100 Inventions That Changed the World

194 Pages·2016·7.02 MB·English

by  Popular Science

POPULAR
SCIENCE
100
INVENTIONS
THAT CHANGED
THE WORLD
Contents
Introduction
The Stuff of Science
Velcro
Gunpowder
Dynamite
Teflon
Fertilizer
Silicone
Plastic
Carbon Nanotubes
Spreading Ideas
Internet
Fiber Optics
Corporation
Holography
Alphabet
Pencil and Pen
Camera
Phonograph
Graphical User Interface
Videotape
Television
Electric Guitar
Printing Press
Virtual Reality
Telegraph
Morse Code
Computer
Video Games
Satellite
Telephone
Abacus
Paper
Radio
Calculus
Arabic Numerals
The Body
In Vitro Fertilization
Anesthetic
Penicillin
Brassiere
Kevlar
Jeans
Vaccination
The Pill
CT Scan
X-ray
Pacemaker
Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG)
Hypodermic Needle
Condom
Stethoscope
Pasteurization
Cloning
Things That Go
Automobile
Jet Engine
Stealth Aircraft
Wheel
Shipping Container
Compass
Sonar
Drone
Locomotive
Guided Missile
Submarine
Saturn V
Radar
Making Something Out of Nothing
Moving Assembly Line
Ball Bearing
Screw
Nail
3-D Printing
Windmill
Cement
Steel
Nuclear Reactor
Steel Skyscraper
Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)
Atomic Bomb
Steam Engine
Wastewater Treatment
Oil Refining
Internal Combustion Engine
Game-Changing Gadgets
Laser
Transistor
RFID
Lightbulb
Zipper
Microcontroller
Optical Sensor
Capacitor
Telescope
Microscope
Battery
Light-Emitting Diode (LED)
Alternating Current
Clock
Gregorian Calendar
Mechanical Reaper
Cotton Gin
Refrigeration
Remote Control
Rifle
Flush Toilet
Index
Credits
Great inventions can come about by accident—a burst of information or slow, plodding experimentation—
but all at some point must be fleshed out on paper if the promise of their potential is to be fulfilled and
duplicated for the future. Examples of some of those drawings include (clockwise from top left) Watt’s
steam engine, Whitney’s cotton gin, Stephenson’s locomotive engine, Edison’s phonograph, Jacob’s
brassiere, Volta’s battery, and da Vinci’s helicopter.

Introduction
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and one of the greatest innovators of
our time, once said, “Creativity is just connecting things. When you
ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty
because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed
because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed
obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to
connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”
Jobs knew what he was talking about. History’s greatest innovators stand on the
shoulders of those who have come before. Using discoveries that were hard-won
or accidentally uncovered, inventors have changed the way we live by working
passionately to connect the dots and make sense of the world around us.
Today, the modern men and women of innovation continue to analyze past
technology in pursuit of the advancements that will define our future. Where will
computers go from here? How can we leverage progress with the needs of an
increasingly globalized community, and what will trigger the next medical
breakthrough? These and many more unanswered questions continue to inspire
some of the greatest minds of our time.
The inventions on the following pages illustrate the courage, resilience, and
innovation of the human spirit, while simultaneously suggesting the challenges
that remain. Perhaps, most importantly, the advancements listed here also
demonstrate how a single spark of brilliance can touch us all. Writer William
Arthur Ward once said, “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.” All these
inventions began in someone’s imagination, but it is their achievement that truly
changed the world.
Chapter 1