a great invention essay

November 1, 2013

What Are the 10 Greatest Inventions of Our Time?

Before you consider, here are a few opinions from Scientific American readers in 1913 on what makes a great invention

By Daniel C. Schlenoff

A competition sponsored in 1913 by Scientific American asked for essays on the 10 greatest inventions. The rules: “our time” meant the previous quarter century, 1888 to 1913; the invention had to be patentable and was considered to date from its “commercial introduction.”

Perception is at the heart of this question. Inventions are most salient when we can see the historical changes they cause. In 2013 we might not appreciate the work of Nikola Tesla or Thomas Edison on a daily basis, as we are accustomed to electricity in all its forms, but we are very impressed by the societal changes caused by the Internet and the World Wide Web (both of which run on alternating-current electricity, by the way). A century from now they might be curious as to what all the fuss was about. The answers from 1913 thus provide a snapshot of the perceptions of the time.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing . By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

The airplane: The Wright Flyer for military purposes, being demonstrated at Fort Myer, Va., in 1908. Image: Scientific American - November 1, 1913

Following are excerpts from the first- and second-prize essays, along with a statistical tally of all the entries that were sent in.

The first-prize essay was written by William I. Wyman, who worked in the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C., and was thus well informed on the progress of inventions. His list was:

1. The electric furnace (1889) It was “the only means for commercially producing Carborundum (the hardest of all manufactured substances).” The electric furnace also converted aluminum “from a merely precious to very useful metal” (by reducing it’s price 98 percent), and was “radically transforming the steel industry.”

2. The steam turbine, invented by Charles Parsons in 1884 and commercially introduced over the next 10 years. A huge improvement in powering ships, the more far-reaching use of this invention was to drive generators that produced electricity.

3. The gasoline-powered automobile. Many inventors worked toward the goal of a “self-propelled” vehicle in the 19th century. Wyman gave the honor specifically to Gottleib Daimler for his 1889 engine, arguing: “a century's insistent but unsuccessful endeavor to provide a practical self-propelled car proves that the success of any type that once answered requirements would be immediate. Such success did come with the advent of the Daimler motor, and not before.”

4. The moving picture. Entertainment always will be important to people. “The moving picture has transformed the amusements of the multitude.” The technical pioneer he cited was Thomas Edison.

5. The airplane. For “the Realization of an age-long dream” he gave the laurels of success to the Wright brothers, but apart from its military use reserved judgment on the utility of the invention: “It presents the least commercial utility of all the inventions considered.”

6. Wireless Telegraphy. Systems for transmitting information between people have been around for centuries, perhaps millennia. Telegraph signals got a speed boost in the U.S. from Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail. Wireless telegraphy as invented by Guglielmo Marconi, later evolving into radio, set information free from wires.

7. The cyanide process. Sounds toxic, yes? It appears on this list for only one reason: It is used to extract gold from ore. “Gold is the life blood of trade,” and in 1913 it was considered to be the foundation for international commerce and national currencies.

8. The Nikola Tesla induction motor. “This epoch-making invention is mainly responsible for the present large and increasing use of electricity in the industries.” Before people had electricity in their homes, the alternating current–producing motor constructed by Tesla supplied 90 percent of the electricity used by manufacturing.

9. The Linotype machine. The Linotype machine enabled publishers—largely newspapers—to compose text and print it much faster and cheaper. It was an advance as large as the invention of the printing press itself was over the painstaking handwritten scrolls before it. Pretty soon we won’t be using paper for writing and reading, so the history of printing will be forgotten anyway.

10. The electric welding process of Elihu Thomson. In the era of mass production, the electric welding process enabled faster production and construction of better, more intricate machines for that manufacturing process.

The electric welder invented by Elihu Thomson enabled the cheaper production of intricate welded machinery. Image: Scientific American - November 1, 1913

The turbine invented by Charles Parsons powered ships. Assembled in numbers, they provided an efficient means of driving electrical generators and producing that most useful commodity. Image: Scientific American - November 1, 1913

The second-prize essay, by George M. Dowe, also of Washington, D.C., who may have been a patent attorney, was more philosophical. He divided his inventions into those aiding three broad sectors: production, transportation and communication.

1. Electrical fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. As natural fertilizer sources were depleted during the 19th century, artificial fertilizers enabled the further expansion of agriculture.

2. Preservation of sugar-producing plants. George W. McMullen of Chicago is credited with the discovery of a method for drying sugar cane and sugar beets for transport. Sugar production became more efficient and its supply increased by leaps and bounds, like a kid on a “sugar buzz.” Maybe this is one invention we could have done without. But I digress.

3. High-speed steel alloys. By adding tungsten to steel, “tools so made were able to cut at such a speed that they became almost red hot without losing either their temper or their cutting edge” The increase in the efficiency of cutting machines was “nothing short of revolutionary.”

4. Tungsten-filament lamp. Another success of chemistry. After tungsten replaced carbon in its filament, the lightbulb was considered “perfected.” As of 2013 they are being phased out worldwide in favor of compact fluorescent bulbs, which are four times as efficient.

5. The airplane. Not yet in wide use as transportation in 1913, but “To [Samuel] Langley and to the Wright brothers must be awarded the chief honors in the attainment of mechanical flight.” In 2013 the annoying aspects of commercial airline flying make transportation by horse and buggy seem a viable alternative.

6. The steam turbine. As with Mr. Wyman, the turbine deserved credit not only “in the utilization of steam as a prime mover” but in its use in the “generation of electricity.”

7. Internal combustion engine. As a means of transportation, Dowe gives the greatest credit to “Daimler, Ford and Duryea.” Gottleib Daimler is a well-known pioneer in motor vehicles. Henry Ford began production of the Model T in 1908 and it was quite popular by 1913. Charles Duryea made one of the earliest commercially successful petrol-driven vehicles, starting in 1896.

8. The pneumatic tire. Cars for personal transportation were an improvement on railways. “What the track has done for the locomotive, the pneumatic tire has done for the vehicle not confined to tracks.” Credit is given to John Dunlop and William C. Bartlet, who each had a milestone on the road (pun intended) to successful automobile and bicycle tires.

9. Wireless communication. Marconi was given the credit for making wireless “commercially practical.” Dowe also makes a comment that could apply equally to the rise of the World Wide Web, stating that wireless was “devised to meet the needs of commerce primarily, but incidentally they have contributed to social intercourse.”

10. Composing machines. The giant rotary press was quite capable of churning out masses of printed material. The bottleneck in the chain of production was composing the printing plates. The Linotype and the Monotype dispensed with that bottleneck.

The essays sent in were compiled to come up with a master list of inventions that were considered to be the top 10. Wireless telegraphy was on almost everyone’s list. The “aeroplane” came in second, although it was considered important because of its potential, not because there were so many airplanes in the sky. Here are the rest of the results:

There were also mentions for Luther Burbank's agricultural work (23); Louis Pasteur and vaccination work (20); acetylene gas from carbide (17); mercury-vapor lamp (7); preservation of sugar-producing plants (7); combined motion picture and talking machine (10); Edison's storage battery (6); automatic player piano (4); Pulmotor (a respirator machine) (4); telephone (4).

The motion picture: The hard-working Thomas Edison helped make this entertainment form technically viable. Image: Scientific American - November 1, 1913

The full contents of all the prize-winning essays is available with a subscription to the Scientific American archives .

Essay on Invention

Students are often asked to write an essay on Invention in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Invention

The magic of inventions.

Inventions are the creations of brilliant minds. They are new devices, methods, or processes made from innovative ideas. Inventions have shaped our world, making life easier and more interesting.

Types of Inventions

Inventions can be physical, like the telephone, or conceptual, like mathematical formulas. They can also be improvements of existing things, like the smartphone.

Impact of Inventions

Inventions have a great impact. They can change how we live, work, and play. For instance, the internet has transformed communication and information access.

Inventing the Future

Inventing is about solving problems and imagining new ways to do things. It’s a key part of progress and the future of our world.

250 Words Essay on Invention

The genesis of invention, the role of necessity.

The axiom “necessity is the mother of invention” holds true. The need to solve problems or improve existing conditions often sparks the flame of invention. For instance, the invention of the wheel was driven by the need for easier transportation, while the development of the internet was a response to the need for global connectivity.

The Power of Curiosity

However, necessity alone can’t fuel invention. It’s the marriage of necessity and curiosity that truly births invention. Curiosity pushes us to question the status quo, to seek answers, and to venture into the unknown. It’s this curiosity that led to inventions like the telescope, which expanded our understanding of the cosmos.

The Impact of Invention

Inventions have a profound impact on society. They revolutionize industries, transform lifestyles, and redefine societal norms. The printing press democratized knowledge, the steam engine propelled the Industrial Revolution, and digital technology is reshaping our world today.

Conclusion: The Continuum of Invention

Invention is a continuum, a never-ending journey of discovery and improvement. Every invention is a stepping stone to the next, creating a chain reaction of progress. As we stand on the brink of a new era of innovation, the power of invention promises to continue shaping our collective destiny.

500 Words Essay on Invention

Introduction to invention.

Invention is a creative process that has been the cornerstone of human progress. It is the act of bringing ideas or objects together in a novel way to create something that did not exist before. Inventions have shaped and reshaped our world, influencing every aspect of our lives, from communication and transportation to healthcare and entertainment.

The Essence of Invention

Invention and society.

Inventions have profound impacts on society. They can stimulate economic growth, improve living standards, and even redefine societal norms. The invention of the printing press, for instance, revolutionized information dissemination, fostering literacy and the spread of new ideas. Similarly, the invention of the internet transformed the way we communicate, access information, and conduct business.

Invention and Technological Advancement

Technological advancements are often the result of inventions. For instance, the invention of the transistor led to the development of the digital computer, which has since revolutionized many fields, from data processing to artificial intelligence. Technological inventions, in turn, often spur further inventions, creating a cycle of innovation.

The Role of Invention in Scientific Discovery

Challenges and ethical considerations in invention.

However, invention is not without its challenges and ethical considerations. The process of invention often requires significant resources, and there is always the risk of failure. Moreover, some inventions can be used for harmful purposes or have unintended negative consequences. For example, the invention of nuclear technology has brought both the potential for clean energy and the threat of nuclear weapons. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the ethical implications of inventions and to strive for responsible innovation.

In conclusion, invention is a powerful force that drives human progress. It is a process of creative problem-solving that leads to new products, technologies, and scientific discoveries, with far-reaching impacts on society. However, it also brings challenges and ethical considerations that need to be carefully managed. As we continue to invent and innovate, we must strive to do so in a way that benefits society and minimizes potential harm.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Presentations made painless

• Get Premium

104 Invention Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Inventions have played a crucial role in shaping the world we live in today. From the wheel to the internet, innovations have revolutionized the way we live, work, and communicate. In this article, we will explore 104 invention essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your writing.

• The invention of the printing press and its impact on society.
• The invention of the telephone and how it changed communication.
• The invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison.
• The invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers.
• The invention of the internet and its influence on modern life.
• The invention of the steam engine and its role in the Industrial Revolution.
• The invention of the automobile and its impact on transportation.
• The invention of the television and its effect on entertainment.
• The invention of the smartphone and its significance in the digital age.
• The invention of the camera and its contribution to visual storytelling.
• The invention of the compass and its role in navigation.
• The invention of the microscope and its impact on scientific discovery.
• The invention of the telescope and its contribution to astronomy.
• The invention of the computer and its evolution over time.
• The invention of the refrigerator and its influence on food preservation.
• The invention of the pacemaker and its importance in healthcare.
• The invention of the microwave oven and its convenience in cooking.
• The invention of the electric guitar and its impact on music.
• The invention of the pacemaker and its significance in healthcare.
• The invention of the GPS and its role in navigation.
• The invention of the atomic bomb and its implications for warfare.
• The invention of the bicycle and its impact on transportation.
• The invention of the sewing machine and its influence on manufacturing.
• The invention of the radio and its effect on communication.
• The invention of the transistor and its contribution to electronics.
• The invention of the barcode and its importance in retail.
• The invention of the electric toothbrush and its impact on oral hygiene.
• The invention of the ATM and its convenience in banking.
• The invention of the electric kettle and its efficiency in boiling water.
• The invention of the penicillin and its significance in medicine.
• The invention of the air conditioning and its influence on comfort.
• The invention of the electric fan and its role in cooling.
• The invention of the elevator and its impact on architecture.
• The invention of the washing machine and its contribution to household chores.
• The invention of the dishwasher and its convenience in cleaning dishes.
• The invention of the calculator and its importance in mathematics.
• The invention of the remote control and its effect on entertainment.
• The invention of the video game console and its influence on gaming.
• The invention of the paper shredder and its role in document disposal.
• The invention of the digital camera and its impact on photography.
• The invention of the electric razor and its convenience in grooming.
• The invention of the electric car and its importance in sustainability.
• The invention of the MRI machine and its significance in healthcare.
• The invention of the pacemaker and its role in cardiology.
• The invention of the defibrillator and its importance in emergency medicine.
• The invention of the insulin pump and its influence on diabetes management.
• The invention of the prosthetic limb and its impact on amputees.
• The invention of the hearing aid and its contribution to hearing loss.
• The invention of the stethoscope and its significance in medicine.
• The invention of the blood pressure monitor and its role in healthcare.
• The invention of the EKG machine and its importance in cardiology.
• The invention of the x-ray machine and its influence on medical imaging.
• The invention of the ultrasound machine and its contribution to diagnostics.
• The invention of the CT scanner and its significance in medical imaging.
• The invention of the MRI machine and its role in imaging technology.
• The invention of the PET scanner and its importance in oncology.
• The invention of the blood glucose monitor and its influence on diabetes management.
• The invention of the insulin pump and its contribution to diabetes treatment.
• The invention of the pacemaker and its significance in cardiology.
• The invention of the defibrillator and its role in emergency medicine.
• The invention of the hearing aid and its importance in hearing loss.
• The invention of the cochlear implant and its influence on deafness.
• The invention of the braille typewriter and its contribution to blind individuals.
• The invention of the guide dog and its significance in assisting the visually impaired.
• The invention of the white cane and its role in mobility for the blind.
• The invention of the talking book and its importance in accessibility.
• The invention of the wheelchair and its influence on mobility.
• The invention of the motorized scooter and its contribution to mobility.
• The invention of the stairlift and its significance in accessibility.
• The invention of the handicap accessible ramp and its role in inclusion.
• The invention of the hearing loop and its importance in communication for the hearing impaired.
• The invention of the talking calculator and its influence on mathematics for the blind.
• The invention of the voice recognition software and its contribution to accessibility.
• The invention of the screen reader and its significance in technology for the blind.
• The invention of the braille display and its role in reading for the blind.
• The invention of the braille label maker and its importance in organization for the visually impaired.
• The invention of the audiobook and its influence on reading for the blind.
• The invention of the audio description and its contribution to accessibility in film and television.
• The invention of the voice activated assistant and its significance in technology for the blind.
• The invention of the tactile map and its role in navigation for the visually impaired.
• The invention of the braille watch and its importance in telling time for the blind.
• The invention of the braille slate and stylus and its influence on writing for the blind.
• The invention of the braille embosser and its contribution to printing for the blind.
• The invention of the braille computer and its significance in technology for the blind.
• The invention of the braille watch and its influence on telling time for the blind.
• The invention of the braille slate and stylus and its contribution to writing for the blind.
• The invention of the braille embosser and its significance in printing for the blind.
• The invention of the braille computer and its role in technology for the blind.
• The invention of the talking book and its importance in reading for the blind.
• The invention of the audio description and its influence on accessibility in film and television.
• The invention of the voice activated assistant and its contribution to technology for the blind.
• The invention of the tactile map and its significance in navigation for the visually impaired.
• The invention of the audiobook and its role in reading for the blind.
• The invention of the screen reader and its importance in technology for the blind.
• The invention of the braille display and its influence on reading for the blind.
• The invention of the braille label maker and its contribution to organization for the visually impaired.
• The invention of the braille watch and its significance in telling time for the blind.
• The invention of the braille slate and stylus and its role in writing for the blind.
• The invention of the braille embosser and its importance in printing for the blind.
• The invention of the braille computer and its influence on technology for the blind.
• The invention of the braille display and its contribution to reading for the blind.

In conclusion, inventions have had a profound impact on society and have shaped the world we live in today. From communication to healthcare, accessibility to transportation, innovations have improved our quality of life and continue to drive progress in various fields. So, the next time you come across a new invention, take a moment to appreciate the creativity and ingenuity behind it, and consider how it may change the world for the better.

Want to create a presentation now?

Instantly Create A Deck

Let PitchGrade do this for me

Hassle Free

We will create your text and designs for you. Sit back and relax while we do the work.

Explore More Content

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service

© 2023 Pitchgrade

The Stories Behind 20 Inventions That Changed the World

By mentalfloss .com | mar 30, 2023, 6:09 pm edt.

You might find it impossible to imagine a world without your smartphone, or have trouble remembering a time when Wi-Fi wasn’t everywhere, but many of today’s most relied-upon technologies would not have been possible—or even dreamed of—if it weren’t for the game-changing inventions that came before them. And while it’s easy to take many of the marvels of design and engineering we interact with on a daily basis for granted—think toilets, seat belts, and suspension bridges—it’s just as easy to overlook how a handful of more surprising inventions, like the Super Soaker or the pizza saver, have affected the world around us. From blood banks to barcodes and beyond, here are the stories behind 20 inventions that changed the world.

1. Suspension Bridges

Suspension bridges are nothing new; there’s one in China that until recently used bamboo that’s at least 1000 years old , and may be over 2000. But the modern suspension bridges that came along in the 1800s were something else altogether: They were cheaper to build, easier to repair, and provided plenty of leeway in case of flooding. Eventually, the bridges allowed for passage over far larger bodies of water and could withstand violent storms and the ever-increasing weight of foot and vehicle traffic in cities (not to mention drastically cutting down travel times). In the middle of the 19th century, engineer John A. Roebling saw that the Allegheny Portage Railroad was using breakable hemp ropes, leading him to create a way to spin and manufacture wire rope, a technology Roebling would soon put toward suspension bridges. Eventually, the wire could be spun and anchored on site , which helped speed up the construction process.

Roebling’s innovations led to his designs for the Niagara River Gorge Bridge, the Sixth Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, and the famed Brooklyn Bridge in the second half of the 19th century. Though the Brooklyn Bridge was John Roebling’s basic design, his son, Washington, took over the project as chief engineer following his father’s death in 1869. Then, after Washington became mostly confined to his home following a battle with decompression sickness (or “the bends”), his wife, Emily, took on many of his responsibilities. During a time when women were kept far away from STEM fields, Emily learned about cable construction, stress analysis, and other principles of suspension bridge engineering, and was a key figure in the completion of the project.

Today, suspension bridges are located in all corners of the globe, allowing people to safely and easily travel across great chasms and bodies of water. And these bridges are no longer suspended only over simple rivers— Japan’s Akashi Kaikyo Bridge stretches 12,828 feet across the Akashi Strait and features a main span that is 6527 feet long.

Dry and flush toilets have been around for thousands of years, and while many of us take these pieces of porcelain hardware for granted these days, there’s no doubt that life would look much different—and much worse—without them. “Toilets are the key to a thriving, healthy society,” Kimberly Worsham, sanitation expert and founder of FLUSH (Facilitated Learning for Universal Sanitation and Hygiene), tells Mental Floss. Having a designated place to do your business cuts back on outbreaks of infectious diseases like cholera and typhoid—both rampant in urban areas before flush toilets (and indoor plumbing and sewers) were widely used. And in the case of dry toilets, the waste deposited there can be processed for agricultural use.

Typically, people date the modern flush toilet to John Harington, godson to Queen Elizabeth I , but there were flush toilets well before he got involved (one in Knossos, which dates back to the 16th century BCE, was even connected to a sewer). “Flush toilets like his had been available to Western Europe during the Roman Empire, but after Rome fell, Europe essentially resorted to sh***ing outside again,” Worsham says. “All of those systems fell into disrepair.” (Other areas of the world, like East Asia and areas of the Middle East, still used toilets even as Western Europe went backward.)

The options available at the time Harington was innovating were chamber pots, garderobes—which Worsham describes as “dreadful closets with holes in the ground”—or going to the bathroom outside. Harington wanted to bring the toilet back in and make going to the bathroom a more comfortable experience, but his invention left a lot to be desired: Instead of connecting to a sewer, it had a pipe that went straight down into a lower chamber that would eventually need to be emptied by some unlucky person. Even worse, its design meant that the toxic, flammable gases released when urine and poop decompose could come wafting back up, creating potentially deadly situations. It didn’t catch on; Harington built just a handful of models.

Then, in 1775, a Scottish watchmaker named Alexander Cumming developed the S-trap, a piece of plumbing that attaches to the back of the toilet. “This was revolutionary because it used water in the trap to keep the toxic gasses from getting back into the home and the poo and pee from easily sliding back into the toilet,” Worsham says. “Once Cumming patented his design, we had something like a flush toilet renaissance.” Tinkering with toilets commenced in earnest, with people like Thomas Crapper (who, according to Worsham, “created a killer marketing campaign for toilets”) getting involved. Once materials to make toilets became cheaper, they became more common, and the world got much safer. “We saw mortality rates decline,” Worsham says. “It also made our living spaces far less sh***y—literally.” Bodily waste deposited into flush toilets went into sewers or septic tanks, which meant it wasn’t on the street or in drinking water.

That said, there’s still a long way to go to make sure everyone has access to a toilet: According to Worsham, “1 in 4 people in the world lack access to basic toilets, and 1 in 2 lacks access to safely managed toilets—toilets where the waste is never put back into the environment untreated.” Without toilets, people are sicker and miss both work and school more often, which can lead to poverty traps and inequality. Thankfully, toilet tinkering hasn’t stopped: “There have been some really great projects by social enterprises and non-governmental organizations in different parts of the world working to build newer, better, more environmentally-friendly toilets,” Worsham says. “There’s also been some really neat innovation in integrating fecal waste from the toilets with organic waste—a.k.a. food scraps—and treating them to create great agricultural products like fertilizer and animal feed. We’re thinking circular economies here, and it’s exciting.”

3. The Walkman

Though many of today’s kids didn’t know what a Walkman was until they saw Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill flaunt one in 2014’s  Guardians of the Galaxy , they pay unofficial homage to the device every time they play a song on their smartphone. Transistor radios had been around since the 1950s, but it was Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka who really revolutionized the idea of playing whatever you want wherever you are (provided that you had the cassette tape on hand). For Ibuka, he really wanted something he could use to listen to music on flights. The Sony Walkman debuted in Japan in 1979 (and the U.S. in 1980) and quickly became the It Girl of the ’80s. The Walkman itself was compact, lightweight, and portable, and so were its headphones. As new devices debuted over the years—from Sony’s Discman to Apple’s iPod to smartphones and the Bluetooth headphones of today—the focus on those qualities never wavered.

4. The Pill

By the end of the 19th century, bicycles were offering women a relatively cheap, easy form of independence. Their movements, and the clothing they wore , became less restricted. Decades later, a new item would hit the market and further revolutionize women’s rights: the Pill.

