largest collection of American turbine development.

1907–1937 Watertown New YorkUnited StatesLocated at the Jefferson County Historical Society.

ASME brochure

205 1999 Peterborough Hydraulic (Canal) Lift Lock

The world's highest operating hydraulic lift lock, operating on the balance principle.

Pliftlock.JPG 1904 Peterborough Ontario CanadaNo ASME brochure available
206 1999 Merrill Wheel Balancing System

Innovative method of wheel balancing (on the vehicle) adopted worldwide.

1945 Englewood ColoradoUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
207 2000Refrigeration Research Museum

A private collection that represents many of the advances in mechanical refrigeration for US residential and commercial use from the late 19th century up to 1960.

Kelvinator 1920 newspaper ad.png 1890–1960 Brighton MichiganUnited States ASME brochure
208 2000 Fairbanks-Morse Y-VA Engine Diesel

The earliest (perhaps only) existing example of early high-compression, cold-start, full-diesel engines developed in the United States for isolated or rural power generation machinery before widespread electrification was available.

1924 Lee County FloridaUnited States ASME brochure
209 2000 USS Albacore

An experimental submarine that pioneered the teardrop-shaped hull, high-strength steel, and many other test concepts affecting speed, depth changes, and underwater maneuvering.

Uss albacore 03-2006.jpg 1953 Portsmouth New HampshireUnited States ASME brochure
210 2000 Link C-3 Flight Trainer

An early flight simulator representative of the first truly effective mechanical device used to simulate actual flight processes.

Link-trainer-ts.jpg ca. 1935 Binghamton New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
211 2000 Tokaido Shinkansen

The world's first high-speed railway, which operated at about 210 km/h (130 mph).

JR Central Shinkansen 700.jpg 1964 Tokyo to Shin-Ōsaka JapanNo ASME brochure available
212 2000EIMCO Rocker Shovel Loader, Model 12B

The first successful mining device to replace human labor in removing the rubble from underground hard-rock blasting.

Rocker Shovel Loader info (3671600937).jpg 1938 Park City UtahUnited StatesPlaque located at Miners Plaza in historic Old Park City.

ASME brochure

213 2000 George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Leader in transforming mechanical engineering education from a shop-based, vocational program to a professional one built on rigorous academic and analytical methods.

George Waldo Woodruff 1917.gif 1888 Atlanta GeorgiaUnited States ASME brochure
214 2001 Colvin Run Mill

A good example of a typical early 19th-century (US) water-powered, Evans-type flour mill, restored into operating condition.

Colvin Run Mill.jpg ca. 1810 Great Falls VirginiaUnited States ASME brochure
215 2001Coolspring Power Museum

An impressive variety of internal combustion engines, built primarily between 1890 and 1920 and consisting mainly of stationary engines used in industrial applications.

Coolspring, Pennsylvania (6940894402).jpg 1890–1929 Coolspring PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
216 2001 Arecibo Observatory

The largest single-aperture radio telescope ever constructed.

Arecibo radio telescope observatory Puerto Rico - panoramio (11).jpg 1963 Arecibo Puerto Rico United StatesJoint designation with IEEE.

ASME brochure

217 2001 Radio City Music Hall Hydraulically Actuated Stage

One of the largest movable stages in the world with innovative hydraulic equipment and controls, a forerunner of other stage designs as well as early aircraft carrier elevator systems.

RadioCityMusicHallStageLift1.JPG 1932 New York New YorkUnited StatesNo ASME brochure available
218 2002 Apollo Lunar Module LM-13

First piloted vehicle designed to operate solely in the vacuum of space.

LEM-linedrawing.png 1972 Garden City New YorkUnited StatesLocated at the Cradle of Aviation Museum.

ASME brochure

219 2002 Howard Hughes Flying Boat, HK-1

The largest wood-constructed and the largest wingspan airplane ever built.

H-4 Hercules 2.jpg 1947 McMinnville OregonUnited StatesLocated at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.

ASME brochure

220 2002 Pilatusbahn

The world's steepest cog railway.

Pilatus railway track.jpg 1882 Mount Pilatus Switzerland ASME brochure
221 2002 Brandywine River Powder Mills

The largest U.S. maker of explosive black powder, a once-important and now-obsolete 19th-century technology.

