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A seamstress working at a sewing machine, ca. 1853.
Source: Library of Congress.
Famous Inventors and their Inventions- Adrenaline:(isolation of) John Jacob Abel, U.S., 1897.
- Aerosol can:Erik Rotheim, Norway, 1926.
- Air brake:George Westinghouse, U.S., 1868.
- Air conditioning:Willis Carrier, U.S., 1911.
- Airship:(non-rigid) Henri Giffard, France, 1852; (rigid) Ferdinand von Zeppelin, Germany, 1900.
- Aluminum manufacture:(by electrolytic action) Charles M. Hall, U.S., 1866.
- Anatomy, human:(De fabrica corporis humani, an illustrated systematic study of the human body) Andreas Vesalius, Belgium, 1543; (comparative: parts of an organism are correlated to the functioning whole) Georges Cuvier, France, 17991805.
- Anesthetic:(first use of anestheticetheron humans) Crawford W. Long, U.S., 1842.
- Antibiotics:(first demonstration of antibiotic effect) Louis Pasteur, Jules-Franois Joubert, France, 1887; (discovery of penicillin, first modern antibiotic) Alexander Fleming, Scotland, 1928; (penicillin\'s infection-fighting properties) Howard Florey, Ernst Chain, England, 1940.
- Antiseptic:(surgery) Joseph Lister, England, 1867.
- Antitoxin, diphtheria:Emil von Behring, Germany, 1890.
- Appliances, electric:(fan) Schuyler Wheeler, U.S., 1882; (flatiron) Henry W. Seely, U.S., 1882; (stove) Hadaway, U.S., 1896; (washing machine) Alva Fisher, U.S., 1906.
- Aqualung:Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Emile Gagnan, France, 1943.
- Aspirin:Dr. Felix Hoffman, Germany, 1899.
- Astronomical calculator:The Antikythera device, first century B.C., Greece. Found off island of Antikythera in 1900.
- Atom:(nuclear model of) Ernest Rutherford, England, 1911.
- Atomic theory:(ancient) Leucippus, Democritus, Greece, c. 500 B.C.; Lucretius, Rome c.100 B.C.; (modern) John Dalton, England, 1808.
- Atomic structure: (formulated nuclear model of atom, Rutherford model) Ernest Rutherford, England, 1911; (proposed current concept of atomic structure, the Bohr model) Niels Bohr, Denmark, 1913.
- Automobile:(first with internal combustion engine, 250 rpm) Karl Benz, Germany, 1885; (first with practical high-speed internal combustion engine, 900 rpm) Gottlieb Daimler, Germany, 1885; (first true automobile, not carriage with motor) Ren Panhard, Emile Lavassor, France, 1891; (carburetor, spray) Charles E. Duryea, U.S., 1892.
- Autopilot:(for aircraft) Elmer A. Sperry, U.S., c.1910, first successful test, 1912, in a Curtiss flying boat.
- Avogadro\'s law:(equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal number of molecules) Amedeo Avogadro, Italy, 1811.
- Bacteria:Anton van Leeuwenhoek, The Netherlands, 1683.
- Balloon, hot-air:Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier, France, 1783.
- Barbed wire:(most popular) Joseph E. Glidden, U.S., 1873.
- Bar codes (computer-scanned binary signal code):
- (retail trade use) Monarch Marking, U.S. 1970; (industrial use) Plessey Telecommunications, England, 1970.
- Barometer:Evangelista Torricelli, Italy, 1643.
- Bicycle:Karl D. von Sauerbronn, Germany, 1816; (first modern model) James Starley, England, 1884.
- Big Bang theory:(the universe originated with a huge explosion) George LeMaitre, Belgium, 1927; (modified LeMaitre theory labeled Big Bang) George A. Gamow, U.S., 1948; (cosmic microwave background radiation discovered, confirms theory) Arno A. Penzias and Robert W. Wilson, U.S., 1965.
- Blood, circulation of:William Harvey, England, 1628.
- Boyle\'s law:(relation between pressure and volume in gases) Robert Boyle, Ireland, 1662.
- Braille:Louis Braille, France, 1829.
- Bridges:(suspension, iron chains) James Finley, Pa., 1800; (wire suspension) Marc Seguin, Lyons, 1825; (truss) Ithiel Town, U.S., 1820.
- Bullet:(conical) Claude Mini, France, 1849.
- Calculating machine:(logarithms: made multiplying easier and thus calculators practical) John Napier, Scotland, 1614; (slide rule) William Oughtred, England, 1632; (digital calculator) Blaise Pascal, 1642; (multiplication machine) Gottfried Leibniz, Germany, 1671; (important 19th-century contributors to modern machine) Frank S. Baldwin, Jay R. Monroe, Dorr E. Felt, W. T. Ohdner, William Burroughs, all U.S.; (analytical engine design, included concepts of programming, taping) Charles Babbage, England, 1835.
- Calculus:Isaac Newton, England, 1669; (differential calculus) Gottfried Leibniz, Germany, 1684.
- Camera:(hand-held) George Eastman, U.S., 1888; (Polaroid Land) Edwin Land, U.S., 1948.
- Canals of Mars:Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italy, 1877.
- Carpet sweeper:Melville R. Bissell, U.S., 1876.
- Car radio:William Lear, Elmer Wavering, U.S., 1929, manufactured by Galvin Manufacturing Co., Motorola.
- Cells:(word used to describe microscopic examination of cork) Robert Hooke, England, 1665; (theory: cells are common structural and functional unit of all living organisms) Theodor Schwann, Matthias Schleiden, 18381839.
- Cement, Portland:Joseph Aspdin, England, 1824.
- Chewing gum:(spruce-based) John Curtis, U.S., 1848; (chicle-based) Thomas Adams, U.S., 1870.
- Cholera bacterium:Robert Koch, Germany, 1883.