Hormonal birth control pills (often shortened to just the Pill) weren’t the first oral contraceptive ; people had long relied on various concoctions, such as drinking mercury or toxic pennyroyal. By the early 20th century, a push for better contraceptives was rising in the U.S.—Margaret Sanger opened America’s first birth control clinic in 1916, for example, though it was raided and shut down. Work on a contraceptive pill didn’t begin until the 1950s. A biologist named Gregory Goodwin Pincus and a gynecologist named John Rock, with encouragement and funding from Sanger and wealthy philanthropist Katharine McCormick, teamed up to develop a “magic pill” that could prevent pregnancy. “I would argue that effective contraception was probably in the whole of the 20th century the most important change for women,” Linda Gordon, author of Woman's Body, Woman's Right: A Social History of Birth Control in America , told Allure .

When the Pill first hit the market in 1957, it was only approved to help regulate menstruation [ PDF ]; even after the FDA approved the Pill for contraceptive use in 1960, it still wasn’t readily available. In some U.S. states, it remained illegal for unmarried women to purchase the pill until 1972. Oral contraceptives have evolved since their original debut; today, there are many brands on the market, and people can now choose from a variety of monophasic, biphasic, and triphasic options, which provide varying amounts of estrogen and progestin.

The creation of the Pill did more than give women control over their sexual health and fertility—it allowed them to choose to marry later, seek additional education, and advance in their careers. As Vanessa Grigoriadis wrote in New York magazine, “These days, women’s twenties are as free and fabulous as they can be, a time of boundless freedom and experimentation, of easily trying on and discarding identities, careers, partners. The Pill, which is the most popular form of contraception in the U.S., is still the symbol of that freedom.”

5. Super Soaker

For decades, squirt guns were flimsy pieces of plastic that could barely muster enough power to water a houseplant. Then the first Super Soaker—then called the Power Drencher—hit the market in 1990, bringing along with it a Schwarzenegger-esque machismo and a sophisticated air-pressure system that promised to drench unsuspecting targets from far further than previous water guns. The allure of wreaking havoc at family get-togethers and school functions was apparently too much for kids to pass up, and more than 2 million guns flew off the shelves in its debut year. Al Davis, the former executive vice president of Larami, wrote in his book Super Soaker that “The deliveries would come into the stores, and the clerks wouldn’t even have time to put them on the shelves. They’d just take them out of the boxes and sell them to the kids waiting in line for them.”

In its first 25 years on the market, more than 175 different variations of the high-powered water gun were released, racking up over $1 billion in sales in the process. Hasbro bought Larami and the Super Soaker brand in 1995 , and to this day, the company continues to release bigger models that promise to unleash more water-fueled mayhem every summer.

When the Strong National Museum of Play inducted the Super Soaker into its National Toy Hall of Fame in 2015, former Curator Patricia Hogan noted, “[The] Super Soaker had a big impact on neighborhood play. The small squirt guns of the past had required close-in work to engage the opposition. The long, drenching reach of Johnson’s invention requires a quick retreat from a soggy assault or a good chase, meaning that kids with Super Soakers do some serious sprinting. Calculating the distance to target and the physics of velocity and arc requires kids to use their brains. Contemplating strategies and tactics and puzzling out plans forces kids to analyze the best approaches to triumphal ends. And if kids get soaked in the process? It’s all good clean fun.”

None of this would have been possible if not for the outside-the-box thinking of former NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson. He got the idea for the Super Soaker while testing a new type of heat pump he had created that used water as a coolant in the early 1980s. While the heat pump worked fine, he also realized it was pretty fun to shoot concentrated streams of water from the pump across his bathroom.

“I was having trouble getting people to understand the hard science inventions I had like a heat pump or the digital measuring instrument,” Johnson told Forbes . “I thought the toy was something anyone could look at and appreciate.”

Though Johnson holds over 100 patents and worked on NASA’s Galileo mission to Jupiter, his reinvention of the water gun, from 29-cent novelty to summer staple, is something that generations of kids—and some unwitting bystanders—will never forget.

6. The Blood Bank

Less than a century ago, patients requiring a blood transfusion were in a race against time. There was no organized network for people to donate blood, and because blood was difficult to preserve, there was no way to store it for future use. Patients had to find their own blood donors before it was too late.

In 1937, after devising a technique for preserving blood for up to 10 days, physician Bernard Fantus set up the nation’s first “ blood bank ” at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital. People could make “deposits” of their own blood for their own use or to be given to others with matching blood types.

At about the same time, surgeon Charles R. Drew figured out a method for separating plasma from whole blood, and found that if whole blood wasn’t necessary, blood transfusions could be successfully performed with plasma alone . Plasma could be dried for long-term storage in blood banks. As World War II decimated Europe, Drew and the American Red Cross launched a groundbreaking program to collect donated plasma in the U.S. and ship it to Britain, essentially creating a national system for blood donation. During the war, he collaborated with the Red Cross to set up “bloodmobiles”—mobile blood donation centers that made sustaining blood banks more practical. Today, about 13.6 million units of whole blood and red blood cells are collected in the U.S. each year, saving countless lives.

7. Space Telescopes

When Lyman Spitzer proposed the invention of a space telescope in the 1940s, humans could look at our universe only through land-based instruments. Earth’s atmosphere acted like a veil between the land-based telescopes and space, blurring images and hindering detection of far-off celestial phenomena. Spitzer’s research paved the way for the Hubble Space Telescope, the first space-based major optical telescope , launched in 1990 and named for the American astronomer Edwin P. Hubble .

Over its three decades in orbit, Hubble has determined the age of the universe (13.8 billion years), accurately measured the distance to a neighboring galaxy, and spotted numerous moons and exoplanets, in addition to revealing the beauty of the universe through stunning photographs . “The Hubble space telescope has brought about a visual revolution, more significant than any recent work of art in transforming the way we see ourselves and the cosmos,” art critic Jonathan Jones wrote in The Guardian . This year, NASA is scheduled to launch the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most technologically advanced space telescope ever built, to unravel more secrets of space.

8. The Pizza Box and Pizza Table

The pizza industry has undergone numerous innovations in recent decades, but one element that has remained largely the same is the box your pie comes in. Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan changed the game in the early 1960s when he worked with Triad Containers in Detroit to develop the modern pizza box. Prior to this, pizzas were delivered in bags or paperboard bakery boxes. These containers were flimsy and often crumpled under the intense heat of the pie before they reached their destinations. Domino’s corrugated cardboard containers were much more durable. They withstood grease and kept pizzas warm while releasing steam through strategically placed openings. Most importantly, the sturdy boxes were stackable , opening the door to mass deliveries.

But there was one area where the simple design fell short: The top of the box sometimes collapsed and stuck to the top of the pizza. The answer to this issue was the pizza saver , which Carmela Vitale patented in 1985. Shaped like a miniature patio table, the plastic device keeps the box lid separate from the pizza, thus keeping the cheese and toppings intact throughout the delivery journey. Vitale was a city council member—not a pizza salesperson—but she had eaten enough delivery pizza to notice a problem and come up with an ingenious solution.

One fall evening in 1895, Wilhelm Röntgen, a German physics professor, was experimenting with the conduction of electricity through low-pressure gases when he accidentally discovered a mysterious ray capable of making a chemical-coated screen fluoresce a few yards away. He went on to put objects between the tube and the screen to see the shadows they produced—and when he tried it with a hunk of lead, he saw shadows of not just the lead but the bones in his hand. Further experimentation showed that the screen could be replaced by a photographic plate—and the X-ray was born.

Röntgen named it X-strahlen — strahlen being German for “beam” or “ray,” and X being used in mathematics to indicate an unknown quantity [ PDF ]. Röntgen's discovery revolutionized the way doctors detect disease and injury, from breast cancer to broken bones. Today, X-rays are also used to find cracks in everything from aircraft wings to nuclear reactors—helping make the modern world quite a bit safer. “Thanks to [Röntgen's] invisible light,” radiologist Richard Gunderman wrote in The Conversation, “we now operate with a much deeper understanding of the universe we inhabit, the molecules and cells of which we are composed[,] and the diseases that threaten our lives.”

10. Wildlife Cams

The first “wildlife cams” were invented by Pennsylvania Congressman and photography enthusiast George Shiras around the end of the 19th century. He got the idea from a hunting technique used by the Ojibwa tribe called jacklighting, in which a fire is built in a pan and placed in the front part of a canoe while the hunter sits in the bow. “The glow makes it possible to distinguish the animal, whose attention is caught by the flames, causing it to stand still with an expectant air,” Sonia Voss, who curated an exhibition of Shiras’s photographs, told National Geographic. “At the rear of the canoe, the hunter, cast into the shadows, only needs to aim between the animal’s eyes, which reflect the flames and stand out like two bright beacons in the night. In the photographic version, the fire is replaced by a kerosene lamp and the trigger of the rifle by the shutter release of the camera.” Later, Shiras graduated to cameras equipped with flash and tripped by a string.

Today, critter cameras have evolved to be so light that they can be strapped to marine life, are battery powered so they can be left in nature for months at a time, and have been attached to robots to get closer to dangerous creatures than ever before, giving us an unprecedented look into the lives of the animals we share the planet with, and the world they inhabit—and helping us make plenty of scientific discoveries along the way. Thanks to wildlife cameras, we know that fishers are breeding in Washington state for the first time in decades; the hairy-nosed otter—the world’s most endangered otter species—is once again lurking within Malaysia; and the rare Siamese crocodile is still slyly slipping around the waters of Thailand. Cameras have also snapped footage of previously unknown species , such as Tanzania’s grey-faced sengi (a species of elephant shrew). In 2020 , trail cameras were essential in allowing scientists to continue their field research and gather data remotely during long stretches of COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions.

11. Duct Tape

Duct tape was the brainchild of Vesta Stoudt, an Illinois mom whose two sons were in the Navy. Stoudt worked at Green River Ordnance Plant packing and inspecting boxes of ammunition. The boxes were sealed with paper tape, dipped in wax, and had a tab to open them. Stoudt noticed that the boxes had a flaw: The tape was flimsy and tabs often tore off, which meant that soldiers couldn’t quickly open the boxes when they were under fire. Why not create a cloth-based waterproof tape to seal the boxes? She asked her supervisors, but they weren’t supportive, so she escalated the matter … straight to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt . “I suggested we use a strong cloth tape to close seams, and make tab of same,” she wrote. “It worked fine, I showed it to different government inspectors they said it was all right, but I could never get them to change tape.”

The president sent her letter to the War Production Board, her idea was approved, and the rest is history. Duct tape has been a quick fix for everyone from your average joe to physicists (who use it on their particle accelerators ) to astronauts (duct tape helped them make repairs on the moon ). When the three crewmembers of Apollo 13 were forced to transfer to the lunar module, duct tape helped them survive— according to Northrop Grumman, the vessel was designed to hold two people for 36 hours, but after the accident, had to hold three for over 86 hours. They used the adhesive (along with cardboard, plastic bags, and space suit components) to adapt their square carbon dioxide filters to the module's round holes. Jerry Woodfill, a NASA engineer who assisted the team from the ground, later told Universe Today , “Of course … the solution to every conceivable knotty problem has got to be duct tape! And so it was.”

12. Barcodes

On June 26, 1974, a grocery store cashier at Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, passed a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum over a scanner—and the item and price were automatically registered. It was the first time an item with a barcode had ever been purchased.

The inventors behind this marvel of commerce were N. Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, who envisioned a system of lines that could identify consumer products by using encoded information read by an optical scanner. It all started when Silver, a grad student at Drexel, overheard the president of a local food chain talking to the dean about the need to automatically obtain product information. The dean wasn't interested in pursuing the idea, but Silver mentioned it to his colleague Woodland, who thought the idea had so much promise that he quit his job and moved to Florida to pursue it. Ultimately, Woodland devised a system inspired by Morse code (which he had used as a Boy Scout) as well as the movie sound systems of the 1920s. It was later refined with help from IBM employee George Laurer, and became the basis for getting through checkout lines faster.

Today’s standard barcodes are known as universal product codes, or UPC-A, and are comprised of 12 digits. The first is a product category—3 denotes a health-related item, for example, while the rest point to the manufacturer and specific product. The more recent QR barcodes commonly recognized by smartphones can deliver information in an instant. Barcodes are used across a variety of industries and can boost productivity eight to 10 times compared to manual data entry. It all makes for a much speedier transaction, but not always: Aldi grocery employees sometimes memorize popular product barcodes so heavy items can remain in the cart.

13. Seat Belts

The idea of a seat belt for transportation safety doesn't begin with Nils Bohlin, the Swedish engineer who conceived of a three-point shoulder and lap belt for automobiles in 1958. Other innovators, like 19th century aviator George Cayley, recognized a need to keep humans from being ejected out of planes and other moving vehicles. But it was Bohlin, a Volvo engineer, who sought to improve upon the two-point lap belts, which could sometimes do more harm than good in the event of an accident. (At high speeds, the belts were capable of causing internal injuries.) By stabilizing the torso with a shoulder strap, drivers and passengers were kept in place without resorting to the more burdensome four-point belts worn by pilots or an earlier Y-shaped belt placed over the stomach. In what could only be described as an act of corporate selflessness, Volvo allowed any car manufacturer to duplicate the belt. At the time of Bohlin’s death in 2002, it was estimated his invention had saved well over a million lives.

14. The Microwave

During World War II, engineer Percy Spencer aided the U.S. war effort through his work on magnetrons—tubes that generate electromagnetic waves for radar—while working for tech company Raytheon. His work didn’t end with the war. In 1945, Spencer was tinkering with magnetrons when he noticed the peanut cluster candy bar in his pocket had suddenly transformed into a “gooey, sticky mess.” It didn’t take long for him to realize the magnetron’s microwaves were responsible, prompting him to develop a microwave oven that people could use to heat food more deliberately. The refrigerator-sized “Radarange” debuted in the mid-1940s and was originally meant for restaurants and airplanes rather than regular homes. (Its $1250 price tag—nearly $17,000 today—would have made widespread success in that realm unlikely anyway.)

Designs improved and costs decreased over time, and the 1967 edition of the Radarange was a hit among homemakers. By the mid-1970s, the microwave oven—eventually just “the microwave”—was becoming a mainstay in U.S. kitchens, and not just for leftovers. Manufacturers marketed the appliance as a faster, easier, (literally) cooler alternative to conventional ovens. “Make the greatest cooking discovery since fire,” actress Barbara Hale said in a 1972 Radarange ad that Mad Men ’s Don Draper surely would have wished he’d come up with himself. A 1971 ad for General Electric’s Just-A-Minute oven emphasized that “with the special timer, control settings, and recipe booklet that come with the oven, practically all the guesswork is taken out of cooking,” a boon to unconfident cooks everywhere. Full-fledged cookbooks cropped up, too— Madame Benoit’s Microwave Cook Book , Barbara Kafka’s The Microwave Gourmet , and so on—featuring everything from duck à l’orange to “ Elegant Beef Dinner .” One 1978 cookbook even recommended making pie in the microwave (to get around the lack of browning, it was advised, just throw some yellow food coloring in there). And when Swanson debuted its plastic, microwave-safe trays in 1986, the microwave and the TV dinner entered into a marriage of convenience that worn-out adults would rely on for decades to come.

15. The Can Opener

Decades after people started storing food in tin cans, someone finally came up with a way to crack them open that didn’t involve a chisel and a hammer (or some other dangerous tool). In the mid-19th century, a series of inventors built what were known as lever knives—not too dissimilar to the can opener on a modern Swiss Army Knife, and by 1870, William Lyman innovated a design that included a rotary cutte. But it wasn’t until the 1920s that Charles Arthur Bunker arrived on the scene with a patent that featured handles you squeeze together to safely puncture the lid and a handle you twist to propel a sharp little wheel along the rim. If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because today’s manual can openers are pretty much the same.

Like the button (which dates back thousands of years, though the buttonhole is a more recent innovation) and the zipper (invented in the 19th century) that came before it, Velcro revolutionized clothing—and we have old-fashioned curiosity to thank for its invention. In the 1940s, George de Mestral and his dog returned from a hunting trip covered in burdock burrs. Intrigued, de Mestral whipped out his microscope to find out what, exactly, made the burrs stick. He discovered that the burrs were covered in little hooks, and that provided de Mestral, a serial inventor, with a burst of inspiration: If he could create a fabric that mimicked the burrs’ hooks, and combine it with fabric loops those hooks could latch into, he’d have a middle ground between fasteners like buttons and zippers.

It took him some time to find a manufacturer to create his fabric; many didn’t think it could be done. But de Mestral persevered and continued to innovate on his idea until he had a product that worked, and Velcro—a trademarked combination of the French words velours and croche , meaning “velvet” and “hook,” respectively—debuted in the early ‘60s. Since then, it has proved as useful as de Mestral thought it would: NASA has used it to anchor equipment in space missions and during walks on the moon ; Mead made use of the material as fasteners on its iconic  Trapper Keepers ; and, of course, it’s used in shoes and clothing , where it’s particularly helpful to people who have difficulty with zippers and buttons (or their caretakers ).

17. Air Conditioning

Since its introduction at the turn of the 20th century, the air conditioner has transformed the quality of life in regions with warm climates—but the first modern air-conditioning unit wasn’t invented for people at all. It was created for a printing press.

In 1902, a 25-year-old engineer named Willis Carrier was asked to come up with a way to control the humidity at the Sackett & Wilhelms printing plant in Brooklyn, where the sweltering summer days frequently messed with the color register. After early tests with rollers, burlap, and calcium chloride brine, Carrier hit on a device that sent chilled water through heating coils. The system was installed later that same summer at the printing plant alongside fans, perforated steam pipes, and other accouterments. It was a huge success, and reportedly had the same cooling effect as 108,000 pounds of ice per day.

Carrier's invention was sold everywhere from flour mills to razor factories, and air-conditioning went on to reshape both architecture (by allowing for skyscrapers where people didn't broil on top floors) and nations, making the development of modern metropolises in sun-scorched places like Singapore, Shanghai, the Sun Belt, and Dubai possible. It also, of course, made everyday life more pleasant (and productive) for millions, if not billions. Ironically, the large amount of energy air conditioners consume has contributed to climate change , making the need for artificial cool air more vital than ever. “It’s not a matter of going back to the past. But before, people knew how to work with the climate,” Malaysian architect Ken Yeang told The Guardian . “Air conditioning became a way to control it, and it was no longer a concern. No one saw the consequences. People see them now.”

The story of the invention of the radio is about a race against time between two scientists—and the power of patents.

Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, sent and received his first radio signals in 1894, and patented his invention in 1896 in England. Three years later, Marconi sent wireless signals across the English Channel, and two years after that, he claimed that he received a message sent from across the Atlantic (that claim, however, is controversial).

At roughly the same time Marconi was at work in Europe, inventor Nikola Tesla was working on a similar invention in America. Tesla invented the Tesla coil —which sent and received radio waves—in the 1890s. He was all set up for a long-distance experiment in 1895, but a fire broke out in his lab, interrupting the experiment. Two years later, Tesla applied for his patent in the United States.

Marconi and Tesla’s paths converged in 1900, when Marconi applied for a patent in the U.S.—which was denied because Tesla’s had been approved earlier that year.

Undaunted, Marconi continued to apply, and in 1904, the U.S. declared him to be the creator of the radio. This, along with the fact that Marconi had won a Nobel Prize for the technology, enraged Tesla. In 1915, he sued Marconi for patent infringement , but lacked the financial resources to pursue the case.

But beyond the courtroom drama, radio was already at work transforming the world. In 1910, it helped catch Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, a man who was accused of killing his wife and escaping to Canada on a ship with his lover; he was caught thanks to Marconi’s wireless telegraph, which sent radio waves, and a very clever ship captain . On August 31, 1920, the first radio news program was broadcast by a station in Detroit, and the first ad played on the radio in 1922 , changing the world of advertising. Radio was also used during both World Wars.

From protests, music, famous speeches, and political unrest, the radio has broadcast many iconic moments and connected the world in a way Marconi and Tesla probably never imagined. Some have gone so far as to say that radio changed everything ; as Jack Lule wrote in his book , Understanding Media and Culture , the radio became “an instrument of social cohesion as it brought together members of different classes and backgrounds to experience the world as a nation.”

As for who came out on top in the radio patent war? Tesla finally got his victory in 1943, when the Supreme Court upheld that his patent had priority. But it was a win the inventor never got to celebrate: He had passed away earlier that year.

19. Aquariums

While keeping fish as pets may have begun with the Romans, the first glass aquarium wasn’t created until 1832, when seamstress-turned-scientist Jeanne Villepreux-Power got tired of studying dead specimens in her lab. Observing marine life wasn’t as easy as observing animals on land, and she wanted to come up with a way to keep cephalopods—especially the paper nautilus—alive outside of the ocean.

To further her research, Villepreux-Power created three different types of aquariums: one for indoor study, one for shallow water, and one to be anchored to the ocean floor. The indoor glass aquarium allowed her to discover that the Argonauta Argo produced its own shell at the larva stage, as well as the fact that the animals can repair their shells within a few hours. She also came up with the idea of repopulating rivers using fish raised in aquariums. (Unfortunately, most of Villepreux-Power’s research was lost in a shipwreck, and she never rewrote her findings.)

Many would improve on her work, from Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (who turned a terrarium upside down) to Anna Thynne (who created the first marine aquarium filled with coral and seaweed) to Robert Warington [ PDF ] (who published his findings after managing to keep the environment in a 12-gallon tank stable). Two decades after Villepreux-Power’s invention, the first public aquarium opened in London in 1853; a few years after that, P.T. Barnum built an aquarium inside his Barnum’s American Museum in New York, which visitors enjoyed for until the museum burned down in 1865.

Since then, aquariums have become a favorite pastime for people around the world: According to American Humane , 700 million people around the world visit zoos and aquariums annually. Like zoos, aquariums can help with conservation efforts and protect endangered species—and like zoos, they can be controversial, as we debate how humane it is to keep large marine mammals like dolphins, orcas, and beluga whales in tanks much smaller than their natural environments. Still, many aquariums aren’t just for entertainment, but are also focused on exactly what Villepreux-Power was when created an aquarium in the first place: studying and learning.

20. The Lightbulb

Lighting a home used to be a hazardous experience: Open flames on candles and in fireplaces could set things ablaze. The gas lamp , invented near the end of the 18th century, was a definite upgrade, but it had its own set of issues, from fumes to being hard to maintain to the potential for explosions.

Enter: the lightbulb.

While Thomas Edison is often credited with inventing the lightbulb, there were many scientists and researchers who worked on a version of the device before Edison. Inventors like Humphry Davy (creator of the arc lamp) demonstrated how electricity could be used to create light. In the first half of the 19th century , a series of improvements were made—so much so that in the 1840s later-Sir William Grove was able to give a lecture fully illuminated by electric light. But the light was exceedingly expensive, up to 4 shillings an hour (16 pounds or $22 in today’s money) and early lightbulbs themselves were both expensive to make and unreliable.