Hagley Mill Equipment.jpg 1803–1921 Wilmington DelawareUnited States ASME brochure
222 2002 Ditch Witch® DWP Service-Line Trencher

The first mechanized, compact service-line trencher.

Early Ditch Witch Assembly Line.jpg 1952 Perry OklahomaUnited States ASME brochure
223 2003Solar Energy and Energy Conversion Laboratory

Pioneering developments in solar-energy applications, with global accomplishments in training and innovation.

1954 Gainesville FloridaUnited States ASME brochure
224 2003 Wright Flyer III

The first practical airplane.

Wright Flyer III at Carillon Park.jpg 1905 Dayton OhioUnited StatesLocated at the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

ASME brochure

225 2003 Rumely Companies' Agricultural Products

Produced a line of agricultural equipment that played a vital role in the evolution of farming.

Rumely OilPull model H.jpg 1853 La Porte IndianaUnited States ASME brochure
226 2003Eddystone Station Unit #1

The second U.S. (earliest extant) supercritical steam-electric generating unit, pioneering significant increases in steam pressure, steam temperature, and unit size.

1960 Eddystone PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
227 2003 First Ram-Type Blowout Preventer (BOP)

First ram-type blowout preventer, which sealed the wellhead and controlled pressure during drilling and oil production operations.

Cameron Ram-type Blowout Preventer (1922).jpg 1922 Houston TexasUnited States ASME brochure
228 2003Philo 6 Steam-Electric Generating Unit

The world's first commercial supercritical steam-electric generating unit.

1957 Columbus OhioUnited States ASME brochure
229 2003Great Northern 2313 — Montana Western 31 Gas

The oldest-surviving Electro-motive Company (EMC) gas-electric rail motorcar and the oldest with Lemp control.

1925 North Freedom WisconsinUnited StatesLocated at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum.

ASME brochure

230 2004Lapeyre Automatic Shrimp Peeling Machine

For decades, the elegantly simple Model A has proven to be the most effective and widely used method of automatic shrimp peeling, despite attempts by others to develop alternative approaches.

Lapeyre Automatic Shrimp Peeling Machine 1957 patent diagram.png 1949 Biloxi MississippiUnited States ASME brochure
231 2004 R.G. Letourneau Mountain Mover

This innovative scraper moved four times as much earth as conventional machines of the era which required a tractor and two operators.

Rg-machines-eliotlandrum.jpg 1922 Longview TexasUnited States ASME brochure
232 2004 Reuleaux Collection Of Kinematic Mechanisms

The world's largest collection of 19th-century kinematic mechanisms.

1882 Ithaca New YorkUnited StatesLocated at Cornell University.

ASME brochure

233 2005 Model T

15 millionth Model T to come off the assembly line, marking the end of its production.

Late model Ford Model T.jpg 1908–1927 Dearborn MichiganUnited StatesLocated at The Henry Ford museum.

ASME brochure

234 2005 The United States Standard Screw Threads

The first US system of standardized screw threads.

1864 Philadelphia PennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
235 2005 Ottmar Mergenthaler's Square Base Linotype Machine

One of two surviving square-base linotypes.

1886 Carson CaliforniaUnited StatesLocated at the International Printing Museum.

No ASME brochure available

236 2005 Birome Ballpoint Pen Collection

First ballpoint pens; utilized the concept of a quick-drying ink whose flow is controlled by gravity and a metal ball housed in a socket.

Boligrafo marca birome I.jpg 1938–1948 Buenos Aires Argentina ASME brochure
237 2005Eiffel Drop Test Machine and Wind Tunnel

Most accurate to date drop-test device and wind tunnel to measure drag on falling objects of various shapes.

1903 & 1912 Paris France ASME brochure
238 2006 Grumman Wildcat "Sto-Wing" Wing-folding Mechanism [5]

First functional wing-folding mechanism, enabling aircraft to take up less space on ships.

F6F-3 fighters landing on USS Enterprise (CV-6).jpg Kalamazoo MichiganUnited StatesLocated at Air Zoo aviation museum.

