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The Seed Drill
The seed drill was refined by Jethro Tull during the agricultural revolution in 1701. These designs however were expensive, fragile, and therefore unreliable. -
The Piano
The piano as we know it today was developed by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1709. Before this period the predominant keyboard instrument was the harpsicord, which lacked dynamic range and had a different tone. -
The Tuning Fork
In 1711, Englishman John Shore invented the tuning fork. It relied on a specific density and thickness of metal to produce a pure tone that could then be used to tune other instruments with greatly increased accuracy. -
Atmospheric Steam Engine
Thomas Newcomen patented the atmospheric steam engine in the year 1712. It is considered the first practical device to harness steam and convert it to mechanical work. -
The Diving Bell
The diving bell was invented in this year by Edmond Halley. The bell used the pressure of the water to keep the air inside the bell and sustain the person inside. -
The Fire Exstinguisher
In 1722 frenchman C. Hopffer patented the fire extinguisher. -
The Mercury Thermometer
Gabriel Farenheit invented the mercury thermometer in 1724. It brought with it increased accuracy because of it's new chemical composition. -
The Leyden Jar
E.G. von Kleist invented the leyden jar, the first electrical capacitor. -
Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney. It separated cotton fibers from the seed, and it was much more efficient than having to separate the fibers by hand. The cotton gin had the effect of revivng slavery. -
Interchangeable Parts
Eli Whitney demonstrated the efficiency of interchangeable parts using rifles. Interchangeable parts meant that objects such as rifles could made of the same exact parts. This means that if part of a rile broke, the same part of another rifle could replace it to fix the rifle. -
Power Loom
The power loom could produce both thread and fabric in factories very quickly and efficiently. This resulted in a product of high quality and low price. -
John Deere Steel Plow
John Deere invents the steel plow, a much more efficient plow that could break the hard soil in the West for cultivation. -
Threshing Machine
The machine automatically separates the grain from the chaff, reducing the slow, laborious work from the farmers. -
Safety Pin
On this day, Walter Hunt was granted his U.S. patent for what is known today as the modern safety pin. It was the first design to include a clasp and spring action. Hunt claimed the design was meant to keep fingers safe from injury: hence the name. -
Windmill
Halladay Windmill Company is founded. Windmills are adapted to pump water from deep water tables. Windmills became very useful in the West for irrigation and locomotives.
(Windmills had been used since antiquity, but their design was modified to meet the nation's need of the time). -
Sewing Machine
The sewing machine is commercialized and mass produced. Sewing is much faster, and women use it for their own home, or for working as seamstresses. -
Bessemer Process
Henry Bessemer patents an inexpensive method of steel production. Used by Andrew Carnegie to build a fortune using this process. -
Oil Well
Edwin L. Drake invents the modern oil well. The oil industry becomes very signficant. -
Gatling Gun
Pattented by Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1862, the gatling gun was a considerable leap forward for military technology. It was capable of firing approximitely 200 rounds per minute, but required a soldier to crank the gun to keep it firing. It utilized 6 barrels. -
Refrigeration (Meat-Packing)
Refrigeration was applied to railroad cars, especially to meat-packing. There was an expanded distribution of fresh foods through refrigerated railroad, opening a new market. -
Dynamite
Dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel, and patented in America in 1867. Nobel identified a major flaw with dynamite's predeccesor, nitro glycerin, in that in its liquid form is extremely volatile. He found that by mixing the chemical with silica (similar to simple sand) greatly increased its stablility. -
Traffic Lights
First installed on this day outside the British House of Parliment in London by J. P. Knight, a railway engineer. It closely resembled those used on railroads at the time. It swiveled additionally to point the correct signals at the different traffic. Unfourtunately, about a year later it exploded, killing or injuring the police officer who was opperating it. -
Spring Tooth Harrow
David L. Garver invents the spring tooth harrow. After the plow first broke the soil, the harrow would efficiently loosen the soil for cultivation and remove weeds. It was used in various regions of the US. -
Barbed Wire
