Dates and Inventors of important technological inventions

Today life is so comfortable that we have failed to notice some important elements that have made life easier for us. Typing on my PC, I have to appreciate the fact that even the richest person on earth didn’t have this luxury in the 19th century. Over the years, there have been groundbreaking technological inventions that have made the world a better place to live in.

All these inventions have been improved upon over the years to offer more speed, less weight, more efficiency, more flexibility compared to when they were first invented.

Below are some of the most important inventions in no particular order, the year of invention, and their inventors.

Telephone: the first telephone that can transmit human voice was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in the year 1876.

Wall Clock: there have been other means of measuring time before the wall clock like hourglass, position of sun/shadow, but the wall clock is the most effective time keeper today. The first wall clock was invented by Peter Heinlein from Germany in 1510. It was powered by a spring mechanism. An improved clock which uses a pendulum was invented by Christiaan Huygens in 1656.

Printing Press: a very important element in the mass production of books. And books as we all know drive education and other important elements of the society forward. The first movable type printing technology was invented by Han Chinese printer Bi Sheng between the years 1041 and 1048. An improved movable type mechanical printing technology was invented in Europe by German printer Johannes Gutenberg in 1450.

Automobile: automobiles help in our daily movements from one place to another. Can there be road transportation without automobiles? No. the first practical automobile was created by Karl Benz in 1885 and he received the patent for it in 1886.

Airplane: airplanes have been the main element of air transportation. It can go over long distances and it is also faster than other forms of transportation. This was brought about by the believe of the Wright brothers that humans can fly in the air like birds. The first airplane was invented by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903.

Mobile Phone: mobile phones are present in the hands of so many people and it is even expected that it will outnumber the world population by the year 2014. We don’t need to start counting the benefits as you all know and witness them every day. Calls, messaging, web surfing, etc. the first mobile phone was invented by Motorola engineer Martin Cooper in 1973.

Internet: there are many people who contributed to the development of the internet but the internet protocol (IP) on which most processes on the internet are based was introduced by Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn in 1974.

Submarine: submarines due to their operation under water are not very popular compared to other inventions on this list. However, they are important for secret operations and to gather important intelligence by entities and governments. The first submarine was invented by Dutch inventor Cornelis Drebbel in 1620.

Television Set: a TV set is a common element in homes today. It serves an effective purpose of bringing media to houses in form of sounds and pictures. The first television set using a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) was invented by Russian scientist Boris Rosing in 1907. There are reports that English inventor A. A. Campbell-Swinton also developed a similar TV set independently in 1907.

Radio Set: there are many people involved in the development of the radio set but Nicola Tesla is credited as the first person to patent radio technology. He applied for the first radio system patent in the US in 1897. Roberto Landell de Moura, a Brazilian priest and scientist, performed his first wireless transmission experiment in 1900 in front of journalists and General Consul of Great Britain, Mr C. P. Lupton, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Camera Set: with a camera we can share loving memories with pictures. We can see spectacles in the world without having to go there, all with the aid of a camera set. The first modern camera using film, Kodak, was created by George Eastman in 1888.

Computer Monitor: the first cathode ray tube monitor was invented by German physicist Karl Ferdinand in 1987. Some quarters credit Alex B. Dumont to have invented the monitor as early as 1930 though that is debatable as personal computers were not in existence at that time.

Personal Computer: the personal computer is a great tool for everyone today and it has increased in speed and efficiency over the years. The development of PC began in the 1970s with products from many companies. In 1973, IBM produced SCAMP (Special Computer APL Machine Portable). In the same 1973, Xerox developed the Xerox Alto that had a graphical user interface (GUI). Hewlett Packard (HP) also introduced BASIC programmable microcomputers in 1973. The Wang 2200 microcomputer with cathode ray tube and cassette tape storage was produced in 1973.

Electric Cooker: electric cooker is of great importance in various homes precisely in the kitchen. The electric cooker was invented by Thomas Ahearn in 1882. He filed a patent for it in 1892.

Incandescent bulb: incandescent bulb opened the way for electric lighting in homes. The first practical incandescent bulb for home use was invented by American inventor Thomas Edison in 1879.

If there is any invention missing from this list that you think should be there, tell us in the comments.

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