There wasn’t a breakthrough until 1878, when chemist Joseph Swan replaced the expensive platinum filament with a cheaper carbonized paper one that also had longevity. Edison demonstrated his lightbulb in 1879, one year after Swan. After a long patent infringement lawsuit, the two decided to combine forces and formed the company Edison-Swan United. Later in life, Edison would choose his lighting system as his greatest invention.

Even Edison and Swan’s bulb wasn’t perfect, however, and many scientists continued to improve on its design—including patent expert Lewis Latimer , who streamlined and improved the carbon filament by encasing it in cardboard instead of bamboo, an innovation that allowed for longer-lasting bulbs.

It’s not hyperbole to say that the modern lightbulb changed how society functioned. Beyond making the home safer, it helped cut back on health problems created by things like gas fumes and smoke inhalation, paved the way for longer working hours, impacted building design, and kicked off the creation of massive infrastructure like the electric grid. Lightbulbs went into everything from cars to airplanes to trains, increasing the rate of travel—and making it much safer. And the lightbulb has left its mark symbolically, too. “Even though this invention, Edison’s bulb, is 135 years old at this point,” Ernest Freeberg, author of The Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America , said in 2015 , “we still use [it] as the universal symbol for a great idea, for a stroke of inventive genius, for this Eureka moment.” Today, scientists work on improving the lightbulb every year, leading to more energy-efficient bulbs—and joining the long line of scientists and engineers whose bright ideas have changed history.

A version of this story ran in 2020; it has been updated for 2023.

The 10 Inventions that Changed the World

The U.S. librarian of Congress ranks history's most important innovations.

Thomas Edison liked to say that he never failed. He succeeded every now and again with an invention that would change the world. The rest of the time, he tried thousands of other things with only one fault—that they would never work.

That’s the sort of spirit and tenacity that leads to progress, says Carla Hayden , the U.S. librarian of Congress. The library keeps archives of many of America’s copyrights and blueprints, so National Geographic asked Hayden to list what she considers 10 of the most meaningful advances in history—the inventions and innovations responsible for the trappings of modern life.

Ranking innovations is more art than science. Can you really compare a camera to an airplane? But while progress is incremental, it’s also exponential; it builds on itself. The printing press allowed literacy to spread and thinkers to share ideas and, thus, invent more things.

Modern inventions tend more toward improving than transforming: an app that connects the world in a better way, planes that fly farther, faster. But there’s still room, every so often, for dramatic advances like, say, 3-D printing or the Internet. “There will be more great leaps,” says Hayden. “We have a momentum and acceleration I think we can all feel.”

Top 10 innovations

• Printing press
• Personal computer
• Refrigeration

Related Topics

• HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION
• SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

You May Also Like

This ancient society helped build the modern world.

Can we delay death with tech? These advances hold promise.

How the humble soybean took over the world

Would you travel by flying taxi? Here's everything you need to know

In a first, NASA Mars lander feels shockwaves from meteor impacts

• Environment

History & Culture

• History & Culture
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Paid Content
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

544 Innovation Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for innovation essay topics? This process is exciting and worth exploring!

🏆 A+ Innovation Essay Example

👍 good essay topics on innovation, ✅ best innovation research topics, 📑 innovation research title examples, 📌 innovative essay topics, 🥇 exciting innovation topics for essay, ❓ innovation research questions.

Innovation means introducing new products, services, and ideas in any sphere. It takes place in technology, science, business, education, etc. If you’re searching for innovation essay examples and topics, this article will be helpful. It contains innovation research titles, paper samples, and ideas for writing assignments and presentations.

