List of Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) since it began the program in 1971. The designation is granted to existing artifacts or systems representing significant mechanical engineering technology. Mechanical Engineering Heritage Sites are particular locales at which some event or development occurred or which some machine, building, or complex of significance occupied. Also Mechanical Engineering Heritage Collections refers to a museum or collection that includes related objects of special significance to, but not necessarily a major evolutionary step in, the historical development of mechanical engineering.[1]
Clicking the landmark number in the first column will take you to the ASME page on the site where you will also find the downloadable brochure from the dedication.
There are over 275 landmarks on the list.[2]
Ref# | Year added | Name | Image | Date | Location | Region/state | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1973 | Ferries & Cliffhouse Cable Railway Power House
One of the most complicated cable-car systems to run from a single station. |
![]() |
1887 | San Francisco | California | United States | ASME brochure |
2 | 1973 | Leavitt-Riedler Pumping Engine
Unusual triple-expansion, three-crank "rocker" engine, driving high-capacity, high-speed pumps. |
1894 | Boston | Massachusetts | United States | ASME brochure | |
3 | 1974 | A.B. Wood Screw Pump
The most advanced low-lift drainage pump in use in the early 20th century, later used worldwide. |
![]() |
1914 | New Orleans | Louisiana | United States | ASME brochure |
4 | 1975 | Portsmouth-Kittery Naval Shipbuilding Activity
First US naval shipyard, achieving notable firsts in technology and producing many well-known US naval vessels. |
![]() |
1774 | Kittery | Maine | United States | ASME brochure |
5 | 1975 | Boyden Hydraulic Turbines
Two of the oldest surviving water turbines, probably the largest and nearly the most powerful ever built in the United States for mechanical drive. Located at Harmony Mills. |
![]() |
1871 | Cohoes | New York | United States | ASME brochure |
6 | 1975 | Curtis 5000-kW Vertical Turbine
The most powerful steam turbine-generator in the world at the time of its construction. |
![]() |
1903 | Schenectady | New York | United States | ASME brochure |
7 | 1975 | Saugus Ironworks
Reconstruction of the first successful commercial ironworks in North America. |
![]() |
1647 | Saugus | Massachusetts | United States | ASME brochure |
8 | 1975 | Pioneer Oil Refinery California Star Oil Works
A replica of the first successful commercial oil refinery in the US West. |
![]() |
1876 | Newhall | California | United States | ASME brochure |
9 | 1975 | Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Scoop Wheel & Engines
19th-century steam pumps at the (former) summit of the ship canal. |
![]() |
1852 | Chesapeake City | Maryland | United States | ASME brochure |
10 | 1975 | USS Texas' Reciprocating Steam Engines
Last reciprocating steam engines installed in a naval ship. |
![]() |
1914 | La Porte | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
11 | 1975 | Paige Compositor
First US typography machine to set, justify, and distribute foundry type from a common case using one operator. |
![]() |
1877 | Hartford | Connecticut | United States | No ASME brochure available. |
12 | 1976 | Reynolds-Corliss Pumping Engine
Early 20th-century water pump driven by a Corliss steam engine. |
![]() |
1917 | Jacksonville | Florida | United States | ASME brochure |
13 | 1976 | Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Project
Early 20th-century hydroelectric plant incorporating innovative technologies. |
![]() |
1909 | Phoenix | Arizona | United States | ASME brochure |
14 | 1976 | Hanford B Reactor
First US plutonium production reactor placed in commercial operation. |
![]() |
1944 | Richland | Washington | United States | ASME brochure |
15 | 1976 | Magma Copper Mine Air Conditioning System
First air-conditioned mine in North America. |
![]() |
1937 | Superior | Arizona | United States | ASME brochure |
16 | 1976 | Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway
Highest railway in the US and highest rack railway in the world. |
![]() |
1891 | Pikes Peak | Colorado | United States | ASME brochure |
17 | 1976 | Edgar Station, Edison Electric Illuminating Co.
Power-generation station with one of the world's only high-pressure topping turbines, which set new records in the late 1920s. |
![]() |
1925 | Weymouth | Massachusetts | United States | ASME brochure |
18 | 1976 | Mount Washington Cog Railway
World's first cog railway. |
![]() |
1869 | Mount Washington | New Hampshire | United States | ASME brochure |
19 | 1976 | Folsom Power House #1
One of the first successful uses of hydroelectric power in the world, including the first successful long-distance transmission of power. |
![]() |
1895 | Folsom | California | United States | ASME brochure |
20 | 1977 | Crawler Transporters of Launch Complex 39
Two of the largest ground vehicles ever built, including automatic load-leveling systems. |
![]() |
1965 | Cape Canaveral | Florida | United States | ASME brochure |
21 | 1977 | Fairmount Water Works
First large-scale application of steam pumping, later water power, to public water supply. |
![]() |
1815 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
22 | 1977 | USS Olympia, Vertical Reciprocating Steam Engines
Two of the first vertical triple-expansion marine engines. |
![]() |
1892 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
23 | 1977 | Pit-Cast Jib Crane
Last US pit-cast jib crane to operate in the casting of iron pipe. |
1905 | Birmingham | Alabama | United States | ASME brochure | |
24 | 1977 | State Line Generating Unit 1
World's largest electric-power generator for nearly 25 years, achieving many design firsts. |
1929 | Hammond | Indiana | United States | ASME brochure | |
25 | 1977 | Pratt Institute Power Plant
The oldest steam-generating plant of its kind in the Northeastern United States. |
![]() |
1887 | Brooklyn | New York | United States | ASME brochure |
26 | 1977 | Monongahela Incline
First US passenger incline. |
![]() |
1870 | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
27 | 1977 | Duquesne Incline
Second US passenger incline. |
![]() |
1877 | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
28 | 1977 | Great Falls Raceway and Power System
First major US water power system and basis for integrating urban planning with industrial development. |
![]() |
1792 | Paterson | New Jersey | United States | ASME brochure |
29 | 1977 | Vulcan Street Power Plant
First Edison hydroelectric central station. Coperating landmark by ASME IEEE and ASCE. |
![]() |
1882 | Appleton | Wisconsin | United States | ASME brochure |
30 | 1977 | Wilkinson Mill
Early 19th-century textile mill and machine shop. |
![]() |
1810 | Pawtucket | Rhode Island | United States | ASME brochure |
31 | 1978 | Interborough Rapid Transit System (Original Line)
The first fully electrically signaled railroad in the United States and the first practical subway in New York City. |
![]() |
1904 | New York | New York | United States | No ASME brochure available. |
32 | 1978 | Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Old Main Line
First US railroad in public service. |
![]() |
1828 | Maryland | Maryland | United States | ASME brochure |
33 | 1978 | Ringwood Manor Iron Complex
Surviving 18th-century iron manufacturing center. |
![]() |
1740 | Ringwood | New Jersey | United States | ASME brochure |
34 | 1978 | Joshua Hendy Iron Works
Early 20th-century ironworks demonstrating the adaptability required for industrial survival. |
1906 | Sunnyvale | California | United States | ASME brochure | |
35 | 1979 | Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza Sugar Mill Steam Engine
Typical beam steam engine of the mid-19th century, directly connected to sugar crushing rolls. |
![]() |
1861 | Manatí | Puerto Rico | United States | ASME brochure |
36 | 1979 | RL-10 Rocket Engine
First rocket engine to use high-energy liquid hydrogen as fuel. |
![]() |
1958 | West Palm Beach | Florida | United States | ASME brochure |
37 | 1979 | A. O. Smith Automatic Frame Plant
Prototype of the automated factory; dubbed the 'Mechanical Marvel.' |
![]() |
1920 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | United States | No longer exists. |
38 | 1979 | Morris Canal (Reaction) Turbine
