Machine Design recently visited the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History. A wing is dedicated to inventions and how they shaped American culture. According to the museum curator, it has been Americans’ innovation and strong ties to manufacturing that developed our culture and will continue to shape our future. One of the main things the exhibits showed was that failure is more accepted as a learning tool in the United States than in other countries. This tradition has allowed inventors to tinker and try things that haven’t been done before without fear of failure.