- Circuit, integrated:(theoretical) G.W.A. Dummer, England, 1952; (phase-shift oscillator) Jack S. Kilby, Texas Instruments, U.S., 1959.
- Classification of plants:(first modern, based on comparative study of forms) Andrea Cesalpino, Italy, 1583; (classification of plants and animals by genera and species) Carolus Linnaeus, Sweden, 17371753.
- Clock, pendulum:Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1656.
- Coca-Cola:John Pemberton, U.S., 1886.
- Combustion:(nature of) Antoine Lavoisier, France, 1777.
- Compact disk:RCA, U.S., 1972.
- Computers:(first design of analytical engine) Charles Babbage, 1830s; (ENIAC, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator, first all-electronic, completed) 1945; (dedicated at University of Pennsylvania) 1946; (UNIVAC, Universal Automatic Computer, handled both numeric and alphabetic data) 1951; (personal computer) Steve Wozniak, U.S., 1976.
- Concrete:(reinforced) Joseph Monier, France, 1877.
- Condensed milk:Gail Borden, U.S., 1853.
- Conditioned reflex:Ivan Pavlov, Russia, c.1910.
- Conservation of electric charge:(the total electric charge of the universe or any closed system is constant) Benjamin Franklin, U.S., 17511754.
- Contagion theory:(infectious diseases caused by living agent transmitted from person to person) Girolamo Fracastoro, Italy, 1546.
- Continental drift theory: (geographer who pieced together continents into a single landmass on maps) Antonio Snider-Pellegrini, France, 1858; (first proposed in lecture) Frank Taylor, U.S.; (first comprehensive detailed theory) Alfred Wegener, Germany, 1912.
- Contraceptive, oral:Gregory Pincus, Min Chuch Chang, John Rock, Carl Djerassi, U.S., 1951.
- Converter, Bessemer:William Kelly, U.S., 1851.
- Cosmetics:Egypt, c. 4000 B.C.
- Cosmic string theory:(first postulated) Thomas Kibble, 1976.
- Cotton gin:Eli Whitney, U.S., 1793.
- Crossbow:China, c. 300 B.C.
- Cyclotron:Ernest O. Lawrence, U.S., 1931.
- Deuterium:(heavy hydrogen) Harold Urey, U.S., 1931.
- Disease:(chemicals in treatment of) crusaded by Philippus Paracelsus, 15271541; (germ theory) Louis Pasteur, France, 18621877.
- DNA:(deoxyribonucleic acid) Friedrich Meischer, Germany, 1869; (determination of double-helical structure) Rosalind Elsie Franklin, F. H. Crick, England, James D. Watson, U.S., 1953.
- Dye:(aniline, start of synthetic dye industry) William H. Perkin, England, 1856.
- Dynamite:Alfred Nobel, Sweden, 1867.
- Electric cooking utensil:(first) patented by St. George Lane-Fox, England, 1874.
- Electric generator (dynamo):(laboratory model) Michael Faraday, England, 1832; Joseph Henry, U.S., c.1832; (hand-driven model) Hippolyte Pixii, France, 1833; (alternating-current generator) Nikola Tesla, U.S., 1892.
- Electric lamp:(arc lamp) Sir Humphrey Davy, England, 1801; (fluorescent lamp) A.E. Becquerel, France, 1867; (incandescent lamp) Sir Joseph Swann, England, Thomas A. Edison, U.S., contemporaneously, 1870s; (carbon arc street lamp) Charles F. Brush, U.S., 1879; (first widely marketed incandescent lamp) Thomas A. Edison, U.S., 1879; (mercury vapor lamp) Peter Cooper Hewitt, U.S., 1903; (neon lamp) Georges Claude, France, 1911; (tungsten filament) Irving Langmuir, U.S., 1915.
Thomas Alva Edison
(18471931) Library of Congress - Electrocardiography:Demonstrated by Augustus Waller, 1887; (first practical device for recording activity of heart) Willem Einthoven, 1903, Dutch physiologist.
- Electromagnet:William Sturgeon, England, 1823.
- Electron:Sir Joseph J. Thompson, England, 1897.
- Elevator, passenger:(safety device permitting use by passengers) Elisha G. Otis, U.S., 1852; (elevator utilizing safety device) 1857.
- E = mc2:(equivalence of mass and energy) Albert Einstein, Switzerland, 1907.
- Engine, internal combustion:No single inventor. Fundamental theory established by Sadi Carnot, France, 1824; (two-stroke) Etienne Lenoir, France, 1860; (ideal operating cycle for four-stroke) Alphonse Beau de Roche, France, 1862; (operating four-stroke) Nikolaus Otto, Germany, 1876; (diesel) Rudolf Diesel, Germany, 1892; (rotary) Felix Wankel, Germany, 1956.
- Evolution:(organic) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, France, 1809; (by natural selection) Charles Darwin, England, 1859.
- Exclusion principle:(no two electrons in an atom can occupy the same energy level) Wolfgang Pauli, Germany, 1925.
- Expanding universe theory:(first proposed) George LeMaitre, Belgium, 1927; (discovered first direct evidence that the universe is expanding) Edwin P. Hubble, U.S., 1929; (Hubble constant: a measure of the rate at which the universe is expanding) Edwin P. Hubble, U.S., 1929.
- Falling bodies, law of:Galileo Galilei, Italy, 1590.
- Fermentation:(microorganisms as cause of) Louis Pasteur, France, c.1860.
- Fiber optics:Narinder Kapany, England, 1955.
- Fibers, man-made:(nitrocellulose fibers treated to change flammable nitrocellulose to harmless cellulose, precursor of rayon) Sir Joseph Swann, England, 1883; (rayon) Count Hilaire de Chardonnet, France, 1889; (Celanese) Henry and Camille Dreyfuss, U.S., England, 1921; (research on polyesters and polyamides, basis for modern man-made fibers) U.S., England, Germany, 1930s; (nylon) Wallace H. Carothers, U.S., 1935.
