5 Awesomely Entrepreneurial Artifacts That Will Soon Live at the Smithsonian

From one of Henry Ford's experimental tractors to Planters' iconic Mr. Peanut mascot, a look at some of the objects in the museum's upcoming American Enterprise exhibit.

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By Geoff Weiss

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After inspiring books, television shows and movies aplenty, the field of entrepreneurship is poised to set up shop in one of the nation's most illustrious museums.

An exhibition entitled "American Enterprise,' debuting at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History next year, will seek to examine American history through an entrepreneurial prism.

Ahead of its opening, the Smithsonian shared an exclusive preview with Entrepreneur.com of five of the most fascinating artifacts planned for display.

Related: Eureka -- a New Product Idea! Now Ask These 5 Questions.


1. General Electric D-12 Type 3 Electric Toaster, 1909

5 Awesomely Entrepreneurial Artifacts That Will Soon Live at the Smithsonian
Image credit: Jaclyn Nash, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

The D-12 was the first-ever electric toaster to be released commercially by GE in the early 1900s. Atop a ceramic base with floral embellishments, bread was placed along metal baskets surrounding a heated alloy of nickel and chromium called nichrome.


2. Mr. Peanut, 1916

5 Awesomely Entrepreneurial Artifacts That Will Soon Live at the Smithsonian
Image credit: Hugh Talman, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

When a young schoolboy named Antonio Gentile entered his sketch as part of a logo contest held by Planters in 1916, the company's now-iconic mascot was born. A commercial artist later added its top hat, monocle and cane.

Related: 13 Accidental Inventions That Changed the World


3. Fordson Tractor, 1924

5 Awesomely Entrepreneurial Artifacts That Will Soon Live at the Smithsonian
Image credit: Hugh Talman, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

Having grown up on a farm, Henry Ford began building experimental tractors in 1907. In 1920, his tractor venture, Fordson, merged with the Ford Motor Company, which continued using the Fordson name until 1964.


4. Marshall Field's Cash Register, 1914

5 Awesomely Entrepreneurial Artifacts That Will Soon Live at the Smithsonian
Image credit: Jaclyn Nash, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

A single storefront in the 1880s spawned the long-lived and much-beloved retail chain, which was eventually acquired by the Target Corporation in 1990 and subsequently folded into Macy's in 2005.


5. Google Corkboard Server, 1999

5 Awesomely Entrepreneurial Artifacts That Will Soon Live at the Smithsonian
Image credit: Richard Strauss, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

In 1998, to maximize search capacity in the cheapest way possible, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin built thirty racks of servers that incorporated corkboard as insulation pads.

Related: Innovators, Watch Out for These Invention Killers

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

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