The actual history of invention in America is more complicated.

The individuals who are celebrated as America’s great inventors mostly had access to resources — money, education, professional networks, laboratories — that were not available to everyone.

The mechanisms through which inventions became products were shaped by social hierarchies that reflected the inequalities of American life.

The “best idea wins” story has always been complicated by the reality that whose idea wins depends heavily on who has the power to decide.

Mary Kenner’s story is a specific and documented illustration of the gap between the official story and the actual practice.