ASME brochure

239 2006 Hughes Glomar Explorer

A deep-sea drillship platform initially built for the United States Central Intelligence Agency Special Activities Division secret operation Project Azorian to recover the sunken Soviet submarine, K-129, lost in April 1968.

USNS Glomar Explorer (T-AG-193).jpg 1972 Houston TexasUnited States ASME brochure
240 2006Cooper-Bessemer Type GMV Integral-Angle Gas E

Providing efficient compression energy for natural gas, petrochemical, refinery, and power industries around the world.

1944 Mount Vernon OhioUnited StatesLocated at the Knox County Historical Museum.

ASME brochure

241 2006 Noria al-Muhammadiyya

A set of seventeen large water wheels operating on the River Orontes as they have for many centuries.

Hama-3 norias.jpg 1361 Hama Hama Governorate Syria ASME brochure
242 2006 Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Apparatus (1962)

The first apparatus able to directly generate a complete dynamic (high-rate) stress-strain curve in a single experiment.

1962 San Antonio TexasUnited States ASME brochure
243 2008 Digital Micromirror Device

Modulating digital light pulses using up to 2 million micromirrors.

Digital Micromirror Device - Chip.jpg 1996 Plano TexasUnited States ASME brochure
244 2008 Johnson Controls Multi-Zone Automatic Temperature Control System

The first automated temperature control system for multi-zone applications.

Johnson Controls Temperature Control System.jpg 1895 Milwaukee WisconsinUnited StatesLocated at Johnson Controls HQ bldg.

ASME brochure

245 2008 John Penn & Sons Oscillating Steam Engine

The first steam engine to utilize oscillatory cylinders. Installed in the steamboat Diesbar.

Elbdampfer Diesbar 1-2.JPG 1841 Dresden Saxony Germany ASME brochure
246 2009 Hughes Two-Cone Drill Bit

Key technology that allowed drilling through medium and hard rock, tapped vast oil reservoirs much deeper below the surface than previously possible, and significantly improved the efficiency and cost of drilling.

H Hughes Drill Patent 1908 Filing.jpg 1908 The Woodlands TexasUnited States ASME brochure
247 2010 Belle of Louisville

The oldest operating "western rivers" steamboat.

Belle of Louisville 2.jpg 1914 Louisville KentuckyUnited States ASME brochure
248 2011 Southern Railway Spencer Shops

One of the few remaining intact 20th-century railroad locomotive facilities in the United States.

NCTM Roundhouse2.jpg 1896 Spencer North CarolinaUnited StatesNow the North Carolina Transportation Museum.

ASME brochure

249 2011 Sholes & Glidden 'Type Writer'

Represents the first commercially successful typewriter to be manufactured in quantity for sale to the public.

Sholes & Glidden 'Type Writer' manufactured by Remington.jpg 1873 Milwaukee WisconsinUnited StatesLocated at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

ASME brochure

250 2012Mr. Charlie Oil Drilling Rig

The first offshore drilling rig that was fully transportable, submersible and self-sufficient.

1953 Morgan City LouisianaUnited States ASME brochure
251 2012Textile Machinery Collection at the American Textile History Museum

Represents some of the most significant collection of 19th century tools and machinery for the manufacturing of textiles.

ATHM.jpg 1960 Lowell MassachusettsUnited StatesMuseum closed in 2016. ASME brochure
252 2013Big Surf Waterpark

The first wave pool in North America to consistently generate 3–5 foot spilling waves suitable for surfing.

1969 Tempe ArizonaUnited States ASME brochure
253 2013 Titan Crane

The largest crane of the hammer-head or "Titan" type.

Clydebank Titan Crane - geograph.org.uk - 1069892.jpg 1907 Clydebank West Dunbartonshire United KingdomNo ASME brochure available
254 2013Collection of the Earliest Self-Governing Windmills

The Collection contains many early windmills.

Batavia Self-Governing Windmill Collection.jpg 1870 Batavia IllinoisUnited StatesBatavia, IL was the location of 6 'American Farm Windmill' makers from about 1870 until WWII.

ASME brochure

255 2013 Apollo Space Suit

Model A7L was the primary suit worn by astronauts on Project Apollo.

