One of the most beloved parts of The Franklin Institute is The Giant Heart. While many visitors learn a lot about the heart from this exhibit, few probably know about Vivien Thomas, the Black scientist who developed many techniques for heart surgery, as well as taught future cardiac surgeons.

When visitors enter Jordan Lobby at The Franklin Institute, they see four flags: the United States flag, the state flag of Pennsylvania, the flag of the City of Philadelphia, and a flag with 13 8-pointed stars and red, white, and blue stripes – the Franklin flag.

You've likely heard of the 'women computers' working in the space program in the early to mid-1900s through the film Hidden Figures. but did you know that there were 'computers' in other fields?

Throughout history, inventors have sought ways to solve problems and make people’s lives better. In the video series Ingenious, hosts Trace Dominguez and Susannah Carroll discuss how innovations build on previous inventions to create things that we all live with and use every day. Often, these innovations improve upon what came before. Other times, they remedy issues that new inventions create. One such invention was time zones. 

In our new video series, Ingenious, Susannah Carroll and Trace Dominguez look at the history of many inventions that have changed our world – including the telephone. Most people know Alexander Graham Bell as the inventor of the telephone, but there is so much more to that story.