Inventions over the last 500 years

The golden age of invention  and discovery has occurred over the past 500 years.

New scientific theories helped people invent things that would change our world.   Here are a few examples…

  • In 1455, Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press, which enabled them to print many copies of books, and so being able to distribute to many more people.
  • In 1608, the telescope was invented by Hans Lippershey but it was Galileo who was the first person to use a telescope in the use of astronomy.
  • In 1783, the French Montgolifer brothers invented the first hot-air balloon, and they promised their father they would never fly it.
  • In 1800, two Italian scientists Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta invented the first device to give a continuous flow of electricity.
  • In 1827, John Walker dipped a wooden stick into a mixture of chemicals and the first friction match came to light.
  • In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell holds the patent for the telephone.  He was the first to make it successful but there is evidence that others, such as Antonio Muecci invented it first.
  • In 1878, Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan came up with the idea of the electric light bulb.
  • In 1895, Wilhelm Rontgen discovered X-rays and earned him the first Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901.
  • In 1903, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright, took to the skies in their powered flight over the sands of “Kitty Hawk in North Carolina” which lasted all of 12 seconds.
  • In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, but left if to others to turn it into a practical treatment that saved millions of lives.
  • In 1957, the Soviet Union launched their first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 into space on the 14th October.   Followed the next month by Sputnik 2 and a dog called Laika.
  • In 1977, the first personal computer (PC) was invented.
  • In 1979, Mobile phones were invented, but they were large like a house brick!
  • In 1983, the Internet grew out of a network of computers that linked universities and the military across the USA.  Today it is used for the World Wide Web, email, social media and much more.

One of the most renowned inventors of our time is Thomas Edison who is credited with more than 1,000 new inventions during his life!