Top 12 Inventions that changed the world

We are living in a world full of comforts and we are the first to enjoy this excellent way of living. But we are all not responsible for all these inventions that we are experiencing now. This present world has developed from ancient times. These inventions have come a long way from stone tools to Supercomputers. But some inventions laid a basement for many more large inventions and discoveries. Modern inventions are more towards improving than transforming. These inventions grow exponentially due to the accumulation of theories, inventions, and discoveries that we made earlier. Some inventions make a massive impact on future inventions, in world economies, in the way of living. This blog showcases the top 12 inventions that changed the world.

1) Stone tools and the Controlled fire by early humans:

The first human invention known is a stone tool. Early humans used naturally-occurring stones to cut the meat. They further sharpened stones and used them. In 1969, in Kenya excavation, these stone tools were found which are estimated to be 2.6 million years old. It might seem like, this isn't a great invention but this is the first human invention and it enormously changed the way they live. They improved these tools by sharpening edges. These tools made early humans complete many tasks that were previously impossible. Animals could be skinned and meat could be divided into pieces. In a sense, the tools we use now have originated from that period.

Another significant discovery of that period is the fire, which is 1.42 million years ago. The source of the fire was probably lightning and forest fires. They discovered the fire by rupturing stones. They kept the fire alive because of difficulty in reigniting them. Then they made a way for the controlled use of fire. The first humans used fire to keep warm, cook their food, ward off predators. Mastering fire enabled humankind to escape the limitations of the Stone Age.

2) Surgery by Sushruta (600 B.C):

According to the dictionary, the meaning of surgery is

the treatment of injuries or disorders of the body by incision or manipulation, especially with instruments.

Before the invention of surgery, they used to treat wounds, diseases with Ayurvedic medicines. The first one to use tools for treatment by incision was Sushruta, who was Indian. He is the author of Sushruta Samhita. According to Mahabharata he is depicted as the son of Vishwamitra. Sushruta is known as the father of surgery and also the father of plastic surgery. Due to the introduction of surgery, the new way of treating, many disorders that couldn't be cured by medicines were cured by surgery.

3) Printing Press, Johannes Gutenberg (1450):

What would be your answer to the question of how do you get to know the history? You would simply answer by reading books. Before the printing press, books were handwritten and mostly religious nature. They were not widespread. By the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg who was German, the knowledge and ideas were widely spread. The earliest form of press incorporated a wooden block with raised letters on one side. Next Gutenberg developed a technique with molds of metal alloy to print letters. Next, he introduced oil inks. The printing press invention is responsible for most of the knowledge that we acquire now.

4) Clock by Christian Huygens (1656):

The world is a function of space and time. If we need to describe any incident, we need to specify the position and we need to specify the time of the event. The positions are given names like Hyderabad, New York, etc. To specify the time, we use 12:50 p.m. 10:00 am, etc. But back then there was no time measurement. They used to approximate time by nature, by looking at Sun and the moon. They developed the sundial to specify the time but this shows time only during the day. So, this way was approximate. Next, they made water clocks dated about 1500 BC. Around 1600, Galileo noticed and stated that the

swing period of a pendulum was nearly independent of the amplitude of oscillation.

In 1656, Dutch mathematician and astronomer Christiaan Huygens used that statement to develop a clock with a pendulum and called it a pendulum clock. This was the first accurate clock that was designed. Then, many clocks with other mechanisms have been created like electronic clocks, digital watches, pocket watches, etc.

5) Electricity-not a single person (1700's):

Electricity was discovered not invented. Because it's a national phenomenon. Some give credit to Benjamin Franklin for electricity discovery and some Thomas Edison. Franklin, in 1752 experimented with kite, key, and storm and simply proved that lightning and tiny electrical sparks were the same things. Italian physicist Alessandro Volta discovered some chemical reactions produce electricity. He was the first person to create a steady flow of electric current in 1800, by an experiment. Edison made DC, the direct current system in 1882. Around the early 1900s, Nikola Tesla brought a new type of current called alternating current. He is responsible for the birth of commercial electricity. So, we cannot conclude who actually invented electricity.