Early reaction, or Scotch, turbine, a type that later found widespread application. |
![]() |
1850 | Port Warren | New Jersey | United States | Scotch Turbine displayed at Hopatcong State Park. |
39 | 1979 | Experimental Breeder Reactor I
World's first nuclear power plant to demonstrate the breeder concept. |
![]() |
1951 | Arco | Idaho | United States | ASME brochure |
40 | 1979 | Drake Oil Well
First practical oil recovery system using salt-well drilling techniques and modern pipe-driving methods, marks beginning of US petroleum industry. |
![]() |
1859 | Titusville | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
41 | 1980 | Springfield Armory
First US armory noted for machinery for mass production of small arms, including the Blanchard lathe. |
![]() |
1794 | Springfield | Massachusetts | United States | ASME brochure |
42 | 1980 | East Wells (Onieda) Street Power Plant
Pilot plant for US development of pulverized-coal firing in power-plant boilers. |
![]() |
1918 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | United States | ASME brochure |
43 | 1980 | Watkins Woolen Mill
The best preserved 19th-century woolen mill in North America. |
![]() |
1868 | Lawson | Missouri | United States | ASME brochure |
44 | 1980 | Fusion-welded Test Boiler Drum
First fusion-welded boiler drum, tests on which led to widespread acceptance in industry. |
![]() |
1930 | Windsor | Connecticut | United States | ASME brochure |
45 | 1980 | Georgetown Steam Plant
Steam plant with early Curtis turbines, marking the beginning of the end of the reciprocating steam engine as the central station prime mover. |
![]() |
1906 | Seattle | Washington | United States | ASME brochure |
46 | 1980 | Commonwealth Building Heat Pump
First large commercial building in the United States to pioneer the use of heat pumps for heating and cooling. |
![]() |
1948 | Portland | Oregon | United States | ASME brochure |
47 | 1980 | Shippingport Nuclear Power Station
First US commercial central electric-generating station to use nuclear energy. |
![]() |
1958 | Shippingport | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
48 | 1980 | Edison 'Jumbo' Engine-driver Dynamo
One of six dynamos from Edison's Pearl Street Station, the prototype for US central-station power generation. |
1882 | Dearborn | Michigan | United States | ASME brochure | |
49 | 1980 | Marine-type Triple-expansion, Engine-driven Dynamo
Sole surviving engine-generator set marking the beginning of large-scale electric power generation in the United States. |
1891 | Dearborn | Michigan | United States | No ASME brochure available. | |
50 | 1980 | Cooperative Fuel Research Engine
Pioneer variable-compression laboratory engine for testing fuels. |
![]() |
1928 | Waukesha | Wisconsin | United States | ASME brochure |
51 | 1980 | Port Washington Power Plant
The world's most thermally efficient steam plant for many years. |
![]() |
1935 | Port Washington | Wisconsin | United States | ASME brochure |
52 | 1980 | Saturn V Rocket (Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center)
Three sites (Texas, Florida and Alabama) were simultaneously designated (via satellite) in July 1980. |
![]() |
1967 | Houston | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
53 | 1980 | Saturn V Rocket (Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex)
Three sites (Texas, Florida and Alabama) were simultaneously designated (via satellite) in July 1980. |
1967 | Cape Canaveral | Florida | United States | ASME brochure | |
54 | 1980 | Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle (U.S. Space & Rocket Center)
Three sites (Texas, Florida and Alabama) were simultaneously designated (via satellite) in July 1980. |
![]() |
1966[3][4] | Huntsville | Alabama | United States | ASME brochure |
55 | 1980 | Blood Heat Exchanger
The first commercial human-blood heat exchanger for controlling hyperthermic temperatures during open-heart surgery. |
1957 | Amherst | New York | United States | ASME brochure | |
56 | 1980 | Rocky River Pumped-storage Hydroelectric Plant
Early example of the pumped-storage principle, at a power plant. |
1929 | New Milford | Connecticut | United States | ASME brochure | |
57 | 1980 | Kaplan Turbine at York Haven Dam
One of the first three Kaplan-type hydraulic turbines in the United States. |
1929 | York County | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure | |
58 | 1980 | Pioneer Zephyr
First US diesel-powered, stainless-steel streamlined train. |
![]() |
1934 | Chicago | Illinois | United States | ASME brochure |
59 | 1981 | Chestnut Street Pumping Engine
Typical US municipal steam water-pumping engine of the late 19th century and early 20th century. |
1913 | Erie | Pennsylvania | United States | No ASME brochure available | |
60 | 1981 | Holt Caterpillar Tractor
Earliest track-type gasoline-powered tractor, influencing designs worldwide. |
![]() |
1918 | Stockton | California | United States | No ASME brochure available |
61 | 1981 | Michigan-Lake Superior Power Hydroelectric Plant
An early, extremely large-scale, low-head hydropower plant using many small turbines. |
![]() |
1902 | Sault Ste. Marie | Michigan | United States | ASME brochure |
62 | 1981 | Southern Pacific #4294 Cab-in-Front Steam Locomotive
Example of the final phase of US steam locomotive development in size and power. |
![]() |
1944 | Sacramento | California | United States | ASME brochure |
63 | 1981 | Jackson Ferry Shot Tower
One of the few surviving shot towers for making spherical lead shot. |
![]() |
1807 | Austinville | Virginia | United States | ASME brochure |
64 | 1981 | Graue Mill
One of a few survivors of typical US mill machinery with wood as the principal material. |
![]() |
1852 | Oak Brook | Illinois | United States | ASME brochure |
65 | 1981 | Evinrude Outboard Motor
Early model of outboard motor for small boats, first commercially successful. |
![]() |
1909 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | United States | ASME brochure |
66 | 1981 | Mount Wilson Observatory, 100-inch Hooker Telescope
Unique telescope mirror support and use of mercury flotation to reduce friction. |
![]() |
1918 | Los Angeles County | California | United States | ASME brochure |
67 | 1981 | Hiwassee Dam Unit 2 Reversible Pump-Turbine
The first integrated pump-turbine to be installed in a US power plant and also the largest and most powerful in the mid-20th century. |
![]() |
1956 | Cherokee County | North Carolina | United States | ASME brochure |
68 | 1981 | Edison Experimental Recording Phonograph
The world's first practical sound recording machine. |
![]() |
1877 | West Orange | New Jersey | United States | No ASME brochure available |
69 | 1981 | Creusot Steam Hammer
The most powerful steam hammer in the world for many years. |
![]() |
1876 | Le Creusot | Saône-et-Loire | France | ASME brochure |
70 | 1981 | Newcomen Engine
Direct descendant of Thomas Newcomen's first atmospheric steam engine. |
![]() |
1712 | Dartmouth | South Devon | United Kingdom | Located at the Dartmouth Museum. |
71 | 1981 | ALCOA 50,000-ton Hydraulic Forging Press
One of the world's largest fabrication tools, dominant in aircraft and aerospace development. |
![]() |
1954 | Cleveland | Ohio | United States | ASME brochure |
72 | 1981 | Rotating-arm Model-test Facility at Stevens Institute of Technology
The world's first model-test facility to conduct maneuverability and control experiments for surface ships, submersibles, and airships. |
1945 | Hoboken | New Jersey | United States | ASME brochure | |
73 | 1982 | Turbinia
The world's first turbine-driven ship. |
![]() |
1897 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Tyne and Wear | United Kingdom | ASME brochure |
74 | 1982 | Anderson-Barngrover Rotary Pressure Sterilizer
The world's first continuous-stream automation of the cooking and cooling system for canned food. |
1920 | Santa Clara | California | United States | ASME brochure | |
75 | 1982 | Alden Research Laboratory Rotating Boom
Early 20th-century test facility for current meters, aircraft propellers, ships' logs, pitot tubes, and mine-sweeping paravanes. |
![]() |
1908 | Holden | Massachusetts | United States | ASME brochure |
76 | 1982 | AC Electrification of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad
Pioneering venture in mainline railroad electrification. The Cos Cob plant operated until October 1986. |
![]() |
1907 | Cos Cob | Connecticut | United States | Demolished 2001 and artifacts given to Smithsonian Institution.
