The Garden State's Greatest Inventions
Some of the greatest products in history have been created right here in New Jersey. At the N.J. Chamber of Commerce's Gala Oct. 27, the best of the best were named. How were the winners chosen? Residents were asked to vote, and more than 1,000 people participated. Here are the survey results:
Category: Innovations in Health Care
| Band-Aids | 52.6% |
| Advil | 17% |
| Disposable contact lenses | 15% |
| First aid kits | 12.7% |
| Antibacterial toothpaste | 2.4% |
Category: Innovations in Medicine
| Penicillin | 48.2% |
| Antibiotics | 30.8% |
| Coronary stent | 12% |
| Measles vaccine | 3.7% |
| Viagra | 3.5% |
| Valium | 1.5% |
| Mumps vaccine | 1% |
Category: Innovations in Transportation
| Underwater vehicular tunnel | 30.5% |
| Lead-free gasoline | 27.5% |
| Motor oil | 20.3% |
| Catalytic converter | 13.6% |
| Elevated highway | 7.9% |
Category: Innovations in Energy
| Light bulb | 65.3% |
| Solar panels | 19.2% |
| Air conditioning | 11.4% |
| Heating furnace | 4% |
Category: Innovations in Entertainment and Communications
| Television | 56% |
| Radio | 21.9% |
| Motion pictures | 10.8% |
| Phonograph | 6.1% |
| Drive-in theaters | 4.3% |
| Tape recorders | 0.75% |
Category: Innovations in Food
| Condensed soup | 28.9% |
| Ice cream cone | 28.5% |
| Taylor ham/Pork roll | 20.42% |
| TV dinners | 13.6% |
| Salt water taffy | 7% |
| SpaghettiOs | 1.4% |
Category: Innovation in Day-to-Day Living
| Bar codes | 48.7% |
| Teflon | 28.2% |
| Polyurethane | 13% |
| Bubble wrap | 9.9% |
Category: Innovation Breakthroughs
| Transistor | 31% |
| Chlorination process (to purify drinking water) | 30.8% |
| Fiber optics | 25.9% |
| Radar | 6.6% |
| Electronic microscope | 4.5 |
| Sonar | 0.9% |