• How Innovation and Technology Makes Life Easier On the contrary, all of the essential parts of the life of our society are based on the use of technology.
• Innovation and Enterprise at Tesco While the management claims that the staff in the supermarkets are always ready to help the customers, the company encourages the latter to use self-service tills as well.
• Innovation and Its Positive Impact on the Society The stage gate model is used to manage the risks that are associated with the development of new products. This is because the product development and innovation process faces a number of risks.
• Schumpeter’s Innovation Theory Schumpeter’s theory provides that the leading role of an entrepreneur in the economic field is the introduction of innovations from which the reward is gaining profits.
• Creativity and Innovation Management In this context, the task of the CEO is to make the stakeholders to understand the meaning of innovation and why it is necessary in ensuring that P & G remains at the top of […]
• Technology & Innovation: LG Electronics Strategy Report The development of technology is very important in the electronics industry and therefore LG electronics ensures that innovation and technology of the organization are managed effectively.
• General Motors: Supplier Selection for Innovation Orbitty was volunteered to share its Intellectual Property so that General Motors could maintain the control of I.P.indulged in the schemes, then possess the Intellectual Property swiftly and independently to respond to dynamics in the […]
• Apple Company: Innovation Strategy Implementation The second one investigates the driving factors that have contributed to the company’s innovation strategy, while the third one explores the relationship between culture and innovation at Apple.
• The Role of Innovation in Business Development From the discussion, it is clear that the role of innovation in business development is to create value, which sustains the business in the long-term.
• Artificial Intelligence: Positive or Negative Innovation? He argues that while humans will still be in charge of a few aspects of life in the near future, their control will be reduced due to the development of artificial intelligence.
• The Role of Innovation in the Development Innovation is one of the causal factors of fundamental changes in the livelihood of people in the society. The role of innovation in the development of military, economic, and cultural superiority was the facilitation of […]
• Innovation in History: How Guns Changed the World During a long period of time, guns have changed the world considerably: they help to defend oneself; they make it easier and faster to kill and injure people, very often, innocent people; and they obliterate […]
• Disruptive Innovation in Hospitality Industry The health risks of contracting COVID-19 influenced disruptive innovations in hospitality to facilitate contactless services in the hospitality industry, forcing organizations in the sector to respond to the innovations.
• 3M Corporation’s Innovation Engine Case Five percent of the total annual was allocated to R&D to support the development of new lines of products and improve the existing ones.
• Innovation, Creativity, and Enterprise Management at Starbucks In this sense, the authors propose that the main issue to investigate when studying the dynamics of business opportunities is the entrepreneurial capacity to develop, recognize, and evaluate them.
• Innovation: Meaning, Importance, and Challenges One of the most distinctive features of innovation in the modern world is the necessity for speed: everything is sought to be done faster.
• Innovation In Health Care Instead, face to face workshops after the initial training would have been used such that the employees would have to fit into the new system rather than fitting the new system into their existing structure.
• Barriers to Creativity and Innovation The authorities in the nations asserts that, evident barriers to innovation that includes poor research and lack of resources influences generation of new ideas.
• Managing Innovation and Entrepreneurship This is creativity of the business which is targeted at capturing the attention of the consumers in the market. Therefore the advancement of the two concepts in the organisation or advancement of one concept at […]
• The JD Sports Firm’s Innovation Strategy Innovation is the key to the strategic success of a business, as this path helps it to stand out from the competition in the market.
• World War II Innovations Named as the Manhattan Project during World War II, the nuclear program of the Allies led to catastrophic consequences for the Axis forces, particularly in the context of the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which […]
• Steve Jobs: Persistence and Innovations It has been reported that at once stage Steve was relieved of his position as the CEO of his the company he started and owned, thanks to the dynamics of corporate governance.
• Leading Innovation and Change Based on these definitions, the fundamental elements of innovation include change, the degree of change, as well as, the source of the change and its influence.
• Samsung and Procter & Gamble: Open Innovation Chesbrough’s definition of open innovation is based on the theory that in order to prevent the exhaustion of the internal resources, the leadership of a company is to engage the external opportunities of obtaining creative […]
• Fiat Mio Project: Open Innovation It helped the company to become one of the leading market players in the automotive segment and defined its substantial part of the market share.
• Next Plc Company’s Innovation Management Its beneficial characteristics underline the need to include its features in the strategy of the company, and it could be said that Next Plc can be viewed as one of the firms that attempt to […]
• Technological Innovations in Transport Because of the heaviness and bulkiness of some of the goods of trade, many people used animal transport to move their products from their homes to the trading centers.
• Fiat Mio as a Collaborative Innovation The head of the Fiat Brazil Style Center, Peter Fassbender, gathered the company’s best representatives in the innovation, publicity, and communication departments and offered an open innovation paradigm in which Fiat consumers were invited to […]
• Innovation, Creativity, and Intrapreneurship Creativity occurs in the event of identification of a need that is untapped and unexploited hence the need to fill in that gap and create equilibrium in the market.
• Innovation in Organizations: Theories & Practices They include the Jenga theory of creativity, the systems, the functionalist, the interpretive, the radical humanist, and the radical structuralism theories.
• Corporate Branding: Innovation in British Airways Therefore, the provision of low airfares becomes an interesting topic of discussion in addition to the technological advancements that contribute to the cost of transportation as well as to the enhancement of the customer experience.
• Sustainability and Innovation The main aim of the report is to determine: The relationship between sustainability and innovation How sustainability and innovation contribute to the performance and success of a business The impact of sustainability and innovation on […]
• Social Cognitive Theory and Diffusion of Innovations In order to understand why theories are important for the sphere of public health, it is necessary to focus on the analysis of such two main theories as to the Social Cognitive Theory and the […]
• Age Diversity Impacts on Innovation: Coca-Cola Company In focusing on determining the impacts of age diversity on the organisational performance of the Coca-Cola Company in the Birmingham area, Alabama, United States, this paper found that the company has adopted diversity and inclusion […]
• Sports as Media, Technology, and Innovation Sport is the sum of all efforts made to safeguard an individual’s mental and physical well-being, maximize the sensations of excitement, competition, and victory, and optimize personal accomplishment within a set of regulations.
• Sainsbury’s Company’s Sustainable Innovation Management Currently, the company is also in the process of merging with Asda, another retailer functioning in the same industry sector but different regions this merger could significantly shift the position of the business and make […]
• Apple Company’s Creativity and Innovation With this in mind, this paper will critically analyze the concepts of creativity and innovation in Apple Inc, the impact of transformational leadership on creativity and innovation, and finally focus on how Apple’s transformational leaders […]
• Developing Business and Social Innovation Through Creativity and Foresight Methods Usually, the story is outlined broadly and based on some tropes or stock characters, while the details, dialogue, and the exact direction of the story are left to the actors. Role-playing and improvisation can be […]
• Coca-Cola Innovation Strategy Coca Cola at its disposal have a model known as segmentation; this has made it possible for the company to serve the needs of distinguishing clientele, as well distinguishing the company’s brand; this has been […]
• Product and Innovation Management of Nokia Since 2013, Nokia Corporation has been radical in its innovation that has resulted in the development of the Nokia Lumia 435, Nokia Lumia 730, Nokia Lumia 535, Nokia Lumia 620, Nokia Lumia 830, Nokia Lumia […]
• W.L. Gore Company’s Culture of Innovation Besides, I would prefer to work with this firm because it opens up opportunities for individual growth and innovation at the place of work.
• Zara Company’s Sustainability and Innovation For instance, when the authors describe the success of the Zara model, they attribute it not only to innovation, but also to observation of standards and operating on low cost. The firm should be cautious […]
• Tata Motor’s Innovative Processes Valuation The second segment is the innovation theory review, which explores key theoretical underpinnings of the study by examining the role of the diffusion of innovations theory and the five-stage high involvement framework in Tata’s innovation […]
• Saudi Aramco Company’s Energy Strategy and Innovation One of the focus areas of Saudi Aramco’s strategy to meet the rising demands for energy is to reinforce its position in oil and gas exploration and production.
• Electricity as a Revolutionary Innovation This essay will use the logical appeal method to illustrate the status of the use of electricity as an innovation that has had the largest impact on humanity.
• Innovation and Technology in the Construction Industry Construction innovations continue to increase rapidly. Most innovations focus on automation.
• Technological Innovation Effect on Urbanization By the 20th century, as large-scale industrial production became effective, the idea of urbanization appeared, leading to the further growth of the world’s leading cities. As such, the idea of urbanization is the cornerstone of […]
• Types and Patterns of Innovation As such, knowledge of the patterns for the creation and adoption of new ideas is essential for both company managers and researchers.
• Technological Innovation College: IT Internship Report The College of Technological Innovation at the University offers highly sophisticated Computer Service Desk and the network system that serve the entire institution. It has state-of-the-art equipment meant to promote research in the IT sector […]
• Procter & Gamble Company: Collaboration and Innovation What is the relationship of collaboration and innovation to that business strategy? The main benefit of this tool is that it involves a greater number of workers in the development of a product.
• Kodak: Evaluation of the Innovation The company had disrupted the camera market by introducing the digital camera but it could not determine what to do with the new product.
• Innovation, creativity and design In addition, design acts as the plan to be used in the process of developing a product or service. In other words, innovation is a brilliant new concept while design refers to the structure of […]
• Innovation Of The Workplace For such a setting as the Sprint Store, the labour intensity should equate to the product of hours worked by every employee and the share of the employment within the group setting.
• Disruptive Innovations: Self-Driving Vehicle Technology With the enactment of these regulations, it is extrapolated that by the 2040s to 2060s, these automobiles will have significantly replaced human-driven cars on roads.
• Technology and Innovation: Western Civilization History The people living in the Western world were stuck in the innovation and technology that was available in the Medieval Age.
• An Innovation of Solar Charged Laptops In addition, the general plan of the competitor in a bid to control the market is a vital toolkit which this company can use to estimate the competitive edge of the market.
• Samsung: Innovation in Organizations The stress on innovation and generation of new ideas for the sake of development of new and futuristic products that are called the “wow products” became the insignia for the new strategy that Yun had […]
• Education in the 21st Century: Key Innovations The source will be helpful in the American education of the 21st century as it evaluates the creative teaching methods of the system.
• Future Innovations and Their Role in People’s Life For instance, laptops and smartphones that allow people to make video calls to their friends and family on a different continents altered the conventional realization of space and time.
• Gordon Lankton’s Innovation Management at Nypro Company He worried that a stagnation of growth might be disastrous to the company as this would cause the most entrepreneurial and best employees to leave the company.
• Diffusion Innovation Theory and People Categories In the social system, the first category is the innovators. They make part of the social system that is difficult to adopt the new innovation.
• Dubai Airports Company’s Innovation Strategies The details of the initiative were presented to the public in 2014 as Dubai Airports Company revealed the plan of investing $32 billion in introducing the innovations and expanding the structure of Dubai World Central […]
• Procter & Gamble Company: Entrepreneurship and Innovation The three main dimensions of entrepreneurship include: Innovativeness, or the tendency of an organization to engage in and encourage novel ideas, experimentation and creative processes, thus departing from traditional norms in favor of new practices […]
• The Theories of Innovation and Change Process The first part is the consideration of the signals of change, the second part is the analysis of the competitive battles, and the third part is the applying to the strategic choices.
• Coles Supermarkets: Innovation Through E-Tailing Therefore, this report suggests the introduction of Asian foods in Coles’ retail portfolio, and sale of the commodities through the internet or physical stores.
• Some of the most significant innovations of the 20th Century The computer It is impossible for the human race to think of the world in the absence of computers. The airplane The significance of the airplane in the 20th century can be equated to the […]
• Mobile Banking Innovation In the mobile industry, mobile banking is one of the recent innovations that have influenced the operations of the telephone/mobile phone industry positively.
• Technological Innovation in the Private and Public Sectors of the UAE In the context of the study of the influence of the private and public sectors and technological innovations in them, the countries of the Middle East and North Africa region are of particular interest.
• Plastic Manufacturing Process and Innovations In the context of the explored topic, the technological process of plastic productions should be discussed to enhance the explanation of how human activities influence the environment.
• Google Glass Innovation’s Strengths and Weaknesses These are some of the main advantages that this device can offer. In particular, they should focus on the development of software that can maximize the benefits of this wearable computer.
• Wal-Mart’s Innovative Operations & Strategies According to EDF, the aim of the company is to realize an improvement of the overall sustainability of the products produced by the company.
• Managing Product and Service Innovation for Kodak The first camera to consumers was handed to a customer in 1888 with the slogan ‘You press the button, we do the rest’. The user of the camera would reload the camera without the necessity […]
• Service Management of Innovation Tourism Industry Innovation taking place in tourism industry is resulting into new ideas, services, and products to the marketplace and as part of overall changes taking place in the industry, innovation in the industry is leading to […]
• The Digital Transformation and Innovation Nexus The practical orientation of the study ensures its applicability in the current economic environment characterized by the increasing complexity of the organizational landscape.
• Innovation Management vs. Entrepreneurship The example depicts the process of innovation management and the role that entrepreneurship plays in it. Any company that wants to push the boundaries of what is possible should be interested in nurturing and retaining […]
• Innovations of Society: Car Innovations The current innovations in cars have influenced the market trends and growth of the industry thus contributing to the growth and development of the economies.
• Innovations in the Engineering Consultancy Sphere In particular, the Beca’s company has launched the program called the Beca Innovation Awards for encouraging the working staff to use more innovative approaches for effective working that, in its turn, would augment the value […]
• Mercedes Benz: The Transition to a Continuous Innovation Process The main business model of Mercedes Benz is innovation, which is in the basics of science and practice of general management.
• Apple Inc.’s Innovation Focus Strategy: Pros & Cons One of the recommendations is the focus of the company on the innovative solutions. Table 1 presents pros and cons of implementing the proposed recommendation.
• Knowledge and Innovation in Business The two views of knowledge were summarised by Cook and Brown, who described the first type as ‘knowledge as a possession’ and the second one as ‘knowledge as practice’.
• Innovation, Value Creation and Sustainability In order to be value-creating, the firm must produce artifacts or provide services that satisfy a particular set of human needs.
• Airbnb Business: Radical Service Innovation Classifying the innovation in terms of Product/Service/Process, it is possible to pinpoint that Airbnb business is primarily based on service innovation.
• Apple’s, Samsung’s, IBM’s, Tesla’s Innovation and Creativity Apple is the best-known example of innovation and creativity in the world. Samsung is another modern company that is famous for the promotion of creativity and innovations.
• Amazon’s Innovation Using Information Technology The foundation of the company’s business model is innovative marketing based on media products because of the ability to reach potentially higher numbers of customers in different corners of the globe.
• Innovation Management Plan: Amazon Company It is explained by the fact that the organisation provides the most convenient way to deliver goods, a moderate price, all the necessary information, and a wide variety of options as a result, it has […]
• Emirates Airline’s Differentiation and Innovation The global airline industry is highly competitive and this company is always under pressure to deliver superior services to manage the rivalry in the market.
• STAR Insole Innovation: Business Plan As the demand for customised insoles continues rising, most of the insoles available meet the general needs of the consumers. That is why we propose the development of Insoles, which warm the feet based on […]
• Vienna as a Smart City and Its Innovations A “smart city” is an excellent type of city to support innovation because it is organized around the idea to be self-sustainable with the use of information and communication technologies and multiple other innovative means […]
• Culture and Innovation in Organizations As Sims notes, the challenge is to build an organizational culture where members oppose the temptation to act in ethical manners that promote interests at the cost of the firm or promote the interest of […]
• Innovation Management in Honda The problem arose from the failure of a follow up market plan to raise necessary awareness for the products to be well received in the market and also the release of the prius which was […]
• Innovations: Planned and Unplanned In other cases, the unplanned innovations actually lead to planned innovations since after an individual comes up with an idea, the organization may desire to perform systematic checks of the relevance of the innovation and […]
• Managing Innovation at Nypro, Inc. Nypro Inc.is a plastic injection molding company which was established in 1955 as Nypro products cooperation and the performance of the company was average, similar to other companies in the plastic injection molding industry.
• Canadian National Railway Co.: The Challenge and Fun of Innovation Despite the fact that at present, Canadian National Railway is at the top of the list of the most successful companies in Canada, it is most likely to face a number of challenges in terms […]
• Domino’s Pizza Inc.’s Strategy of Innovation and Technology As such, Domino’s took account of the technological segment of the general business environment to ensure that it expands its market share.
• Science and Innovation in Different Societies Firstly, it is critical to study the importance of science and innovation because the fields high influence the life of people by making it more convenient such as the usage of elevators.
• Innovation Role in the UAE Economy The proximate reasons were the need to conquer the world through colonialism that made it necessary for them to use their military and economic power to influence cultural and political structure of other countries around […]
• Music Special Innovation for the Physical Exercise This implies that there is the need for particular types of music to guarantee the feeling and the motivation to exercise.
• Assessment of Innovation in Organisations Assumptions In the analysis, it is assumed that the approaches followed by Google China in the development of its modernisation reflect the policies of Google Company, since it is one of its constituent companies.
• Leading Innovation and Change Management The correct choice of the methods for implementing of the innovation and change is the half of success. To understand the strategic position of the company, it is important to check the environment, purpose, culture […]
• 3D Printers: Innovative Tools or Threat to Business? 3D printers are an innovative creation, but they threaten the same innovation that led to their existence by replacing an entire system of production, which is what industrialization is based on.
• Innovations on Energy and Water Co-Benefits In addition, the number of harmful emissions that are harmful to both people and the planet will be significantly reduced. The introduction of social innovations is to develop strategies that will solve social problems.
• The Contemporary Role of Social Innovation However, no less important are the tendencies of social development, innovations in which contribute not only to the development of business but likewise, first of all, to stabilization and improvement of the quality of society’s […]
• Revitalizing Detroit: A Vision for Innovation, Community, and Growth That is why it is irrational to free up the space and give it to nature, which refers to Option A. On the other hand, a suitable option is to invest in innovations and sustainability.
• Capability: Business Model Innovation in Mergers It is an architecture of deliverables that links the business to the technology system and provides the basis for enterprise evolution.
• Enterprise and Innovation: McDonald’s Company Information Combining the selling point of the main brand tasty and fast delivery of food for the family with healthy points of the MC Light would make it one of the key players on the market.
• Leadership and Innovations: Article Review This allowed Apple to create a culture of innovation, openness, and achievement, unlocking the potential of employees looking for ways to improve the product.
• Disruptive Innovation: Comparative Advantage In summary, the greatest risk is that if the company commits to disruptive innovation, its customers might prefer the products of the organization’s rivals that provide sustaining innovations.
• The Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program The policy reflects social control, ensuring that members of society are compliant and follow the rules to ensure community safety and sustainability.
• The Debenhams Firm’s Innovation Strategy Debenhams was founded in 1813, and based on the fundamentals of share prices, it has now reached the phase of “Decline,” and it is at the absolute end of its lifetime.
• Explaining Business Model Innovation Processes In order to solve the significant issues that affect the economic growth of the country, a company such as Winn-Dixie should introduce its organizational methods and begin operating in the most urbanized areas of the […]
• Diffusion of Innovation as Exemplified by Bitcoin This paper will give an example of a company officially registered as “Satoshi Nakamoto,” which created and implemented one of the first and most popular cryptocurrencies – Bitcoin.
• Advocating for Research and Innovation While Protecting the Public Public health professionals, including researchers, health managers, and educators, should ensure that all guidelines concerning the health and safety of persons participating in research trials are observed. Past trials indicate the areas that need to […]
• Google’s Culture: Innovation, User-Centric Marketing, Sustainability The company ensures that employees love their work and want to do it, and that is what will bring the company success.
• The Home Depot’s Journey Towards Innovation and Effective Change Leadership The central factor that leaders should consider is the reaction of their employees to the planned modernization, as resistance in the form of active protest or passive sabotage can significantly undermine the management efforts.
• Technological Innovations in Healthcare First of all, it is necessary to note the technology of maintaining medical records used to control the history of diseases and treat the patient. This ensured timely and most effective diagnosis, which led to […]
• Commercialization and Innovation Best Practices An example of this is the University of Amsterdam, which, in the middle of the 1990s, decided to sell the science park to the Zernicke group, which was investing in international innovation.
• Innovations and Culture of British Football Consisting of some of the best clubs and with a significant number of fans, this football league is an example of sport as entertainment.
• Fractures Prevention Innovation and Its Translation For this reason, it is more appropriate to discuss the application of translation science theory using one example of complications, namely the high risk of fractures in people living with diabetes.
• Proctor & Gamble: Open Innovation Model According to BaSic, the open innovation model is developed in the direction of innovation networks, innovation entrepreneurship, innovation cooperation and partnership, innovation ecosystems, and clusters, which are at the center of human capital innovation progress.
• Impact of Innovation on Business and Social Spaces To begin with, the competition in the market is strongly related to innovation in the companies. Teamwork is essential for the company to create an outstanding strategy and remain flourishing in the market.
• The Innovation Process: Successes and Failures The success of innovation depends on many factors, but most of all on understanding: “To truly manifest innovation, you must realize that innovation is three different things: innovation is a result, innovation is a process, […]
• Under Armour’s Approach to Change and Innovation By involving clients in a sequence of mockups to gain knowledge, experiment, and modify ideas, design thinking would reduce the confusion and threat of innovation. That is how UA was not afraid of innovativeness and […]
• The Public Sector Innovations and Changes Innovations in the public sector can have a significant role in the life of society. More accurate targeting of user needs is also becoming a significant contribution to innovation in the public sector.
• Congestive Heart Failure Treatment Innovations The relevance of the problem of this disease for health care is conditioned by the prevalence of pathology and the high economic costs of its treatment.
• Small-Group Communication: Innovation in Aging A small group is essentially an assemblage of two or more individuals that communicate while engaging in certain events or an interconnected aim and can exercise correlation amongst each other. Every team member can acquire […]
• Transformational Leadership Benefits Innovation The characteristics of transformational leadership include intrinsic motivation, transparent and effective communication, cooperation, employee encouragement, an ethical and positive climate, mentoring and coaching, and persuasion. To summarize, transformational leadership is an effective and growth-oriented approach […]
• A Biological Science Innovation Article Analysis The most intriguing aspect of the article “Research that shines light on how cells recover from threats may lead to new insights into Alzheimer’s and ALS” by Brian Andrew Maxwell is that it offers information […]
• Role of Disruptive Innovations for Society The transition to such innovations has allowed us to move away from the usual structure of life and reach a new comfort level.
• Corporate Internal Governance Structure & Innovation Behavior The behavior and efficiency of enterprise technological innovation are essential to the development of enterprises. The behavior and efficiency of enterprise technological innovation are essential to the development of enterprises.
• Personal Business Plan and Development of Innovation For this reason, I want to attain success in various spheres and show others how to do it. That is why I need a structured and clear plan of how to do it.
• Sustainable Innovations and Environmental Certification It is the primary reason for the demand to conduct research to contribute to a more reasonable understanding and implementation of sustainable development.
• Ulta Beauty, Inc.: Methods of Innovation To ensure a prosperous future and transformation of the company, it is vital to combine internal research and development methods of innovation with external methods directed at cooperation with clients and competitors.
• Agrarian Innovation in the Transition From Rural Life to Urban It was along with the increase of resources and the improvement of tools and methods of labor that the first urban settlements began to appear.
• Innovation and Technology Management and Decision Making It is necessary to mention that although the innovation of the production process also includes investing in new technologies, the two directions should not be confused.
• “Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare” and “From Spreading to Embedding Innovation” That is, the narration in the article is free of ill-founded value judgments, and the language corresponds to the article’s subject matter, which is artificial intelligence in healthcare.
• Implementation of Long-Lasting Innovations It goes without saying that innovations are immeasurably significant for the growth and development of any organization, however, it is essential to make the continuous to guarantee the stability of success in the future.
• Disruptive Innovation of Uber and Spotify However, one day I saw Uber in one of the online ads and decided to check what it offers. I was satisfied with the price of the trip and the overall quality of the service.
• Melanoma Treatment and Its Innovations Indeed, innovations in the sphere of melanoma treatment are connected with the use of checkpoint inhibitors and the so-called adjuvant therapy.
• Innovation and Change in Healthcare In particular, it is important to provide people not only with evidence of the existence of the problem and its consequences but also to indicate the overall goal of changes. It is also important to […]
• Rebecca Love: A Promoter of Nurse-Led Innovation It is important to note that while promoting changes and innovations in the healthcare system, Love does not urge nurses to forget existing theoretical concepts.
• Examples of Vital Innovations Vision, being one of the fundamental properties of human perception and understanding of the world, very often requires help in the form of glasses.
• Downtown Innovation District in Brampton, Ontario The government plan to make the District the center for innovation to develop talent in the young people. According to the mayor who pushed for the $21 million allocations, the project is a game-changer, especially […]
• Innovation Technology for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People In conclusion, the device for deaf and hard of hearing people Oticon more is a strong leader in the market of such devices.
• Successful Innovations in Healthcare Settings One of the most critical issues facing healthcare organizations today is the lack of qualified and skilled people to care for the growing number of patients.
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation Barriers in Australia The general objective of the research is to determine the barriers to entrepreneurship and innovation faced by S.M.E.s in Australia. How are the challenges to entrepreneurship and innovation reflected in S.M.E.s in Australia’s industries?
• Innovation and E-mail Rules in Tesla E-mail exchange within the structure of a company allows for the aligned and systematic exchange of information pertaining to operations within an organization.
• Innovation in Construction: Green Technology Innovative solutions for buildings with low energy consumption are actively developed and introduced into modern practice.
• Impact of Ancient Chinese Innovations It is important to note that the growth experienced in China results from the technological advances it has made in the area of science and technology. Since it is ahead of other countries in the […]
• Aspects of Collaborative Innovation Furthermore, a niche business is compatible with the idea of anti-theft bike handles it serves a specific audience that needs their bikes to be safe.
• The Principles of Diffusion Innovation Model The paper examines the manner in which the principles of the diffusion innovation model can be involved in the campaign on STDs among the youth.
• Business Model Innovation in the Hospitality Industry The article’s literature review is relevant to the study, and it allows the reader to understand its relevance and compatibility with previous research.
• Analyzing the Dimension of Innovations The incremental innovations should be introduced faster and contribute to the advancement of current products yearly. Such a strategy is based on increasing people’s loyalty to the brand, which further benefits the organization and contributes […]
• Technology and Innovation: Entrepreneurial Action Research Project It is important to have prior information of the technological demands of the market, and ways to beat the existing ones.
• Innovations in Mobile Communication Devices The advent of mobile communication devices and the Internet brought a paradigm shift in the way that people worked, interacted and lived and changed the speed with which communication was conducted.
• Retina Display: Strategic Marketing and Innovation Retina display is a new brand name by Apple. It has been used in company’s products including the iPad, MacBook Pro, iPod Touch among many other gadgets produced by Apple.
• Henry Cowell: The Genius of Musical Innovations Describing those times in terms of the influence and direction, it is possible to refer to the works of Cowell himself, who also wrote many articles, and “from an early point in his career was […]
• Wesfarmers: Organization Innovation Analysis This paper discusses on how innovation in Coles has been managed in Wesfarmers organization: IT, Animal Rights, and Environment positions.
• Technology and Innovation Management in Organizations As a firm, it would be necessary that new designs of the aquariums are developed, which would facilitate improved fish care system. This would help to manage market competition.
• Organizational Culture and Innovation Implementation Therefore, it is important to create an organizational culture that encourages innovative behavior and creative thinking. To maximize the potential benefits of a creative idea, critical analysis must be an element of an organization’s culture.
• Healthcare Informatics Innovations Analysis Florida is currently participating in various collaboration initiatives intended to improve the level of security when it comes to the use and access of patient data.
• Innovation and Spatial Development: Case of Bucharest
• Disruptive Innovation and Its Effects on the Market
• Social Innovations. Opportunities for Youth
• Innovation in Healthcare: The Central Sterilizing Supply Department
• Innovation at Google: How Does It Generate Its Revenues?
• Technological Innovations: Importance in Manufacturing
• Business: Open Innovation
• COVID-19: Spa Industry and Innovation Opportunities
• Diffusion of Innovations Theory
• The Discipline of Innovation: The Trimming Technique
• Pressure Ulcers Innovation in the Medical Sector
• Project Innovation and Implications in Healthcare
• Diffusion of Innovation and Change: The Many Faces of Social Interactions
• Population Health Driver Diagram: Innovations and Their Use in Nursing
• Clinical Leadership and Innovation
• Energy Trust: Technology and Innovation
• Social Needs: Inventions and Innovations
• Financial Innovation: Risk and Return Theory
• Healthcare Organizations and Innovations: Enhancement of Excellent Service Delivery
• Examining Co-Evolving Policy and Innovation Systems
• Visualizing Innovation During the Covid-19 Pandemics
• Data Blind Spots in Visualizing Innovation in Egypt
• Diffusion of Innovation: Key Aspects
• Disruptive Innovation: Accommodation Businesses
• The Global Innovation Index in Several African States
• The Global Innovation Index: Kenia
• Artistic Planning: Innovation Analysis
• Technology Innovation and the Healthcare Delivery Future
• Four Innovation Strategies Described by Merle Crawford
• Future Innovation in the Energy Industry
• Innovations: Successful Business Performance
• Henry Ford and His Innovations
• Organizational Culture, Innovation, and Performance: A Test of Schein’s Model
• Artificial and Automated: Innovation in Marketing
• US Government and Technological Innovation
• The Phenomena of Open Innovation
• Reflection on the Design and Innovation Course
• Contemporary Education System is Driven by Innovation
• Innovation Effects in the Tourism Industry on the Quality of Elderly Care
• Humanitarian Help and Furniture Innovation Concept
• Innovation and Creativity in Entrepreneurship
• Healthcare: History and Innovations of New Technologies and New Treatment Methods
• Abu Dhabi Police Department Innovations
• Innovation and Creativity in a Complex World
• History of Art: Modernism’s New Industry and Innovation
• Phitone Corp.’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Technology and Innovation-Microsoft and Internet
• Managing Innovation: Creativity, Chaos, Foolishnes
• Curriculum Development and Organizational Innovations
• Innovation and Creativity in the Garment Industry
• Organizational Psychology: Innovation and Creativity
• Television Systems: Innovation and Evolution
• Doctors Without Borders:Resolving Remedy Innovation Gap
• France and Switzerland Innovation Industry Analysis
• Science and Innovation in the Middle Ages
• Cemex Firm’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Open Innovation and Strategy in the UAE
• Innovation in Family Firms: A Guidance for Future Research
• Innovation Idea: Problem With Organization and People’s Self-Discipline
• Entrepreneurial Marketing. SwanLeap’s Innovation & Collaboration
• Innovations and Researches in The USA
• Halal Cosmetic Products: Innovation Management
• Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Smart City
• Frugal Innovation: The Likelihood of Being Disruptive
• Spotify and Tencent QQ: Innovation in the Media Industry
• Huawei: Strategy of Aggressive Innovation
• Technology Innovation: Security of Payments
• Zensar Company’s Innovation & Change Management
• “Breaking Out of the Innovation Box” by J. Wolpert
• Chinese Space Program: Innovation and Value of the Proposed Experiments
• The Importance of Regulation in Financial Innovation
• Dynamic Innovation in Outsourcing Theories
• Organizational Culture, Innovation, and Performance
• Opportunities for Getting Funds for Innovations
• “Digital Innovation” by Deloitte Insights
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Corporate Context
• Healthcare Technology: Groundbreaking Innovations
• Etisalat: Change as an Innovation
• Product-Marketing Innovation, Roles and Skillsets
• Grundfos: Harnessing Creativity and Innovation
• Florence Nightingale’s Innovation in Nursing Field
• PricewaterhouseCoopers Company’s Innovation
• American Democratic Political Model as an Innovation
• Procter and Gamble Company’s Innovation Strategies
• United Arab Emirates’ Innovation for People
• UAE Education, Transportation, Health Innovations
• Innovation, Leadership and Knowledge Management
• Effective Innovation Architecture in Organizations
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Innovation Model
• Innovation in the Arab World
• “Principles of Innovation and Measuring Success” by Clay Christensen
• Product and Service Innovation: Thank-You Card Service
• The Role of Innovations
• GlaxoSmithKline: The Management of Innovation
• Innovation and Diversity: Making Co-Existence Productive
• Augmented Reality and Innovations in Education
• Technology Company’s Innovation and Funding
• Cultivating Innovation at IKEA Company
• “Post Crisis Innovation Will Rule” by Mary Sullivan
• Marketing Innovation and Creativity in Service Firms
• Innovation in Organic Textile Producing
• Strategic Capabilities, Innovation and Performance of Service Firms
• Dramatic Elements and Innovations in Theater History
• Innovation Management in Healthcare Organisations
• Big Companies’ Challenges in Trying to Promote Innovation
• US Army Air Corps’ Innovation During Interwar Period
• “Innovation Management” by Harrington and Voehl
• Creativity and Innovation Mobilization in Business
• Service Strategy and Innovation Alignment: Study Critique
• Diagnosing Innovation Readiness in Family Firms
• “What’s Your Best Innovation Bet?” by Schilling
• Social Sector as Beta Site for Business Innovation
• Open Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
• Uber Company: Innovation in Society
• “Imitation and Innovation” Book by Eleanor Westney
• Managing Innovation in Healthcare Organizations
• Disruptive Innovation in the Current Classroom
• The Right Balance between Open and Closed Innovation by Enkel
• Intuit Company Among Innovation Catalysts
• Disruptive Innovation and Non-Consumption
• Innovation in the UAE Border Control Industry
• Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s Tech Innovations
• Industry 4.0: Technical and Social Innovation Interplay
• Innovation in Organizational Culture and Behavior
• Rivalry and Innovation for Company Performance
• Paperless Passports as a Product Innovation
• GreenIt Ltd.’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Increasing Innovation and Impact on UAE Tourism
• UAE Family Firms’ Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Technological Innovation in Law Enforcement
• Employee Creativity and Innovation in Organizations
• Innovation Leadership and Creativity in High-Tech
• Leveraging Intellectual Capital in Innovation Networks
• Siemens Company: Innovation and Leading Positions
• Quality and Timely Innovation: American Products & Services
• Innovation in Textiles: New Fabric
• The Impact of Social Media on Co‐Creation of Innovation
• Science and Innovation in Saudi Arabia Society
• Learning and Innovation Skills and Student Assessment
• Ford Company’s Innovation for Better Competition
• Nintendo Game Innovation: Wii’s Principles
• Dubai’s Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
• Entrepreneurial Innovation in American Schoolhouse
• Fronterra Company’s Innovation Requirements
• Leading Innovation vs Leading Teams
• Uber Company’s Disruptive Innovation Business Model
• Disruptive Healthcare Innovations: Asynchronous Telepsychiatry
• Saudi Aramco Company’s Engineering Innovation and Ethics
• Education for Innovation and Independent Learning
• Innovation Importance in Company’s Competitive Advantage
• Alphacorp’s Innovation in Outsourcing Relationship
• Australian Green Building Innovation and Ethics
• Low Carbon Indigenous Innovation in China
• Why Innovation Is so Hard for Leaders?
• Genzyme’s Orphan Drugs and Innovation Management
• J.C. Penney’s Management Style and Innovation
• Sustainable Leadership and Innovation in Maritime Industry (DP World)
• Dixons Carphone Company’s Innovation
• Logistics Planning and Transportation Innovations
• Bond Innovation and Its Rationale
• Radical or Disruptive and Incremental Innovation
• Leadership for Creativity and Innovation
• Campbell Soup Company: Collaborative Innovation
• US and Brazilian Healthcare Innovation and Policy
• PlayStation Product: Innovation Analysis
• Silicon Valley’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Unilever’s Product Development: Collaborative Innovation
• Innovation Development in Dubai Schools
• Principles of Innovation and Measuring Success
• The Eustachian Tube Disease and Innovation Treatment
• Labor Relation: Application of Innovation
• National Bank of Abu Dhabi Innovation
• Effective Use of Non-Incremental Innovations
• Diffusion of Innovations Theory in Education
• Apple Inc.’s Innovation: Search, Select, Implement
• IBM Innovation: Search, Select, Implement, Capture
• Successful Advertising and Innovation in Companies
• Company Innovation Shift to Experience Environments
• Performance Index and Quality Management Innovation
• Tesco Group’s Culture and Innovation
• The International Foods Group’s Innovation Plan
• Dubai Support of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• National Response Corporation’s Creativity and Innovation
• The Internet as a Information Systems Innovation
• Innovations at the Roads and Transport Authority
• DP World’s Success, Innovation and Growth
• Innovation Maturity Models Comparison
• Innovation Maturity Models Concept
• Online Learning and Innovations in Pedagogy
• Dubai Customs and Innovation Management Maturity Model
• The Big-data Technologies: Value and Innovation
• Apple Company’s Design Thinking and Innovation
• Organizational Transformation and Promotion of Innovation
• Riordan Manufacturing’s Innovation Drivers
• Canadian Innovation Strategy and Policymaking
• Open and Closed Innovation: The Right Balance
• Android Platform and Diffusion of Innovations
• Darden Restaurants’ Innovation Strategy
• Google’s Innovation and Recruitment Management
• Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Policy
• Kinsmen Sports Centre: Marketing Metrics Innovation
• Spurring Socially Beneficial Pharmaceutical Innovation in Canada
• National System of Innovation’ Contributions
• Innovation in Global World
• Promoting Innovations in the Workplace
• Innovation Life Cycle: S-curve Technology
• Global Population Innovation and Sustainability
• Tradition and Innovation in the Academic Cognition World
• Predicting Future Innovations in the Techno World
• Environmental Issues of Energy Innovations
• Cloud Storage: Modern Trends and Innovations
• Innovation, Revolution and Global Crisis
• Innovation Management in a B2B Context
• Apple Company: Led by the Power of Innovation
• Intelligence Technologies: Helpful Innovations or Threats
• Business Creativity and Innovation
• Management Issues: Business Innovation Decisions
• Innovation and Creativity in Organizations
• The Impact of Marketing Innovation and Creativity on Service Firms
• Innovation in Brazil: Organizations and Institutions
• Mapping the Innovation Process: Air New Zealand
• Mapping the Innovation Process at Etihad Airways
• Innovation in Various Companies
• Innovation Pessimism: Has the Ideas Machine Broken Down?
• Technological Innovations for New Methods of Production
• Innovation of Diffusion on ‘Eco-Friendly Bags
• ”Good Planning Is the Key to Learning and Innovation in Organization”
• Innovation and Creativity Cannot Be Developed in an Organization
• Innovations in the Cell Phone Industry and Sustainability
• Generic Toolkit for Implementing a Web-Based Product Innovation Strategy for Zara Fashion Retailer
• Managing Innovations and Entrepreneurship
• Value Innovation Strategy
• DPI Strategy Implementation in the Present-Day Environment: Disruptive Innovation Saves the Day
• Managing Innovation for Business
• Importance of Open Innovation in Firm Development
• Maintenance Management Systems Innovation
• Innovation at Philips Lighting
• Technology Innovation: The Theft Prevention Chip Enterprise
• Collaboration Technology and Innovation
• How Can Innovations Sustain Brands?
• Product Innovation and Management
• Change Management and Innovation Promotion
• Saudi Aramco Organisational Innovation
• Innovation in Business Development
• Nypro Inc’s Innovation Model
• Marketing Design and Innovation: Smart TV’s
• Innovations in Healthcare Service Delivery
• Business Management and Social Innovation
• Business Strategies to Ensure Innovation
• LLB Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The United Arab Emirates
• Culture and Innovation in the Palladium Group
• Exploitation of Innovation Within an Organization
• Managing projects for innovation and enterprises
• A Process for Practicing Design Innovation
• Product Innovation in Business Organizations
• Radical Innovation Barriers
• SONY’s Eco Innovation for Televisions: A Memo
• The Importance of Innovation in International Business
• How to Measure Innovation: DUBAL Company
• Master Blenders: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management
• U.S. Auto Industry: Innovation and Profitability
• Event Industry: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Innovation Enterprise and Winning the Bid – Business Plan
• How innovation happens: The ferment of finance
• Entrepreneurship, Innovation in Dynamic Business World
• Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Dynamic Capitalism
• Product and Service Design and Innovation from the Marketing
• ”The Role of Innovation in Achieving Competitive Advantage”
• How innovation add value to hotels
• Reflective Thinking: The Power of Innovations. Using Brand New Ideas
• Effective Leadership and Innovation
• Culturally Bound Innovation in Romanian Clinic and Research Hospital
• Leadership and Innovation in the Business
• Organizational Development: Motivation, Communication, and Innovation
• Wrigley’s Innovation in China’s Confectionary Market
• Innovation in the Service Industry
• Irizar’s Knowledge Management
• Innovation, Change and Leadership
• Market Orientation, Product Innovation and Market Performance: the Case of Small Independent Companies
• Importance of Innovations in Operations Management
• The Innovator’s Dilemma: Open Innovation or Discontinuous Innovation
• Innovation and Its Impacts on the Financial Performance of Businesses
• Business Innovation and Strategy
• The Community Employment Innovation Project (CEIP)
• CarMax: Sales Revolution Through Innovation
• Innovation Planning and Design Process
• What New Media Will Look Like in 2023: A Time Travel Into the Era When Innovations Clash With Ownership Issues
• Sustained Incremental Innovation
• Technological Innovations in Mining and Metallurgy and Textile Manufacturing Industries in Medieval Europe
• Rexona Product Innovation
• Team Work and Product Innovation
• Bureaucracy is the Best Way to Deliver Change and Innovation in an Organization
• Innovation and New Products
• Article Summary: “Growth: The great innovation debate”
• Managing Quality, Innovation and Knowledge
• The Use of Modern Innovations in the Production of Commodities
• Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation
• Innovation for Global Relationships Management
• Managing Change and Innovation in Worley Parson
• Globalisation, Innovation, and Change
• Diffusion of innovation
• Discussion about diffusion of innovation
• Innovation: Instagram (App)
• Wireless Technologies on Their Way: The Essence of Innovations
• Pharmaceutical Innovation: Can We Live Forever? A Commentary on Schnittker and Karandins
• Innovation and Change in Business
• Management Change and Innovation
• Change and Innovation at the Coca-Cola Company
• Organizational Change Management: Culture, Development and Innovation
• “Growth and Innovation” by Canadian Business Network
• IT Innovation and Its Impact on Business
• How Characteristics of Innovation Affect Success of a Product
• Improvement, Integration and Innovation
• Challenges of Innovation Activities in Hotels to Increase Business
• Blue Ocean Simulation: Innovation in New and Existing Firms
• Strategic Innovation and Technology Management
• Compare Japanese and USA National Innovation systems
• Innovation and Creativity in Marketing frozen vegetable
• Managing Innovation
• National innovation system in Germany last 20 years
• How innovation leads to economic development
• Change, Creativity, and Innovation
• Innovation and Control in IT Companies
• Nokia Company Innovation and Change Management
• Machiavelli and a Notion of Virtue as an Innovation
• Healthcare Innovation: Ground Source Heating & Cooling Equipment
• Initiating Innovations: Bill Gates and Benjamin Franklin
• Product Innovation and Pricing
• Facebook: Change and Innovation
• Innovation around the Globe
• Keeping in Pace With the Innovations: Lifelong Learning of the Material Science and Engineering Development
• Networking, Collaboration, Leveraging Innovation and Your Profession as a Field of Service to Community
• Cultural Innovations: An Archaeological Examination of Prehistoric Economics, Agriculture and Family Life
• Playing with Fire: Financial Innovations during the Crisis
• How Does Implicit Knowledge Transfer Influence Innovation Speed?
• How Does Knowledge Management Influence Innovation and Competitiveness?
• How Does Tight Control Stifle Creativity Innovation?
• Does Culture Drive Innovation and Export Quality?
• Can Business Development Services Practitioners Learn From Theories on Innovation and Services Marketing?
• Can Human Innovation Greatly Minimize the Impact of Earthquakes?
• How Does the Entrepreneurship Education Influence the Students’ Innovation?
• Can Companies Maintain Their Initial Innovation Thrust?
• Are Product Innovation and Flexible Technology Complements?
• How Does Service Innovation Influence the Performance of a Company?
• Does Combinatorial Knowledge Lead to Better Innovation Performance of Firms?
• Does Competition Spur Innovation?
• Does Deregulation Drive Innovation Intensity?
• Can Financial Innovation Succeed by Catering to Behavioral Preferences?
• Can Innovation Help U.S. Manufacturing Firms Escape Import Competition From China?
• Can Environmental Innovation Facilitate Carbon Emissions Reduction?
• How Does Timing and Positioning Affect Innovation?
• How Does Innovation Affect Worker Well-Being?
• Can Formal Innovation Training Improve Group- And Organizational-Level Innovativeness?
• How Does Openness Affect the Importance of Incentives for Innovation?
• How Does the State Destroy Incentives in Innovation Financing?
• Does Democracy Cause Innovation?
• How Does the Global Network of Research Collaboration Affect the Quality of Innovation?
• Are Organizational Innovation Practices Complements or Substitutes for Technological Innovation Performance?
• Are Regulation and Innovation Priorities Serving Public Health Needs?
• Are There Learning Agents in Innovative Firms?
• How Does Innovation Operate as a Knowledge Creation and Transfer Process?
• Does Cultural Diversity Help Innovation in Cities?
• Can Financial Innovation Help to Explain the Reduced Volatility of Economic Activity?
• Are Trade Marks and Patents Complementary or Substitute Protections for Innovation?
• Interpretation Research Topics
• Scientist Paper Topics
• Consciousness Ideas
• Competitive Strategy Research Ideas
• Consumer Protection Questions
• Fashion Design Topics
• Cryptocurrency Essay Ideas
• Genetics Research Ideas
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 25). 544 Innovation Essay Topics & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/innovation-essay-topics/