Barbed wire was used as fencing instead of wood. Wood was scarce in the Plains, and therefore very expensive. Barbed wire kept cattle separate from the crops and established property boundaries. Barbed wire was very effective and affordable. -
The Light Bulb
Artificial light from electricity was cheaper and more convenient than gas lights. Although there was no electrical grid immediately available at the time, the potential of this invention was clear. -
Metal Detector
The first, crude metal detector was invented by Alexander Graham Bell to try and facillitate the location of the slug which killed President Garfield. As he lay on his death bed, Graham quickly created a device he called the induction balance to find the bullet. His attempt was unsuccesful. -
Roller Coaster
The first roller coaster in America was built in Coney Island. Amusement parks became a source of entertainment and leisure after work. -
Bicycle
Although used for local transportation, the bicycle was considered recreational. It also gave an opporunity for the "new woman" to break away from traditional Victorian views. -
Photoengraving
Before photoengraving, newspapers hired illustrators to redraw photographs onto newspapers, which cost a lot of time and money. Photoengraving was developed in the 1890s, and photographs could then be printed easily and cheaply. Jacob Riis also published "How the Other Half Lives" using the photogravure process to expose the poor conditions of city slums. -
Vacuum Cleaner
John Thurman invented his first gasoline powered vacuum cleaner in this year. It was part of a door-to-door vacuum service provided by Thurman in St Louis. Some historians consider his invention to be the very first engine powered vacuum. -
Air Conditioning
Willis Haviland Carrier invented the first air conditioner in 1902. Carrier was a engineer who recieved his masters degree from Cornell Univeristy. -
Zipper
The modern zipper that is in almost all of today's clothes was invneter in 1913 by Gideon Sundack. Sundack was a Sewdish immigrant who was an electrical engineer. He was hired to work in New Jersey in 1906. He had great success there and 5 years later created the modern zipper. -
Lewis Gun
The Lewis gun was one of the orginal machine guns. It was used during WW1. Its name comes from it's inventor Issac Newton Lewis. Even though it was invented by the American Army it was most widely used by the British Army. -
Chemical Warfare
Gas was used mainly for the first time in WW1. In 1915 the United States used over one thousand tons of gas. Gas was effective in WW1 because some guns were nearly useless. This is because of Trench Warefare. Gas could be used to force enemy troops out of their trenches, and then the would be exposed and in the open. -
Mark VIII or Liberty Tank
The Mark VIII or Liberty tank was one of the first tanks to be created by America. It was created for use of the allies to counter recent tanks invented by Germany. It was made by collaberating with several of the Allies, but unfortunately was never really used in WW1. -
Band-Aids
Band-Aids were first invented in 1920 by a employee of the company Johnson & Johnson. His name was Earle Dickson. He came up with the idea because his wife frequently got cut or burned while cooking. Band-Aids were a quick and easy solution to those cuts and burns. -
Wonder Bread and other foods
Canned Foods became much more popular during this time. Also things like Reese's, popsicles, Kool-aid, Milk Duds, Mike and Ikes, Butterfingers, Rice Krispies, and Wonder Bread were first seen in the 1920's. This came about from many new types of creating and also preserving food. -
Polygraph (Lie Detector)
The modern lie detector was invented by John Larson in 1921. Larson was a medical student at the University of California. He created it knowing that when people lie they put themselves through stress and that there are measurable side effects of that stress. -
Electric Kettle
Arthur Leslie Large invented the electric kettle in 1922. This was during a period of time when many household appliances were being sold to make life easier for women. -
Insulin
Sir Frederick Grant Ganting invents insulin. Insulin was a very important medical disovery, for it treats diabetes. -
Blender
Stephen Poplawski invented the blender in 1922. This was just one of many kitchen and houshold appliances that were invented during the period of the 1920's. -
Traffic Signal
The traffic signal was invented by Garrett Morgan, which reduced the frequency of accidents. -
Liquid-Filled Rocket
Robert H. Goddard launched the first liquid-filled rocket on March 16th, 1926. In his life he launched dozens of rockets getting some over 1.5 miles in the sky and reaching speeds over over 550 mph. He was one of the first scientist that took America toward space travel almost fifty years before a man walked on the moon. -
Robots!
