REMARKABLE INVENTIONS THAT HAVE CHANGED EVERYTHING
Added on: 27th Dec 2016
CYANIDE
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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