Innovation

Showing 1–10 of 29 results

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    Mechanical Sewing Machine

    In 2007, the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia distributed 1,200 sewing machines, like this one, to Muslim communities across the country. The sewing machines were part of the State Department’s “Shared Futures” initiative. They were used to establish micro-enterprise centers to help individuals and families become more financially self-sufficient.

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    Kerosene Slide & Film Projector

    This kerosene-powered projector from the U.S. Embassy in Singapore is an unusual device dating to the 1950s. It was used by diplomats, particularly those focused on public diplomacy efforts, to show slides or film strips to groups of people in areas with limited or no electricity.

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    USAID Chlorine Dispenser

    Reliable access to safe water saves lives, improves livelihoods, and makes communities more resilient. This is an example of a chlorine dispenser from a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) program called “Dispensers for Safe Water”. The program provides access to safe water to four million people living in rural communities in…

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    Cococho Tool

    The Government of Peru’s eradication agency, CORAH, uses an innovative tool known as the cococho for manual eradication of the coca plant, the only required ingredient for cocaine. Senior Eradication Advisor Francisco “Paco” Alvarez developed the cococho while serving in Bolivia in the late 1990s.

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    Resident Officer Handbook

    “Resident Officer Handbook” given to U.S. Foreign Service Officers of the class of 1950, who were sent to Germany to aid in transitioning from the post-war U.S. Military government to a civilian German government.

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    Connie Sweeris's U.S. Passport

    In April 1971, nine players from the U.S. Table Tennis team took a historic trip to China. Their trip was the start of what became known as “ping pong diplomacy” and helped lay the groundwork for establishing official diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. This was…

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    Customized Rubik’s Cubes

    Rubik's cubes like these were presented by Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to U.S. members of the administration and delegation involved in the negotiations of the Iran nuclear agreement of 2015. The agreement’s substantive topics are labeled on each side. Ambassador Sherman likened the negotiations to solving a Rubik's cube puzzle…

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    Kellogg-Briand Pact Signing Pen

    This gold fountain pen was used by Secretary Kellogg and his 14 foreign counterparts to sign the Kellog-Briand Pact in France in August 1928, after having been gifted to U.S. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg by the Mayor of Le Havre, France. The ornate design includes an inscription in Latin: “Si…