Stefan Mileschin

Over the past two years, the United States has seen a return to American manufacturing by some of the biggest names in tech. In 2012, Google introduced the ultimately failed Nexus Q, while Apple's Tim Cook teased an American-made Mac. One year later, Lenovo cut the ribbon on a new plant in North Carolina; Motorola announced plans for a Made in the USA flagship; and Apple made good on Cook's promise with its latest Mac Pro. However, even with President Barack Obama backing a return to American production and moves from big players like Apple and Google, the fear of skilled labor shortages persists. In the lead-up to July 4th, we'll bring you four stories in four days that explore what innovation in the United States looks like today and what that means for you.

In our first installment, Jason Hidalgo sits down with theoretical physicist Michio Kaku to talk about the dangers of a Silicon Valley brain drain and building the Death Star. On day two, Darren Murph takes a tour of Babcock Ranch, the once-hopeful site of "America's most sustainable city." On day three, we'll bring you Jamie Rigg's look at tech's reshoring efforts. And on the Fourth, Brian Heater will explore how one non-profit harnessed the power of big names like Bill Gates and Jack Dorsey to help bring coding to classrooms nationwide.

For more from the field and the factory floor, keep it locked here as we explore what it means to be Made in the USA.

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