- Frozen food:Clarence Birdseye, U.S., 1924.
- Gene transfer:(recombinant DNA organism) Herbert Boyer, Stanley Cohen, U.S., 1973; (human) Steven Rosenberg, R. Michael Blaese, W. French Anderson, U.S., 1989.
- Geometry, elements of:Euclid, Alexandria, Egypt, c. 300 B.C.; (analytic) Ren Descartes, France; and Pierre de Fermat, Switzerland, 1637.
- Gravitation, law of:Sir Isaac Newton, England, c.1665 (published 1687).
- Gunpowder:China, c.700.
- Gyrocompass:Elmer A. Sperry, U.S., 1905.
- Gyroscope:Jean Lon Foucault, France, 1852.
- Halley\'s Comet:Edmund Halley, England, 1705.
- Heart implanted in human, permanent artificial:Dr. Robert Jarvik, U.S., 1982.
- Heart, temporary artificial:Willem Kolft, 1957.
- Helicopter:(double rotor) Heinrich Focke, Germany, 1936; (single rotor) Igor Sikorsky, U.S., 1939.
- Helium first observed on sun:Sir Joseph Lockyer, England, 1868.
- Heredity, laws of:Gregor Mendel, Austria, 1865.
- Holograph:Dennis Gabor, England, 1947.
- Home videotape systems (VCR):(Betamax) Sony, Japan, 1975; (VHS) Matsushita, Japan, 1975.
- Ice age theory:Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American, 1840.
- Induction, electric:Joseph Henry, U.S., 1828.
- Insulin:(first isolated) Sir Frederick G. Banting and Charles H. Best, Canada, 1921; (discovery first published) Banting and Best, 1922; (Nobel Prize awarded for purification for use in humans) John Macleod and Banting, 1923; (first synthesized), China, 1966.
- Intelligence testing:Alfred Binet, Theodore Simon, France, 1905.
- Interferon:Alick Isaacs, Jean Lindemann, England, Switzerland, 1957.
- Isotopes:(concept of) Frederick Soddy, England, 1912; (stable isotopes) J. J. Thompson, England, 1913; (existence demonstrated by mass spectrography) Francis W. Ashton, 1919.
- Jet propulsion:(engine) Sir Frank Whittle, England, Hans von Ohain, Germany, 1936; (aircraft) Heinkel He 178, 1939.
- Kinetic theory of gases:(molecules of a gas are in a state of rapid motion) Daniel Bernoulli, Switzerland, 1738.
- Laser:(theoretical work on) Charles H. Townes, Arthur L. Schawlow, U.S., N. Basov, A. Prokhorov, U.S.S.R., 1958; (first working model) T. H. Maiman, U.S., 1960.
- Lawn mower:Edwin Budding, John Ferrabee, England, 18301831.
- LCD (liquid crystal display):Hoffmann-La Roche, Switzerland, 1970.
- Lens, bifocal:Benjamin Franklin, U.S., c.1760.
- Leyden jar:(prototype electrical condenser) Canon E. G. von Kleist of Kamin, Pomerania, 1745; independently evolved by Cunaeus and P. van Musschenbroek, University of Leyden, Holland, 1746, from where name originated.
- Light, nature of:(wave theory) Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1678; (electromagnetic theory) James Clerk Maxwell, England, 1873.
- Light, speed of:(theory that light has finite velocity) Olaus Roemer, Denmark, 1675.
- Lightning rod:Benjamin Franklin, U.S., 1752.
- Locomotive:(steam powered) Richard Trevithick, England, 1804; (first practical, due to multiple-fire-tube boiler) George Stephenson, England, 1829; (largest steam-powered) Union Pacific\'s Big Boy, U.S., 1941.
- Lock, cylinder:Linus Yale, U.S., 1851.
- Loom:(horizontal, two-beamed) Egypt, c. 4400 B.C.; (Jacquard drawloom, pattern controlled by punch cards) Jacques de Vaucanson, France, 1745, Joseph-Marie Jacquard, 1801; (flying shuttle) John Kay, England, 1733; (power-driven loom) Edmund Cartwright, England, 1785.
- Machine gun:(hand-cranked multibarrel) Richard J. Gatling, U.S., 1862; (practical single barrel, belt-fed) Hiram S. Maxim, Anglo-American, 1884.
- Magnet, Earth is:William Gilbert, England, 1600.
- Match:(phosphorus) Franois Derosne, France, 1816; (friction) Charles Sauria, France, 1831; (safety) J. E. Lundstrom, Sweden, 1855.
- Measles vaccine:John F. Enders, Thomas Peebles, U.S., 1953.
- Metric system:revolutionary government of France, 17901801.
- Microphone:Charles Wheatstone, England, 1827.
- Microscope:(compound) Zacharias Janssen, The Netherlands, 1590; (electron) Vladimir Zworykin et al., U.S., Canada, Germany, 19321939.
- Microwave oven:Percy Spencer, U.S., 1947.
- Motion, laws of:Isaac Newton, England, 1687.
- Motion pictures:Thomas A. Edison, U.S., 1893.
- Motion pictures, sound:Product of various inventions. First picture with synchronized musical score: Don Juan, 1926; with spoken dialogue: The Jazz Singer, 1927; both Warner Bros.
- Motor, electric:Michael Faraday, England, 1822; (alternating-current) Nikola Tesla, U.S., 1892.
- Motorcycle:(motor tricycle) Edward Butler, England, 1884; (gasoline-engine motorcycle) Gottlieb Daimler, Germany, 1885.
- Moving assembly line:Henry Ford, U.S., 1913.
- Neptune:(discovery of) Johann Galle, Germany, 1846.
- Neptunium:(first transuranic element, synthesis of) Edward M. McMillan, Philip H. Abelson, U.S., 1940.
- Neutron:James Chadwick, England, 1932.