No ASME brochure available |
77 | 1982 | Worthington Horizontal Cross-compound Pumping
Corliss-driven pump, typical of early 20th-century US practice. |
1925 | Erie | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure | |
78 | 1982 | Electro-Motive FT Freight-service Diesel-Electric Locomotive
Prototype of the first mass-produced diesel-electric locomotives used for US freight service. Located at National Museum of Transportation as Southern Railway Locomotive #6100. |
1939 | St. Louis | Missouri | United States | ASME brochure | |
79 | 1982 | Lombard Steam Log Hauler
The first practical example of crawler-tread vehicles now used in agricultural, construction, and military equipment. Located at the Lumberman's Museum. |
![]() |
1910 | Patten | Maine | United States | ASME brochure |
80 | 1982 | Aberdeen Range, Aberdeen Proving Ground
The world's first large-scale, fully instrumented ballistic range for producing data on aerodynamics. |
1943 | Aberdeen | Maryland | United States | ASME brochure | |
81 | 1983 | Corning Ribbon Machine
Earliest example of the machine that automated light-bulb manufacture. |
1926 | Dearborn | Michigan | United States | Located at The Henry Ford museum. | |
82 | 1983 | FMC Citrus Juice Extractor
Early example of machines that automated extraction of juices from fruit. |
![]() |
1947 | Lakeland | Florida | United States | Plaque not on display. |
83 | 1983 | Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 Electric Locomotive #4800
Locomotive prototype for use on electrified lines in eastern US, also exceptional for its flexible suspension system. |
![]() |
1943 | Strasburg | Pennsylvania | United States | Located at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania |
84 | 1983 | Reed Gold Mine Ten-Stamp Mill
Typical late 19th-century western-US stamp mill. |
1895 | Midland | North Carolina | United States | ASME brochure | |
85 | 1983 | PACECO Container Crane
World's first high-speed, dockside container-handling crane. |
1959 | Alameda | California | United States | 1987: Purchased by and now located in Port of Nanjing, China.
1988: Rededicated in conjunction with Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society. ASME brochure | |
86 | 1983 | Owens AR Bottle Machine
World's first automated bottling machine that introduced cheap and plentiful supply of glass containers. |
1912 | Toledo | Ohio | United States | No longer exists.
No ASME brochure available | |
87 | 1983 | NS Savannah
The world's first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship. |
![]() |
1962 | Newport News | Virginia | United States | ASME brochure |
88 | 1983 | Xerography
Early models of revolutionary dry-copying process at the Battelle Memorial Institute. |
1948 | Columbus | Ohio | United States | ASME brochure | |
89 | 1983 | Wyman-Gordon 50,000-ton Hydraulic Forging Press
One of the world's largest fabrication tools, influencing aviation and aerospace technology. |
![]() |
1955 | Grafton | Massachusetts | United States | ASME brochure |
90 | 1984 | IBM 350 RAMAC Disk File
World's first computer storage device with random access to large volumes of data. |
![]() |
1956 | San Jose | California | United States | 2019: Site demolished.
Artifacts now at Computer Museum; plaque not on display. ASME brochure |
91 | 1984 | Archimedes Screw Pump
One of the US's oldest surviving examples of the wind-driven Archimedes screw-pump. |
1890 | Newark | California | United States | ASME brochure | |
92 | 1984 | Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Unique electromechanical devices and systems in the longest accelerator in the world. |
![]() |
1962 | Menlo Park | California | United States | ASME brochure |
93 | 1984 | Holland Tunnel Ventilation System
The world's first long underwater tunnel designed for motor vehicles, with innovative ventilating system. |
![]() |
1920 | New York | New York | United States | ASME brochure |
94 | 1984 | Norfolk & Western #611, Class J Steam Locomotive
The last survivor of US coal-fired passenger locomotives, considered among the most advanced of any 4-8-4. |
![]() |
1941 | Roanoke | Virginia | United States | Located at Virginia Museum of Transportation. |
95 | 1984 | Sikorsky VS-300 Helicopter
The first practical US helicopter, pioneering the single-main-rotor concept. |
![]() |
1939 | Dearborn | Michigan | United States | Located at The Henry Ford museum. |
96 | 1984 | Quincy Mining Company No. 2 Mine Hoist
The world's largest mine hoist. |
![]() |
1920 | Hancock | Michigan | United States | ASME brochure |
97 | 1984 | SS Great Britain
The world's first iron-hulled, screw-propelled ship to cross any ocean, leading to Britain's world leadership in maritime commerce. |
![]() |
1843 | Bristol | South West England | United Kingdom | ASME brochure |
98 | 1984 | SS Jeremiah O'Brien
One of only two operating survivors of the US emergency-cargo fleet known as Liberty Ships. |
1943 | San Francisco | California | United States | ASME brochure | |
99 | 1984 | Idols Station, Fries Manufacturing & Power Company
Typical 19th-century small-scale, low-head run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant. |
1898 | Winston-Salem | North Carolina | United States | ASME brochure | |
100 | 1984 | Belle Isle Gas Turbine
The first gas turbine used for electric utility power generation in the United States. |
1949 | Schenectady | New York | United States | ASME brochure | |
101 | 1984 | St. Charles Avenue Streetcar Line
The oldest surviving interurban-urban passenger rail transport system in the United States. |
![]() |
1835 | New Orleans | Louisiana | United States | ASME brochure |
102 | 1985 | Atlas Launch Vehicle
First launch vehicle for the US space program. |
![]() |
1957 | El Cajon | California | United States | ASME brochure |
103 | 1985 | First Hot Isostatic Processing Vessels
Early examples of fabrication vessels using gas pressure and temperature to produce advanced alloy and ceramic products. |
1956 | Columbus | Ohio | United States | Located at Battelle Memorial Institute. | |
104 | 1985 | Basic-Oxygen Steel Making Vessel
Vessel that introduced the basic oxygen process to the United States. |
![]() |
1955 | Trenton | Michigan | United States | Presently owned by Detroit Steel Company. |
105 | 1985 | Detroit Edison District Heating System
Early example of typical US district heating plant. |
1903 | Detroit | Michigan | United States | ASME brochure | |
106 | 1985 | Cornwall Iron Furnace
Typical 19th-century US charcoal-fueled blast furnace, fully intact. |
![]() |
1742 | Cornwall | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
107 | 1985 | Lowell Power Canal System and Pawtucket Gatehouse
Early major US water-power system and the first Francis inward-flow water turbine placed in service and oldest in existence. |
![]() |
