17 Awesome All-American Inventions for DIYers

BRIGGS & STRATTON: STARTED WITH A SCHOOL PROJECT

Stephen Foster Briggs developed a six-cylinder, two-cycle engine as an engineering student at South Dakota State College. He was eager to bring his engine to market but did not have the resources. Briggs’s basketball coach introduced him to Harold Stratton, a successful grain merchant, and a partnership was formed.

Unfortunately, Briggs’s engine proved too costly to manufacture.Briggs & Stratton did have some success making parts for the fledgling auto industry, and even produced a small car named the Briggs & Stratton Flyer, which sold for less than $150. Eventually the company focused on small gasoline engines that powered lawn mowers, outdoor power equipment and even some early washing machines.