This document discusses innovation and its importance throughout history. It makes three key points: 1) Visionaries like Robert Kennedy, Leonardo da Vinci, and Bill Gates dreamed of things that did not yet exist and asked "why not?" which drove them to innovate. 2) Persistence is important for innovation to succeed, as evidenced by Edison with the lightbulb and Bell with the telephone. 3) Innovation has dramatically changed the world in just over a century, transforming areas like transportation, communication, and daily life. Encouraging innovation requires vision, leadership, resources and taking advantage of opportunities like crises.