1796 | Lowell | Massachusetts | United States | ASME brochure |
108 | 1985 | Jacobs Engine Brake Retarder
The first practical mechanism for braking large trucks with engine compression as they descend long, steep grades at controlled speeds. |
![]() |
1957 | Bloomfield | Connecticut | United States | ASME brochure |
109 | 1985 | Geysers Unit 1
The first commercial geothermal electricity-generating station in North America. |
1960 | Sonoma County | California | United States | ASME brochure | |
110 | 1985 | Harris-Corliss Steam Engine
Example of a late 19th-century 350-hp Corliss-type steam engine. |
1895 | Atlanta | Georgia | United States | Located at Randall Brothers, Inc. | |
111 | 1986 | Boulton & Watt Rotative Steam Engine
Oldest surviving operable rotative steam engine by Boulton and Watt. |
![]() |
1785 | Sydney | New South Wales | Australia | Located at the Powerhouse Museum. |
112 | 1985 | TV Emery Rice Steam Engine
Mid-19th-century horizontal compound marine steam engine with return connecting rod. |
![]() |
1873 | Kings Point | New York | United States | ASME brochure |
113 | 1986 | Fairbanks Exploration Company Gold Dredge No. 8
One of the last mammoth gold dredges in the United States accessible to the public. |
![]() |
1927 | Fairbanks | Alaska | United States | ASME brochure |
114 | 1986 | Pitney-Bowes Model M Postage Meter
Early model of world's first commercial postage meter. |
1920 | Stamford | Connecticut | United States | ASME brochure | |
115 | 1986 | Disneyland Monorail System
The first commercial Wenner-Gren monorail system. |
![]() |
1959 | Anaheim | California | United States | ASME brochure |
116 | 1987 | McKinley Climatic Laboratory
Test facility with unequalled capacity to simulate a wide range of climatic conditions from arctic cold to jungle moisture for full-scale equipment testing. |
![]() |
1944 | Eglin Air Force Base | Florida | United States | ASME brochure |
117 | 1987 | Icing Research Tunnel, NASA Lewis Research Center
The world's oldest and largest refrigerated icing wind tunnel, with unique heat exchanger and spray system. |
![]() |
1944 | Cleveland | Ohio | United States | ASME brochure |
118 | 1987 | Samson Mine Reversible Waterwheel & Man Engine
Hoists representative of bygone practice, including a waterwheel for ore hoisting and a mechanism to hoist workers. |
![]() |
1837 | Sankt Andreasberg | Lower Saxony | Germany | ASME brochure |
119 | 1987 | American Precision Museum | ![]() |
1966 | Windsor | Vermont | United States | No ASME brochure available |
120 | 1987 | Robbins & Lawrence Machine Shop
Site of first machine shop to achieve interchangeable manufacture on a practical scale. |
![]() |
1846 | Windsor | Vermont | United States | ASME brochure |
121 | 1987 | Holly Fire Protection and Water System
Site of the first US integrated system to supply water for public safety. |
![]() |
1863 | Lockport | New York | United States | No ASME brochure available |
122 | 1987 | Holly District Heating System
Site of the first US district heating steam-heating system. |
1877 | Lockport | New York | United States | No ASME brochure available | |
123 | 1987 | Kingsbury Thrust Bearing
First and still-operating Kingsbury thrust bearing in hydroelectric service, later used worldwide for all types of large machinery. |
1911 | Holtwood | Pennsylvania | United States | Located at Holtwood Dam. | |
124 | 1987 | Chapin Mine Pump
Late 19th-century steeple compound-condensing engine and one of the largest at the time. |
![]() |
1893 | Iron Mountain | Michigan | United States | ASME brochure |
125 | 1987 | Pullman Sleeping Car Glengyle
Earliest known survivor of the fleet of heavyweight, all-steel sleepers built by the Pullman Company. |
1911 | Dallas | Texas | United States | Located at Museum of the American Railroad. | |
126 | 1987 | Westmoreland Iron Works
An early and long-running malleable ironworks. |
1850 | Westmoreland | New York | United States | Early 1990s: Foundry closed and plaque given to the Westmoreland Historical Society.
No ASME brochure available | |
127 | 1987 | Big Brutus Mine Shovel
One of the world's largest power shovels. |
![]() |
1962 | West Mineral | Kansas | United States | ASME brochure |
128 | 1987 | Vallecitos Boiling Water Reactor
The world's first privately owned and operated nuclear power plant to deliver significant quantities of electricity to a public utility grid. |
![]() |
1957 | Alameda County | California | United States | ASME brochure |
129 | 1987 | Holyoke Water Power System
Major 19th-century US industrial center for paper and textile industries, known for its machine shops and water-power system. |
![]() |
1859 | Holyoke | Massachusetts | United States | See also: Holyoke Dam, Holyoke Heritage State Park.
No ASME brochure available |
130 | 1987 | Stirling Water-tube Boilers
Oldest existing steam generator in a US cotton mill. |
1906 | Dalton | Georgia | United States | No ASME brochure available | |
131 | 1988 | Roosa Master Diesel Fuel-Injection Pump
Early developmental models of distributor-type injection pump for controlling engine speed. |
1947 | Windsor | Connecticut | United States | ASME brochure | |
132 | 1988 | Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Roundhouse
Innovative railroad yard machine shop for first railroad linking Chicago and the Mississippi River. |
![]() |
1858 | Aurora | Illinois | United States | ASME brochure |
133 | 1988 | Buckeye Steam Traction Ditcher
Earliest surviving example of the first successful traction ditching machine for laying agricultural drainage tiles. |
1902 | Findlay | Ohio | United States | Located at Hancock Historical Museum. | |
134 | 1988 | Geared Locomotives of Heisler, Shay, Climax
Early examples of small slow-speed 19th-century geared locomotives. |
![]() |
1872 | Felton | California | United States | No ASME brochure available |
135 | 1988 | Neuchâtel Gas Turbine
The world's first successful electricity-generating gas turbine to go into commercial operation. |
1939 | Neuchâtel | Neuchâtel | Switzerland | ASME brochure | |
136 | 1988 | AAR Railroad-wheel Dynamometer
The first and only railroad dynamometer to test track wheels using vertical and lateral loads as well as thermal braking at the wheel rim. |
1955 | Pueblo | Colorado | United States | ASME brochure | |
137 | 1989 | Texas & Pacific #610 Lima Superpower Steam Locomotive
The sole surviving example of the earliest form of "superpower" steam locomotives. |
![]() |
1927 | Rusk | Texas | United States | No ASME brochure available |
138 | 1989 | ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
The first comprehensive standard for the design, construction, inspection, and testing of boilers and pressure vessels, greatly influencing public safety. |
1915 | Dearborn | Michigan | United States | Early book on loan to The Henry Ford museum.
