Steve Jobs will appear on the U.S. Innovation $1 coin.

On October 15th local time, the United States Mint announced the design of the 2026 "United States Innovation" one - dollar commemorative coin. Steve Jobs, the co - founder of Apple Inc., will appear on one of the coins in next year's United States Innovation one - dollar coin program.

The United States Innovation $1 Coin Program is a national commemorative coin issuance project officially launched by the United States Mint in 2018. It aims to commemorate individuals and achievements that have made pioneering contributions in fields such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and humanities and creativity in American history through the special carrier of circulating commemorative coins.

Innovators or achievements selected for the program need to meet two core conditions: in terms of breakthroughs, the achievements need to achieve a "from 0 to 1" breakthrough in their respective fields or completely change the industry pattern; in terms of influence, the innovative achievements need to have a long - term and positive impact on the production methods, living patterns, and technological progress in the United States and even the world, and have passed the test of history (usually requiring that the innovative achievements have existed for a certain period of time to avoid short - term popularity orientation). The topics are jointly reviewed by the United States Mint, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and other authoritative institutions to ensure professionalism and fairness.

Initially, the program was set as a "long - term rolling issuance". Multiple one - dollar commemorative coins with different themes are issued each year, and the issuance cycle of each coin is usually 12 months. The themes of the coins have gradually expanded from initially focusing on "hardcore technology" to fields such as "humanities innovation" and "social progress innovation".

Since the United States Mint launched the above - mentioned program, many innovators who have had a profound impact on the industry have been commemorated. For example, the inventor Thomas Edison, who held more than 1000 patents in his lifetime. Important inventions such as the electric light and the phonograph greatly changed human life, and his image was engraved on the commemorative coin. There are also the aviation pioneers, the Wright brothers. In 1903, they successfully test - flew the world's first airplane, the "Flyer 1", opening a new era of human aviation and inspiring countless people to explore the sky.

Among modern technology companies, Ralph Baer, known as the "father of video games", was honored on the New Hampshire coin in 2021. The commemorative coin displayed elements related to his invention of the first home video game console. In addition, there is Tim Berners - Lee, a British man. His invention of the World Wide Web technology was commercially launched in the United States, profoundly promoting the development of the Internet industry.

Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, in San Francisco, California, USA. He showed a strong interest in electronics from a young age. In 1976, at the age of 21, he co - founded Apple Inc. with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne and launched Apple's first personal computer, the "Apple I", opening the prelude to the popularization of personal computers.

After that, Jobs led Apple to launch a series of epoch - making products. In 1984, the Macintosh was introduced. It was the first personal computer with a widely used graphical user interface for commercial popularization, completely changing the way people interacted with computers and transforming computers from tools for professionals to consumer goods for the general public.

After leaving Apple to found NeXT and Pixar, Jobs achieved great success at Pixar, driving the transformation of animation technology. After returning to Apple in 1997, he led Apple to new heights. The iPod launched in 2001 changed the way people listened to music. The iPhone released in 2007 redefined the smartphone, opening the era of mobile Internet. The launch of the iPad in 2010 further expanded people's imagination of mobile devices.

In addition to his great achievements in product innovation, Jobs' extreme pursuit of design, profound understanding of user experience, and insistence on the integration of technology and humanities have all had a profound impact on the global technology industry. His innovative concepts and leadership style have inspired generations of entrepreneurs and technology workers.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Jiemian News". The author is Song Jianan. 36Kr is published with authorization.