"544 Innovation Essay Topics & Examples." IvyPanda , 25 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/innovation-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '544 Innovation Essay Topics & Examples'. 25 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "544 Innovation Essay Topics & Examples." February 25, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/innovation-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "544 Innovation Essay Topics & Examples." February 25, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/innovation-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "544 Innovation Essay Topics & Examples." February 25, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/innovation-essay-topics/.

• Entertainment
• Environment
• Information Science and Technology
• Social Issues

Home Essay Samples Science

Essay Samples on Invention

Significance of black inventions that changed the world.

Introduction Many people have heard about famous inventions, such as the lightbulb, the steam engine, and the iPhone. The list is, in fact, endless and impressive. However, although we use many products and inventions in our lives, we don't give thought to who made it...

• African American History

Radio: History Review of Creating and First Usage

A radio is a machine that is producing or receiving inaudible waves, and that transforms it into a sound that human beings can understand. The range of the band is from 87.5 to 108 MHz. It is intended to be received directly by the public...

Bicycle Made of Plastic Waste Review

Our team had the idea of creating a bicycle that is made out of plastic wastes and also include a built-in energy pack that is removable so that it can act as a power bank to charge any electrical appliances such as mobile phones. By...

Scientific Discovery And Invention: Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention

Hundreds of inventions and discoveries appear every day. Do you think all inventions are intentional? And are discovered after research and experimentation? I don’t think so. A famous quote states: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” That is true to a great extent. However, many...

The Invention Of A Periodic Table

Ever since the first grade, Dmitri Mendeleev has been my hero. When I first saw the periodic table, I was in awe; the colors, the patterns, the symmetric shape—everything mesmerized me. Ever since that moment, the periodic table has defined the way I live. Just...

• Periodic Table

Stressed out with your paper?

Consider using writing assistance:

• 100% unique papers
• 3 hrs deadline option

The Invention Of The Pocket Watch During The Renaissance Period

“The Renaissance was a period in European history, covering the span between the 14th and 17th centuries and marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. The traditional view focuses more on the early modern aspects of the Renaissance and argues that it was...

• Renaissance

Life of Thomas Edison and His Long History of Inventions

Introduction Thomas Alva Edison, most famous American inventor, scientist and businessman in the 20th century, may be one of the world's greatest inventor of all time. He changed our lives from the moment he started innovating, bringing already invented or discovered devices and gadgets into...

• Thomas Edison

The Worldwide Significance of The Wright Brothers’ Invention

In Ohio, in 1905, the very first practical aeroplane was invented by Wilbur and Orville Wright, more famously known as the Wright brothers. What they created would forever change the world. Although many consider the steam engine, the flying shuttle or the spinning jenny to...

• Wright Brothers

The Chronology of the Achievements of Elon Musk

For as long as I can remember I have always been interested in new inventions and machines that improve life and that put a modern twist on basic everyday necessities. When I read the outline for this book report I was enthused and had one...

The Achievements and Legacy of the Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty was very important, the Hans made some very important functional inventions that helped them with their everyday things, some of which we still use today. The Han Dynasty was live from 206 B.C. all the way to 220 A.D. The Han’s territory...

• Han Dynasty

The Wright Brothers in Search of the Perfect Solution to Fly

The Wright Brothers had a big influence on the revolution of America, and to this day their design and research are still affecting the way air and space craft are created. The first brother born was born in 1867 and his name was Wilbur, the...

The Wrights Brothers and the Revolutionary Invention of an Airplane

Throughout history, mankind has been fascinated with the concept of flight. It was not until the turn of the 20th Century that the dream of flying among the birds became a reality. On December 17, 1905, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew on the first flying...

History of The Birth of Typography in Germany

The development of modern typography started in Germany with the printing of the Gutenberg Bible by Johann Gutenberg in 1455. Gutenberg successfully brought together existing technologies and slightly tweaked them to print the first major Western book using moveable metal type with a press. Gutenberg...

A Glimpse of Typography History: Aldus Manutius, the Inventor of Modern Book Typography

Aldus Manutius creator of Aldine Press had many beautiful works. The book I am taking a page from to write about is The Hypnerotomachi. A book set in 1467 is categorized in the romance genre. This book has many groundbreaking and new for the time...

Gottfried von Wilhelm Leibniz and Invention of Calculus

Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz was born on July 1, 1646 in Leipzig, Germany. He is best recognized for being one of the founding fathers of calculus, along with Sir Isaac Newton. His nickname is the last “Universal Genius” because his work spanned across many areas...

The Development of Calculus and My Routinary Activities Connected with Calculus

Calculus - A subject that has amassed over different concepts, theorems, and the like. Its complex structure is that of a key figure in the world of mathematics. As far as history goes, the invention of calculus was a great advancement; a marvelous achievement to be added to...

• Mathematical Models

Thomas Edison as the Greatest Innovator of the Time

I will be informing you about a man who change how the human race lives today and is the reason why how the people today are surrounded by so much technology. This remarkable man with such great intelligence was Thomas Edison. Thomas edison was a...

• William Shakespeare

Inventing Solutions of Thomas Edison and Tesla

Invention is something that was never done before, or the creation process that was never done before. While a solution is a way to solve a problem or deal with a difficult situation. Solution is an answer to a problem. Inventing solutions is the act...

Change of the Visualisation of the World by Thomas Edison

Abstract In this assignment, I talk about one of the nation’s most honored men. He is a great inventor and businessman, Thomas Alva Edison from America. He is famous with their great inventions and have a long-lasting impact on Automotive Industry and on the modern...

Life of Archimedes and His Mysterious Inventions

Contributions When Archimedes returned home, the king was faced with a problem because he didn’t know how to empty water from the hull of a ship, so he recurred to Archimedes. According to the article Archimedes of Syracuse, “Archimedes' solution was to create a machine...

Quantum Mechanics: Laser One of the Greatest Inventions

Scientist Max Planck proposed the similarities between energy and the frequency of radiation in 1990, he discovered that energy can be able to emit or absorb individual chucks of quanta. In 1917 it was discovered that light has the ability to emit and absorb individual...

• Albert Einstein
• Quantum Mechanics

Great Discoveries Of Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton was a mathematician and astronomer from the 17th century. His work and inventions dedicated a lot to the math and science that we use today. Let’s start from the beginning. Sir Isaac Newton was born on January 4th, 1643 in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire,...

• Isaac Newton

How and What is Made 3D Printing

3D printing also known as additive manufacturing is an old technology that has been referred to as a group of technologies that build physical objects directly from 3D-CAD data file [125].In contrast to subtractive manufacturing technologies (such as milling or machining, cutting, lathing, turning, etc.),...

• 3D Printing
• Graphic Design

3D Printing Revolution In the World of Producing

Abstract 3D printing has been a revolution within the world of producing that has modified the manner a product is intended and made. it's led to a seismal amendment within the methodology of producing, whereby the merchandise is made layer-by-layer to the ultimate kind. This...

Benjamin Frankiln's Recollection of Life in The Autobiography

In Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, aptly titled The Autobiography, he recounts many important experiences from throughout his life that shaped him into the great American figure he would be remembered as. On the opening page, Franklin reveals that he wrote the book as if writing a...

• Benjamin Franklin
• Engineering

Benjamin Franklin as a Key Figure in Science and Innovation

Benjamin Franklin is broadly acknowledged as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and is given credit for the assistance in building the foundation of our nation. Although people only know of some of the careers he pursued, he had many others that...

Prof. Harmon Northrop Morse: An Inventor Of Paracetamol

Have you ever had any experience in catching a fever? You may have felt extremely tired and couldn’t stop yourself from running nose or helplessly coughing. Unfortunately, most of us, once in our life, had to face with it. In fact, the health issue is...

• Public Health

University Of The Future With Use Of Technology in Education

In previous centuries, education was considered a difficulty since the means were lacking. Gradually, the development began from wood plates to paper to typing machines until we reached the computer. Then education began to develop at a record speed. For example, before 2000 there was...

• Technology in Education

Bicycle and Modern Industrial Methods

A bicycle, often called a bike (and sometimes referred to as a “pushbike”, “pedal bike”, “pedal cycle”,or “cycle”), is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A bicycle rider is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bicycles...

Lights, Camera, Action: How Movies Were Invented

Merriam Webster defines film as a series of pictures projected on a screen in rapid succession with objects shown in successive positions slightly changed so as to produce the optical effect of a continuous picture in which the objects move. Maybe that the technical version...

• Film Editing

Modeling Of Electro Elastic Materials Using Implicit Theories

This proposal develops a mathematical model for various electro-active materials using implicit constitutive theories and solve some boundary value problems for different practical cases. There are some materials such as quartz, PZT etc. which react to electric fields by showing deformation and electric field which...

• Modern Technology

What Is Biotelemetry? How Can It Be Used In Marine Biology Today?

Biotelemetry can be described as the tracking of biological organisms by using electronic or satellite tags that send the data via radio waves in the atmosphere. There are a wide range of devices used in biotelemetry. These include devices that can record environmental conditions such...

Assessment Of The Creative Innovation: Prescription In A Locker Box (Pilbox)

The Pilbox was launched by Marine Parade Polyclinic on May 2016 which has now been extended to Bedok and Punggol Polyclinics too. It is an innovative product that has helped many people save their time by beating the queue at the Polyclinic pharmacy. To use...

Best topics on Invention

1. Significance of Black Inventions That Changed the World

2. Radio: History Review of Creating and First Usage

3. Bicycle Made of Plastic Waste Review

4. Scientific Discovery And Invention: Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention

5. The Invention Of A Periodic Table

6. The Invention Of The Pocket Watch During The Renaissance Period

7. Life of Thomas Edison and His Long History of Inventions

8. The Worldwide Significance of The Wright Brothers’ Invention

9. The Chronology of the Achievements of Elon Musk

10. The Achievements and Legacy of the Han Dynasty

11. The Wright Brothers in Search of the Perfect Solution to Fly

12. The Wrights Brothers and the Revolutionary Invention of an Airplane

13. History of The Birth of Typography in Germany

14. A Glimpse of Typography History: Aldus Manutius, the Inventor of Modern Book Typography

15. Gottfried von Wilhelm Leibniz and Invention of Calculus

• Space Exploration
• Art Nouveau

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

11 Innovations That Changed History

By: Evan Andrews

Updated: May 5, 2023 | Original: December 18, 2012

1. The Printing Press

Prior to the rise of the Internet, no innovation did more for the spread and democratization of knowledge than Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press . Developed around 1440 in Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg’s machine improved on already existing presses through the use of a mold that allowed for the rapid production of lead alloy-type pieces. This assembly line method of copying books enabled a single printing press to create as many as 3,600 pages per day. By 1500 over 1,000 Gutenberg presses were operating in Europe, and by 1600 they had created over 200 million new books. The printing press not only made books affordable for the lower classes, but it helped spark the Age of Enlightenment and facilitated the spread of new and often controversial ideas. In 1518 followers of the German monk Martin Luther used the printing press to copy and disseminate his seminal work “ The Ninety-Five Theses ,” which jumpstarted the Protestant Reformation and spurred conflicts like the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48). The printing press proved so influential in prompting revolutions, religious upheaval and scientific thought that Mark Twain would later write, “What the world is today, good and bad, it owes to Gutenberg.”

2. The Compass

Magnetic compasses may have been made somewhat obsolete by satellites and global positioning systems, but their impact on early navigation and exploration was inestimable. Originally invented in China , by the 14th century compasses had widely replaced astronomical means as the primary navigational instrument for mariners. The compass provided explorers with a reliable method for traversing the world’s oceans, a breakthrough that ignited the Age of Discovery and won Europe the wealth and power that later fueled the Industrial Revolution . Most importantly, the compass allowed for interaction—both peaceful and otherwise—between previously isolated world cultures.

3. Paper Currency

Throughout much of human history, money took the form of precious metals, coins and even raw materials like livestock or vegetables. The inception of paper money ushered in a bold new era—a world in which currency could purchase goods and services despite having no intrinsic value. Paper currency was widely used in China in the ninth century, but did not appear in Europe until the late 1600s. Spurred on by frequent shortages of coins, banks issued paper notes as a promise against future payments of precious metals. By the late 19th century many nations had begun issuing government-backed legal tender that could no longer be converted into gold or silver. The switch to paper money not only bailed out struggling governments during times of crisis—as it did for the United States during the Civil War —but it also ushered in a new era of international monetary regulation that changed the face of global economics. Perhaps even more importantly, paper currency was the vital first step in a new monetary system that led to the birth of credit cards and electronic banking.

While early human societies made extensive use of stone, bronze and iron, it was steel that fueled the Industrial Revolution and built modern cities. Evidence of steel tools dates back 4,000 years, but the alloy was not mass-produced until the invention of the Bessemer Process, a technique for creating steel using molten pig iron, in the 1850s. Steel then exploded into one of the biggest industries on the planet and was used in the creation of everything from bridges and railroads to skyscrapers and engines. It proved particularly influential in North America, where massive iron ore deposits helped the United States become one of the world’s biggest economies.

5. The Electric Light

While they are easy to take for granted, all it takes is a short power outage to remind us of the importance of artificial lights. Pioneered in the early 19th century by Humphry Davy and his carbon arc lamp, electric lights developed throughout the 1800s thanks to the efforts of inventors like Warren de la Rue, Joseph Wilson Swan and Thomas Alva Edison . It was Edison and Swan who patented the first long-lasting light bulbs in 1879 and 1880, liberating society from a near-total reliance on daylight. Electric lights went on to be used in everything from home lighting and street lamps to flashlights and car headlights. The complex networks of wires erected to power early light bulbs also helped lead to the first domestic electrical wiring, paving the way for countless other in-home appliances.

6. Domestication of the Horse

Since their domestication some 5,500 years ago, horses have been inextricably tied to human development. They enabled people to travel great distances and gave different cultures the chance to trade and exchange ideas and technology. Equine strength and agility meant that horses could also carry cargo, plow farmland and even clear forests. Perhaps most influential of all, horses changed the nature of war. Nothing was more feared than a horse-drawn chariot or a mounted warrior, and societies that mastered the use of cavalry typically prevailed in battle.

7. Transistors

A criminally under-appreciated innovation, the transistor is an essential component in nearly every modern electronic gadget. First developed in late 1947 by Bell Laboratories, these tiny semiconductor devices allow for precise control of the amount and flow of current through circuit boards. Originally used in radios, transistors have since become an elemental piece of the circuitry in countless electronic devices including televisions, cell phones and computers. The amount of transistors in integrated circuits doubles nearly every two years—a phenomenon known as Moore’s Law—so their remarkable impact on technology will only continue to grow.

8. Magnifying Lenses

Magnifying lenses might seem like an unremarkable invention, but their use has offered mankind a glimpse of everything from distant stars and galaxies to the minute workings of living cells. Lenses first came into use in the 13th century as an aid for the weak-sighted, and the first microscopes and telescopes followed in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Figures like Robert Hook and Anton van Leeuwenhoek would go on to use microscopes in the early observance of cells and other particles, while Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler employed the telescope to chart Earth’s place in the cosmos. These early uses were the first steps in the development of astonishing devices like the electron microscope and the Hubble Space Telescope . Magnifying lenses have since led to new breakthroughs in an abundance of fields including astronomy, biology, archeology, optometry and surgery.

9. The Telegraph

The telegraph was the first in a long line of communications breakthroughs that later included radio, telephones and email. Pioneered by a variety of inventors in the 18th and 19th centuries, the telegraph used Samuel Morse’s famous Morse code to convey messages by intermittently stopping the flow of electricity along communications wires. Telegraph lines multiplied throughout the 1850s, and by 1902 transoceanic cables encircled the globe. The original telegraph and its wireless successors went on to be the first major advancements in worldwide communication. The ability to send messages rapidly across great distances made an indelible impact on government, trade, banking, industry, warfare and news media, and formed the bedrock of the information age.

10. Antibiotics

A giant step forward in the field of medicine, antibiotics saved millions of lives by killing and preventing the growth of harmful bacteria. Scientists like Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister were the first to recognize and attempt to combat bacteria, but it was Alexander Fleming who made the first leap in antibiotics when he accidentally discovered the bacteria-inhibiting mold known as penicillin in 1928. Antibiotics proved to be a major improvement on antiseptics—which killed human cells along with bacteria—and their use spread rapidly throughout the 20th century. Nowhere was their effect more apparent than on the battlefield: While nearly 20 percent of soldiers who contracted bacterial pneumonia died in World War I , with antibiotics—namely Penicillin—that number dropped to only 1 percent during World War II . Antibiotics including penicillin, vancomycin, cephalosporin and streptomycin have gone on to fight nearly every known form of infection, including influenza, malaria, meningitis, tuberculosis and most sexually transmitted diseases.

11. The Steam Engine

Cars, airplanes, factories, trains, spacecraft—none of these transportation methods would have been possible if not for the early breakthrough of the steam engine. The first practical use of external combustion dates back to 1698, when Thomas Savery developed a steam-powered water pump. Steam engines were then perfected in the late 1700s by James Watt, and went on to fuel one of the most momentous technological leaps in human history during the Industrial Revolution . Throughout the 1800s external combustion allowed for exponential improvement in transportation, agriculture and manufacturing, and also powered the rise of world superpowers like Great Britain and the United States. Most important of all, the steam engine’s basic principle of energy-into-motion set the stage for later innovations like internal combustion engines and jet turbines, which prompted the rise of cars and aircraft during the 20th century.

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

20 inventions that changed the world

From the wheel 5,500 years ago to the birth control pill, these 20 inventions had huge ramifications and have helped humans shape the world around us.

2. Printing press

3. penicillin, 5. light bulb, 6. telephone, 7. internal combustion engine, 8. contraceptives, 9. internet, 11. use of fire, 12. concrete, 13. magnifying glass, 14. batteries, 15. marine chronometer, 16. airplane, 17. refrigerator, 18. nuclear energy, 19. vaccines.

Humans are naturally curious and creative, two traits that have led our species to many scientific and technological breakthroughs. Since our earliest ancestors bashed a rock on the ground to make the first sharp-edged tool, humans have continued to innovate. From the debut of the wheel to the launch of Mars rovers, several of these key advancements stand out as especially revolutionary. Some inventions are thanks to one eureka moment, but most of our most pioneering inventions were the work of several innovative thinkers who made incremental improvements over many years. Here, we explore 20 of the most important inventions of all time, along with the science behind the inventions and how they came about.

Before the invention of the wheel in 3500 B.C., humans were severely limited in how much stuff we could transport over land, and how far. The wheel itself wasn't the most difficult part of "inventing the wheel." When it came time to connect a non-moving platform to that rolling cylinder, things got tricky, according to David Anthony, an emeritus professor of anthropology at Hartwick College.

"The stroke of brilliance was the wheel-and-axle concept," Anthony previously told Live Science . "But then making it was also difficult." For instance, the holes at the center of the wheels and the ends of the fixed axles had to be nearly perfectly round and smooth, he said. The size of the axle was also a critical factor, as was its snugness inside the hole (not too tight, but not too loose, either).

The hard work paid off, big time. Wheeled carts facilitated agriculture and commerce by enabling the transportation of goods to and from markets, as well as easing the burdens of people travelling great distances. Now, wheels are vital to our way of life, found in everything from clocks to vehicles to turbines.

David Anthony is professor emeritus and curator emeritus of anthropology at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. He has done extensive archaeological fieldwork in Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. Anthony is the author of "The Horse, the Wheel, and Language" (Princeton, 2007) and has co-authored studies including the finding that humans first rode horses 5,000 years ago .

German inventor Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press sometime between 1440 and 1450. Key to its development was the hand mold, a new molding technique that enabled the rapid creation of large quantities of metal movable type. Though others before him — including inventors in China and Korea — had developed movable type made from metal, Gutenberg was the first to create a mechanized process that transferred the ink (which he made from linseed oil and soot) from the movable type to paper.