No ASME brochure available | |
139 | 1989 | Roebling 80-ton Wire Rope Machine
The only remaining Roebling machine, largest wire-rope closing machine in 1893. |
![]() |
1893 | Trenton | New Jersey | United States | ASME brochure |
140 | 1989 | Propulsion Wind Tunnel Facility Wind Tunnel
The world's first large-scale testing facility for jet and rocket engines in simulated high-speed flight conditions. |
![]() |
1955 | Arnold Air Force Base | Tennessee | United States | No ASME brochure available |
141 | 1989 | Browning Firearms Collection
Collection of sporting and military firearms designed by John Moses Browning. |
1878 | Ogden | Utah | United States | Located at Ogden Union Station Museum. | |
142 | 1990 | Pierce-Donachy Ventricular Assist Device
The world's first implantable heart pump to receive widespread clinical use. |
![]() |
1973 | Hershey | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
143 | 1990 | USS Cairo Engine and Boilers
The sole survivor of the fleet of river gunboats built by the Union during the US Civil War. |
![]() |
1862 | Vicksburg | Mississippi | United States | ASME brochure |
144 | 1990 | Curtis 500-kW Vertical Turbine
The first steam turbine electric-generation station. |
1903 | Indianapolis | Indiana | United States | ASME brochure | |
145 | 1990 | Southern Gas Association-PCRC Analog Facility
The first computer system to be applied to the design of natural-gas pipeline systems. |
1955 | San Antonio | Texas | United States | ASME brochure | |
146 | 1990 | National Soil Dynamics Laboratory
The world's first full-size laboratory for tillage tools and traction equipment in all types of soils. |
1935 | Auburn | Alabama | United States | ASME brochure | |
147 | 1990 | Baltimore & Ohio #4500, Freight, USRA 2-8-2A
The first USRA freight locomotive built, representing the first standardized family of US locomotives. |
![]() |
1918 | Baltimore | Maryland | United States | ASME brochure |
148 | 1990 | Atlantic Coast Line #1504, USRA 4-6-2A
An early example of USRA passenger locomotives representing the first US standardization program. |
![]() |
1919 | Jacksonville | Florida | United States | Located at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. |
149 | 1990 | Hydromatic Propeller
Early example of propeller innovations, including variable-pitch control and feathering capability. |
1938 | Windsor Locks | Connecticut | United States | Located at the New England Air Museum. | |
150 | 1990 | Pin-Ticketing Machine
Early model of first successful price-marking, tag-attachment machine for US retail merchandising. |
1902 | Miamisburg | Ohio | United States | ASME brochure | |
151 | 1991 | Victoria Dutch Windmill
Mid-19th-century wind-powered gristmill of Dutch turret-mill style. |
![]() |
1870 | Victoria | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
152 | 1991 | Jeep Model MB
Early four-wheel drive, multipurpose field vehicle representing an unusual combination of modern vehicle design. |
![]() |
1947 | Toledo | Ohio | United States | ASME brochure |
153 | 1991 | Cruquius Pumping Station
19th-century steam pumping station that drained the Haarlemmermeer. |
![]() |
1849 | Haarlemmermeer | North Holland | Netherlands | ASME brochure |
154 | 1991 | Greens Bayou Generator Plant
The first fully outdoor turbine-generator to be placed in commercial operation. |
1949 | Houston | Texas | United States | ASME brochure | |
155 | 1991 | Milam High-rise Air Conditioned Building
The first US air-conditioned high-rise office building. |
![]() |
1928 | San Antonio | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
156 | 1991 | Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
19th-century 3-rail incline. |
![]() |
1895 | Chattanooga | Tennessee | United States | ASME brochure |
157 | 1991 | Pelton Waterwheel Collection
Collection on the origins of the Pelton turbine and its principle of the "splitter" bucket. |
![]() |
ca. 1880 | Grass Valley | California | United States | ASME brochure |
158 | 1991 | Fresno Scraper
19th-century example of the scraper whose design served as the basis for most giant earth-movers. |
1883 | Fresno | California | United States | ASME brochure | |
159 | 1991 | Nassawango Iron Furnace
The earliest surviving hot-blast furnace in the United States. |
![]() |
1828 | Snow Hill | Maryland | United States | ASME brochure |
160 | 1992 | ABACUS II Integrated-Circuit Wire Bonder
The world's first practical production machine for the assembly of integrated circuits, making possible their economical production. |
Dallas | Texas | United States | ASME brochure | ||
161 | 1992 | Q-R-S Marking Piano
One of the first machines to produce master rolls for player pianos by recording actual performances. |
1912 | Buffalo | New York | United States | ASME brochure | |
162 | 1992 | Apollo Space Command Module
Apollo command module incorporating many innovations to allow safe transport of humans to moon and back. |
1968 | Titusville | Florida | United States | ASME brochure | |
163 | 1992 | Meter-type Gas Odorizer
Early safety device for introducing odor into natural-gas lines to make leaks apparent. |
1937 | Dallas | Texas | United States | ASME brochure | |
164 | 1992 | New England Wireless and Steam Museum
Collection of Rhode Island steam engines, including one of the few surviving built at the Corliss Works. |
1964 | East Greenwich | Rhode Island | United States | ASME brochure | |
165 | 1992 | Old Mill in Nantucket
The oldest operating smock-type windmill in the United States. |
![]() |
1746 | Nantucket | Massachusetts | United States | ASME brochure |
166 | 1992 | Milwaukee River Flushing Station
A water pump which reduced the concentration of pollutants in an urban stream had the world's greatest capacity. |
![]() |
1888 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | United States | Now part of coffee shop. |
167 | 1993 | Ginaca Pineapple Processing Machine
Example of automated peeling and slicing machine that led to commercial pineapple production. |
![]() |
1911 | Honolulu | Hawaii | United States | ASME brochure |
168 | 1993 | Pegasus 3 Engine BS 916
Earliest surviving example of the prototype engine for vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jets, namely Harriers and AV-8Bs |
![]() |
1960 | Bristol | South West England | United Kingdom | ASME brochure |
169 | 1993 | Cryogenic Cooling System, Fermilab Tevatron
The largest cryogenic system ever built, providing benchmark for superconducting magnet designs. |
![]() |
1983 | Batavia | Illinois | United States | ASME brochure |
170 | 1993 | Advanced Engine Test Facility at Marshall
Unique cooling system for the testing of aerospace engines. |
![]() |
1964 | Redstone Arsenal | Alabama | United States | ASME brochure |
171 | 1993 | Voyager Spacecraft Interplanetary Explorers
The two most intelligent machines ever built by NASA space program. |
![]() |
1972–1977 | Pasadena | California | United States | Located at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
172 | 1994 | Bay City Walking Dredge
The last remaining dredge in the United States with unique propulsion system, designed for a wetlands environment. |
![]() |
1924 | Naples | Florida | United States | ASME brochure |
173 | 1994 | Burton Farmers Gin Mill
The earliest known survivor of an integrated cotton ginning system widely used in the southern United States. |
![]() |
1914 | Burton | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
174 | 1994 | Crown Cork and Soda Filling Machine
One of two surviving automated machines that founded the bottling industry. |
1892 | Baltimore | Maryland | United States | ASME brochure | |
175 | 1994 | Bergen County Steam Collection
A collection of operational steam engines and auxiliary equipment from the 19th century to the 1940s. |
1987 | Hackensack | New Jersey | United States | ASME brochure | |
176 | 1994 | Union Pacific Big Boy 4023 and Centennial 6900
Two heavy-tonnage locomotives incorporating the best features of the day. |
![]() |
1941 | Omaha | Nebraska | United States | ASME brochure |
177 | 1994 | Barker Turbine/Hacienda Buena Vista
The only known example of a Barker hydraulic turbine, the earliest practical reaction type. |
![]() |
