-
Robert Hooke Discovers the Cell
While looking at cork under the microscope, Robert Hooke saw a room like structures, he called them cells. This discovery is the backbone of many other scientific discoveries. With out this one major breakthrough by Hooke, Theodore Schwann and Matthias Schleiden's cell theory may not have been presented in 1839. -
Isaac Newton Laws of Motion
Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion explain the relationship between a physical object and the forces that are acting upon it. There are three laws of motion, they are: Newton's first law: inertia, Newton's second law: force, Newton's third law: action and motion. Understanding the laws of motion gives us a basic understanding of modern physics. -
Steam Engine
Thomas Savery, an engineer, patented the steam engine in 1698. His invention was used to draw water from flooded mines using steam pressure. Building upon this first model, and with many innovations, years later the steam powered locomotive, barge and auto were created. Thus, allowing us to not only remove water from mines, but move goods and people at a faster pace than ever before. -
Seed Drill
Jethro Tull is credited with the development of the horse-drawn mechanical seed drill. Before the seed drill planting was done by hand, scattering or individually placing the seeds in the ground. Scattering was wasteful because many seeds did not take root, individually planting took many hours. The seed drill was more efficient and allowed for uniform rows. -
Benjamin Franklin 1/17/1706 - 4/17/1790
Benjamin Franklin was a respected polymath, scientist, diplomat, inventor, write and publisher. Franklin may be best known for his investigations in electricity, and as one of the Founding Fathers. He is credited with such discoveries as bifocal glasses, the American penny, the Gulf Stream and the rocking chair. -
Antoine Lavoisier Modern Chemistry
Antoine Lavoisier is known as the Father of Modern Chemistry due to his meticulous experimentation based on quantitative data. Lavoisier played a key role in developed the modern system used for naming both elements and compounds, that is still in use today. -
Smallpox Vaccine
British doctor Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine to be used against a contagious disease. After realizing that milkmaids of the time did not contract smallpox, Jenner searched for the reason. Finding that when the maids contracted cowpox they developed immunity. Jenner injected a young boy with cowpox from a blister on a milkmaids hand, when he recovered Jenner then injected him with smallpox. The boy did not become infected. Vaccination did not become accepted for many more years. -
Stethoscope
The stethoscope, invented by French doctor Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec. In order to avoid placing his ear directly on a female patients chest he rolled up some paper, placing it to the woman's chest instead. Finding that it amplified the sounds he began using a hollow wooden tube with a funnel a one end. Over time many modifications have been made to the stethoscope, one of the most iconic tools of the medical profess. -
Colt Revolver
The first revolving-cylinder handgun was invented in 1831 by Samuel Colt, and patented on February 25, 1836. Colt's invention of a handgun that would fire multiple shots without the need for reloading marked the beginning of a new era in firearms. -
Lord Kelvin Calculates Absolute Zero
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, was a Scots-Irish mathematician and engineer. Lord Kelvin is most known for two things, The temperature scale named in his honor, and absolute zero. The kelvin temperature scale is used so zero is the absence of thermal energy. Lord Kelvin calculated this to be about -273degrees Celsius or -459 degrees Fahrenheit. -
Charles Darwin "Origin of Species"
Charles Darwin published "origin of Species" in November of 1859. In this book he relates his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. This challenged the popular notions of divine creation, thus leading the way for further research and more modern theories. -
Refrigeration
In 1876, a German engineer by the name of Carl Von Linde patented the process of liquefying gas, that is now part of refrigeration technology. He created the first efficient and reliable refrigerator, using compressed ammonia. This lead to the domestic refrigerator now found in most homes. -
Albert Einstein 3/14/1879 - 4/18/1955
Albert Einstein was a German theoretical physicist. Best known for the theory of relativity, which modernized our understanding of the universe, space, time and gravity. He also greatly contributed to the theory of quantum mechanics. During his lifetime he published hundreds of scientific papers and changed how we see the universe. His profound impact has made sure his name will forever be linked with the word genius. -
Pasteurization
Pasteurization is the process Louis Pasteur discovered to remove microorganisms from milk. This was done by heating the milk to a set temperature for a certain amount of time. The harmful bacteria are then killed and the teste and nutrition is preserve. The first commercial milk pasteurizers became available in 1882. However, the first laws requiring the pasteurization of milk was not passed until 1908. -
Erwin Schrodinger 8/12/1887 - 1/4//1961
A Nobel Prize winning physicist. He altered quantum theory with his wave equation. Is well known for the thought experiment Schrodinger's Cat. In this experiment, a cat is placed in a box with a radioactive substance. When the it decays, it causes a poison that kills the cat. If there is no observer, the cat ends up dead and alive simultaneously. A cat that is both dead and alive can not exist. This thought experiment proves that wave function collapses are not just caused by observers. -
Nuclear Bomb
The first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945 at Alamogordo air base New Mexico. This bomb was the scientific test by the Manhattan Project. In August two other bombs were produced. The first one using uranium-235, the second plutonium, they were bound for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The invention of the nuclear bomb has changed the face of war. -
Dolly the sheep
Dolly was the first mammal cloned from and adult cell. She was a female Finn Dorset sheep, and lived from 1996 to 2003. Dolly's birth was a milestone achievement, quashing the long held belief that adult mammals could not be cloned. Debates exploded over the ethical concerns of cloning with Dolly's arrival. According to the FDA scientists have successfully cloned cows, pigs, sheep, goats, mice, rats, rabbits, cats, mules, horses, and one dog. -
YouTube
YouTube has changed the way we do everything from education and entertainment to how we communicate and remember. The site was launched by Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. The idea that anybody anywhere anytime could post a video about anything quickly took off. -
iPad is launched
The original iPad was released in 2010 by Steve Jobs and Apple. With the ability to surf the net, check your email, look at photos, listen to music, watch videos, play games, read books and interact with your device using a touch screen it changed the face of computers. In just over a decade since its release and now with multiple up-grades you can find an iPad an almost every home and office. -
CRISPR-Cas9
CRISPR is a gene editing technology. This means that scientist can now identify and alter DNA sequences. They can add, remove or simply alter material in the genome. CRISPR-Cas9 uses special RNA to guide a Cas9 enzyme to a specific DNA sequence. Cas9 then cleaves the DNA and removes a little piece. This gap in the DNA is where a new piece can then be added. This will likely have long reaching effects on the medical and scientific communities.