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What is the National Inventors Hall of Fame?

The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is an organization that honors great inventors in the United States. It was founded in 1973 on the initiative of H. Hume Matthews, then chairman of the National Council of Patent Law Associations (now called the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Associations). The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office became a cosponsor of the NIHF the following year.

The NIHF was initially housed in the foyer of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, D.C. In 1995, the Hall found a permanent home at Inventure Place, in Akron, Ohio. Inventure Place contains exhibits and information about the inventors and is open to the public. (For information call 330-762-4463.)

A committee of the NIHF decides which inventors to induct. It primarily chooses inventors whose work has contributed to the nation's welfare.

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1. Inventions And Fairs
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