Bad Dog Needs Rotten Home

THE NEW HOME FOR THE BEST STUFF ON THE WEB.

REMARKABLE INVENTIONS THAT HAVE CHANGED EVERYTHING

Added on: 27th Dec 2016

 

CYANIDE

chunks of gold

Though cyanide seems to be a rather glum way to start

This list, the chemical has played a major role in

human history. While its gaseous form has caused the

deaths of millions, cyanide is the principal factor in

extracting gold and silver from ore. Since the global

economy was pegged to the gold standard, cyanide

was thus a major factor in the development of

international commerce.

 

 

AIRPLANE

P-51_Mustang

Nobody can doubt that the invention of the “metal bird”

has had one of the greatest impacts on human

history. Drastically reducing the time required to

transport goods or people, the airplane was invented

by the Wright brothers who built on the work of

previous inventors such as George Cayley and

Otto Lilienthal. It was readily accepted by greater

society, and the golden age of aviation began.

 

 

ANESTHESIA

Preoxygenation_before_anesthetic_induction

Before 1846, it was difficult to determine between modern

surgical procedures and excruciating torture experiments.

Anaesthetics have been used for thousands of years,

though early forms were less sophisticated versions

such as alcohol or mandrake extract. The modern-day

invention of anaesthesia in the form of nitrous

oxide and ether has allowed doctors to wholly sedate

patients while performing medical procedures. (It’s said

cocaine was the first effective local form of

anaesthesia after its use in an eye surgery in 1884.)

 

 

RADIO

old radio

The origins of radio history are complex, with many

claiming Guglielmo Marconi was its inventor and

others claiming it was Nikola Tesla. Either way, these

two men built on the work of many notable

predecessors to successfully transmit information

through waves. While this may seem commonplace

today, imagine trying to tell someone in 1896 that you

could invisibly send information through the air. They

might have thought you were demented or possessed!

 

 

TELEPHONE

1896_telephone

The telephone has been one of the most important

inventions in our modern world. As with all major

inventions, its inventor and contributors are highly

debated, but what’s clear is that the U.S. patent office

issued the first telephone patent to Alexander Graham

Bell in 1876. This patent formed the basis for future

research and development of the electronic

transmission of sound across long distances.

 

 

WORLD WIDE WEB

world wide web

Though we think of it as a recent invention, the internet

existed in archaic terms back in 1969 when the

United States military developed ARPANET. The first

message sent through the internet, “log in”, crashed

the system, only managing to send the letters “l” and

“o”. It wasn’t until Tim Berners-Lee created a network

of hyperlink documents and the University of Illinois

created the first browser, Mosaic, that the World

Wide Web came to fruition as we mostly know it today.

 

 

TRANSISTOR

transistor

It seems easy to pick up the phone and be connected

to someone in Mali, Russia, or India, but none of this

would be possible without the transistor. A

semiconductor which amplifies electronic signals,

the transistor made it possible to send information

across massive distances. The man in charge of

the research, William Shockley, is credited with

beginning the development of Silicon Valley.

 

 

ATOMIC CLOCK

atomic clock

Though it may not seem as revolutionary as many of the

previous items, the invention of the atomic clock was

crucial in pushing humanity forward. Using

microwave signals emitted by electrons changing

energy levels, atomic clocks and their exactness make

a wide variety of modern day inventions possible,

including GPS, GLONASS, and the internet.

 

 

STEAM TURBINE

steam turbine

Charles Parsons’ steam turbine pushed the limits of

humanity’s advancement, powering industrial

countries and helping ships chug their way across

vast oceans. The engines work by turning a shaft via

pressurized steam to generate electricity, one of their

primary differences from the steam engine that

powered the Industrial Revolution and beyond.

 


View by Month