1853 | Ponce | Puerto Rico | United States | ASME brochure |
178 | 1994 | Boeing 367-80
Prototype of the Boeing 707 and most jet transport systems, establishing economic feasibility of commercial air travel. |
![]() |
1954 | Fairfax County | Virginia | United States | Located at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. |
179 | 1994 | Newell Shredder
The second and earliest surviving automobile shredder for recycling scrap metal. |
1969 | San Antonio | Texas | United States | ASME brochure | |
180 | 1994 | Johnstown Incline
One of the world's steepest vehicular inclines, typical of several built in the 19th century in Western Pennsylvania. |
![]() |
1891 | Johnstown | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
181 | 1994 | B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill
The oldest steam powdered cider mill in the US. A rare survivor of a once-commonplace rural US industry. |
1898 | Mystic | Connecticut | United States | ASME brochure | |
182 | 1995 | Knight Foundry and Machine Shop
One of the earliest US water-powered foundry-machine shops, including Knight impulse turbines. |
![]() |
1873 | Sutter Creek | California | United States | ASME brochure |
183 | 1995 | Wright Field 5-foot Wind Tunnel
Early example of the "modern" wind tunnel for aircraft-model testing. |
1921 | Wright-Patterson Air Force Base | Ohio | United States | ASME brochure | |
184 | 1995 | Gravimetric Coal Feeder
The earliest known coal feeder, representing innovations that influenced nearly all industries using coal-fired boilers. |
1957 | Cleveland | Ohio | United States | ASME brochure | |
185 | 1995 | Ljungström Air Preheater
Experimental model of the industrial air preheater, now used worldwide. |
![]() |
1920 | Stockholm | Stockholm County | Sweden | ASME brochure |
186 | 1995 | Steamboat William G. Mather
Prototypical ore boat on the Great Lakes. |
![]() |
1925 | Cleveland | Ohio | United States | ASME brochure |
187 | 1996 | NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel
R&D facility for testing of supersonic aircraft and spacecraft. |
![]() |
1956 | Mountain View | California | United States | ASME brochure |
188 | 1996 | Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel
Unique experimental facility for hydrodynamic research and testing. |
1949 | State College | Pennsylvania | United States | Located at Pennsylvania State University. | |
189 | 1996 | Montgomery Glider
First heavier-than-air human-carrying aircraft to achieve controlled piloted flight. |
![]() |
1883 | San Carlos | California | United States | Located at Hiller Aviation Museum. |
190 | 1996 | Hart Parr Tractor
Earliest known internal-combustion-engined agricultural tractor in the United States. |
1903 | Charles City | Iowa | United States | ASME brochure | |
191 | 1996 | SS Badger Carferry
One of the last operating American steam lake boats with reciprocating engines and coal-fired boilers. |
![]() |
1952 | Ludington | Michigan | United States | ASME brochure |
192 | 1996 | Thermo King© C Refrigeration Unit
Earliest known refrigeration unit for trucks, having worldwide impact on food preservation. |
1940 | Minneapolis | Minnesota | United States | ASME brochure | |
193 | 1997 | Alligator Amphibian
Prototype of all tracked ship-to-shore landing vehicles. |
![]() |
1940 | Quantico | Virginia | United States | Located at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum. |
194 | 1997 | Kew Bridge Cornish Beam Engines
Five notable 19th-century Cornish beam engines for municipal water supply. |
![]() |
1975 | Brentford | Greater London | United Kingdom | ASME brochure |
195 | 1997 | Bay Area Rapid Transit System
The most advanced automated urban rail transit system incorporating many innovations, marking a new generation of rail travel. |
![]() |
1972 | San Francisco Bay Area | California | United States | ASME brochure |
196 | 1997 | Bessemer Conversion Engine
An early example of the successful conversion of steam engines to internal-combustion engines. |
ca. 1900 | Rockford | Michigan | United States | ASME brochure | |
197 | 1998 | David Taylor Model Basin
Among the world's largest test facilities for the development of ship design. |
![]() |
1939 | Bethesda | Maryland | United States | ASME brochure |
198 | 1998 | GE's Ultra High Pressure Apparatus for the Production of Diamonds
First apparatus to consistently produce industrial diamonds, demonstrating fundamentals of producing and containing very high pressures and becoming the basis for the industrial-diamond production that followed. |
1954 | Schenectady | New York | United States | Located at the Schenectady Museum.
No ASME brochure available | |
199 | 1998 | Hulett Ore Unloaders
The largest and oldest surviving example of a highly efficient materials-handling machine unique to the Great Lakes that revolutionized ore handling and led to its rapid adoption throughout the lower-lake ore ports. |
![]() |
1912 | Cleveland | Ohio | United States | 2000: 2 of the 4 loaders have been demolished and scrapped, while the other 2 were disassembled. |
200 | 1998 | Paddle Steamer Uri
The oldest operating vessel with a diagonal, compound steam engine, with disc valve gear. |
1901 | Lucerne | Lucerne | Switzerland | ASME brochure | |
201 | 1998 | Cooper Steam Traction Engine Collection
Engines from the collection are among the oldest surviving agricultural steam engines, from 1860 to 1883, showing the conversion to mechanized farming. |
1860–1883 | Mount Vernon | Ohio | United States | Located at the Knox County Historical Society. | |
202 | 1998 | William Tod Rolling-Mill Engine
Representative of steam-powered rolling-mill-engine drives early in the transition to electric drive and typical of the largest work pieces produced by U.S. foundries and forges. |
1914 | Youngstown | Ohio | United States | No ASME brochure available | |
203 | 1998 | Siegfried Marcus Car
Direct predecessor of the modern automobile. |
![]() |
ca. 1875 | Vienna | Austria | Located at the Technical Museum, Vienna.
No ASME brochure available | |
204 | 1999 | Kinne Water Turbine Collection
The largest collection of American turbine development. |
1907–1937 | Watertown | New York | United States | Located at the Jefferson County Historical Society. | |
205 | 1999 | Peterborough Hydraulic (Canal) Lift Lock
The world's highest operating hydraulic lift lock, operating on the balance principle. |
1904 | Peterborough | Ontario | Canada | No ASME brochure available | |
206 | 1999 | Merrill Wheel Balancing System
Innovative method of wheel balancing (on the vehicle) adopted worldwide. |
1945 | Englewood | Colorado | United States | No ASME brochure available | |
207 | 2000 | Refrigeration Research Museum
A private collection that represents many of the advances in mechanical refrigeration for US residential and commercial use from the late 19th century up to 1960. |
![]() |
1890–1960 | Brighton | Michigan | United States | ASME brochure |
208 | 2000 | Fairbanks-Morse Y-VA Engine Diesel
The earliest (perhaps only) existing example of early high-compression, cold-start, full-diesel engines developed in the United States for isolated or rural power generation machinery before widespread electrification was available. |
1924 | Lee County | Florida | United States | ASME brochure | |
209 | 2000 | USS Albacore
An experimental submarine that pioneered the teardrop-shaped hull, high-strength steel, and many other test concepts affecting speed, depth changes, and underwater maneuvering. |
![]() |
1953 | Portsmouth | New Hampshire | United States | ASME brochure |
210 | 2000 | Link C-3 Flight Trainer
An early flight simulator representative of the first truly effective mechanical device used to simulate actual flight processes. |
![]() |
ca. 1935 | Binghamton | New York | United States | ASME brochure |
211 | 2000 | Tokaido Shinkansen
The world's first high-speed railway, which operated at about 210 km/h (130 mph). |
![]() |
1964 | Tokyo to Shin-Ōsaka | Japan | No ASME brochure available | |
212 | 2000 | EIMCO Rocker Shovel Loader, Model 12B
The first successful mining device to replace human labor in removing the rubble from underground hard-rock blasting. |
![]() |
