The Bird Aviation Museum & Invention Center

Steve and I have been trying to get to this amazing place since our first visit to Coeur d'Alene. What a fantastic tribute to a fantastic man. It did not disappoint.

The Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center strives to educate visitors about the historic contributions of aviators and innovators who have helped create modern technology, and celebrate these individuals who have forever changed the way we live. "It only takes one person to change the world."

The founder, Forrest M. Bird M.D., Ph.D., Sc.D., D.S., was an incredible inventor (among impressive other titles). On television every week in the 1960s, Dr. Kildare committed himself to making his patients better. But try as he might, some would still not respond to his treatment. At those times his hospital's slogan was, when all else fails, 'get the Bird.' The Bird was a little green box which became familiar to hospital patients throughout the world after it was introduced in 1958.

The Bird was the first highly reliable, low-cost, mass-produced medical respirator in the world, and it was invented by Forrest Bird. The 'Babybird' respirator, introduced in 1970, quickly reduced infant mortality for those with respiratory problems from 70 percent to less than 10 percent worldwide. The man has patients for so many things. We were thoroughly impressed. Wow.

But before Dr. Bird became an inventor, he was a pilot. He performed his first solo flight at age 14; by age 16, he was working to obtain multiple major pilot certifications. He enlisted with the United States Army Air Corps and entered active duty in 1941 as a Technical Air Training Officer due to his advanced qualifications. This rank, combined with the onset of World War II, gave him the opportunity to pilot almost every aircraft in service, including early jet aircraft and helicopters.

Dr. Bird served honorably in the military, serving in WWII and assisting in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He retired as a Colonel. He had a great love for his country and served it well. He was General Patton’s pilot for a while but wanted a change to continue with his own missions – the life yet to come- as he went on to become one of the greatest contributors to mankind (his inventing began in the military). Dr. Bird was frequently quoted as saying, “Life was fate, time and circumstance.”

What an interesting collection of restored vintage flying aircraft. We can now say that we've been to the world's only aeromedical museum. Very cool.

We then found ourselves in a room which played tribute to famous inventors that have left their mark on our civilization. "The history of these individuals, what they thought, and the impact of their inventions is presented in a way that inspires both young and old."

The exhibition features dozens of models illustrating the wide variety of patented inventions submitted by inventors from across the United States. All of the models on display are from the collection of Alan Rothschild, whose holdings of 4,000 patent models is the largest private assemblage of American patent models anywhere. Who knew?

The above is a model of the chair invented by Lewis D. Gerwig in 1882. "This invention relates to combined reclining and rocking chairs; and it consists in certain improvements in the construction of the same." American patent law, in the 19th century, required the submission and public display of a model with each patent application. These scale models in miniature illustrate not only the imaginative fervor of the era but also the amazing craftsmanship required to fabricate these often intricate works of art. Many of the models were constructed by specialized makers in workshops located near the Patent Office.

That said, not all of the inventions were vintage. I was intrigued by Edward Lowe, an American businessman and entrepreneur noted for the invention of cat litter. Before Lowe's invention, people kept their cats outside, using ashes, dirt or sand as cat litter when it was necessary to keep them inside. One day in January 1947, Mrs. Draper, Edward Lowe's neighbor asked him for some sand to use as cat litter. Her sand pile was frozen so she had been using ashes but they tracked all over her house. Instead of sand, Lowe gave her some clay called Fuller's Earth, a set of clay minerals capable of absorbing their weight in water. She found it worked far better than sand or ashes.

Kitty Litter not only changed the lives of cats and cat lovers, but also launched a brand new industry. Today, the cat-box filler business generates nearly $1 billion in annual sales and has a significant presence in the pet-products section of supermarkets.