This is a summary of the book titled “Who built that?” written by Michelle Malkin and published by Simon and Schuster in 2015. The author collects biographies of highly prolific but lesser-known American inventors and uses it to argue against President Obama’s assertion in 2012 that business owners need help from government-funded program. Although there are political ideas and interpretations, this collection of mini-biographies is an interesting read about free market capitalism. American inventors and investors have changed the world. The profit motive and US Patent law serves them well as they become “tinkerpreneurs”. For example, Tony Maglica’s patented Maglite revolutionized flashlight design in 1978. Inventor Willis Carrier and marketer Irvine Lyle developed and sold air conditioning and refrigeration technologies. The Roebling family changed wire rope manufacturing and improved bridge building. Success stories for tinkerpreneurs often begins as an accumulation of individual efforts and fostered by a free market society. Toilet papers, inexpensive razors and other disposable products highlight this. Partnership between inventors and industrialists illustrate perseverance paired with capitalism. Modern advances in prosthetics shows how free enterprise supports invention. The only difference between earlier and now is a switch from “first to invent” to “first to file” mindset.

American innovation is threatened by changes to US patent laws in 2011 and "wealth shaming" by the political left. It is important to celebrate invention and remember the unsung heroes who helped make the United States a powerhouse of innovation. The work of US inventors in the 19th and 20th centuries testifies to the power of creativity, innovation, and the supportive environment backed by "American exceptionalism." Thanks to US patent laws and the free market economy, these creative, industrious inventors prospered from their work.

The Maglite, invented by Tony Maglica, revolutionized flashlight construction with its tough metal body, adjustable lighting, and superior design. Maglica attributes his success to America's strong patent laws, which provide the basis for defending against intellectual property theft.

The fathers of modern air conditioning, Willis Carrier, and Irvine Lyle began their journey to entrepreneurial success and technological innovation in 1902 by attempting to prevent multicolored printing jobs from bleeding in New York's summer heat. Their discoveries led to breakthroughs in the development of lifesaving pharmaceuticals, such as the polio vaccine, penicillin, and streptomycin.

The Roebling family, led by Johann (John) Augustus Roebling, was pioneers in innovation and entrepreneurship. Roebling immigrated to America in 1831 to escape Prussia's government control of engineering projects. He began his tinkerpreneurship by designing and patenting improvements for steam-powered machines. Roebling's first major "aha" moment came while working on a Pennsylvania canal, where he thought about replacing weak hemp ropes with stronger wire ropes. He was the first to create machines to make the rope uniform and sturdy, producing it with limited manpower. Roebling's first successful project using patented wire was a suspension aqueduct into Pittsburgh in 1845. He famously spanned Niagara Falls in 1855 and built the Covington-Cincinnati Bridge in 1867 with his son, Washington. The Roebling family stands as a testament to their nation's unprecedented ideas and ambition.

US Patent 4,286,311, filed by Tony Maglica in 1978, marked the beginning of a new era of heavy, rugged flashlights. Other small innovations, such as toilet paper, disposable razor blades, crown-type bottle caps, and fuller's earth, were created by inventors who recognized the need for practical solutions. These inventions created continual demand by keeping their products cheap and disposable.

Some of the most dramatic inventions emerged from collaboration, with inventors often forming partnerships with other inventors or visionary industrialists who provided financial backing and marketing support. For example, Nikola Tesla developed the alternating current (AC) used in light sockets in America without the help of inventor-industrialist George Westinghouse

Manufactured weather, such as Willis Carrier and Irvine Lyle, was largely influenced by industrialist Edward Libbey. They helped develop and patent glassmaking machines, transforming the industry from a handcraft controlled by labor unions to safe, cheap, fully automated production. Libbey and Owens fought against obstructionists and anticapitalists, transforming the world's relationship with glass and combating dangerous child labor practices.

The American creative spirit, which inspired past inventors, continues to thrive in fields like prosthetics. Modern American tinkerpreneurs build on past breakthroughs, such as A.A. Marks, Albert Winkley, and Edward Hanger. American "free enterprise" fosters invention, with companies like Bally Ribbon Company and BrainGate creating robotic limbs. However, the 2011 America Invents Act (AIA) is a special-interest boondoggle that enriches corporate lawyers, big business, and federal bureaucrats at the expense of independent inventors and innovators. The shift from "first to invent" to "first to file" patent laws favors multinational corporations and turns patent law against "small" inventors, the nation's most productive and creative members. Repealing the AIA is crucial, as opportunity and freedom are the key to promoting innovation in the future.

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