The Dallas Morning News published a list of inventions and innovations that were spawned right here in the Big D, along with some cool back stories on the often eccentric inventors:

-Low-cost, low-fare flying (Southwest Airlines)
-Frequent flier miles (American Airlines)
-Speak and Spell (TI)
-Digital Light Processing (TI)
-Handheld Calculators (TI)
-The Microchip (TI)
-Liquid Paper (Betty Nesmith, mother of The Monkee’s Michael Nesmith)
-Convenience Stores (Joe C. Thompason)
-Top 40 radio format (Gordon McLendon)
-Bank credit cards (Preston State Bank)
-Range hoods (Vent-A-Hood)
-Voice mail (Gordon Matthews)
-Country clubs (Robert Dedman)
-1-800-Flowers (Carl Wescott)
-The Herkie, a cheerleading jump for those you who didn’t make the squad. (Lawrence Herkimer)
-The ATM (Don Wetzel)
-Pay-at-the-pump (Don Wetzel)
-The Superbowl (Lamar Hunt)
-Statin Drugs (Drs. Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein)
-Aerobics (Dr. Kenneth Cooper)
-Tolltags (David Cook)
-Blockbuster (David Cook)
-Frozen Margarita machines (Mariano Martinez)
-Frozen Yogurt (Julie and Bill Brice)
-Breast cancer awareness (Nancy Brinker)