Apollo 11 space suit.jpg 1968 Frederica DelawareUnited States ASME brochure
256 2014Thrust Supersonic Car (ThrustSSC)

The first car to officially exceed the speed of sound, the ThrustSSC Supersonic Vehicle.

ThrustSSC front.jpg 1997 Coventry United Kingdom ASME brochure
257 2015Northern Pacific Rotary Snow Plow No. 2

The first machine to reliably remove deeply packed snow from railroad tracks.

1887 Duluth MinnesotaUnited States ASME brochure
258 2015Technology Collection at the George Eastman House

The world's preeminent museum of photography with many important artifacts.

George-Eastman-House=Exterior.JPG 1949 Rochester New YorkUnited States ASME brochure
259 2015 Funicular Giessbach, designed by Carl Roman Abt

The first funicular to employ a single, two-rail track, with a short side track for the two cars to pass at midpoint. The passing track used turnouts with no moving parts known as Abt Switches.

Giessbachbahn 2012-08-21 1.jpg 1879GiessbachBrienzSwitzerland ASME brochure
260 2016 Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp engine

The Wasp R-1340 was a significant improvement to the radial aircraft engine design, making commercial aviation viable as early as the 1920s.

Pratt and Whitney Wasp.jpg 1925Windsor LocksConnecticutUnited States ASME brochure
261 20163D Printing: Stereolithography

First commercially available 3D Printer, developed by Charles Hull.

Stereolithography apparatus.jpg 1984Rock HillSouth CarolinaUnited States ASME brochure
262 2016Worthington Direct Acting Steam Pumps

The pumps built by the firm of Worthington & Baker with worldwide industrial applications.

1838Newport NewsVirginiaUnited StatesHenry Worthington was a founder of ASME.

ASME brochure

263 2016Rainhill Locomotive Trials

An important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways. Five engines competed along a mile length of level track.

Rainhill Trials in the Illustrated London News.jpg 1829RainhillLancashireUnited Kingdom ASME brochure
264 2017 Museo Storico dei Motori e dei Meccanismi

Museum of Engines and Mechanisms: Stationary and transportation power units, with an emphasis on automotive and aircraft engines.

Fig. 1 Museo Motori Unipa.jpg February 25, 2011 Palermo Sicily Italy Located at the University of Palermo.

ASME brochure

265 2018Single Crystal Turbine Blade

Single crystal turbine blades have no crystalline boundaries, resulting in greater resistance to fracture and corrosion as well as vastly improved creep performance than conventional multi-crystalline nickel-cobalt alloy blades. Developed by Pratt & Whitney.

Pigtail from Single Crystal Blade Casting shown with Kennedy Half Dollar for size comparison.jpg 1960sWindsor LocksConnecticutUnited States ASME brochure
266 2018Carpet Tufting Apparatus

Invented by Ernest Moench, the machinery featured a durable needle that punched loops of thick fabric through a web of backing material, resulting in the reliable, high-speed tufting of carpet. Descendants of the apparatus fabricate more than three-quarters of the carpets produced in the US.

Moench Carpet Tufting Machine - ASME Landmark.jpg 1928DaltonGeorgiaUnited States ASME brochure
267 2018 Janney Railcar Coupler

Recognized for its impact on rail safety and its technological significance. The interlocking coupler, which resembled a curled human hand, was the successor to the "link and pin" coupler, a device that required rail workers to stand between train cars while joining them-—a dangerous procedure that resulted in numerous injuries and deaths.

Train coupling.jpg 1873United States ASME brochure
268 2018 Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

The laboratory has been at the forefront of the quest to develop magnetically controlled fusion energy since its founding by Lyman Spitzer, who invented the stellarator, or "star generator".

NSTX.jpg PrincetonNew JerseyUnited States ASME brochure
269 2019Johannes Gutenberg's system of movable type system

Gutenberg's movable type system reduced the time and cost of producing the printed word, resulting in the widespread availability of books and the advancement of literacy. His system incorporated a fast-drying ink; a durable easy-to-cast metal alloy for making type; a screw press designed for rapid operation; and an adjustable mold for the quick casting of metal type.