1938 | Park City | Utah | United States | Plaque located at Miners Plaza in historic Old Park City. |
213 | 2000 | George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Leader in transforming mechanical engineering education from a shop-based, vocational program to a professional one built on rigorous academic and analytical methods. |
![]() |
1888 | Atlanta | Georgia | United States | ASME brochure |
214 | 2001 | Colvin Run Mill
A good example of a typical early 19th-century (US) water-powered, Evans-type flour mill, restored into operating condition. |
![]() |
ca. 1810 | Great Falls | Virginia | United States | ASME brochure |
215 | 2001 | Coolspring Power Museum
An impressive variety of internal combustion engines, built primarily between 1890 and 1920 and consisting mainly of stationary engines used in industrial applications. |
![]() |
1890–1929 | Coolspring | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
216 | 2001 | Arecibo Observatory
The largest single-aperture radio telescope ever constructed. |
![]() |
1963 | Arecibo | Puerto Rico | United States | Joint designation with IEEE. |
217 | 2001 | Radio City Music Hall Hydraulically Actuated Stage
One of the largest movable stages in the world with innovative hydraulic equipment and controls, a forerunner of other stage designs as well as early aircraft carrier elevator systems. |
1932 | New York | New York | United States | No ASME brochure available | |
218 | 2002 | Apollo Lunar Module LM-13
First piloted vehicle designed to operate solely in the vacuum of space. |
![]() |
1972 | Garden City | New York | United States | Located at the Cradle of Aviation Museum. |
219 | 2002 | Howard Hughes Flying Boat, HK-1
The largest wood-constructed and the largest wingspan airplane ever built. |
![]() |
1947 | McMinnville | Oregon | United States | Located at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. |
220 | 2002 | Pilatusbahn
The world's steepest cog railway. |
![]() |
1882 | Mount Pilatus | Switzerland | ASME brochure | |
221 | 2002 | Brandywine River Powder Mills
The largest U.S. maker of explosive black powder, a once-important and now-obsolete 19th-century technology. |
![]() |
1803–1921 | Wilmington | Delaware | United States | ASME brochure |
222 | 2002 | Ditch Witch® DWP Service-Line Trencher
The first mechanized, compact service-line trencher. |
![]() |
1952 | Perry | Oklahoma | United States | ASME brochure |
223 | 2003 | Solar Energy and Energy Conversion Laboratory
Pioneering developments in solar-energy applications, with global accomplishments in training and innovation. |
1954 | Gainesville | Florida | United States | ASME brochure | |
224 | 2003 | Wright Flyer III
The first practical airplane. |
![]() |
1905 | Dayton | Ohio | United States | Located at the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. |
225 | 2003 | Rumely Companies' Agricultural Products
Produced a line of agricultural equipment that played a vital role in the evolution of farming. |
![]() |
1853 | La Porte | Indiana | United States | ASME brochure |
226 | 2003 | Eddystone Station Unit #1
The second U.S. (earliest extant) supercritical steam-electric generating unit, pioneering significant increases in steam pressure, steam temperature, and unit size. |
1960 | Eddystone | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure | |
227 | 2003 | First Ram-Type Blowout Preventer (BOP)
First ram-type blowout preventer, which sealed the wellhead and controlled pressure during drilling and oil production operations. |
![]() |
1922 | Houston | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
228 | 2003 | Philo 6 Steam-Electric Generating Unit
The world's first commercial supercritical steam-electric generating unit. |
1957 | Columbus | Ohio | United States | ASME brochure | |
229 | 2003 | Great Northern 2313 — Montana Western 31 Gas
The oldest-surviving Electro-motive Company (EMC) gas-electric rail motorcar and the oldest with Lemp control. |
1925 | North Freedom | Wisconsin | United States | Located at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum. | |
230 | 2004 | Lapeyre Automatic Shrimp Peeling Machine
For decades, the elegantly simple Model A has proven to be the most effective and widely used method of automatic shrimp peeling, despite attempts by others to develop alternative approaches. |
![]() |
1949 | Biloxi | Mississippi | United States | ASME brochure |
231 | 2004 | R.G. Letourneau Mountain Mover
This innovative scraper moved four times as much earth as conventional machines of the era which required a tractor and two operators. |
![]() |
1922 | Longview | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
232 | 2004 | Reuleaux Collection Of Kinematic Mechanisms
The world's largest collection of 19th-century kinematic mechanisms. |
1882 | Ithaca | New York | United States | Located at Cornell University. | |
233 | 2005 | Model T
15 millionth Model T to come off the assembly line, marking the end of its production. |
![]() |
1908–1927 | Dearborn | Michigan | United States | Located at The Henry Ford museum. |
234 | 2005 | The United States Standard Screw Threads
The first US system of standardized screw threads. |
1864 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure | |
235 | 2005 | Ottmar Mergenthaler's Square Base Linotype Machine
One of two surviving square-base linotypes. |
1886 | Carson | California | United States | Located at the International Printing Museum.
No ASME brochure available | |
236 | 2005 | Birome Ballpoint Pen Collection
First ballpoint pens; utilized the concept of a quick-drying ink whose flow is controlled by gravity and a metal ball housed in a socket. |
![]() |
1938–1948 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | ASME brochure | |
237 | 2005 | Eiffel Drop Test Machine and Wind Tunnel
Most accurate to date drop-test device and wind tunnel to measure drag on falling objects of various shapes. |
1903 & 1912 | Paris | France | ASME brochure | ||
238 | 2006 | Grumman Wildcat "Sto-Wing" Wing-folding Mechanism[5]
First functional wing-folding mechanism, enabling aircraft to take up less space on ships. |
![]() |
Kalamazoo | Michigan | United States | Located at Air Zoo aviation museum. | |
239 | 2006 | Hughes Glomar Explorer
A deep-sea drillship platform initially built for the United States Central Intelligence Agency Special Activities Division secret operation Project Azorian to recover the sunken Soviet submarine, K-129, lost in April 1968. |
![]() |
1972 | Houston | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
240 | 2006 | Cooper-Bessemer Type GMV Integral-Angle Gas E
Providing efficient compression energy for natural gas, petrochemical, refinery, and power industries around the world. |
1944 | Mount Vernon | Ohio | United States | Located at the Knox County Historical Museum. | |
241 | 2006 | Noria al-Muhammadiyya
A set of seventeen large water wheels operating on the River Orontes as they have for many centuries. |
![]() |
1361 | Hama | Hama Governorate | Syria | ASME brochure |
242 | 2006 | Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Apparatus (1962)
The first apparatus able to directly generate a complete dynamic (high-rate) stress-strain curve in a single experiment. |
1962 | San Antonio | Texas | United States | ASME brochure | |
243 | 2008 | Digital Micromirror Device
Modulating digital light pulses using up to 2 million micromirrors. |
![]() |
1996 | Plano | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
244 | 2008 | Johnson Controls Multi-Zone Automatic Temperature Control System
The first automated temperature control system for multi-zone applications. |
![]() |
1895 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | United States | Located at Johnson Controls HQ bldg. |
245 | 2008 | John Penn & Sons Oscillating Steam Engine
The first steam engine to utilize oscillatory cylinders. Installed in the steamboat Diesbar. |
1841 | Dresden | Saxony | Germany | ASME brochure | |
246 | 2009 | Hughes Two-Cone Drill Bit
Key technology that allowed drilling through medium and hard rock, tapped vast oil reservoirs much deeper below the surface than previously possible, and significantly improved the efficiency and cost of drilling. |
![]() |
