Inventions that Changed the World 2 Flashcards
fire
Though fire is a natural phenomenon, its discovery marked a revolution in the pages of history.
All thanks to our ancestors for leading us to the controlled use of fire which helps us from colorful lighting to delicious cooking. In addition, the biography of various landscapes was altered by fire.
Ancient people might have become acquainted with fire derived from natural sources. Later came the processes of making fire artificially.
Nails
The sophisticated human life would not have been possible without the invention of a small nail. They provide one of the best clues in determining the age of historic buildings.
Prior to the invention of nails, wood structures were built by geometrically interlocking adjacent boards. The invention of nails goes back to several thousand years and was possible only after the development of casting and shaping a metal.
Around 3400 BC, Bronze nails were found in Egypt.
By 1913, 90 percent of nails produced in the U.S. were steel wire nails.
hand tools
The usage of tools started 2.6 million years back in Ethiopia.
Anthropologists believe the use of tools became an important step in the evolution of mankind. Earlier materials such as sticks and stones made tools.
The invention of machine tools advanced the industrial revolution.
Imagine how would we build or maintain previous innovations without a handy hammer.
lightbulb
The energy we use today at home and in the office is a bright idea from more than 150 years ago.
Pioneered in the early 19th century by Humphry Davy, electric lights developed throughout the 1800s and was one of the most influential, great inventions of all times.
Edison and Swan patented the first light bulb in 1879 and 1880. In the mid-1980s,
Currently, LEDs offer the best energy savings on the market. (that’s what’s in our new kitchen light and the black and red flashlight)
However, the invention of the bulb electrified new businesses. It also led to new energy breakthroughs such as power plants, electric transmission lines, home appliances etc.
electricity
Electricity has become the basic need for day to day life. Although many use electricity, how many of you know the evolution of electricity?
Alessandro Volta discovered the first practical method of generating electricity.
1831 is marked the year of major breakthrough for electricity. A British scientist Michael Faraday discovered the basic principles of electricity generation.
The electromagnetic induction discovery revolutionized the energy usage.
Street lights were some of the earliest attention gaining equipment. With the rise in electricity usability, now it stands as a backbone of modern industrial society.
With increased mobility, human life has become dependent on electricity.
battery
The prehistoric battery dates back to the Parthian empire, which might be 2,000 years old.
The old battery consisted of a clay jar filled with a vinegar solution, into which a copper cylinder surrounded iron rod was inserted.
These batteries might have been used to electroplate silver.
The inventor of the first electric battery is Alessandro Volta. He also laid the foundation of Electrochemistry.
The mass production of the first electric battery began in 1802 by William Cruickshank.
The history of batteries marked a remarkable date in 1859, with the invention of the first rechargeable battery based on lead acid by the French physician Gaston Planté. The Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) battery was introduced in 1899 by Waldemar Jungner.
printing press
Before the Internet’s ability to spread information, the printing press helped information travel around the globe.
Developed around 1440 in Mainz, Germany, Johannes Gutenberg’s machine improved on already existing presses.
By 1500 Gutenberg presses were operating throughout Western Europe with a production of 20 million copies.
By 1600, they had created over 200 million new books.
Morse code and the telegraph
The telegraph was developed around 1830 - 1840 by Samuel Morse and other inventors, which revolutionized long-distance communication.
The electrical signals were transmitted by a wire laid between stations. In addition, Samuel Morse developed a code, called Morse code, for the simple transmission of messages across telegraph lines. Based on the frequency of usage, the code assigned a set of dots (short marks) and dashes (long marks) to English alphabet and numbers.
The telegraph laid major foundations for modern conveniences like telephones and (some scholars argue) coding for the Internet.