6) Steam Engine by James Watt (1765):

The mechanism which we are using in automobiles, Industries is mainly the conversion of reciprocatory motion to rotary motion. The invention of this mechanism made a tremendous impact on the world. Until now no other mechanism is used. We still use that same mechanism which was created by James Watt. It was first used in the steam engine in 1765 that was made by James Watt. He used steam energy to produce a reciprocating motion and he converted that motion to rotary motion. Steam engine's invention laid a foundation for IC engines, automobiles, and many other machines. This invention was a major driving force behind Britain's industrial revolution. The steam engine invention is the one that brought a large visible change in the world.

7) Camera Joseph Nicephore Niepce (1816):

Another important invention that showcases the incidents that took place without our presence in that place is the camera. Knowing who invented the camera is a little tricky in this internet world. Because some websites say it is Joseph Nicephore Niepce and some depict it as Johan Zahn. But if you look at the works done by them, we can conclude the inventor of the camera. Johan Zahn wrote a lot about camera lenses and other parts. In 1685, he invented the design for the first handheld reflex camera but the first practical camera was made by Joseph Nicephore Niepce. In 1816, his first photograph was partially successful. So, the inventor of the camera is Joseph Nicephore Niepce.

8) Incandescent light bulb by James Bowman Lindsay (1835):

The blog you are reading right now is due to Lindsay, the inventor of the light bulb. The mobile, desktop screen is composed of light-emitting diodes usually called LEDs. These can be called as the highly updated version of lightbulb. Some doubts revolve around the question of who invented the electric bulb. It was Lindsay, but he didn't establish a patent. In 1802, Humphry Davy developed an impractical platinum incandescent light bulb which was very costly, but it was successful. Lindsay began experimenting with constant electric light and demonstrated his invention in 1835. He then promoted his lightbulb but for a small duration. Later Thomas Alva Edison developed Lindsay's bulb and patented it. Lindsay’s design is considered an important invention in history and was one of the first prototypes of today's incandescent lightbulb.

9) Telephone by Alexander Graham Bell (1876):

In our present world communication plays a vital role but before the 17th century, there was no such rapid communication system like now. For communication, there was only the Telegraph, which transmits only a single message at a time. Due to the invention of the telephone there established a connection between different parts of the world. The telephone converted sound waves to electric signals and these electric signals to sound waves again. In the 1870s Alexander Graham Bell was working on the way to improve the Telegraph. He then invented the telephone and patented it in 1876. Many controversies surround the patent of the telephone. It takes another blog on that topic. As of now telephone invention is acknowledged for Graham Bell and Antonio Meucci.

10) Aeroplane by Wright brothers (1903):

The telephone made longer distances shorter acoustically but not physically. By the invention of aeroplanes the impossible became possible. We could travel longer distances in a shorter time. Wright brothers who were bicycle manufacturers before entered into the field of flights. They started working on a combination of scientific theories and practical experimentation. On December 17th, 1903, Orville Wright, one of the Wright brothers took off the gasoline-powered plane. They called it Wright Flyer. It flew only for twelve seconds. Later on the 4th flight of the same day his brother, Wilbur Wright stayed on the plane for 59 seconds traveling a distance of 260 meters. from there on its history.

11) Personal Computer by PARC (1973):

Personal Computers have become a part of our daily lives. Most of the works in the world run on a computer. The first computer was a mechanical device and it was called mechanical computer, which was invented by Charles Babbage in 1835. The mechanical computer was a huge machine. Later in 1973 Xerox PARC, Palo Alto Research Center created the most innovative design in computer history. It was made up of a cabinet containing a 16-bit processor and disk storage, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The operating system was Windows. It was primarily designed for research. later on, advanced developments led to personal use.

12) Internet by ARPA (1969):

The invention of PCs made human life more comfortable but the data generated in one computer, could not be transferred to another one. So, there arrived a necessity for the US Defense Department to share the data from different computers at different places. This necessity was due to fear of the Soviet nuclear threat. They developed a modem (modulator-demodulator) where data was converted to telephone signals.

ARPA (Advanced Research Project Agency), a unit that was set up by the US Defense Department has created a new network called ARPANET in 1969. The data was transferred using optical fiber cables. Later on, ARPANET was renamed as the Internet. Since then the development of email, the creation of the World Wide Web, and browser technology have enabled the Internet to become a rich communication facility.

Infoman