Gutenberg Bible.jpg 1440StrasbourgFrancevirtual landmark

ASME brochure (coming soon)

270 2019The Thurston Collection of Laboratory Artifacts at Cornell University

The devices used at Cornell between 1885 and 1905, exemplify Robert Henry Thurston's vision of the central role of the engineering laboratory in training mechanical engineers

1885-1905IthacaNew YorkUnited States ASME brochure
271 2019 Antikythera Mechanism

The earliest known analog computer, an inscribed astronomical and calendrical device, designed to predict astronomical phenomena such as lunar and solar eclipses, as well as other functions.

NAMA Machine d'Anticythere 1.jpg 2nd C. BCEAthensGreeceASME brochure (coming soon)
272 2019 West Point Foundry

Major American ironworking and machine shop site, operating from 1818 to early 20thC. It became most famous for its production of Parrott rifle artillery and other munitions, although it also manufactured a variety of iron products for civilian use.

Locomotive engineering - a practical journal of railway motive power and rolling stock (1897) (14574929808).jpg 1818Cold SpringNew YorkUnited States West Point Foundry Preserve A/V tour (Scenic Hudson).

ASME brochure

273 2019 Westinghouse Automatic Air Brake

In 1869, George Westinghouse patented an automatic air brake system for railroads. It had a built-in safeguard to apply the brakes on the entire train should it separate. It made possible longer and faster trains and improved the safety of rail transportation.

Westinghouse Automatic Air Brake from 1902 Encyclopedia.jpg 1872PittsburghPennsylvaniaUnited States ASME brochure
2742020Perkins Vapor-Compression Cycle for Refrigeration (Perkins) Jacob Perkins' Ice Machine 1834 from Scientific American Article.jpg 1834England ASME brochure
2752021 Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire (Carnot) Carnot title page.png 1824Francevirtual landmark
2762021Standardized Steam Property Tables1921United States ASME brochure
2772022 Finite Element Analysis Example of 2D mesh.png 1960sUnited Statesvirtual landmark
2782022 Crocodile Locomotive Ce 6/8 II 1918ErstfeldUriSwitzerland

See also

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Charles Stark "Doc" Draper was an American scientist and engineer, known as the "father of inertial navigation". He was the founder and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Instrumentation Laboratory, later renamed the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, which made the Apollo Moon landings possible through the Apollo Guidance Computer it designed for NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman E-1 Tracer</span> United States Navy airborne early warning aircraft

The Grumman E-1 Tracer was the first purpose-built airborne early warning aircraft used by the United States Navy. It was a derivative of the Grumman C-1 Trader and entered service in 1958. It was replaced by the more modern Grumman E-2 Hawkeye by the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman TBF Avenger</span> American naval torpedo bomber

The Grumman TBF Avenger is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval aviation services around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman F4F Wildcat</span> United States Navy World War II era fighter plane

The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atlantic, the Wildcat was the only effective fighter available to the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater during the early part of the Second World War. The disappointing Brewster Buffalo was withdrawn in favor of the Wildcat and replaced as aircraft became available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman F6F Hellcat</span> United States Navy fighter airplane

The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second half of the Pacific War. In gaining that role, it prevailed over its faster competitor, the Vought F4U Corsair, which initially had problems with visibility and carrier landings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Society of Mechanical Engineers</span> Mechanical engineering professional society

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing education, training and professional development, codes and standards, research, conferences and publications, government relations, and other forms of outreach." ASME is thus an engineering society, a standards organization, a research and development organization, an advocacy organization, a provider of training and education, and a nonprofit organization. Founded as an engineering society focused on mechanical engineering in North America, ASME is today multidisciplinary and global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leroy Grumman</span> American engineer and industrialist

Leroy Randle "Roy" Grumman was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and industrialist. In 1929, he co-founded Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co., later renamed Grumman Aerospace Corporation, and now part of Northrop Grumman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Air & Space Museum</span> Aerospace museum in California, US

San Diego Air & Space Museum is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California, United States. The museum is located in Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building, which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places. SDASM was established by articles of incorporation on October 12, 1961, and opened to the public on February 15, 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folding wing</span> Aircraft wing capable of being folded for storage