1908 | The Woodlands | Texas | United States | ASME brochure |
247 | 2010 | Belle of Louisville
The oldest operating "western rivers" steamboat. |
![]() |
1914 | Louisville | Kentucky | United States | ASME brochure |
248 | 2011 | Southern Railway Spencer Shops
One of the few remaining intact 20th-century railroad locomotive facilities in the United States. |
![]() |
1896 | Spencer | North Carolina | United States | Now the North Carolina Transportation Museum. |
249 | 2011 | Sholes & Glidden 'Type Writer'
Represents the first commercially successful typewriter to be manufactured in quantity for sale to the public. |
![]() |
1873 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | United States | Located at the Milwaukee Public Museum. |
250 | 2012 | Mr. Charlie Oil Drilling Rig
The first offshore drilling rig that was fully transportable, submersible and self-sufficient. |
1953 | Morgan City | Louisiana | United States | ASME brochure | |
251 | 2012 | Textile Machinery Collection at the American Textile History Museum
Represents some of the most significant collection of 19th century tools and machinery for the manufacturing of textiles. |
![]() |
1960 | Lowell | Massachusetts | United States | Museum closed in 2016. ASME brochure |
252 | 2013 | Big Surf Waterpark
The first wave pool in North America to consistently generate 3–5 foot spilling waves suitable for surfing. |
1969 | Tempe | Arizona | United States | ASME brochure | |
253 | 2013 | Titan Crane
The largest crane of the hammer-head or "Titan" type. |
![]() |
1907 | Clydebank | West Dunbartonshire | United Kingdom | No ASME brochure available |
254 | 2013 | Collection of the Earliest Self-Governing Windmills
The Collection contains many early windmills. |
![]() |
1870 | Batavia | Illinois | United States | Batavia, IL was the location of 6 'American Farm Windmill' makers from about 1870 until WWII. |
255 | 2013 | Apollo Space Suit
Model A7L was the primary suit worn by astronauts on Project Apollo. |
![]() |
1968 | Frederica | Delaware | United States | ASME brochure |
256 | 2014 | Thrust Supersonic Car (ThrustSSC)
The first car to officially exceed the speed of sound, the ThrustSSC Supersonic Vehicle. |
![]() |
1997 | Coventry | United Kingdom | ASME brochure | |
257 | 2015 | Northern Pacific Rotary Snow Plow No. 2
The first machine to reliably remove deeply packed snow from railroad tracks. |
1887 | Duluth | Minnesota | United States | ASME brochure | |
258 | 2015 | Technology Collection at the George Eastman House
The world's preeminent museum of photography with many important artifacts. |
1949 | Rochester | New York | United States | ASME brochure | |
259 | 2015 | Funicular Giessbach, designed by Carl Roman Abt
The first funicular to employ a single, two-rail track, with a short side track for the two cars to pass at midpoint. The passing track used turnouts with no moving parts known as Abt Switches. |
![]() |
1879 | Giessbach | Brienz | Switzerland | ASME brochure |
260 | 2016 | Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp engine
The Wasp R-1340 was a significant improvement to the radial aircraft engine design, making commercial aviation viable as early as the 1920s. |
![]() |
1925 | Windsor Locks | Connecticut | United States | ASME brochure |
261 | 2016 | 3D Printing: Stereolithography
First commercially available 3D Printer, developed by Charles Hull. |
![]() |
1984 | Rock Hill | South Carolina | United States | ASME brochure |
262 | 2016 | Worthington Direct Acting Steam Pumps
The pumps built by the firm of Worthington & Baker with worldwide industrial applications. |
1838 | Newport News | Virginia | United States | Henry Worthington was a founder of ASME. | |
263 | 2016 | Rainhill Locomotive Trials
An important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways. Five engines competed along a mile length of level track. |
![]() |
1829 | Rainhill | Lancashire | United Kingdom | ASME brochure |
264 | 2017 | Museo Storico dei Motori e dei Meccanismi
Museum of Engines and Mechanisms: Stationary and transportation power units, with an emphasis on automotive and aircraft engines. |
![]() |
February 25, 2011 | Palermo | Sicily | Italy | Located at the University of Palermo. |
265 | 2018 | Single Crystal Turbine Blade
Single crystal turbine blades have no crystalline boundaries, resulting in greater resistance to fracture and corrosion as well as vastly improved creep performance than conventional multi-crystalline nickel-cobalt alloy blades. Developed by Pratt & Whitney. |
![]() |
1960s | Windsor Locks | Connecticut | United States | ASME brochure |
266 | 2018 | Carpet Tufting Apparatus
Invented by Ernest Moench, the machinery featured a durable needle that punched loops of thick fabric through a web of backing material, resulting in the reliable, high-speed tufting of carpet. Descendants of the apparatus fabricate more than three-quarters of the carpets produced in the US. |
![]() |
1928 | Dalton | Georgia | United States | ASME brochure |
267 | 2018 | Janney Railcar Coupler
Recognized for its impact on rail safety and its technological significance. The interlocking coupler, which resembled a curled human hand, was the successor to the "link and pin" coupler, a device that required rail workers to stand between train cars while joining them-—a dangerous procedure that resulted in numerous injuries and deaths. |
![]() |
1873 | United States | ASME brochure | ||
268 | 2018 | Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
The laboratory has been at the forefront of the quest to develop magnetically controlled fusion energy since its founding by Lyman Spitzer, who invented the stellarator, or "star generator". |
![]() |
Princeton | New Jersey | United States | ASME brochure | |
269 | 2019 | Johannes Gutenberg's system of movable type system
Gutenberg's movable type system reduced the time and cost of producing the printed word, resulting in the widespread availability of books and the advancement of literacy. His system incorporated a fast-drying ink; a durable easy-to-cast metal alloy for making type; a screw press designed for rapid operation; and an adjustable mold for the quick casting of metal type. |
![]() |
1440 | Strasbourg | France | virtual landmark
ASME brochure (coming soon) | |
270 | 2019 | The Thurston Collection of Laboratory Artifacts at Cornell University
The devices used at Cornell between 1885 and 1905, exemplify Robert Henry Thurston's vision of the central role of the engineering laboratory in training mechanical engineers |
1885-1905 | Ithaca | New York | United States | ASME brochure | |
271 | 2019 | Antikythera Mechanism
The earliest known analog computer, an inscribed astronomical and calendrical device, designed to predict astronomical phenomena such as lunar and solar eclipses, as well as other functions. |
![]() |
2nd C. BCE | Athens | Greece | ASME brochure (coming soon) | |
272 | 2019 | West Point Foundry
Major American ironworking and machine shop site, operating from 1818 to early 20thC. It became most famous for its production of Parrott rifle artillery and other munitions, although it also manufactured a variety of iron products for civilian use. |
![]() |
1818 | Cold Spring | New York | United States | West Point Foundry Preserve A/V tour (Scenic Hudson). |
273 | 2019 | Westinghouse Automatic Air Brake
In 1869, George Westinghouse patented an automatic air brake system for railroads. It had a built-in safeguard to apply the brakes on the entire train should it separate. It made possible longer and faster trains and improved the safety of rail transportation. |
![]() |
1872 | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | United States | ASME brochure |
274 | 2020 | Perkins Vapor-Compression Cycle for Refrigeration (Perkins) | ![]() |
1834 | England | ASME brochure | ||
275 | 2021 | Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire (Carnot) | ![]() |
1824 | France | virtual landmark | ||
276 | 2021 | Standardized Steam Property Tables | 1921 | United States | ASME brochure | |||
277 | 2022 | Finite Element Analysis | ![]() |
1960s | United States | virtual landmark | ||
278 | 2022 | Crocodile Locomotive Ce 6/8 II | 1918 | Erstfeld | Uri | Switzerland |