With this movable type process, printing presses exponentially increased the speed with which book copies could be made, and thus they led to the rapid and widespread dissemination of knowledge for the first time in history. In her book “ The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe ” (Cambridge University Press, 2012), late historian Elizabeth L. Eisenstein wrote, “printers’ workshops would be found in every important municipal center by 1500.”  It has been estimated that up to twenty million volumes had been printed in Western Europe by 1500, although Eisenstein estimates that it was around eight million.

Among other things, the printing press permitted wider access to the Bible, which in turn led to alternative interpretations, including that of Martin Luther, whose "95 Theses" a document printed by the hundred-thousand sparked the Protestant Reformation.

It's one of the most famous discovery stories in history. In 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming noticed a bacteria-filled Petri dish in his laboratory with its lid accidentally ajar. The sample had become contaminated with a mold, and everywhere the mold was, the bacteria was dead. That antibiotic mold turned out to be the fungus Penicillium, and over the next two decades, chemists purified it and developed the drug penicillin , which fights a huge number of bacterial infections in humans without harming the humans themselves.

Penicillin was being mass-produced and advertised by 1944. This poster attached to a curbside mailbox advised World War II servicemen to take the drug to rid themselves of venereal disease.

About 1 in 10 people have an allergic reaction to the antibiotic , according to a study published in 2003 in the journal Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology. Even so, most of those people go on to be able to tolerate the drug, researchers said.

Related: What causes allergies?

Ancient mariners used the stars for navigation, but this method didn’t work during the day or on cloudy nights, making it dangerous to travel far from land. 

The first compass was invented in China during the Han dynasty between the 2nd Century B.C. and 1st Century A.D.; it was made of lodestone, a naturally-magnetized iron ore, the attractive properties of which they had been studying for centuries. However, it was used for navigation for the first time during the Song Dynasty, between the 11th and 12th centuries,

Soon after, the technology to the West through nautical contact. The compass enabled mariners to navigate safely far from land, opening up the world for exploration and the subsequent development of global trade. An instrument still widely used today, the compass has transformed our knowledge and understanding of the Earth forever.

The invention of the light bulb transformed our world by removing our dependence on natural light, allowing us to be productive at any time, day or night.  Several inventors were instrumental in developing this revolutionary technology throughout the 1800s; Thomas Edison is credited as the primary inventor because he created a completely functional lighting system, including a generator and wiring as well as a carbon-filament bulb like the one above, in 1879.

As well as initiating the introduction of electricity in homes throughout the Western world, this invention also had a rather unexpected consequence of changing people's sleep patterns . Instead of going to bed at nightfall (having nothing else to do) and sleeping in segments throughout the night separated by periods of wakefulness, we now stay up except for the 7 to 8 hours allotted for sleep, and, ideally, we sleep all in one go.

Several inventors did pioneering work on electronic voice transmission — many of whom later filed intellectual property lawsuits when telephone use exploded — but it was Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell who was the first to be awarded a patent for the electric telephone on March 7, 1876 (his patent drawing is pictured above). Three days later, Bell made the first telephone call to his assistant, Thomas Watson, saying "Mr Watson, come here — I want to see you," according to author A. Edward Evenson in his book, “ The Telephone Patent Conspiracy of 1876: The Elisha Gray-Alexander Bell Controversy and Its Many Players ” (McFarland, 2015).

Bell’s inspiration for the telephone was influenced by his family. His father taught speech elocution and specialized in teaching the deaf speak, his mother, an accomplished musician, lost her hearing in later life and his wife Mabel, who he married in 1877, had been deaf since the age of five, according to Evenson. The invention quickly took off and revolutionized global business and communication. When Bell died on Aug. 2, 1922, all telephone service in the United States and Canada was stopped for one minute to honor him.

In these engines, the combustion of fuel releases a high-temperature gas, which, as it expands, applies a force to a piston, moving it. Thus, combustion engines convert chemical energy into mechanical work. Decades of engineering by many scientists went into designing the internal combustion engine, which took its (essentially) modern form in the latter half of the 19th century. The engine ushered in the Industrial Age, as well as enabling the invention of a huge variety of machines, including modern cars and aircraft.

Pictured are the operating steps of a four-stroke internal combustion engine. The strokes are as follows: 1) Intake stroke — air and vaporised fuel are drawn in. 2) Compression stroke - fuel vapor and air are compressed and ignited. 3) Power stroke — fuel combusts and the piston is pushed downwards, powering the machine. 4) Exhaust stroke — exhaust is driven out.

Not only have birth control pills, condoms and other forms of contraception sparked a sexual revolution in the developed world by allowing men and women to have sex for leisure rather than procreation, they have also drastically reduced the average number of offspring per woman in countries where they are used. With fewer mouths to feed, modern families have achieved higher standards of living and can provide better for each child. Meanwhile, on the global scale, contraceptives are helping the human population gradually level off; our number will probably stabilize by the end of the century. Certain contraceptives, such as condoms, also curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Natural and herbal contraception has been used for millennia. Condoms or ‘sheaths’ have existed in one form or another since ancient times, according to scholar Jessica Borge in her book “ Protective Practices: A History of the London Rubber Company and the Condom Business ” (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2020), with the rubber condom developed in the 19th century. Meanwhile, the FDA approved the first oral contraceptive pill in the United States in 1960 and by 1965, more than 6.5 million American women were on the pill, according to author Jonathan Eig in his book, “The Birth of the Pill: How Four Pioneers Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2015).  

Scientists are continuing to make advancements in birth control, with some labs even pursuing a male form of "the pill." A permanent birth-control implant called Essure was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002, though in 2016, the FDA warned the implant would need stronger warnings to tell users about serious risks of using Essure. 

Related: 7 surprising facts about the pill

The internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that is used by billions of people worldwide. In the 1960s, a team of computer scientists working for the U.S. Defense Department's ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) built a communications network to connect the computers in the agency, called ARPANET, the predecessor of the internet. It used a method of data transmission called "packet switching", developed by computer scientist and team member Lawrence Roberts, based on prior work of other computer scientists. 

This technology was progressed in the 1970s by scientists Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf, who developed the crucial communication protocols for the internet, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), according to computer scientist Harry R. Lewis in his book “ Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science ” (MIT Press, 2021). For this, Kahn and Cerf are often credited as inventors of the internet”.

In 1989, the internet evolved further thanks to the invention of the World Wide Web by computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee while working at CERN (The European Organization for Nuclear Research). According to CERN , "the basic idea of the WWW was to merge the evolving technologies of computers, data networks and hypertext into a powerful and easy to use global information system." The development of the WWW opened up the world of the internet to everybody and connected the world in a way that it had never been before.  

Related: Inventor of World Wide Web snags computer science's top prize

This key invention dates back more than 2,000 years to the Ancient Roman period and became possible only after humans developed the ability to cast and shape metal. Previously, wood structures had to be built by interlocking adjacent boards geometrically a much more arduous construction process.

Until the 1790s and early 1800s, hand-wrought nails were the norm, with a blacksmith heating a square iron rod and then hammering it on four sides to create a point, according to the University of Vermont . Nail-making machines came online between the 1790s and the early 1800s. Technology for crafting nails continued to advance; After Henry Bessemer developed a process to mass-produce steel from iron, the iron nails of yesteryear slowly waned and by 1886, 10 percent of U.S. nails were created from soft steel wire, according to the University of Vermont. By 1913, 90 percent of nails produced in the U.S. were steel wire.

Meanwhile, the invention of the screw - a stronger but harder-to-insert fastener -  is usually ascribed to the Greek scholar Archimedes in the third century B.C., but was probably invented by the Pythagorean philosopher Archytas of Tarentum, according to David Blockley in his book “ Engineering: A Very Short Introduction ” (Oxford University Press, 2012).

The use of fire is one of humankind's most powerful early inventions and radically changed the way our ancient ancestors lived. Offering warmth and the ability to cook foods such as meat, the campfire was also a social gathering place. Fire also provided some protection against predators. 

The exact date fire was discovered has long remained a mystery, with some studies suggesting it was first used by hominins in Kenya 1 million years ago to cook meat. Other evidence suggests that Neanderthals in Europe and Asia harnessed fire , while Homo sapiens evolving in Africa mastered the skill of creating fire. More recently, archaeologists in Israel found evidence of hominin fire use dating to 1.5 million to 2 million years ago.

Ancient Romans are credited as one of the first societies to use concrete in architecture, with Roman bathhouses and iconic sites such as the Colosseumand Pantheon dome constructed using concrete mixed with volcanic ash, lime, and seawater. Incredibly, many of these ancient buildings are not only standing, but remain in good condition some 2,000 years later — a testament to the longevity of Roman concrete . However, the ancient Egyptians used a crude form of concrete in their buildings much earlier in 3000 B.C., employing forms of concrete mixed with ash and salt water to create mortar. One study concluded that parts of the Great Pyramids of Giza might have been built using concrete . Concrete is strong in compression but breaks easily in tension, so the invention of reinforced steel-concrete toward the end of the 19th century in France, which lends concrete some of steel's tensile strength, enabled concrete to be used more widely in construction.

Franciscan friar and Oxford University scholar Roger Bacon first developed the magnifying glass in 1268. Sometimes dubbed "Britain's first scientist,"' Bacon's magnifying glass built on research by Muslim scholars .

However, the use of optical tools dates back much further. Evidence suggests that as early as 700 B.C., people in ancient Egypt noticed that they could look through crystals to improve vision.

The first battery dates back to 1800, when Italian physicist Alessandro Volta wrapped stacked discs of copper and zinc in a cloth, submerged it in salty water and discovered that it conducted energy. In 1802, Scottish professor William Cruickshank invented a variation of Volta's design known as the trough battery , which consisted of 50 discs of copper and zinc in a wooden box filled with a salt solution to conduct energy. However, it was French physicist Gaston Planté who invented the first practically used battery, in 1859. Modern variations on Planté's rechargeable lead-acid battery are still used in cars today.

The 15th century marked the beginning of the great voyages of discovery by adventurers and sea merchants and the development of a global ocean trade network . Trading vessels carried highly prized silk, spices, salt, wine and tea across often-treacherous seas for months on end. After the loss of four ships at sea in the Scilly naval disaster of 1707 , seafarers realized they needed an accurate way to determine longitude when out of sight of land.

In 1714, the British parliament offered a prize of 20,000 pounds to anyone who could solve the problem. Carpenter John Harrison won the bounty in 1735 with his marine chronometer. What is perhaps even more remarkable is that Harrison was a self-taught clockmaker. His ingenious timekeeping device was powered by the rocking motion of the ship rather than by gravity and could be used by sailors to accurately calculate longitude at sea.

The ability for humans to fly has captured the imagination of inventors for centuries, with the first human-operated flight taking place in 1783 when Joseph-Michael and Jacques-Ètienne Montgolfier took to the skies in a hot air balloon. In 1853 British engineer George Cayley designed the first glider to successfully take flight, but it wasn’t until 1903 that Orville and Wilbur Wright's plane became the first airplane to have a successful voyage. It not only took off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina using its own power; it flew and landed without destruction, unlike many earlier aircraft inventions. The Wright brothers were inspired by watching' birds in flight. The glider took a page from birds' wings but had a 32-foot (10 meters) wingspan.

Refrigeration in some form has been around for thousands of years. Depending on the climate, ice or cold water was used to keep food cold in ancient times. But artificial refrigeration didn't come until 1748, when the physician William Cullen  first demonstrated evaporative cooling. Further breakthroughs came in 1834, when a vapor-compression system was developed by American engineer Jacob Perkins . In 1876, German engineer Carl von Linde came up with a process of liquifying the gas, ushering in the era of commercial refrigeration. In 1913, American engineer Fred Wolf invented the first domestic refrigerator , and as demand for fresh produce grew, so did the number of households with refrigerators.

Nuclear energy was first discovered in the 1930s by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi , who found that bombarding atoms with neutrons could split them, generating huge amounts of energy. He went on to develop the first nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago. This successful experiment led to the development of several nuclear plants in the 1950s, with Idaho launching the first nuclear plant in 1951 with electricity produced from atomic energy at its Experimental Breeder Reactor I site. Obninsk in the former Soviet Union became the first grid-connected nuclear power plant in the world in 1954, while Shippingport nuclear plant, Pennsylvania became the first commercial nuclear plant in 1957.

Nuclear power remains widely used around the world today, generating approximately 10% of global energy .

One problem is that existing nuclear power plants use fission to split atoms, and this produces radioactive substances that take ages to decay. And the risks of nuclear disasters, such as those at Chernobyl and the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant, highlight the challenges of fission-based nuclear power.

So scientists are working to create usable nuclear fusion reactors, which could theoretically generate clean, limitless energy. In 2022, scientists reported a minor breakthrough: a fusion reactor that generated more energy than was put into it. However, we're still a long way from a usable fusion reactor , experts say.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 2 million to 3 million lives are saved annually thanks to vaccinations against contagious diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and measles.

The earliest rudimentary vaccination is thought to date back to the 10th century in China, when people inoculated small scratches in the skin with small doses of smallpox to provide protection against the disease. But in 1796, English physician Edward Jenner discovered that milkmaids rarely caught or died of smallpox because they were previously infected by the cowpox virus , also called Vaccinia. So he used cowpox to develop a smallpox vaccine. He inoculated an 8-year-old boy with cowpox and then with smallpox, and the boy never caught the deadly scourge. Jenner's experiment led to the creation of a smallpox vaccine and his work is regarded as the start of immunology. In 1980, smallpox was declared officially eradicated by WHO. But scientists continue to develop new life-saving vaccines — most notably, the coronavirus vaccines that played a large role in combatting the pandemic .

Like many famous inventions, the X-ray was discovered by accident. In 1895, German engineer and physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was undertaking a two-month study into the potential of radiation. In an experiment testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass, he noticed that the radiation was able to pass through screens of considerable thickness, leaving a shadow of solid objects. He soon discovered that X-rays could pass through human tissues to show a clear picture of the skeleton and organs. A year later, a group of physicians took the earliest X-rays on patients . These observations led to the development of radiology as we know it today and has since helped medical professionals diagnose broken bones, tumors, organ failures and more.

Editor's Note: This story was updated to correct the location of Edison's lab. It was Menlo Park, New Jersey, not Menlo Park, California.

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Natalie Wolchover was a staff writer for Live Science from 2010 to 2012 and is currently a senior physics writer and editor for Quanta Magazine. She holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Tufts University and has studied physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Along with the staff of Quanta, Wolchover won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory writing for her work on the building of the James Webb Space Telescope. Her work has also appeared in the The Best American Science and Nature Writing and The Best Writing on Mathematics, Nature, The New Yorker and Popular Science. She was the 2016 winner of the  Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award, an annual prize for young science journalists, as well as the winner of the 2017 Science Communication Award for the American Institute of Physics. 

Best DSLR Nikon D850 at its lowest-ever price today, 4th of July

We've tracked down a massive deal on one of the best fitness trackers in 2024

Shark Bay: Home to Earth's largest plant — an immortal, self-cloning seagrass meadow stretching 112 miles

Most Popular

35 of the most revolutionary inventions that shaped our world

From ancient tools to the latest digital advances, these human inventions changed the world and transformed life on earth..

Christopher McFadden

An old steam train

Steven_Kriemadis/iStock  

• Humans are a very creative species.
• We stood on two feet from the very first day; we’ve been building things.
• But. some are more important in the grander scheme of history than others.

Human inventions and technologies have shaped civilizations and transformed life on Earth. As expectations and capabilities evolve, each generation cultivates its innovative thinkers.

From the invention of the wheel to the development of the Mars rover, many of these inventions have been genuinely revolutionary, even if that wasn’t always apparent then.

Most significant inventions don’t have just one inventor. Instead, they have been developed separately by many people, or many people have had a hand in their evolution from basic concepts to valuable inventions .

Here is a list of our top picks of revolutionary inventions that changed the world:

1. The invention of the wheel was a big deal

LordRunar/iStock  

The wheel is an original engineering marvel and one of the most famous inventions . This basic technology not only made it easier to travel but also served as the foundation for a vast number of other innovative technologies.

However, interestingly, the wheel is not that old. The oldest known wheel is from Mesopotamia, around 3500 B.C. By then, people had made metal alloys, built canals and sailboats, and made complicated instruments like harps.

This delay is because the primary intention here was not the wheel itself, which was likely invented the first time someone saw a rock rolling along, but the combination of a wheel and a fixed axle that allows the wheel to be connected to a stable platform. Without the fixed axle, the wheel has minimal utility. 

2. The compass ranks up there with the most important inventions

Diego Rayaces/iStock  

Some believe this relatively modern invention  was first created for fortune-telling and “geomancy.” It was only later that it was adapted for navigational purposes. The Chinese most likely invented the earliest compasses similar to those we use today around 200 BC.

Earlier forms of the compass were made of lodestone, a naturally-occurring form of the mineral magnetite. Evidence suggests civilizations may have also used lodestones for similar purposes as early as the sixth century BCE. At some point, possibly around 1050 AD, people began suspending the lodestones so they could move freely and use them for navigation.

A description of a magnetized needle and its use among sailors occurs in a European book written in 1190 AD, so by that time, it is likely that using a needle as a compass was commonplace.

3. The modern world wouldn’t exist without the automobile

A330Pilot/iStock  

Some people credit the birth of the modern car to the German inventor Karl Benz, who patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1886. However, automobiles had been in the works since 1769, when Nicolas-Joseph Cugno developed the first steam-powered automobile capable of human transportation.

Over the years, many people contributed to the development of the automobile and its constituent parts. At the beginning of the 20th century, Henry Ford devised ways to make cars cheap enough for most people to buy. These techniques then became standard, with General Motors and Chrysler following suit. 

The history of the automobile reflects a worldwide evolution. Many people had to work together to make the internal combustion engine and the other parts that make automobiles. Dozens of spin-off industries were also involved, including oil and steel.

4. The steam engine was a true revolution in technology

imagedepotpro/iStock  

A Spanish mining administrator named Jerónimo de Ayanz is thought to have been the first to develop a steam engine. He patented a device that used steam power to pump water from mines. 

However, Englishman Thomas Savery , an engineer and inventor, is usually credited with developing the first practical steam engine in 1698 AD. His device was used to draw water from flooded mines using steam pressure. In developing his engine, Savery used principles set forth by Denis Papin, a French-born British physicist who invented the pressure cooker. 

In 1711, another Englishman, Thomas Newcomen, developed an improvement in the engine. Later, in 1781 AD, James Watt, a Scottish instrument maker employed by Glasgow University, added a separate condenser to Newcomen’s engine, which allowed the steam cylinder to be maintained at a constant temperature — dramatically improving its functionality.+ He later developed a double-rotating steam engine that, by the 1800s, would power trains, mills, factories, and numerous other manufacturing operations.

The world would never be the same again.

5. Concrete is another great invention

alvarez/iStock  

Concrete is one of the most widely used building materials today. It’s a composite material made from a mixture of broken stone or gravel, sand, Portland cement, and water, which can be spread or poured into molds and forms a mass resembling stone on hardening.

One of concrete’s key ingredients is cement, which is thought to have been devised in 1300 BC . Later, cement would be combined with other materials to make a substance more akin to what we know as concrete today. The Romans, for example, are famed for their concrete; many structures built using it still stand today. But it could be older than that.

Middle eastern builders coated the outside of their clay fortresses with a thin, moist layer of burned limestone, which chemically reacted with gasses in the air to form a hard, protective surface.

Around or before the third millennium BC, Nabataean traders or Bedouins built the first concrete-like structures in the southern Syria and northern Jordan regions . By 700 BC, the significance of hydraulic lime was known, which led to the development of mortar supply kilns for the construction of rubble-wall houses, concrete floors, and underground waterproof cisterns.

Around 3000 BC, the Egyptians used early concrete forms as mortar in their building. In 1824, Portland cement was invented by Joseph Aspdin of England. George Bartholomew laid down the first concrete-paved street in the US in 1893, which still exists.

By the end of the 19th century, steel-reinforced concrete was developed. In 1902, August Perret designed and built an apartment building in Paris using steel-reinforced concrete. This building had wide admiration and popularity for concrete and influenced the development of reinforced concrete. n 1921, Eugène Freyssinet pioneered reinforced-concrete construction by building two colossal parabolic-arched airship hangars at Orly Airport in Paris.

6. Crude oil distillates fuel the modern world

Fahroni/iStock  

Without gasoline, there would be no transportation industry as we know it today.

Gasoline is a fuel derivative of crude oil , and it is called “gas” in the United States and “petrol” in many other English-speaking places worldwide.

More specifically, petrol is a transparent, crude oil-derived liquid used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. Interestingly gas was initially discarded as an unwanted byproduct.

Before the discovery and commercialization of gasoline, the fuel of choice was a blend of alcohol, usually methanol and turpentine, called camphene. Later, this would be primarily replaced by kerosene. The first oil well dug in the US, in 1859, in Pennsylvania, refined the oil to produce kerosene. Although the distillation process also produced gasoline, this was discarded as a byproduct. The method of distillation refining only produced about 20 percent of gasoline from a given amount of crude petroleum.

However, once it was discovered that the internal combustion engine ran best on light fuels like gasoline, the refining process was refined. In 1913, a new process began to be used to produce gasoline more easily using chemical catalysts and pressure. The new thermal cracking process doubled the efficiency of refining and made refining gasoline more practical.

7. Locomotives have proved to be powerful tools

kojihirano/iStock  

Locomotives can carry a large number of passengers with comfort while also being able to haul heavy loads over long distances. While tracks, or rails, have been used for carrying wagons since the sixteenth century, the history of modern train travel is just over 200 years old.

Richard Trevithick, a British engineer, built the first full-scale working railway steam locomotive in the United Kingdom in 1804. It used high-pressure steam to drive the engine. On February 21, 18044, the world’s first steam-powered railway journey occurred when Trevithick’s unnamed steam locomotive hauled a train along the tramway in Wales. 

However, Trevithick’s locomotives were too heavy for the cast-iron plateway track than in use. The commercial appearance of train networks came in the 1820s. In 1821, George Stephenson was appointed as an engineer for the construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the northeast of England, which was opened as the first public steam-powered railway in 1825. In 1829, he built his famous steam engine,  Rocket , and the age of railways began. 

8. The invention of the airplane was a quantum leap in tech

Pgiam/iStock  

On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first powered, sustained, and controlled flight. This was a day that would be remembered for all time.

Flying machines had been dreamt up since Leonardo da Vinci’s time and likely long before. But thanks to the work of countless inventors over several centuries, the Wright Brothers became the first to achieve controlled powered flight.

Beginning with their work on gliders, the duo’s success laid the foundation for modern aeronautical engineering by demonstrating what was possible.

9. Fire might be the most crucial invention of all

ArtistGNDphotography/iStock  

Though fire is a natural phenomenon, its discovery as a useful tool marks a revolution in the pages of history . The controlled use of fire likely predates the emergence of Homo sapiens sapiens .

There is evidence of cooked food from around 1.9 million years ago — long before the evolution of Homo sapiens . There is also evidence of the controlled use of fire by our ancestors,  Homo erectus , beginning around 1,000,000 years ago. 

