San Antonio may be the home of many cool people, like comedian Carol Burnett and “Gilmore Girls” actor Jared Padelecki, but did you know it’s also the birthplace of some of the world’s most amazing inventions?
Here are just a few of the most groundbreaking concepts invented in the Alamo City.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons user @KenShirriff
Personal computers
The Datapoint 2200 was created in 1970 by San Antonio company Computer Terminal Corp. Effectively the first PC that could fit on a desktop, it combined memory up to 8 kilobytes with a keyboard, processor, and screen — and was created just south of the San Antonio airport by NASA engineers Austin Oliver “Gus” Roche and Jon Philip “Phil” Ray.
Aerobics
Yes, the term “aerobics” and its underlying principles were developed right here in the Alamo City. While stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Dr. Kenneth Cooper launched a new wave in fitness when he wrote the book “Aerobics” in 1968, coining the term and the concept.
Seatbelts
When Major General Benjamin Foulois — known as the “Father of U.S. Military Aviation” — was nearly ejected from a plane while in training at Fort Sam Houston, he borrowed a four-foot leather strap from the cavalry to fasten himself to his seat — and the rest was history. By World War I, seatbelts had become commonplace in U.S. military aircraft.
Big-box home improvement stores
Remember Handy Dan? This home improvement store, founded in San Antonio in 1968, is often considered the predecessor of all warehouse-style big-box home improvement stores. Here, knowledgeable salespeople would advise homeowners on projects. Two former Handy Dan employees would later expand upon its warehouse concept to create Home Depot.
Heart stents
This game-changer in modern cardiology was born right here in San Antonio. The inventor of the first widely used intravascular heart stent, Dr. Julio Palmaz, worked at the University of Texas Health Science Center and patented the Palmaz Stent — a device that would change the standard of care forever — in 1988.
