Engineering

History of Engineering

By ghuynh
  • Sep 19, 1450

    First "printer"

    First "printer"
    Johann Gutenberg invented the first movable type mold/printing press. This invention made it possible for people to produce large amounts of the same text without having to hand-write each copy. This printing press also allowed for many copies of information on multiple subjects to be distributed.

  • Steam Engine

    Steam Engine
    Thomas Savery invented the steam engine to solve the problem of getting water out of the mine shafts. His steam engine was designed as a closed vessel that was filled with water and with steam under pressure forced the water upwards, out of the mine.

  • First Electrical Battery

    First Electrical Battery
    Alessandro Volta created the first battery which is a device that stores energy and makes it available in an electrical form. A battery takes chemical energy and converts it into electric energy.

  • First Telephone

    First Telephone
    Alexander Graham Bell was the first to patent the telephone. The telephone allowed people to communicate simultaneously opposed to the earlier telegraph that only allowed for people to communicate one message at a time.

  • First "Practical" Dishwasher

    First "Practical" Dishwasher
    Josephine Cochran inveted the first "practical" dishwasher. This dishwasher was a hand-operated mechanical dishwasher. Only hotels and large restaurants were buying her dishwashers until the 1950's.

  • First Refrigerator

    First Refrigerator
    Carl von Linde invented the first refrigerator. The refrigerator was used to preserve food by preventing the growth of bacteria, yeast, and mold.

  • Gasoline Powered Automobile

    Gasoline Powered Automobile
    The first four wheeled, four-stroke engine was invented by Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach.

  • Modern-Day Electic Water Heater

    Modern-Day Electic Water Heater
    Edwin Rudd invented an electrical water heater that stored hot water in a large tank and had a heat source that would warm the water to a desired temperature. Flaws in the design were that when the water emptied it took time for the water to get up to the temperature that was desired and when the warm water ran out it could take hours for the water supply to heat up.

  • First Passenger Airplane

    First Passenger Airplane
    Orville and WIlbur Wright invented the first airplane that could successfully fly passengers. This plane allowed for more than one person to ride in a single plane and had a more convenient method of steering.

  • First Powered Airplane

    First Powered Airplane
    Orville and Wilbur Wright invented a biplane (double winged plane). This plane had a 12 horse power engine that the brothers built themselves. The wings of the plane were wooden, covered in cloth, and 40 feet wide. The pilot had to lay on the lower wing of the plane on his/her stomach to steer the plane.

  • First Handheld Calculator

    First Handheld Calculator
    Jack Kilby, Jim Van Tassel, and Jerry Merryman invented the first calculator that could fit in the palm of a hand. This calculator was able to calculate basic math functions.

  • First Mobile Phone

    First Mobile Phone
    While working for Motorola, Martin Cooper invented the first mobile phone. The first mobile phone was about the size of a brick. The mobile phone allowed people to make phonecalls on the go.