These inventions put the Lone Star State on the map

LUBBOCK, Texas — Deep in the heart of Texas, innovation thrives. You might be surprised how many everyday essentials and iconic creations were Texas-born. From Beyoncé to condensed milk, the Lone Star State has made an indelible mark on the world.

Culinary innovations

First we take a trip to 1866, when Charles Goodnight introduced food trucks before they were cool, with the invention of the Chuck Wagon. According to the National Cowboy Museum, it was a mobile kitchen used to feed Texas cowboys looking forward to a hot meal after a long day of driving cattle.

Another Texas invention is one of the nation’s most beloved sodas. Dr. Pepper came about after a young pharmacist in Waco wanted to recreate the smell of the drugstore he worked in and fashion it into a drink, the Dr. Pepper Museum said.

An article by Texas Monthly said that pumpable cheese for concession stand nachos was made possible by Frank Liberto of San Antonio, and frozen margaritas were created by Mariano Martinez of Dallas who was awe-inspired by 7-Eleven’s Slurpee machine – and the rest was history.

Medical breakthroughs

Did you know silicone breast implants were invented when a plastic surgeon from Houston collaborated with a developer of silicon-based products? According to txpatentattorney.com, the two “noted that a plastic blood bag felt remarkably like the female breast,” so they aimed to mimic that texture with their breast implant.

Technological Advancements

The Hughes drill bit was quite literally a groundbreaking creation for the oil field industry. Traditional rotary drill bits were limited in their ability to handle hard rock formations.

The 1900s bore more inventions like the first handheld calculator, the CalTech, by Texas Instruments engineer Jack Kilby.

Kilby also invented one of the most important developments in technology, the microchip, or integrated circuit, alongside Robert Noyce. In short, this discovery made it possible to make electronics pocket-sized.

Business/entertainment

The iconic Mary Kay Inc. was founded in Addison in 1963 by Mary Kay Ash and took the nation by storm.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and the Super Bowl is no exception. The National Football League had a championship game well before Texas got involved, but Lamar Hunt of Dallas decided the event needed to be larger-than-life, according to Texas Heritage for Living.

The cheerleading herkie, a standard today by which cheerleading is judged, was first done by Lawrence Herkimer – a former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He is also the founder of the National Cheerleader’s Association.

As Texas grows, this list of Texas inventions certainly will too.

Here are a few more inventions that EverythingLubbock.com found out were Texas-made:

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