- Neutron-induced radiation:Enrico Fermi et al., Italy, 1934.
- Nitroglycerin:Ascanio Sobrero, Italy, 1846.
- Nuclear fission:Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, Germany, 1938.
- Nuclear reactor:Enrico Fermi, Italy, et al., 1942.
- Ohm\'s law:(relationship between strength of electric current, electromotive force, and circuit resistance) Georg S. Ohm, Germany, 1827.
- Oil well:Edwin L. Drake, U.S., 1859.
- Oxygen:(isolation of) Joseph Priestley, 1774; Karl Scheele, 1773.
- Ozone:Christian Schnbein, Germany, 1839.
- Pacemaker:(internal) Clarence W. Lillehie, Earl Bakk, U.S., 1957.
- PaperChina, c.100 A.D.
- Parachute:Louis S. Lenormand, France, 1783.
- Pen:(fountain) Lewis E. Waterman, U.S., 1884; (ball-point, for marking on rough surfaces) John H. Loud, U.S., 1888; (ball-point, for handwriting) Lazlo Biro, Argentina, 1944.
- Periodic law:(that properties of elements are functions of their atomic weights) Dmitri Mendeleev, Russia, 1869.
- Periodic table:(arrangement of chemical elements based on periodic law) Dmitri Mendeleev, Russia, 1869.
- Phonograph:Thomas A. Edison, U.S., 1877.
- Photography:(first paper negative, first photograph, on metal) Joseph Nicphore Niepce, France, 18161827; (discovery of fixative powers of hyposulfite of soda) Sir John Herschel, England, 1819; (first direct positive image on silver plate, the daguerreotype) Louis Daguerre, based on work with Niepce, France, 1839; (first paper negative from which a number of positive prints could be made) William Talbot, England, 1841. Work of these four men, taken together, forms basis for all modern photography. (First color images) Alexandre Becquerel, Claude Niepce de Saint-Victor, France, 18481860; (commercial color film with three emulsion layers, Kodachrome) U.S., 1935.
- Photovoltaic effect:(light falling on certain materials can produce electricity) Edmund Becquerel, France, 1839.
- Piano:(Hammerklavier) Bartolommeo Cristofori, Italy, 1709; (pianoforte with sustaining and damper pedals) John Broadwood, England, 1873.
- Planetary motion, laws of:Johannes Kepler, Germany, 1609, 1619.
- Plant respiration and photosynthesis:Jan Ingenhousz, Holland, 1779.
- Plastics:(first material, nitrocellulose softened by vegetable oil, camphor, precursor to Celluloid) Alexander Parkes, England, 1855; (Celluloid, involving recognition of vital effect of camphor) John W. Hyatt, U.S., 1869; (Bakelite, first completely synthetic plastic) Leo H. Baekeland, U.S., 1910; (theoretical background of macromolecules and process of polymerization on which modern plastics industry rests) Hermann Staudinger, Germany, 1922; (polypropylene and low-pressure method for producing high-density polyethylene) Robert Banks, Paul Hogan, U.S., 1958.
- Plate tectonics:Alfred Wegener, Germany, 19121915.
- Plow, forked:Mesopotamia, before 3000 B.C.
- Plutonium, synthesis of:Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin M. McMillan, Arthur C. Wahl, Joseph W. Kennedy, U.S., 1941.
- Polio, vaccine:(experimentally safe dead-virus vaccine) Jonas E. Salk, U.S., 1952; (effective large-scale field trials) 1954; (officially approved) 1955; (safe oral live-virus vaccine developed) Albert B. Sabin, U.S., 1954; (available in the U.S.) 1960.
- Positron:Carl D. Anderson, U.S., 1932.
- Pressure cooker:(early version) Denis Papin, France, 1679.
- Printing:(block) Japan, c.700; (movable type) Korea, c.1400; Johann Gutenberg, Germany, c.1450 (lithography, offset) Aloys Senefelder, Germany, 1796; (rotary press) Richard Hoe, U.S., 1844; (linotype) Ottmar Mergenthaler, U.S., 1884.
Johann Gutenberg
(c. 14001468) - Probability theory:Ren Descartes, France; and Pierre de Fermat, Switzerland, 1654.
- Proton:Ernest Rutherford, England, 1919.
- Prozac:(antidepressant fluoxetine) Bryan B. Malloy, Scotland, and Klaus K. Schmiegel, U.S., 1972; (released for use in U.S.) Eli Lilly & Company, 1987.
- Psychoanalysis:Sigmund Freud, Austria, c.1904.
- Pulsars:Antony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell Burnel, England, 1967.
- Quantum theory:(general) Max Planck, Germany, 1900; (sub-atomic) Niels Bohr, Denmark, 1913; (quantum mechanics) Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrdinger, Germany, 1925.
- Quarks:Jerome Friedman, Henry Kendall, Richard Taylor, U.S., 1967.
- Quasars:Marten Schmidt, U.S., 1963.
- Rabies immunization:Louis Pasteur, France, 1885.
- Radar:(limited to one-mile range) Christian Hulsmeyer, Germany, 1904; (pulse modulation, used for measuring height of ionosphere) Gregory Breit, Merle Tuve, U.S., 1925; (first practical radarradio detection and ranging) Sir Robert Watson-Watt, England, 19341935.
- Radio:(electromagnetism, theory of) James Clerk Maxwell, England, 1873; (spark coil, generator of electromagnetic waves) Heinrich Hertz, Germany, 1886; (first practical system of wireless telegraphy) Guglielmo Marconi, Italy, 1895; (first long-distance telegraphic radio signal sent across the Atlantic) Marconi, 1901; (vacuum electron tube, basis for radio telephony) Sir John Fleming, England, 1904; (triode amplifying tube) Lee de Forest, U.S., 1906; (regenerative circuit, allowing long-distance sound reception) Edwin H. Armstrong, U.S., 1912; (frequency modulationFM) Edwin H. Armstrong, U.S., 1933.