A folding wing is a wing configuration design feature of aircraft to save space and is typical of carrier-based aircraft that operate from the limited deck space of aircraft carriers. The folding allows the aircraft to occupy less space in a confined hangar because the folded wing normally rises over the fuselage decreasing the floor area of the aircraft. Vertical clearance is also limited in aircraft carrier hangar decks. In order to accommodate for this, some aircraft such as the Supermarine Seafire and Fairey Gannet have additional hinges to fold the wingtips downward, while others such as the A-5 Vigilante and S-3 Viking have folding tails. The F-14 Tomcat's variable-sweep wings could be "overswept" to occupy less space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John S. Bull</span> U.S. Navy test pilot, engineer and astronaut

John Sumter Bull, was an American naval officer and aviator, fighter pilot, test pilot, mechanical and aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Naval Aviation Museum</span> Military and aerospace museum in Pensacola, FL, USA

The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cradle of Aviation Museum</span> Aviation museum in Uniondale, New York

The Cradle of Aviation Museum is an aerospace museum located in Uniondale, New York on Long Island, established to commemorate Long Island's part in the history of aviation. It is located on land once part of Mitchel Air Force Base which, together with nearby Roosevelt Field and other airfields on the Hempstead Plains, was the site of many historic flights. So many seminal flights had occurred in the area that, by the mid-1920s, the cluster of airfields was already dubbed the "Cradle of Aviation", the origin of the museum's name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgetown Steam Plant</span> United States historic place

The Georgetown Steam Plant, located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, was constructed in 1906 for the Seattle Electric Company to provide power for Seattle, notably for streetcars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturn V dynamic test vehicle</span> Moon rocket test article in Huntsville, Alabama

The Saturn V dynamic test vehicle, designated SA-500D, is a prototype Saturn V rocket used by NASA to test the performance of the rocket when vibrated to simulate the shaking which subsequent rockets would experience during launch. It was the first full-scale Saturn V completed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Though SA-500D never flew, it was instrumental in the development of the Saturn V rocket which propelled the first men to the Moon as part of the Apollo program. Built under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun, it served as the test vehicle for all of the Saturn support facilities at MSFC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne</span> Former American company that designed and produced rocket engines

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) was an American company that designed and produced rocket engines that use liquid propellants. It was a division of Pratt & Whitney, a fully owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation. It was headquartered in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California. In 2013, the company was sold to GenCorp, becoming part of Aerojet Rocketdyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A and T Recovery</span> American aircraft salvage company

A and T Recovery is an American company that has the primary purpose to locate and recover once lost World War II United States Navy aircraft for presentation to the American public. They have recovered nearly forty such aircraft, mainly from Lake Michigan. The aircraft were lost during the aircraft carrier qualification conducted out of the former Naval Air Station Glenview that was located north of Chicago, Illinois. The Navy had used two ships, the USS Wolverine (IX-64) and the USS Sable (IX-81), to qualify thousands of pilots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yvonne Clark</span> American engineer

Yvonne Y. Clark was a pioneer for African-American and women engineers. Also known as Y.Y., she was the first woman to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Howard University, the first woman to earn a master's degree in Engineering Management from Vanderbilt University, and the first woman to serve as a faculty member in the College of Engineering and Technology at Tennessee State University, afterward becoming a professor emeritus.

References

  1. "About the Landmarks Program". American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  2. "Landmarks". The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. American Society of Mechanical Engineers . Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  3. NASA (February 1967). "Saturn V Quarterly Report #16 Sep–Nov 1966 Part 1 of 2". NASA. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  4. Wright, Mike. "Three Saturn Vs on Display Teach Lessons in Space History". Marshall Space Flight Center History Office. Archived from the original on 15 November 2005. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  5. Dwyer, Larry (19 February 2014). "The Aviation History Online Museum – Grumman F4F Wildcat". aviation-history.com. The Aviation History Online Museum. Retrieved April 2, 2016. The F4F-4 was the first version of the Wildcat to feature a Grumman innovation, the Sto-Wing. The Sto-Wing used a novel approach using a compound angle folding-wing that was unique to Grumman...It was a successful design that was later used on the F6F Hellcat and TBF Avenger.