151 World’s Greatest Inventions

Although the first official US patent for the respirator belonged to Lewis P. Haslett for inventing the ‘Haslett’s Lung Protector’ yet it was as early as the 16th century when the concept of respirators was put forth by Leonardo da Vinci. He invented a toxic weapon that was made of powder and suggested that sailors […]

The first demonstration of the power of radio waves was given by Jagadish Chandra Bose in the Calcutta town Hall in the year of 1894. In 1895, Guillermo Marconi built the first wireless network and in 1896, he was awarded the patent for it. He established the first radio station on the Isle of Wight

Radar is a device that helps us know the presence of objects from a distance. It is not possible to describe the name of a particular scientist or inventor who invented radar. But, over the time, many scientists have worked on it to provide us with modern-day radar and there will be no surprise if

Richter scale was developed by Charles Richter with the assistance of Beno Gutenberg in the year 1935. Both of them were from California Institute of Technology. Initially, they intended to use it in a study area of California. At first, Richter scale was used to get the values of the nearest quarter of any unit.

The refrigerator, one of the most common home appliances used today, is dated way back in 1876. Though, it was in 1876, that the refrigerator in its practical form was evolved, but it was William Cullen, who demonstrated the artificial refri-geration process at the University of Glasgow in 1748. Oliver Evans, an American inventor, designed

The phenomenon of radioactivity was first discovered by Henry Becquerel in 1896. He was using naturally fluorescent minerals to study the properties of X-rays. He exposed potassium uranyl sulphate to sunlight and then placed it on photo-graphic plates wrapped in black paper. Becquerel developed his photographic plates and found the images to be strong and

Chester Carlson invented the first printer in the year 1938. He used a dry printing technique known as electro-photography which is generally known as Xerox. It gave birth to the invention of first laser printer. The procedure taken by Carlson eradicated the requirement of chemicals and was based on electrostatic charges and light to relocate

on 24 August, 1853 in Saratoga Springs, New York, that George Crum was agitated when a patron repeatedly sent back his plate of fried potatoes, complaining that they were too mushy and thick. Crum decided to slice the potatoes really thin and fry them until they were crisp and then top them with lots of

The first postage stamp was innovated in the United Kingdom on 1 May, 1840, as Sir Rowland Hill boosted the reformation of the postal procedure. The reformation resulted in the reversal of the payment process. The sender was now charged instead of the receiver, though mail could be sent without pre-payment. The foremost stamp, the

The first pop-up toaster was invented by Charles Strite in the year 1919. He added a variable timer and springs to the regular toaster so that the toasting bread might not need human attention. There were many innovations and creations that led to the making of a pop-up toaster. Alan MacMasters invented the very first

Nowadays we regularly hear controversy regarding polythene but even then we take it as one of the most human friendly inventions. It was accidently invented by a German scientist Hans von Pechmann in 1899 and was given the name of ‘polymethylene’ by his colleagues, Eugen Bamberger and Friedrich Tschirner. Such invented polythene was not found

The play-doh is a children’s clay that is said to have wheat flour, kerosene, colours, perfume, petroleum product and salt to make into flexible. A plastic modelling composition that was non-toxin was patented in the year 1965 almost nine years after its invention by the Noah and Joseph McVicker who accidently discovered the clay that

Alexander Parkes born on 29 December, 1813, in Birmingham, England, was the inventor of plastic. For more than 100 years plastic has been in use. However, compared to other materials, plastic is relatively modern. The first known man-made plastic was invented by Alexander Parkes and showcased to the public at the Great International Exhibition in

Piano is a musical instrument. It has a keyboard having multiple keys. It is widely used in jazz and classical music. It is one of the most expensive musical devices. The modern piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori. He was the native of Padua, Italy. It is not yet confirmed when piano was invented by

It is presumed that humans have utilized pesticides way before 2000 BC. The first popular pesticide that was known to be used is elemental sulphur dusting. It is said to be used in Sumer, in ancient Mesopotamia, 4500 years ago. It is also mentioned in the Rig Veda that some plants were used for pest