- Radioactivity:(X-rays) Wilhelm K. Roentgen, Germany, 1895; (radioactivity of uranium) Henri Becquerel, France, 1896; (radioactive elements, radium and polonium in uranium ore) Marie Sklodowska-Curie, Pierre Curie, France, 1898; (classification of alpha and beta particle radiation) Pierre Curie, France, 1900; (gamma radiation) Paul-Ulrich Villard, France, 1900.
- Radiocarbon dating, carbon-14 method:(discovered) 1947, Willard F. Libby, U.S.; (first demonstrated) U.S., 1950.
- Radio signals, extraterrestrial:first known radio noise signals were received by U.S. engineer, Karl Jansky, originating from the Galactic Center, 1931.
- Radio waves:(cosmic sources, led to radio astronomy) Karl Jansky, U.S., 1932.
- Razor:(safety, successfully marketed) King Gillette, U.S., 1901; (electric) Jacob Schick, U.S., 1928, 1931.
- Reaper:Cyrus McCormick, U.S., 1834.
- Refrigerator:Alexander Twining, U.S., James Harrison, Australia, 1850; (first with a compressor device) the Domelse, Chicago, U.S., 1913.
- Refrigerator ship:(first) the Frigorifique, cooling unit designed by Charles Teller, France, 1877.
- Relativity:(special and general theories of) Albert Einstein, Switzerland, Germany, U.S., 19051953.
- Revolver:Samuel Colt, U.S., 1835.
- Richter scale:Charles F. Richter, U.S., 1935.
- Rifle:(muzzle-loaded) Italy, Germany, c.1475; (breech-loaded) England, France, Germany, U.S., c.1866; (bolt-action) Paul von Mauser, Germany, 1889; (automatic) John Browning, U.S., 1918.
- Rocket:(liquid-fueled) Robert Goddard, U.S., 1926.
- Roller bearing:(wooden for cartwheel) Germany or France, c.100 B.C.
- Rotation of Earth:Jean Bernard Foucault, France, 1851.
- Royal Observatory, Greenwich:established in 1675 by Charles II of England; John Flamsteed first Astronomer Royal.
- Rubber:(vulcanization process) Charles Goodyear, U.S., 1839.
- Saccharin:Constantine Fuhlberg, Ira Remsen, U.S., 1879.
- Safety pin:Walter Hunt, U.S., 1849.
- Saturn, ring around:Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1659.
- Scotch tape:Richard Drew, U.S., 1929.
- Screw propeller:Sir Francis P. Smith, England, 1836; John Ericsson, England, worked independently of and simultaneously with Smith, 1837.
- Seismograph:(first accurate) John Milne, England, 1880.
- Sewing machine:Elias Howe, U.S., 1846; (continuous stitch) Isaac Singer, U.S., 1851.
- Solar energy:First realistic application of solar energy using parabolic solar reflector to drive caloric engine on steam boiler, John Ericsson, U.S., 1860s.
- Solar system, universe:(Sun-centered universe) Nicolaus Copernicus, Warsaw, 1543; (establishment of planetary orbits as elliptical) Johannes Kepler, Germany, 1609; (infinity of universe) Giordano Bruno, Italian monk, 1584.
- Spectrum:(heterogeneity of light) Sir Isaac Newton, England, 16651666.
- Spectrum analysis:Gustav Kirchhoff, Robert Bunsen, Germany, 1859.
- Spermatozoa:Anton van Leeuwenhoek, The Netherlands, 1683.
- Spinning:(spinning wheel) India, introduced to Europe in Middle Ages; (Saxony wheel, continuous spinning of wool or cotton yarn) England, c.15001600; (spinning jenny) James Hargreaves, England, 1764; (spinning frame) Sir Richard Arkwright, England, 1769; (spinning mule, completed mechanization of spinning, permitting production of yarn to keep up with demands of modern looms) Samuel Crompton, England, 1779.
- Star catalog:(first modern) Tycho Brahe, Denmark, 1572.
- Steam engine:(first commercial version based on principles of French physicist Denis Papin) Thomas Savery, England, 1639; (atmospheric steam engine) Thomas Newcomen, England, 1705; (steam engine for pumping water from collieries) Savery, Newcomen, 1725; (modern condensing, double acting) James Watt, England, 1782; (high-pressure) Oliver Evans, U.S., 1804.
- Steamship:Claude de Jouffroy d\'Abbans, France, 1783; James Rumsey, U.S., 1787; John Fitch, U.S., 1790; (high-pressure) Oliver Evans, U.S., 1804. All preceded Robert Fulton, U.S., 1807, credited with launching first commercially successful steamship.
- Stethoscope:Ren Lannec, France, 1819.
- Sulfa drugs:(parent compound, para-aminobenzenesulfanomide) Paul Gelmo, Austria, 1908; (antibacterial activity) Gerhard Domagk, Germany, 1935.
- Superconductivity:(theory) John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, John Scheiffer, U.S., 1957.
- Symbolic logic:George Boule, 1854; (modern) Bertrand Russell, Alfred North Whitehead, England, 19101913.
- Tank, military:Sir Ernest Swinton, England, 1914.
- Tape recorder:(magnetic steel tape) Valdemar Poulsen, Denmark, 1899.
- Teflon:DuPont, U.S., 1943.
- Telegraph:Samuel F. B. Morse, U.S., 1837.
Samuel F. B. Morse (17911872) Library of Congress - Telephone:Alexander Graham Bell, U.S., 1876.
- Telescope:Hans Lippershey, The Netherlands, 1608; (astronomical) Galileo Galilei, Italy, 1609; (reflecting) Isaac Newton, England, 1668.