Flint blades burned in fires have been dated to roughly 300,000 years ago. There is also evidence that fire was used systematically by early modern humans to heat treat stone to increase its ability to flake for use in toolmaking around 164,000 years ago.

According to a heavily debated hypothesis, using fire for cooking allowed the larger brain of our species to develop in the first place by allowing hominids to eat a wider variety of foods.

From the past to the present, fire has been used in rituals, agriculture, cooking, generating heat and light, signaling, industrial processes, agriculture, and as a means of destruction. It can easily be considered one of the greatest inventions that changed the world. 

10. The nail is an underrated invention

JamesBrey/iStock  

The nail is one of the most important and arguably underrated inventions . Before the invention of nails, wood structures were often built using rope to interlock adjacent boards. Some cultures developed sophisticated woodworking techniques to interlock wooden structures together.

We can’t be entirely sure when the first metal nails were developed, but bronze nails dating from around 3400 BC have been found in Egypt. These were later replaced by iron and steel over time, with most made by hand.

Hand-wrought nails were the norm until the 1790s and early 1800s. Today, nails are readily mass-produced and are so common most people take them for granted.

11. Humans have been using tools for as long as we know

ensar zengin/iStock  

As with fire, using tools likely predated the evolution of Homo sapiens sapiens and may stretch back 2.6 million years or more. Today, several animal species are also known to use tools. 

Anthropologists believe using tools was an essential step in the evolution of humans . Some of the earliest tools may have been sticks, stones, and fire. However, almost anything can be a tool, depending on its use.

12. The lightbulb is another crucial invention

bernie_photo/iStock  

The light we use today in our homes and offices comes from a bright idea from over 150 years ago. Electric lights were pioneered in the early 19th century by Humphry Davy, who experimented with electricity and invented an electric battery. When he connected wires between his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon glowed, producing light.

His invention was known as the electric arc lamp. Over the next seven decades, other inventors also created “lightbulbs,” but these were incapable of commercial application. 

In 1850 an English physicist named Joseph Wilson Swan created a “light bulb” by enclosing carbonized paper filaments in an evacuated glass bulb. But without a good vacuum, his bulb had too short a lifetime for commercial use. However, in the 1870s, better vacuum pumps became available, and Swan developed a longer-lasting lightbulb.

Thomas A. Edison improved on Swan’s design by using metal filaments, and in 1878 and 1879, he filed patents for electric lights using different materials for the filament. Electric Light Company began marketing its new product.

13. The mastery of electricity was a tremendous feat

imaginima/iStock  

Electricity has become a basic need for daily life and is another essential invention. Of course, electricity has been around all along, but the practical applications to effectively use it first needed to be invented.

Alessandro Volta is generally credited with discovering the first practical ‘battery.’ He invented his voltaic pile in 1799. It consisted of discs of two different metals, such as copper and zinc, separated by cardboard soaked in brine. 

In 1831, British scientist Michael Faraday discovered the basic principles of electricity generation. The electromagnetic induction discovery revolutionized energy usage. The rise in electricity usability is now the backbone of modern industrial society.

14. The battery is another great invention

Roberto/iStock  

The earliest device based on the principles of what would become the battery may date back to the Parthian empire, around 2,000 years old. The old battery consisted of a clay jar filled with a vinegar solution, into which an iron rod surrounded by a copper cylinder was inserted.

This device might have been used to electroplate silver. But, as mentioned in the previous entry, the inventor of the first electric battery was Alessandro Volta, who developed the pile battery.

After that, in 1800 AD, William Cruickshank designed the trough battery, an improvement on Alessandro Volta’s voltaic pile.

Batteries had a breakthrough in 1859 AD 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. 

15. The printing press democratized information

ferrantraite/iStock  

Before the Internet’s ability to spread information, the printing press helped information travel around the globe. 

German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg is often credited with inventing the printing press around 1436 AD, although he was far from the first to automate the book-printing process. Woodblock printing in China dates back to the 9th century, and Korean bookmakers were printing with moveable metal type a century before Gutenberg.

Johannes Gutenberg’s machine, however, improved on the already existing presses and introduced them to the West. By 1500 AD, Gutenberg presses were operating throughout Western Europe, producing vast quantities of written materials, from individual pages to pamphlets and books.

16. Morse Code and the telegraph machine greatly sped up communication

Montes-Bradley/iStock  

The telegraph was developed between the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse and other inventors, and it revolutionized long-distance communication.

The system works by sending electrical signals that are transmitted by a wire laid between stations. In addition, Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail developed a code, eventually 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 the English alphabet and numbers.

According to some scholars, the telegraph was instrumental in laying the foundations for modern conveniences like telephones and computer code.

17. The advent of steel was of great importance

D. Lentz/iStock  

Bronze was the first metal forged for use by humans. However, bronze is relatively weak. Iron was probably smelted throughout the Bronze Age, although it was seen as an inferior metal that was not as hard or durable as bronze. The use of iron became more widespread after people learned how to make steel, a much harder metal made by heating iron with carbon. Around 1,800 BC, a people along the Black Sea called the Chalybes began using iron ore to create sturdy wrought iron weapons with around 0.8 percent carbon.

Cast iron, with about 2-4 percent carbon, was first made in ancient China around 500 BC. The Chinese metalworkers built large furnaces to smelt iron ore into a liquid and poured this into carved molds. Around 400 BC, Indian metalworkers invented a smelting method that used a clay receptacle called a crucible to hold the molten metal. The workers put bars of wrought iron and pieces of charcoal into the crucibles, then sealed the containers and inserted them into a furnace.

This wrought iron melted and absorbed the carbon in the charcoal. When the crucibles cooled, they contained ingots of pure steel – a much stronger, less brittle metal than iron. The later development of the blast furnace led to even stronger steel. British engineer Henry Bessemer developed a process that blasted air through molten pig iron to create carbon-free, pure iron in 1856 AD.

The famous invention of the Bessemer Process  paved the way for the mass production of steel, making it one of the world’s biggest industries. Now steel is used in the creation of everything from bridges to skyscrapers.

18. Transistors are vital for modern electronics

Kuzmik_A/iStock  

The transistor is an essential component in nearly every modern electronic gadget. In 1926 AD, Julius Lilienfeld patented a field-effect transistor, but the working device was not feasible as it was.

In 1947 AD, John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley developed the first practical transistor device at Bell Laboratories. The trio was awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in physics for this invention.

Transistors have since become a fundamental piece of the circuitry in countless electronic devices, including televisions, cellphones, and computers, making a remarkable impact on technology.

19. Antibiotics have saved countless lives

AsiaVision/iStock  

Antibiotics have saved millions of lives by killing and inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria. Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch first described the use of antibiotic drugs in 1877 AD.

In 1928, Alexander Fleming identified penicillin, derived from a mold species.

Throughout the 20th century, antibiotics spread rapidly and proved a significant living improvement, fighting nearly every known infection and protecting people’s health. But, their overprescription and use could soon render them ineffective .

20. Contraceptives changed women’s lives forever but are arguably controversial

megaflopp/iStock  

The prevention of pregnancy has a surprisingly long history.

The history of contraceptives dates back to around 1500 B.C., where records indicate that ancient Egyptian women would mix honey, sodium carbonate, and crocodile dung into a thick, solid paste called pessary and insert it into their vaginas before intercourse. However, many researchers believe old-world birth control methods are ineffective and possibly life-threatening.

The first known form of condom (from a goat bladder) was used in Egypt around 3000 B.C. In 1844 AD, Charles Goodyear patented the vulcanization of rubber, which led to the mass production of rubber condoms.

In 1914 AD, with a monthly newsletter called “The Woman Rebel,” Margaret Sanger, a nurse and sex educator from New York state, first coined the term “Birth control.” Later, Carl Djerassi successfully created a progesterone pill that could block ovulation.

“The Pill” was approved for sale in 1960 and launched an international revolution that allowed women to determine when they would have children and freed them from unplanned pregnancies, which could derail their lives. 

21. The harnessing of x-rays was a major medical advancement

Ivan-balvan/iStock  

Since x-rays are a natural phenomenon, nobody can claim to have “invented” them. But, the development of the X-ray machine is undoubtedly one of the epoch-making advancements in medicine.

And they were discovered by accident by physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. While testing whether cathode rays could pass through some glass, he noticed a glow from a nearby chemically coated screen.

Because of the unknown nature of the rays, he named them x-rays. Through his observation, he learned that x-rays could be photographed when they penetrate human flesh.

In 1897 AD, x-rays were used during the Balkan war to find bullets and broken bones inside patients. In 1901 AD, he received the Nobel prize in physics for his work.

22. The refrigerator is another hugely important invention

Liudmila Chernetska/iStock  

Over the last 150 years, refrigeration has offered us ways to preserve food, medicines, and other perishable substances. Before its conception, people often cooled their food with ice and snow or purchased only what they could use immediately.

James Harrison built the first practical vapor compression refrigeration system. However, the first widespread commercial refrigerator was the General Electric “Monitor-Top” refrigerator, which became available in 1927. The introduction of Freon revved up the refrigerator market in the 1930s by providing a safer, low-toxicity alternative to previously used refrigerants.

23. Television has changed many aspects of our lives

The invention of the television was the work of many individuals. Although TV plays an integral part in our everyday lives, it rapidly developed during the 19th and 20th centuries as a result of the work of several people.

In 1884, a 23-year-old German university student, Paul Julius Gottlieb Nipkow, patented the image rasterizer, a spinning disk with a spiral pattern of holes, so each hole scanned a line of an image. 

The first demonstration of the instantaneous transmission of images was by Georges Rignoux and A. Fournier in Paris in 1909 AD. In 1911 AD, Boris Rosing and his student Vladimir Zworykin created a system that used a mechanical mirror-drum scanner to transmit crude images over wires to a cathode ray tube or in a receiver. But the system was not sensitive enough to allow moving images.

In the 1920s, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird used the Nipkow disk to create a prototype video system. In 1925 AD, Baird gave the first public demonstration of televised images in motion. Later, in 1927 AD, he demonstrated the transmission of an image of a face in motion using telephone lines. This is widely regarded as being the world’s first public television demonstration. 

24. The camera was another significant technological development

jacoblund/iStock  

This modern invention has witnessed many phases of evolution — camera obscura, daguerreotypes, dry plates, calotypes, SLRs, and DSLRs. In 1826 AD, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce used a sliding wooden box camera made by Charles and Vincent Chevalier to click what is credited as the first permanent photograph.

With technological advancements, Digital cameras were introduced, which saved images on memory cards rather than using film. The history of the digital camera began with Eugene F. Lally’s idea to take pictures of the planets and stars.

Later, Kodak engineer Steven Sasson invented and built the first digital camera in 1975 AD. It was built using parts of kits lying around the Kodak factory. The camera was about the size of a breadbox, taking 23 seconds to capture a single image. 

Today, every smartphone has at least one built-in camera that can take videos.

25. The computer is, possibly, the greatest invention of the last Millenium

gilaxia/iStock  

In the early 19th century, the “father of the computer,” Charles Babbage, conceptualized and invented the first mechanical computer. From those first tentative steps, the journey to the modern computer began.

Although there’s no single inventor of the modern computer , the principles of modern computer science were set out by Alan Turing in his seminal 1936 paper, “ On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem .” Today, computers stand as the symbolic representation of the modern world.

26. Email is an often overlooked significant invention

I going to make a greatest artwork as I can, by my head, my hand and by my mind/iStock  

Most developers of early mainframes and minicomputers developed similar but often incompatible mail applications. Over time, these became linked by a web of gateways and routing systems.

Many US universities were part of the ARPANET, which increased software portability between its systems. That portability helped make the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) increasingly influential. The first ARPANET email was sent in 1971 AD.

Ray Tomlinson is credited with inventing one common feature of the email system that we know today. In 1972 AD, while working as an ARPANET contractor, Tomlinson used the @ symbol to denote sending messages from one computer to another.

By the mid-1970s, email had taken on the form we recognize today. In the present day, most official business communication depends on email.

27. The Internet has changed the world

piranka/iStock  

Like other inventions, the Internet has no single “inventor. ” Instead, it has evolved. It originated around the 1950s, along with the development of computers.   

The first workable prototype of the Internet came in the late 1960s, with the creation of ARPANET, or the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. ARPANET adopted the TCP/IP protocols in 1983, and from there, researchers began to assemble the “network of networks” that became the modern Internet.

28. The World Wide Web is the modern-day equivalent of the printing press

Henrik5000/iStock  

The Internet is a networking infrastructure, whereas the World Wide Web is a way to access information over the Internet medium.

The father of the World Wide Web is the British computer scientist and legend Tim Berners-Lee. The Web was initially conceived and developed to meet the demand for automated information-sharing between scientists in universities and institutes worldwide.

Tim Berners-Lee wrote the first proposal for the World Wide Web in March 1989 and a  second proposal in May 1990 . Berners-Lee worked with Belgian systems engineer Robert Cailliau to formalize the proposal, including describing a “WorldWideWeb” in which “hypertext documents” could be viewed by “browsers.”

By the end of 1990, Berners-Lee had the first Web server and browser up and running at CERN. Only a few users had access to the computer platform that ran the browser, so development soon started on a more spartan browser, which could run on any system. 

29. Currency was an important invention

turk_stock_photographer/iStock  

From materials like livestock to shells, precious metals, and coins, the currency has taken various forms throughout history. Due to frequent shortages of coins, and portability issues, banks issued paper notes as a promise against payment of precious metals in the future.

The use of a lightweight substance, like paper, as a currency may have originated in China during the Han Dynasty in 118 BC. 

The switch to paper money, rather than money based on precious metals, relieved governments during crisis times. Thus, it changed the face of the global economy with a vital step in a new monetary system.

30. Credit cards are arguably another important invention

alexialex/iStock  

At the dawn of the 20th century, most people paid for everything with cash.

The idea of the credit card  was introduced around 1950 by Ralph Schneider and Frank McNamara, founders of Diners Club, which allowed diners to sign for their meal and then pay later. While technology advances, paying for daily purchases with credit has become the norm.

While a bane to many people’s lives today, their sensible use can be very beneficial.

31. The ATM lets you get your cash on demand

tommaso79/iStock  

The invention of the ATM (Automated Teller Machine) is significant to modern banking. According to the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA), there are millions of ATMs installed worldwide.

Customers can make various transactions using an ATM, such as cash withdrawals, check balances, or credit mobile phones. Many experts believe that the first ATM was the creation of Luther Simjian, called Bankograph.

In 1967, John Shepherd-Barron led the team that came up with a bright idea of a money vending machine implemented by a London bank called Barclays. These machines used single-use tokens that had been impregnated with radioactive carbon-14. The machine detected the radioactive signal and matched it against a personal identification number entered on a keypad. 

Soon, rival cash dispenser systems began to emerge, including one that used a reusable plastic card instead of a radioactive token. Dallas Engineer Donald Wetzel is said to have devised the first automated banking machine used in the U.S.

32. The telephone and mobile phones have shrunk the world

Delmaine Donson/iStock  

Telephone history conceivably started with the human desire to communicate far and wide.

“Mr. Watson, come here, I want you,” were the immortal first words ever spoken on a telephone. Alexander Graham Bell said them on March 10h, 1876 AD, to his assistant Thomas Watson. This moment would change communications forever.

With the arrival of the mobile phone in the 1980s, personal communications were no longer shackled to cables.

The clever invention of the cellular network supported the revolution of the telephone industry. From bulky mobile phones to ultrathin handsets, mobile phones have come a long way. John F. Mitchell and Martin Cooper of Motorola demonstrated the first handheld device in 1973, starting a technological revolution we still live in today.

33. The robot has, and will continue to, change the world

sarawuth702/iStock  

Robotic devices perform complicated, repetitive, and sometimes dangerous tasks. The word “robot” first appeared in R.U.R. ( Rossum’s Universal Robots ), a play written by Czech playwright Karl Capek in 1921. Coincidentally, the word “robotics” was popularized by a science-fiction writer, Isaac Asimov, in his short story “Runabout,” published in 1942.

But robots have a very long history. Around 3000 B.C, mechanical, human figurines were used to strike the hour bells in an Egyptian water clock. This marked the first mechanical design. As time flew, more designs and devices evolved. 

The foundation for modern robots was laid in the 1950s by George C. Devol, who invented and patented a reprogrammable manipulator called “Unimate.”

In the late 1960s, Joseph Engleberger acquired the patent to the Unimate and modified them into industrial robots. For this, he is often called “the Father of Robotics.” They are genuinely inventions that changed the world and are only just getting started.

34. Guns have been a force for good and bad

Bytmonas/iStock  

Weapons have been used since the dawn of humanity. But it is undeniable that guns and gunpowder have revolutionized the world. Gunpowder was invented in China around the 9th century, but it may have originally been used for fireworks initially. One early firearm consisted of a bamboo tube that used gunpowder to fire a spear and was used in China around 1000 AD.

Another early type of portable firearm was the fire lance, a black-powder–filled tube attached to the end of a spear and used as a flamethrower; shrapnel was sometimes placed in the barrel so that it would fly out together with the flames. 

Gunpowder was made more potent by increasing the amount of saltpeter. This, in turn, meant that a more robust barrel was needed, the bamboo was replaced by metal, and the projectiles were replaced by smaller pieces of metal that fit into the barrel more tightly.

By the mid-to-late 14th century, knowledge of gunpowder and firearms had reached Europe, and smaller, portable hand-held cannons were developed, creating a type of personal firearm. The problem of needing to reload frequently was solved with the invention of a hand-driven machine gun called the Gatling gun. Richard J. Gatling invented it during the American Civil War. As the tech has continued to evolve, each following model has become more deadly. 

35. Films were another important invention

LeMusique/iStock  

Almost everyone loves to watch movies like love stories, comedies, dramas, horror, suspense, action, fiction, biography, etc. A film is also called a movie, motion picture, theatrical film, photoplay, or flick. The word “film” originates from the fact that a photographic film has been the medium for recording and displaying motion pictures.

Early inspiration for movies came from plays and dance, which had elements common to film: scripts, sets, costumes, production, direction, actors, audiences, and storyboards. Later in the 17th century, lanterns were used to project animation, achieved by various mechanical slides.

In March 1895, the first motion picture film shot with a Cinématographe camera was La Sortie de leucine Lumière a Lyon (Workers leaving the Lumière factory at Lyon). The commercial, public screening of ten of the Lumière brothers’ short films in Paris on December 28, 1895, is often thought of as the start of projected cinematographic motion pictures.

With time, movies have evolved to include sound, color, and advanced digital technology. 

And that is your lot for today.

There have been tools for as long as there have been human beings. While simple in design, in the beginning, modern tools are highly complex engineering. Entirely what we’ll be inventing in the future is anyone’s guess, but rest assured, we will continue to make things for as long as our species exists.

The Blueprint Daily

Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.

By clicking sign up, you confirm that you accept this site's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Christopher McFadden Christopher graduated from Cardiff University in 2004 with a Masters Degree in Geology. Since then, he has worked exclusively within the Built Environment, Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Consultancy industries. He is a qualified and accredited Energy Consultant, Green Deal Assessor and Practitioner member of IEMA. Chris’s main interests range from Science and Engineering, Military and Ancient History to Politics and Philosophy.

POPULAR ARTICLES

‘ultimate test’: mit gives probiotic bacteria space-resilient superpower.

13 hours ago

3D printer shot into space for 140 seconds, prints toy shuttle at super speed

15 hours ago

Headphone-like air purifier tackles pollution particles in underground train

40-feet-tall humanoid robot with wall-e-like head to work on train lines, related articles.

What happened to the Great Man-Made River Project?

Power from flower: Albanian farm plants suck EV battery metal from soil

Flying the world’s largest military transport: C-5M Super Galaxy

‘Carbon loop’: Scientists power copper to turn CO2 into endless clean fuel

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

Essay on Scientific Discoveries

• Updated on  
• Feb 7, 2024

Writing and speaking skills are the most important skills in the world. It shows how well a student will convey his or her ideas, experiences and thoughts. Essays are one of the most popular forms of writing to ascertain an applicant’s general knowledge, experiences, writing style and language skills. It is used in many entrance exams like SAT, IELTS, TOEFL and in college applications as well. From a very early age, school curriculums have been encouraging students to write essays and give speeches. Sometimes the topics provided to students can be complicated. So, today we have come up to help the students with an essay on Scientific Discoveries.

Check out our 200+ Essay Topics for School Students in English

Five Qualities of A Good Essay

Before we provide you with an essay on scientific discoveries. Let’s learn about essay writing. Writing an essay is a difficult thing. The writing should be rich in content plus should not bore its readers. Here are the five qualities a perfect essay should have:-

• Focus: All of your writing should come under one single topic. No matter how vast your essay is, it should always revolve around the topic of the essay. Avoid unnecessary details.
• Development: Every paragraph of your essay should centre the topic of your essay. Try to use examples, details and descriptions.
• Free composition: Always follow a basic structure. Before finalising your essay, jot down the points you would like to mention and then make a series. Do not surprise the reader with complicated words, try to keep it as simple as possible. 
• Correctness: Make sure your essay is free from any grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, mismatched sentences, etc. Always use standard English and complete sentences.
• Introduction and Conclusion: The introduction and the conclusion of the writing are the most important parts of the essay. The first impression is always the last, and so is the introduction of your writing. After reading the first two or three lines, if the reader gets bored, he may not read your whole essay. So make sure your essay contains a crispy beginning. Alternatively, make the conclusion so strong and effective that the reader never forgets your essay. Don’t feel afraid to use quotes, catchy lines, slogans and all. They are the cherry on the cake for your essay.

Also Read: Essay on Yoga Day

Also Read: Speech on Yoga Day

Also Read: Essay on Athletics in 100, 200 and 300 Words

Sample Essay on Scientific Discoveries

Here is an example of an essay on scientific discoveries to help them out in their school assignments.

Everything around us is a great discovery. Be it a necessity, comfort, or luxury, they all came from different scientific discoveries that took place over some time. Starting from a small pin to a big ship, everything is just a mere invention to make the lives of humans easier. Scientistic discoveries take place in every arena of thought so before we talk about these inventions. Let’s examine what is science. What is science? Science is a system for acquiring knowledge. We use observations, and experimentation to come to a conclusion and explain any natural phenomenon. In simple language, science is the systematic field of study or knowledge gained from experimentations, observations and some accepted facts. And so scientific discoveries have done miracles in human lives.  Scientific discoveries and inventions have made our lives easier and more comfortable than we could have ever imagined. Scientific equipment accomplishes lengthy tasks in just minutes. Be it in the health sector, education, transportation, and more. All the inventions are just the gifts of science. Nowadays we are in a situation where without science, we cannot imagine our survival. In the absence of Science, no country, and no single person would have made progress. Scientific discoveries and inventions are machines that accomplish any task of humans either fully or partially. According to the business dictionary, the word ‘invention’ is “a new scientific or technical idea and the means of its embodiment or accomplishment. To be patentable, an invention must be novel, have utility, and be non-obvious. To be called an invention, an idea only needs to be proven as workable. But to be called an innovation, it must also be replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy a specific need. That’s why only a few inventions lead to innovations because not all of them are economically feasible.” Wikipedia further says, “An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition or process. It may be an improvement upon a machine or product or a new process for creating an object or a result. An invention that achieves a unique function or result may be a radical breakthrough. Such works are novel and not obvious to others skilled in the same field.” These definitions made us clear about how important scientific discovery is for us. Due to science, we can get all kinds of things we desire for. Electricity is a miracle that gives us light even in the dark. It further helps us to run industries conserve the environment and control pollution .  A cricket match is going on in America and we can watch it. Why? Inventions! Nowadays medical science is doing its best all over the world. Let us not forget computers, which is the greatest invention of mankind.  However, it is rightly said that every coin has two sides. Scientific discoveries and inventions have given us a lot and at the same time created a lot of disadvantages too. Nowadays people have become so dependent on technology that even walking has become difficult. Inventions made people so lazy, especially the young generation. All they could think about now is sitting at their home, with their computers and tablets on.

