Inventor Edwin Land (1909–1991) changed the way we see the world. Inspired by his daughter’s simple question—“Why can’t I see the picture now?”—he brought the Polaroid instant camera to life in 1947.

With imagination and grit, he turned science into magic. “Use science to make it work for you,” he said. Driven to create, Land earned over 500 patents—second only to Thomas Edison.

To Land, creativity meant courage: to risk, to stumble, to dare. He said every true invention must be “startling, unexpected, and must come to a world that is not prepared for it.”

He championed thinking. To him, failure wasn’t a flaw--it was the essential spark. He believed in options, in possibilities, and in nurturing the spark of genius inside us all. His legacy invites us to do the same.

Write down ideas. Take risks. Be open. Be different. Loosen up. Dream. Jiggle the world.

“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort,” said Franklin D. Roosevelt. And Edwin Land proved it was true.