- Television: (IconoscopeT.V. camera table) Vladimir Zworkin, U.S., 1923, and also kinescope (cathode ray tube) 1928; (mechanical disk-scanning method) successfully demonstrated by J.L. Baird, Scotland, C.F. Jenkins, U.S., 1926; (first all-electric television image) 1927, Philo T. Farnsworth, U.S; (color, mechanical disk) Baird, 1928; (color, compatible with black and white) George Valensi, France, 1938; (color, sequential rotating filter) Peter Goldmark, U.S., first introduced, 1951; (color, compatible with black and white) commercially introduced in U.S., National Television Systems Committee, 1953.
- Thermodynamics:(first law: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another) Julius von Mayer, Germany, 1842; James Joule, England, 1843; (second law: heat cannot of itself pass from a colder to a warmer body) Rudolph Clausius, Germany, 1850; (third law: the entropy of ordered solids reaches zero at the absolute zero of temperature) Walter Nernst, Germany, 1918.
- Thermometer:(open-column) Galileo Galilei, c.1593; (clinical) Santorio Santorio, Padua, c.1615; (mercury, also Fahrenheit scale) Gabriel D. Fahrenheit, Germany, 1714; (centigrade scale) Anders Celsius, Sweden, 1742; (absolute-temperature, or Kelvin, scale) William Thompson, Lord Kelvin, England, 1848.
- Tire, pneumatic:Robert W. Thompson, England, 1845; (bicycle tire) John B. Dunlop, Northern Ireland, 1888.
- Toilet, flush:Product of Minoan civilization, Crete, c. 2000 B.C. Alleged invention by Thomas Crapper is untrue.
- Tractor:Benjamin Holt, U.S., 1900.
- Transformer, electric:William Stanley, U.S., 1885.
- Transistor:John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain, William B. Shockley, U.S., 1947.
- Tuberculosis bacterium:Robert Koch, Germany, 1882.
- Typewriter:Christopher Sholes, Carlos Glidden, U.S., 1867.
- Uncertainty principle:(that position and velocity of an object cannot both be measured exactly, at the same time) Werner Heisenberg, Germany, 1927.
- Uranus:(first planet discovered in recorded history) William Herschel, England, 1781.
- Vaccination:Edward Jenner, England, 1796.
- Vacuum cleaner:(manually operated) Ives W. McGaffey, 1869; (electric) Hubert C. Booth, England, 1901; (upright) J. Murray Spangler, U.S., 1907.
- Van Allen (radiation) Belt:(around Earth) James Van Allen, U.S., 1958.
- Video disk:Philips Co., The Netherlands, 1972.
- Vitamins:(hypothesis of disease deficiency) Sir F. G. Hopkins, Casimir Funk, England, 1912; (vitamin A) Elmer V. McCollum, M. Davis, U.S., 19121914; (vitamin B) McCollum, U.S., 19151916; (thiamin, B1) Casimir Funk, England, 1912; (riboflavin, B2) D. T. Smith, E. G. Hendrick, U.S., 1926; (niacin) Conrad Elvehjem, U.S., 1937; (B6) Paul Gyorgy, U.S., 1934; (vitamin C) C. A. Hoist, T. Froelich, Norway, 1912; (vitamin D) McCollum, U.S., 1922; (folic acid) Lucy Wills, England, 1933.
- Voltaic pile:(forerunner of modern battery, first source of continuous electric current) Alessandro Volta, Italy, 1800.
- Wallpaper:Europe, 16th and 17th century.
- Wassermann test:(for syphilis) August von Wassermann, Germany, 1906.
- Wheel:(cart, solid wood) Mesopotamia, c.38003600 B.C.
- Windmill:Persia, c.600.
- World Wide Web:(developed while working at CERN) Tim Berners-Lee, England, 1989; (development of Mosaic browser makes WWW available for general use) Marc Andreeson, U.S., 1993.
- Xerography:Chester Carlson, U.S., 1938.
- Zero:India, c.600; (absolute zero temperature, cessation of all molecular energy) William Thompson, Lord Kelvin, England, 1848.
- Zipper:W. L. Judson, U.S., 1891.
Resources
Inventors African American Inventor Series- http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~rlandrum/ This list of inventions that were created by African Americans is not all inclusive. The listed inventions have been granted patents by the U.S. government so this list does not include the many thousands of inventions that were stolen and not given credit to the rightful inventors. Search through the list of inventions and see the date and name of the inventor.
Alexander Graham Bell -- The Inventor- http://www.fitzgeraldstudio.com/html/bell/inventor.html Bell\'s willingness to search out the path less taken resulted in some of the world\'s most important inventions. It has been said that Bell invented the telephone by searching for it in places where other inventors would never think to look. Bell\'s ability to believe in the impossible has served the world well.
Black History Inventors- http://www.tdo.com/local/bhm/bhinvent/bhinvent.htm Profiles of some famous African American inventors.
Charles Goodyear- http://www.fgsd.winnipeg.mb.ca/vmc/topchem/goodyear.htm Charles Goodyear was born on December 29th 1800 in New Haven, Connecticut and died on July 1st 1860 in New York City. He is well known and famous because he invented the process of vulcanization (named after the Roman God of Fire, Vulcan). The process of Vulcanization makes it possible for the commercial use of rubber.
Edison National Historic Site- http://www.nps.gov/edis/ Edison National Historic Site, in West Orange, New Jersey, is a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. It preserves, protects and interprets for the public the research and development laboratory and home of the inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Includes a short biography and descriptions of his inventions, a timeline, and bibliography.
Eli Whitney- http://www.invent.org/book/book-text/108.html Brief biography of Whitney from the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Exploring Leonardo- http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeoHomePage.html Explore this site and learn about this fascinating scientist, inventor, and artist of the Italian Renaissance. This online exhibit developed by the Boston Museum of Science focuses on Leonardo Da Vinci\'s inventions and scientific studies.
Invention Dimension- http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/archive.html Profiles of famous inventors, including winners of the Lemelson-MIT Prize. Each week a new inventor is featured, with archives of past articles.
Inventors Online Museum- http://www.inventorsmuseum.com/ Profiles and pictures of: African American Inventors; Women Inventors; Colonial Inventors; Thomas Edison; Communications; Space Travel; Environmental Technology; and Transportation.
Louis Pasteur- http://www.invent.org/book/book-text/85.html Brief description of how Pastuer developed the process that has become known as pasteurization.
Sammuel F. B. Morse- http://www.invent.org/book/book-text/76.html Brief biography of the inventor from the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Includes an illustration and information on his contributions to the telegraph.
Tesla : Master of Lightning- http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ Nikola Tesla was one of the greatest electrical inventors who ever lived. His technological achievements transformed America from a nation of isolated communities to a country connected by power grids where information was available upon demand. In the 20th century, it was Tesla\'s technology that united the United States and eventually the world.
Women Inventors- http://www.si.edu/lemelson/centerpieces/ilives/womeninventors.html By 1910, inventions by women accounted for less than 1% of all patents issued in the United States. A number of factors combined to limit both the number of women inventors and what we know about them today. World\'s fairs provided publicity for inventions by women.
Wright Brothers- http://www.wright-brothers.org/ Welcome to the Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company, a working museum of pioneer aviation. If you\'ve visited before, jump to the section you want by clicking its title at the left. To find specific information, consult our Museum Guide or our Search page. For first-time guests, About the Museum will help to orient you.
Inventions3M Collaborative Invention Unit- http://mustang.coled.umn.edu/inventing/inventing.html The Four Character Roles You Play to Become an Inventor: Become a Scout; Become a Wizard; Become a Critic; and Become a Trail Blazer.
Beyond 2000- http://www.nationalgeographic.com/world/9901/beyond-2000/ Even if our crystal ball is cloudy, its fun to imagine what the next thousand years hold in store. Click on the subjects at right to learn National Geographic Worlds best guesses about technological developments in your lifetimeand beyond.
Calculating Machines- http://www.webcom.com/calc/ From an 1885 adding machine and an abacus to history of the machines from 1623 to 1970.
Early Recorded Sounds and Wax Cylinders- http://www.tinfoil.com/ Explore early sound recording methods, two-minute wax cylinder records and antique phonographs; see plenty of rare vintage photos; and enjoy listening to early recorded sounds taken directly from the original wax cylinders.
Eli Whitney- http://www.gms.ocps.k12.fl.us/biopage/t-z/whitney.html From the American Biography web site. This student written biography briefly tells of Whitney\'s life and his invention of the Cotton Gin.
Girl Tech Invention- http://www.girltech.com/Invention/IN_menu_frame.html Kooky inventions, famous women and girl inventors, and invention resources for kids.
Great Internet Light Bulb Book- http://www.misty.com/people/don/bulb1.html It is fairly well known that Thomas Alvin Edison invented the first reasonably practical incandescent lamp, using a carbon filament in a bulb containing a vacuum. Since that time, the incandescent lamp has been improved by using tantalum and later tungsten filaments, which evaporate more slowly than carbon. Nowadays, incandescent lamps are still made with tungsten filaments.
Greatest Inventions- http://library.thinkquest.org/C002942/home.shtml People started their evolution many years ago and century, after century, after century they evolutionised. This Web site is made with the purpose of acquainting you, the Internet surfer, of the way people have walked up the "ladder of evolution" from the invention of the Gutenberg\'s printing press to the invention of the Digital Video Disc.
The Hindenburg Disaster- http://www.vidicom-tv.com/tohiburg.htm The site offers brief information about the disaster, but many photos as well as video and audio.
The Hindenburg- http://www.ciderpresspottery.com/ZLA/greatzeps/german/Hindenburg.html This site offers a wealth of information about the design and demise of the Hindenburg. It also includes excellent pictures.
How Stuff Works- http://www.howstuffworks.com/ How Stuff Works is a great place to come to learn about how things work in the world around you. Have you ever wondered how the engine in your car works, or what gears do, or what makes the inside of your refrigerator cold? Then How Stuff Works is the place for you!
In Time for Technology- http://timeline.vcot.com/ Technology emerged along with modern man. The earliest technologies involved stones -- striking one against another to make a tool or weapon. For a long time, technological progress was slow, and arrowhead making might not have changed for hundreds of thousands of years. The following is a brief history of technology, a glance at some of humanity\'s most important breakthroughs. If you can\'t find it here - go out and invent it.
Information Age: People, Information, & Technology- http://photo2.si.edu/infoage/infoage.html These photographs are from the exhibition, Information Age: People, Information & Technology in the Smithsonian\'s National Museum of American History. The exhibition displays visually and interactively how electrical information technology has changed our society over the last 150 years.
Inventors\' Club- http://www.dkonline.com/twtw2/private/club/index.html This is where you can find out about all kinds of different inventions and discover how they work. We also have features on the inventors themselves, from world-famous scientists to those unsung individuals whose work changed our lives. and finally, you can learn how to invent at home with our step-by-step instructions in the Home Inventor pages!
Inventure Place- http://www.invent.org/ Welcome to Inventure Place, The National Inventors Hall of Fame!Inventure Place is dedicated to the creative process. We\'re a museum - and more. Inventure Place is a laboratory where you can explore your curiosity and creativity. Inventure Place is where you will Discover the Inventor in you.
Learn About What It Takes to Be an Inventor- http://mustang.coled.umn.edu/inventing/inventing.html Describes The Four Character Roles You Play to Become an Inventor: Become a Scout; Become a Wizard; Become a Critic; Become a Trail Blazer. Suggests activities to encourage these roles.
Learning About Leonardo- http://library.thinkquest.org/13681/data/davin2.shtml Links to Leonardo Da Vinci resources on the Internet, along with an interesting theory behind the Mona Lisa smile and original music composed by Leonardo.
Museum of Ancient Inventions- http://www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/hsclist.htm The dramatic pace of technological change in the twentieth century obscures the surprising fact that most of the discoveries and inventions on which modern societies have been constructed were made in prehistoric times. Ancient inventions tell detailed stories of complex knowledge for which no written records exist.
Pencil Inventions- http://www.noogenesis.com/inventing/pencil/pencil_page.html So you want to do some inventing? Well then, ask a student in your class to volunteer showing a pencil to the class that needs improving? Then ask the following question: What\'s wrong with this pencil?
The Pencil Pages- http://www.pencils.com/ Fun website that includes everything you need to know about pencils: their history, how they are made, trivia, and fun gams to try.
Popular Mechanics Time Machine- http://popularmechanics.com/popmech/sci/time/1HOMETIME.html Press a button indicating a decade to travel back through the annals of progress as reported in Popular Mechanics.
Riley\'s Kid Inventor Resources- http://www.inventored.org/k-12/ Includes sections on: About Inventing; Books and Software; Different Drummer; For Teachers; How I Became An Inventor; History of Inventing; Inventing Safely; Invention Links for Kids; Internet Safety; Kids Invention Search Page; and Organizations for Kids.
Telegraph- http://www.150.si.edu/150trav/remember/r819.htm Photograph of the model Samuel Morse submitted with his patent application, along with a brief description.
Thomas Edison- http://www.hfmgv.org/histories/edison/tae.html Biography, the invention of the light bulb and more.
Time Warp- http://library.thinkquest.org/3552/ "The history of inventions that have affected our lives everyday."
Transistor Legacy- http://www.lucent.com/minds/transistor/ Bell Labs is the birthplace of the transistor, inventing the device that led to a communications revolution.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Kids Pages- http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ahrpa/opa/kids/ The U.S. Patent Office has several excellent projects and Internet resources including a fine primer on the patent process. The activities are colorful and inventive.
United Technologies Discovery Center- http://www.utc.com/discover/index.htm Now on-line in How it Works: Helicopter Basics Automated People Mover Jet Engine Space Suit Elevator
Wacky Patent of the Month- http://colitz.com/site/wacky.htm "The Wacky Patent of the Month is devoted to recognizing selected inventors and their remarkable and unconventional patented inventions." Review previous wacky patents here, too.
Zippers and Velcro- http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/zippers/zippers.html The zipper was patented on August 29, 1893 by Whitcomb Judson, a Chicago mechanical engineer. In 1948, a Swiss mountaineer named George de Mestral was walking through the woods and was very frustrated by the burs that clung to his clothes. While picking them off, he realized that it may be possible to use this principle to make a fastener to compete with the zipper.
African American Inventors - http://emeagwali.com/african-american/upscale/african-american-inventors.html
Profiles of 12 black inventors and inventions.
Car Innovations - http://a-car.com/
Brief explanation about car innovations and links to in-depth articles.
Delphion - http://www.delphion.com/
Free patent searches of US, EPO, and WIPO data, including web access to scanned images of most indexed documents. U.S. data begins in 1971.
European Patent Office - http://www.european-patent-office.org/
This is the official Web site of the European Patent Office, the executive body of the European Patent Organisation.
Finland Inventions - http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/innovat.html
Inventions and innovations in Finland - an overview plus the best links.
From Invention to Innovation - http://www.nttc.edu/assist/inventions/inv2inn.html
Full text of the U.S. Dept. of Energy\'s publication, including a chart of the innovation process, commercialization strategies, sources of capital, assessment of status, and planning guide
Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century - http://www.greatachievements.org/
Describes the greatest engineering achievements as determined by the National Academy of Engineering.
GreatIdeaGear.com - http://www.greatideagear.com/
Good books and software for inventors on patenting, copyrights, trademarks, licensing, marketing inventions, software development, etc..
Information Technology Futures Now - http://www.angelfire.com/ca/sanmateoissues/itfutures.html
An analysis and research report of what is real in today\'s information technology interface with the human mind.
Invent Resources - http://www.weinvent.com
Elegant, cost-effective inventions on demand from experienced and prolific senior scientists/engineers. No speculative R&D investment required.
Invention Dimension - http://web.mit.edu/invent
at MIT
Inventions Unlimited - http://www.hortoncompanies.com
Guide book for new inventors.
InventNET - http://www.inventnet.com
Internet-based organization, helping independent inventors worldwide develop and market their inventions.
Inventors Online Museum - http://www.inventorsmuseum.com
Online museum dedicated to diverse inventors and unusual inventions.
Inventors\' Net - http://www.newinvent.com
Links and other information relating to inventors.
James Dyson - http://www.dyson.com/mainsite/inventors/inventors.asp
Help and guidance for inventors.
Lemelson Foundation - http://www.lemelson.org/
A private philanthropy founded by inventor Jerome Lemelson.
Old Technology - http://www.oldtechnology.com
Information for collectors and restorers of late 19th and early 20th century technology.
Patent Facilitating Centre, TIFAC - http://www.indianpatents.org
Resources in India for patent searching and references to intellectual property.
PatentCafe Intellectual Property Magazine - http://www.cafezine.com/
Technology enterprise, intellectual property, and invention news.
Pioneering EE Patents - http://eepatents.com/collection.html
Every two weeks, this site showcases a pioneering patent in the field of Electrical Engineering.
ShouldExist - http://www.shouldexist.org/
Designed to assist the free exchange and discussion of good ideas. Good for prospective inventors to check out regularly and for people to post their desires for products that don\'t exist yet.
SoYouWanna Patent Something? - http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/patent/patentFULL.html
Article discusses step-by-step the patent application process.
The Invention Factory - http://members.aol.com/petercat/science/index.htm
Novice inventors are introduced to basic inventing philosophy and methods, including Thomas Edison\'s Invention Factory concept.
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