Gone are the days when people used to go out, play and have actual fun in life. Also, scientific inventions have made people jobless. Employers are substituting their employees with heavy machines. And this is the sad reality everywhere. Along with a luxurious life, technology has made our lives more complicated. People nowadays catch the disease early due to no exercise and sitting in front of their computer the whole day.  The biggest and most disastrous inventions are weapons, guns and bombs. What’s worse than taking the life of people? It has ruined unity, peace and harmony all over the world.  Scientific discoveries and inventions have contributed so much that my essay would never be enough to explain it. Ultimately, I would like to say that do not take up the monstrous side. Try the blessing of discoveries and make your life better in every aspect.

Also Read: Essay on Information Technology in 400 Words

Check out our Popular Essay Topics for Students

So this was all regarding an essay on scientific discoveries. For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu.

Team Leverage Edu

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Good work thanks

Thank you, Deepesh!

Good work🙏 sir thanks for sharing

Thank u it was very helpful

Thank you this helped me a lot

Leaving already?

8 Universities with higher ROI than IITs and IIMs

Grab this one-time opportunity to download this ebook

Connect With Us

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

September 2024

January 2025

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

• Games & Quizzes
• History & Society
• Science & Tech
• Biographies
• Animals & Nature
• Geography & Travel
• Arts & Culture
• On This Day
• One Good Fact
• New Articles
• Lifestyles & Social Issues
• Philosophy & Religion
• Politics, Law & Government
• World History
• Health & Medicine
• Browse Biographies
• Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
• Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
• Environment
• Fossils & Geologic Time
• Entertainment & Pop Culture
• Sports & Recreation
• Visual Arts
• Demystified
• Image Galleries
• Infographics
• Top Questions
• Britannica Kids
• Saving Earth
• Space Next 50
• Student Center

10 Inventions That Changed Your World

You may think you can’t live without your tablet computer and your cordless electric drill, but what about the inventions that came before them? Humans have been innovating since the dawn of time to get us to where we are today. Here are just 10 of the hundreds of inventions that profoundly changed your world. What else would be on your list?

Stone tools

Stone tools were humanity’s earliest technology, invented more than 2 million years ago by Homo habilis , an early human ancestor. The simplest implements, known to their discoverers as "choppers," were sharpened stones made by smashing one stone against another. This clever (if crude) multi-tool could be used for cutting, sawing, crushing, or smashing. Without this innovation, humanity would have never known the spork.

Daguerreotype

The first successful photograph, the daguerreotype, was invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre and Nicéphore Niépce in the 1830s. Niépce’s first attempt needed 8 hours exposure time—Daguerre’s needed 20 or 30 minutes. Now, of course, we can take photos of anything we want, anytime, instantly. Thank you, Daguerre and Niépce, for your role in making Instagram possible. #nofilter

While some musical instruments have been around for centuries (the oldest flute is thought to be at least 35,000 years old!) the saxophone is a relatively recent invention. The first saxophone was patented by Antoine-Joseph Sax in Paris in 1846. It was the first instrument to combine a reed (as in a clarinet) with a brass bell (as in a trumpet). Without its unique sound, we would never have heard jazz, or any of the music styles that followed in its footsteps.

Bessemer process

The Bessemer process made it possible to mass-produce steel. This was a huge innovation in construction and led to many important advances. The process was invented independently and concurrently by Sir Henry Bessemer (of England) and William Kelly (of the US) in the 1840s. While different methods are used for steel manufacturing today, the Bessemer process was an important building block (pun intended). Without it, we wouldn’t have the towering skyscrapers we have today.

Celluloid, the first synthetic plastic, is hugely important to life as we know it. It was developed in the 1860s and 1870s by industrialist and inventor John Wesley Hyatt. Before then, the world could not have fathomed plastic bags, tupperware, or cheap watches. Also, celluloid is most famous these days for being the film used in film!

Edison cylinder phonograph

Thomas Alva Edison’s cylinder phonograph brought music to the masses. It was the first type of record player, which used tinfoil sheets and a vibrating stylus. The 1857 invention was a far cry from the iPod, but it heralded the beginning of portable music. Just think—before the phonograph, if people wanted to listen to a song, they had to find someone to play it . Imagine seeking out Lady Gaga every time you wanted to hear "Poker Face."

Wright flyer of 1903

A list of inventions would simply be incomplete without mention of the Wright brothers’ historic flight. In 1903 the Wrights demonstrated that an airplane could sustain flight under the control of a pilot, a feat that had never before been accomplished. This invention changed everything from travel to shipping. Without the Wright flyer, we wouldn’t have destination weddings or last-minute shipping for Christmas.

Iconoscope television camera and Kinescope receiver

The Iconoscope television camera and Kinescope receiver were invented by Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, a Russian-born American engineer, in the 1920s. Transmitting an image from one place to another not only made it possible for you to get your Saturday-morning cartoon fix, but also for news and other important information to travel quickly around the world.

Integrated circuit

Modern electronics simply would not be possible without the integrated circuit, which was invented in 1958 by Jack Kilby. The integrated circuit is also known as the all-important "microchip" that powers your smartphone, your Furby, and even parts of your car.

Apple II personal computer

Whether you’re currently in a library, laboratory, or bathroom stall, you wouldn’t be reading this list without the invention of the personal computer. In 1977 Stephen Wozniak unveiled the Apple II, the PC that arguably paved the way to widespread personal home computer use. Apple has since become a household name, and the computer has evolved from what once took up an entire room to a device that can fit in your purse or pocket. Now that’s what I call science.

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Famous Person — History of some great inventions

History of Some Great Inventions

• Categories: Famous Person Invention

About this sample

Words: 768 |

Published: Jan 4, 2019

Words: 768 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Life Science

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 625 words

2 pages / 1013 words

1 pages / 559 words

2 pages / 938 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Famous Person

Biography Editors. (n.d.). Harry Styles Biography. Biography.com. Retrieved from https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/harry-styles/net-worth/

The 1920s, often referred to as the "Roaring Twenties," was a time of great change and innovation in American society. This decade saw the rise of new technologies, the flourishing of the arts, and a new wave of social and [...]

In the realm of celebrity culture, public incidents can have a significant impact on the careers and reputations of well-known figures. These incidents can range from controversies and scandals to moments of triumph and [...]

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, is one of the most prestigious events in the world of entertainment. It honors outstanding achievements in the film industry and has been a symbol of excellence and glamour for [...]

Who was the man that had been the only three-time Royal Rumble winner? Who was the man that had first started off as a referee before becoming a famous wrestler? Who is the man that started the famous chant “What?” That man is [...]

“If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down, these women together ought to be able to turn it right again.” Sojourner Truth is remembered as perhaps the most influential figure in the [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

•   ResearchWorks Home
• Dissertations and Theses
• Business administration

Essays on Inventions

Collections

• Business administration [181]

Inventors And Inventions Essay & Paragraph In English

In this article you can read a brief paragraphs essay about inventors and inventions. I hope you will find following composition a meaningful for all class students.

The process of creating something new that has value is known as invention. This could be a new product , a new process, or a new way of doing something. Taking what already exists and making it better, faster, or cheaper is a common method of invention.

Table of Contents

500 Words Paragraph Inventions

Individual inventors’ hard work and dedication have resulted in many great inventions. These inventors are frequently enthusiastic about their work and devote a significant amount of time to developing their concepts. Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, and Eli Whitney, who invented the cotton gin, are two well-known inventors.

Individuals do not, however, create all inventions. Sometimes groups of people collaborate to create new products or processes. The Wright brothers, for example, were not the only people involved in the development of the first airplane. They had a team of people who helped them with their ideas and prototypes.

Inventions have transformed society as we know it, making life easier and more efficient for people. Some inventions, such as cell phones and televisions, have changed the world so dramatically that they have become an essential part of everyone’s daily lives. Inventions improve our lives in a variety of ways, including improved health care, transportation, communication , and more!

As you can see, great inventors create some of the most important things in life. People make the world go round by creating new things that benefit everyone, whether they do so alone or as part of a team. Whether it is cute cat videos on YouTube, an app to help you hail a Left, or even a good old- fashioned light bulb inventions have improved our lives!

What do they imply? Is not invention the process of creating something new and valuable? Is this to say that anything goes?

No way, no how. For example, if I went outside right now and made fire out of thin air, I would be creating something new, but it would be worthless, so it would not be an invention. Something must be valuable to someone in order to meet the definition of invention. It could be value to the creator, such as a new toy they created for themselves, or value to others, such as a new medical procedure that saves lives. Creating things that are useful and valuable to someone is what invention is all about.

Who was the inventor of the light bulb? The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison. He spent a lot of time working on different versions of the light bulb and came up with the idea of using electricity to power lights.

Hello! Welcome to my Blog StudyParagraphs.co. My name is Angelina. I am a college professor. I love reading writing for kids students. This blog is full with valuable knowledge for all class students. Thank you for reading my articles.

Related Posts:

• Search Search Please fill out this field.

Financial Services

Food and drink, transportation, patent rights, the bottom line.

• Macroeconomics

8 Inventions That Made Our Lives Easier

Skylar Clarine is a fact-checker and expert in personal finance with a range of experience including veterinary technology and film studies.

Over the past two centuries, many people have used their knowledge, skills, and experience in order to create a host of inventions that have made the world a much better place for us to live.

Here are eight paramount discoveries and innovations that have improved our standard of living and have given us the opportunity to pursue our personal and business endeavors in a more comfortable and prosperous fashion.

Key Takeaways

• Paper money, invented by China, kickstarted economies by removing the need to barter with goods.
• Vaccinations helped reduce illness and deaths, and local anesthesia made surgeries easier for patients.
• The first automobile is believed to have been invented by Karl and Bertha Benz.
• The first digital computer was created in 1937.

Banknote (Paper Currency): Tang Dynasty of China—7th Century

China is not only credited with having invented paper, but it is also generally recognized as the first country in the world to use paper money. The paper money system helped improve economies worldwide by moving them away from bartering .

Vaccinations: Edward Jenner—1796

Edward Jenner's work is widely regarded as the foundation of immunology. Jenner is well renowned worldwide for his innovative contribution to immunization and the ultimate eradication of smallpox.

Local Anesthesia: William Morton—1846

William Morton was one of the first individuals to demonstrate how ether could be used to remove the pain of operations. His use of anesthesia was displayed at a public demonstration to the surgeons of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Oct. 16, 1846, where John Collins Warren excised a tumor from a patient's neck. William Morton wasn't necessarily the first to discover or invent anesthetics, but his name is most commonly referenced when speaking of the first practitioners to use the drug. In fact, for several years, various controversies and litigation surrounded the credit for the development of anesthesia.

Antibiotics: Alexander Fleming—1928

Alexander Fleming discovered the active substance he termed "penicillin" while working on the influenza virus. Fleming made this discovery by observing that mold had developed accidentally on a staphylococcus culture plate and that the mold had created a bacteria-free circle around itself. He was inspired to experiment further and found that a mold culture prevented the growth of staphylococci, which verified his discovery. To this day, penicillin is used to treat a host of bacterial infections.

Pasteurization: Louis Pasteur—1862

Louis Pasteur developed the process now known as "pasteurization," which is a process of heating food to a specific temperature for a definite length of time and then cooling it immediately to reduce the number of viable pathogens that may cause disease. Dairy products, canned foods, juices, syrups, water, and wines are the primary products that are pasteurized today.

Modern Automobile: Karl Benz—1886

Karl Benz patented all of the processes that made the internal combustion engine feasible for use in cars. Karl Benz and his wife, Bertha Ringer Benz, were the founders of the Mercedes-Benz automobile manufacturing company.

Modern Alternating Current Electrical Supply System: Nikola Tesla—1891

Nikola Tesla filed for seven U.S. patents in the field of polyphase alternating current motors and power transmission. Tesla's patents comprised a complete system of generators, transformers, transmission lines, motors, and lighting. Tesla is also credited with the invention of the radio. However, a patent dispute with the Marconi Company resulted, ultimately leading to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling for Tesla after his death.

Electronic Digital Computer: John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry—1937

John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry constructed the first electronic computer with vacuum tubes while working for Iowa State College. The Atanasoff-Berry computer was the first digital computer. It introduced the concepts of binary arithmetic, regenerative memory, and logic circuits. The Atanasoff-Berry machine never reached the production stage and remained a prototype.

While this list consists of well-known and distinguished inventors, it is important to note that their works were built upon the ideas and labor of many people in order to create the final product or service that we enjoy and use today. Many of the contributors to a key invention or innovation often go unremembered and uncompensated. Hopefully, governments worldwide will strive to resolve this problem by implementing a more equitable patent system.

The most recent significant step toward accomplishing this goal in patent law was the passage of the America Invents Act on Sept. 16, 2011. The passage of this Act moved the U.S. patent system from a "first to invent" to a "first to file" system, which means that all parties know upfront that if they have a good idea for an invention, they need to be the first to file a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to protect their intellectual property rights. Passage of this Act also eliminated delays previously experienced through interference proceedings and allowed a patented product to come to market in an expedited manner.

What Can Be Invented to Make Life Easier?

If you can think of something that makes life easier, you can probably create it. Computers, design applications, three-dimensional printers, and other technological innovations make the creation process much easier now than in the past.

What Is the Difference Between a Patent and an Invention?

An invention is something created by someone. A patent grants the exclusive rights to the patent filer. Patents generally last for a specific period, based on the type of patent it is—in the U.S., the term for a utility patent is 20 years.

What Inventions Changed Life?

There are hundreds of inventions that have changed the way we live. One of the most significant was agriculture, which moved us from hunter/gatherers to farmers and reduced human migratory patterns. The printing press and steam engine are two other notable inventions attributed with drastically changing life.

For current entrepreneurs , the 2011 change in U.S. patent law, with the use of low-cost, powerful personal computers and the affordability of the ever-expanding internet, should provide a much greater business environment for establishing a successful small business.

We have already seen a number of relatively new and successful companies that have benefited from online intangible business models. Examples include Google, Amazon, eBay, YouTube, LinkedIn, Craigslist, Wikipedia, and PayPal, to name a few. With the U.S.'s progressive patent law , new online businesses have an additional advantage for establishing a successful small business operation.

Pickering, John. " The History of Paper Money in China ." Journal of the American Oriental Society , vol. 1, no. 2, 1844, pp. 138.

Riedel, Stefan. " Edward Jenner and The History of Smallpox and Vaccination ." Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings , vol. 18, no. 1, January 2005, pp. 21-25.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Reynolds-Finley Historical Library. " Morton, William T. G. (1819-1868) ."

Center for the History of Medicine, Countway Library of Medicine. " The Origins of Anesthesia ."

Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. " Penicillin: 83 Years Ago Today ."

Mitchell, Jessica. " 19th Century Developments in Food Preservation ." Tenor of Our Times , vol. 8, no. 13, Spring 2019, pp. 93-96.

Mercedes-Benz Group. " Company History: The First Automobile, 1885–1886 ."

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. " Nikola Tesla: Alternating Current Motor ."

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. " Nikola Tesla ."

Iowa State University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. " History of Computing ."

Iowa State University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. " Clifford Berry .'

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. " Leahy–Smith America Invents Act ."

United States Patent and Trademark Office. " 2701 Patent Term [R-07.2022] ."

• Terms of Service
• Editorial Policy
• Privacy Policy

Something Has Gone Deeply Wrong at the Supreme Court

Jurists who preach fidelity to the Constitution are making decisions that flatly contradict our founding document’s text and ideals.

Listen to this article

Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (NOA) using AI narration.

Sign up for The Decision , a newsletter featuring our 2024 election coverage.

F orget Donald Trump . Forget Joe Biden. Think instead about the Constitution. What does this document, the supreme law of our land, actually say about ​​lawsuits against ex-presidents?

Nothing remotely resembling what Chief Justice John Roberts and five associate ​justices declared​ in yesterday’s disappointing Trump v. United States decision​. The Court’s curious and convoluted majority opinion turns the Constitution’s text and structure inside out and upside down, saying things that are flatly contradicted by the document’s unambiguous letter and obvious spirit.​

Imagine a simple hypothetical designed to highlight the key constitutional clauses that should have been the Court’s starting point: In the year 2050, when Trump and Biden are presumably long gone, David Dealer commits serious drug crimes and then bribes President Jane Jones to pardon him.

Adam Serwer: The Supreme Court puts Trump above the law

Is Jones acting as president, in her official capacity, when she pardons Dealer? Of course. She is pardoning qua president. No one else can issue such a pardon. The Constitution expressly vests this power in the president: “The President … shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States.”

But the Constitution also contains express language that a president who takes a bribe can be impeached for bribery and then booted from office: “The President … shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors.” And once our hypothetical President Jones has been thus removed and is now ex-President Jones, the Constitution’s plain text says that she is subject to ordinary criminal prosecution, just like anyone else: “In cases of Impeachment … the Party convicted shall … be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.”

Obviously, in Jones’s impeachment trial in the Senate, all sorts of evidence is admissible to prove not just that she issued the pardon but also why she did this—to prove that she had an unconstitutional motive , to prove that she pardoned Dealer because she was bribed to do so. Just as obviously, in the ensuing criminal case, all of this evidence surely must be allowed to come in.

But the Trump majority opinion, ​written by Roberts, says otherwise​, ​proclaim​ing that “courts may not inquire into the President’s motives.” ​In a later footnote all about bribery, the Roberts opinion says that criminal-trial courts are not allowed to “admit testimony or private records of the President or his advisers probing the official act itself. Allowing that sort of evidence would invite the jury to inspect the President’s motivations for his official actions and to second-guess their propriety.”

​​But ​​​such an inspection is​​​​ exactly what the Constitution itself plainly calls for​​​. An impeachment court and, later, a criminal court would have to​​ determine whether Jones pardoned Dealer because she thought he was innocent, or because she thought he had already suffered enough, or because he put money in her pocket for the very purpose of procuring the pardon. The smoking gun may well be in Jones’s diary—her “private records”​—​or in a recorded Oval Office conversation with Jones’s “advisers,” as​ was the case in the Watergate scandal​​​. Essentially, the​ Court ​in Trump v. United States ​is declaring the Constitution itself unconstitutional​.​​ Instead of properly starting with the Constitution’s text and structure, the ​​Court has ended up repealing them​​.

In a quid-pro-quo bribery case—money for a pardon—Roberts apparently would allow evidence of the quid (the money transfer) and evidence of the quo (the fact of a later pardon) but not evidence of the pro: evidence that the pardon was given because of the money, that the pardon was motivated by the money. This is absurd.

In the oral argument this past April, one of the Court’s best jurists posed the issue well: “Giving somebody money isn’t bribery unless you get something in exchange, and if what you get in exchange is [an] official act … how does [the case] go forward?” The answer, of course, is by allowing evidence of all three legs of the bribery stool—the quid (the money), the quo (the official act), and the pro (the unconstitutional and vicious motive). Yet Roberts’s majority opinion entirely misses the thrust of this oral-argument episode.

Claire Finkelstein and Richard W. Painter: Trump’s presidential-immunity theory is a threat to the chain of command

This is astonishing, because the impressive jurist who shone in this oral exchange was none other than the chief justice himself. John Roberts, meet John Roberts.

And please meet the John Roberts who has long believed that the judiciary shouldn’t be partisan. Over the course of his career, Roberts has repeatedly said that there are no Republican justices or Democratic justices, no Trump justices or Obama justices or Biden justices—there are just justices, period. Yet the ​​Court​ in Trump v. United States ​ split along sharply partisan lines—six Republican​ appointees,​​ three of whom were named to the Court by Trump himself,​ versus three Democrat​ic appointees​​​. ​Roberts failed to pull these sides together​​.

This is precisely the opposite of what happened in the celebrated ​​​decision United States v. Nixon ​​, also known as the Nixon-tapes case, in which​ the Court​—including three justices appointed by Richard Nixon himself—issued a unanimous no-man-is-above-the-law ruling against the president. (A fourth Nixon appointee—William Rehnquist, for whom a young Roberts later clerked—recused himself.) The ​opinion​​​ also made clear that presidential conversations with top aides are indeed admissible when part of a criminal conspiracy.

​​​​Yesterday’s liberal dissenters came much closer to the constitutional mark, but they, too, made mistakes. ​The​ir​​ biggest blunder in Trump was relying on a 1982 case, Nixon v. Fitzgerald , that simply invented out of whole cloth broad immunity for ex-presidents in civil cases. If liberal precedents lacking strong roots in the Constitution, such as Roe v. Wade , are fair game for conservatives, then mistaken conservative precedents ​ought to​​ be fair game for liberals. Fitzgerald made stuff up, and ​the liberals should have said​ so.

No one is above the law​—or, at least, no one should be​. Not presidents, not ex-presidents, and not justices either. Because the Constitution itself is our highest law, jurists across the spectrum must prioritize that document’s letter and spirit above all else. In Trump v. United States , the Court failed to do this and also failed to live up to America’s highest ideals: nonpartisan justice and the rule of law.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

The Editorial Board

To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race

By The Editorial Board

The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values . It is separate from the newsroom.

President Biden has repeatedly and rightfully described the stakes in this November’s presidential election as nothing less than the future of American democracy.

Donald Trump has proved himself to be a significant jeopardy to that democracy — an erratic and self-interested figure unworthy of the public trust. He systematically attempted to undermine the integrity of elections. His supporters have described, publicly, a 2025 agenda that would give him the power to carry out the most extreme of his promises and threats. If he is returned to office, he has vowed to be a different kind of president, unrestrained by the checks on power built into the American political system.

Mr. Biden has said that he is the candidate with the best chance of taking on this threat of tyranny and defeating it. His argument rests largely on the fact that he beat Mr. Trump in 2020. That is no longer a sufficient rationale for why Mr. Biden should be the Democratic nominee this year.

At Thursday’s debate, the president needed to convince the American public that he was equal to the formidable demands of the office he is seeking to hold for another term. Voters, however, cannot be expected to ignore what was instead plain to see: Mr. Biden is not the man he was four years ago.

The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence.

Mr. Biden has been an admirable president. Under his leadership, the nation has prospered and begun to address a range of long-term challenges, and the wounds ripped open by Mr. Trump have begun to heal. But the greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .