Spencer Silver (1941–2021), co-inventor of Post-it Notes

Spencer Silver was a chemist who invented the adhesive used in Post-it Notes.

Gerald Shur (1933–2020), founder of Federal Witness Protection Program

Gerald Shur was a lawyer who founded the groundbreaking Federal Witness Protection Program.

Sherman Poppen (1930–2019), inventor of the Snurfer, an early snowboard

Sherman Poppen was one of the earliest originators of thesnowboard, designing a product he called the Snurfer in the late 1960s.

Lee Iacocca (1924–2019), iconic leader of Ford and Chrysler

Lee Iacocca was the iconic automaker who helped create Ford models including the Escort and Mustang. Later, he headed Chrysler, helping turn the company from near failure to great success.

Ikutaro Kakehashi (1930–2017), Roland Corp. founder

Music innovator founded the Roland instrument company.

Chuck Berry (1926–2017), the Father of Rock and Roll

Chuck Berry, the singer-songwriter and guitarist who was one of the architects of rock 'n' roll, died Saturday, March 18, 2017. He was 90.

Bernie Worrell (1944–2016), Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist

Bernie Worrell, a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic, died June 24, 2016 of stage 4 lung cancer according to his wife, Judie Worrell. He was 72.

Tommy Kono (1930–2016), Olympic champion weightlifter

Tommy Kono, an Olympic champion weightlifter, died April 24 of liver disease in Honolulu, Hawaii, according to multiple news sources. He was 85.

Remo Belli (1927 - 2016), founder of the legendary drum manufacturer Remo Inc.

Remo Belli, the founder of the legendary drum manufacturer Remo Inc., died April 25 of complications of pneumonia, according to a statement on the company’s website. He was 89.

Steve Jobs: Remembering a Visionary

In the years since Steve Jobs' death, millions have taken to the internet – many via iPhones, MacBooks or iPads – to remember the visionary.

Andre Courreges (1923 - 2016), miniskirt inventor

Andre Courreges, a French fashion designer who claimed to have invented the miniskirt during the 1960s, has died, according to The Associated Press. He was 92.

Aaron Swartz's Work Lives On

Aaron Swartz fought for a free and fair Internet. The tech genius, who was 26 when he ended his own life Jan. 11, 2013, co-founded the activist group Demand Progress to fight Web censorship, and he co-authored the "Guerrilla Open Access Manifesto" to rally fellow hackers to "liberate" information kept from the public by private corporations and public institutions.

Sun Ra: Visitor From Saturn

Legendary jazz pianist Sun Ra was born 100 years ago today in Birmingham, Alabama. Or maybe not. As Ra said of himself in 1998, "I'm a psychic being, and you know, we don't concern ourselves with being born; we concern ourselves with being eternal."

Honoring Walt Disney

Ninety years ago today, two brothers founded a company that would become world famous, beloved by all ages, and record smashing. The brothers were Walt and Roy Disney, and the company, of course, bore their last name.

The Bo Diddley Beat

Nearly a decade after Bo Diddley's death, we're still listening to his signature rhythm.

Dizzy Gillespie, Blow Your (Bent) Horn

It was Dizzy Gillespie's talent and innovative style that placed him in the ranks of the all-time greatest jazz musicians… but his distinctive look didn't hurt. The bulging cheeks are essential to Gillespie's image—even people who have never heard his music are likely to recognize a photo of him. And then there was his trumpet with its bell bent upward at a 45-degree angle.

Desi Arnaz, TV Innovator

Twenty-seven years after Desi Arnaz's death, we're showcasing three of the ways he helped influence television.

The Tom Bradley Effect

Elected to an unprecedented five terms as mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley remains one of the nation's greatest racial pioneers 14 years after his death. His legacy has particular resonance today as L.A.'s first Latino mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, modeled his coalition building campaign on that of Bradley's. On a national level, Barack Obama's presidential campaign represents a step-level jump for African-American political dreams, much the same way that Bradley's audacious, long-shot hopes of becoming mayor of a major city with a small Black population did in 1969. And on November 4 when voters cast their ballots, pollsters will be anxiously waiting to see if Obama is impacted by a phenomenon that has come to be known as the "Bradley effect."

John Lee Hooker: Boom Boom Boom Boom

Bluesman John Lee Hooker (1917–2001) was best known for an iconic song that perfectly embodied his trademark "talking blues" style.

Les Paul: Sound of a Century

Les Paul played a big part in shaping the sound of the 20th century –as a guitarist, inventor, and innovator.

Visionary Inventors

Not every inventor or innovator is as famous as Steve Jobs.

John Heisman: 20 Facts

College football wouldn't be what it is today without pioneering coach John W. Heisman.

Rammellzee, Hip-Hop Pioneer

Music blogs were buzzing yesterday with the news that legendary had died at age 49. As is increasingly the case these days, the news first broke not over the wires but on Twitter, where fellow old school hip-hop Renaissance man Fab Five Freddy first shared news of his death.