Whitney's minions

Eli Whitney Museum

Show Menu
Thumbnail of Whitney's minions project

2015 Summer Program

Eli Whitney was a toolmaker. He invented machines that helped workers without advanced training create parts with advanced precision. Whitney was a maker of toolmakers. He discovered that he needed not minions (mere hirelings) but Minions (eager, loyal, creative partners) to make things work.

Construct a Factory…like Whitney's…with a single source of power. (Power your with batteries and a motor…water is messier to move.) Then learn a dozen ways to make machines move from that shaft. Create a workforce of minions (who always wear safety goggles). Discover the countless ways you and your minions can make your Factory move.

Whitney at 250: To observe the 250th anniversary of Whitney’s birth, we are exploring his world and time. On the Museum’s site, Whitney discovered that the machines he created were less important than the people who ran them. Machines created machine makers.


Back to Top