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Refrigerator / William Cullen (1710-1790)
William Cullen, who was born in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, invented the refrigerator. Its introduction fundamentally changed the way people around the world were able to store and transport food. The fridge helped prolong the life of perishable food items. Cullen demonstrated his discovery at Glasgow University in 1748, though at the time no effort was made to commercialise the invention. Today there are more than 500 million refrigerators in use across the globe. -
Steam engine / James Watt (1736-1819)
James Watt was born in Greenock,
Scotland. He was a mechanical and engineer.
Watt started to
design a steam engine better, with more efficient engine. His new machine didn't lose
steam, and it used 75% less fuel than Other engines.
Watt's invention made the Industrial
Revolution in Britain possible. -
Flush toilet / Alexander Cumming (1733-1814)
Alexander Cumming (born in Edinburgh) was a Scottish watchmaker, and the first to patent a toilet design. Cumming was a mathematician, mechanic, and watchmaker. He wrote books on clocks and their mechanisms, on the effect of wagon wheels with rims of various shapes on the track, and on the influence of gravity. The siphon design still in use today was invented by Cumming to isolate unpleasant odors from cisterns from lingering in homes. -
Telephone / Alexandre Graham Bell (1847-1922)
Alexander Graham Bell was born in Edinburgh. In 1870 he moved with his family to North America. He was interested in the science
of hearing because both his mother and wife were deaf. Bell taught
in schools for deaf people and then, he experimented with new
inventions to help the deaf. Finally invented the
telephone in 1876. -
Fingerprinting / Henry Faulds (1843-1930)
Henry Faulds was born in Beith, North Ayrshire, into a family of modest means. Aged 13, he was forced to leave school, and went to Glasgow to work as a clerk to help support his family . He came up with the idea while working on archaeological digs in Japan and noticing finger prints on shards of ancient pottery. In the world of cutting-edge forensic science, the use of fingerprints to identify criminals is common place even mundane. -
Television / John Logie Baird (1888-1946)
John Logie Baird (Helensburg) was an inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator. He is recognized as the inventor of electromechanical television. He conducted the world's first demonstration of the television system. He also invented a system to broadcast color television around the world. Baird's early technological successes, and his role in introducing television, have given him a prominent place in television history. -
Penicillin / Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955)
Sir Alexander Fleming was born in Ayrshire, Scottland. He moved to London
and studied medicine at London University. Later, he joined the
research department at St Mary's Medical School.
Fleming saw many soldiers die
because their wounds became infected with bacteria in World War 1. In August 1928, he left his laboratory and forgot to sterilise his equipment. On his
return, the equipment had mould on it, but no bacteria. This
started of modern antibiotics and saved many lives.