NORTH CANTON, Ohio — The late Karl Bacon, an Oakland native who created the tubular steel track roller coaster, is one of 17 innovation pioneers whose inventions range from cancer treatments to satellite-based imaging to be honored in the 2025 class of National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees.

Karl Bacon National Inventors Hall of Fame
In partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Hall of Fame is set to honor these inductees Thursday, May 8.
Bacon and Ed Morgan engineered the world’s first tubular steel track roller coaster. Matterhorn Bobsleds, which debuted in 1959 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, set the standard for roller coaster design technology and paved the way for future innovations in the amusement park industry, according to a news release from Ken Torisky with the hall of fame.
For biographies of each inductee, visit invent.org.
Check out other upcoming area events!
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.