151 World’s Greatest Inventions

Traffic lights that we see in today are a contribution from the USA to the world. It was in the early 1912 in Utah that a policeman Lester Wire created the first ever red and green traffic light. It was in the year 1914 that the traffic signal system was installed by the American Traffic

Benjamin Holt created his first steam traction engine on an experimental basis in the year 1890. He nicknamed it as ‘Old Betsy’. It weighed about 18,000 pounds and would run on metal wheels. Harvesting of the fields became easy with the help of Holt’s invention. However, these equipment were so heavy that they often would

The touchpad is an input device which tracks the motion or touch of the user’s finger to a relative position on screen. This is a common feature found in desktops, laptops, phones, MP3 players, PDAs, etc. As per the ‘Smart Computing Encyclopaedia’, the touchpad was discovered by George E. Gerpheide in 1988. It is also

The toothbrush is the primary aid for oral hygiene. The toothbrush in its present form was manufactured on a mass scale in the year 1885 in the USA. A particular date or a person cannot be precisely specified for the invention of the toothbrush. The toothbrush in the form of twigs was used by the

The thermometer, one of the best innovations of the world, is a device that measures the degree of hotness and coldness of any body. The two most important elements of the thermometer are the temperature sensor and also a means through which the physical change can be converted to a numerical value. The credit for

Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium wherein transmission and reception of moving images takes place. Not from today but from 1920, it was available. However, it was another fact that from 1950, it got wider acceptance from the common public. Operational TV was invented by John Logie Baird of England and got acceptance in 1925.

The telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell won the race to patent his invention, and therefore, won the name for the discovery of a device which transmitted speech. Luckily, his would-be father-in-law got him the financial aid that was required for him to do his experiments on a device he thought would transfer speech over the

The much well-known electric telegraph is out of the world now, but it had a significant history that mattered in the world of communi-cation. The non-electric telegraph was first invented in 1794 by Claude Chappe. This was an optical telegraph that was replaced by electric telegraph. Samuel Soemmering invented a crude telegraph in 1809, which

Teflon was accidentally invented by a chemist, Dr. Roy J. Plunkett. Teflon, also known as polytetrafluoroethylene, is the plastic that is used to coat pots and pans to give it a distinct sheen. It is a fluorocarbon polymer with slippery, non-sticking and stain-resistant properties. Dr. Plunkett was hired by E.I. DuPont de Nemours & company

The first teabags were made of hand-sewn silk in the early 1900s. Teabags were commercially available in the year 1904. Thomas Sullivan, a tea and coffee shop merchant, used little silken bags to ship tea all over the world. The loose tea was then intended to be removed out from the bags and used. Customers,

In 2002, Bill Gates and the Microsoft Corporation invented contemporary tablets. Tablets are now integrated into portable devices such as cell phones, providing touch screen facility, web browsing, word processor system and much more. It helps in many ways; it’s like a boon for today’s world. Early portable tablets were heavy and with limited battery

Amongst the oldest musical instruments, trumpets have one of the highest ranges. The oldest trumpet originated back in the 15th century and is said to be found in the tomb of King Tutankhanem. They were mainly made of brass which were bent twice into a rectangular shape with round edges. They did not have any

The first typewriter came into existence in the 1860. It was widely accepted as one of the most useful device to type words on paper. It was transformed from a mechanical device to electromechanical device that were used in many departments a few years back. Though, it has its limited existence now. After the invention

Without the wheel most of the world’s work would stop. Automobiles, trains, street-cars, farm machines, wagons and nearly all factory and mine equipment would be useless. The oldest wheel known was discovered in Mesopotamia and is believed to date back 55 centuries. Man learnt to bind the rim and hold the fellies together with over

Stethoscope is an audio-medical instrument, which is used for the purpose of listening to heart beats and breathing. It was discovered in the year 1816 by a French physician Rene Laennec at Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris. He was inspired by two small children who were hearing the scratching of a pin that was transmitted