HOUSTON – Every Texan will let you know their home state brought you Shiner, Dr. Pepper, and Blue Bell but might fail to mention the Lone Star State is home to other popular inventions.
Here are five other innovations that you might have not known came from Texas:
1. Stadium nachos
Although nachos were already popular in restaurants, Frank Liberto, known as the “Father of Nachos,” changed the game.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, Liberto introduced pump-able “cheese sauce” in 1976 at a Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington, Texas.
2. Frozen Margaritas
After repurposing a soft-serve ice cream dispenser, Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez blended the cocktail to perfection thus creating the world’s first frozen margarita, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
3. Integrated Circuit
Everyone online with a portable device can thank Texas for this.
In 1958, Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments created the first integrated circuit that eventually led to the invention of the microchip allowing for computers and cell phones to become what they have today, according to Wide Open Country.
4. 3D printing
In 1988, at the University of Texas, Carl Deckard brought a patent for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology, a method of 3D printing that he invented and developed, according to a report by Sculpteo.
5. Silicone Breast Implants
Silicone breast implants were invented by Houston plastic surgeons Frank Gerow and Thomas Cronin in the 1960s.