In 1926 Westinghouse Electric created the first robot to actually accomplish useful work. The robot was called Televox. Televox was able to answer a phone and turn of lights. He also was eight feet tall and had a very loud "heart-beat" -
Movie with sound!
In 1922 the first movie made with sound was made. It was titled "The Jazz Singer". It was made by Warner Bros. and stared Al Johnson. It markes a large step towards modern entertainment in movies. -
Aerosol Can (Spray Can)
Eric Rotheim patents the first aerosol can, which holds and dispenses products through a valve. -
Iron Lung
Philip Drinker invents the iron lung. Using air pressure, the iron lung helps patients breathe with a push-pull motion on their chest. The first patients of the iron lung often were suffering from polio with chest paralysis -
Garbage Disposal
John Hammes created the first garbage disposal in 1927. Hammes was an architect from Wisconsin, and he didn't sell his new product until into the 1940's. -
Animated Movies
Walt Disney makes animated cartoons, first appearing with Mickey Mouse in 1928. Many more animated cartoons followed and were very popular. -
The Yo-Yo
The yo-yo was reinvented by D.F. Duncan and became a new fad.Yo-yos were mass produced, and the improved toy became very popular. -
Scotch Tape
Scotch tape was patented by Richard Drew. Tape was used to repair many things during the depression such as books, toys, window shades, and even ripped dollars. Scotch tape is very useful, and it is commonly used today. -
Movie with Color
The Technicolor company was able to film movies using color. The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind made color known to the masses. Technological improvements like this made cinemas very popular and profitable. -
Penicillin
Although penicillin was discovered in earlier years, its first real use in the US was during WWII for soldiers. The sale of penicillin was then available for civilian use after WWII. -
DDT (Insecticide)
DDT became used as an insecticide. It was used in WWII to clear islands of mosquitos carrying malaria, and it stopped a typhus epidemic in Naples, Italy in January 1944. -
Synthetic Rubber
Rubber was a necessary part of many war machines during WWII. The invention of synthetic rubber greatly helped meet the country's need during war. -
Early Computers
-Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (Mark I)
-ENIAC Both computers were used to quickly solve computations for the military. -
Atomic Bomb
The Manhatten Project completes the atomic bomb. Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of WWII, which Japan surrended right after. -
Microwave Oven
Percy L. Spencer invents the microwave oven. -
Television
Although available earlier, the television was widely bought during the 1950s when suburbs dramatically expanded. Television was extremely popular and many shows were aired. Other appliances such as electric washers and dryers were widely bought during the 1950s. -
Video Tape Recorder (VTR)
The fist VTR was created by sony in 1951. It was useful to TV networks and large stations but not to families. I the 1950s it orginally cost $50,000. -
Super Glue
The glue was orignally discovered by mistake in the 40s while try to make gun sights. It was rediscover in 1951 by Eastman Kodak, Harry Coover and Fred Joyner. The product was not sold until 1958 -
Diet Soda
The first diet sodas were created in 1952 and more were ralesed later in the 1950s. Soda had obviously been around for a long time but diet soda's were a completly new concept and one that is still very popular today -
Hydrogen Bomb
As the Cold War was escalating, the hydrogen bomb was developed under President Truman. The hydrogen bomb is ten times more powerful than the atomic bomb. -
Solar Cells (pannels)
THe frst Solar cells were invented in 1954 in Bell Labortories by Daryl Chapin, Calvin Souther Fuller and Gerald Pearson. There were manly used for trival use like in toys since they were more than 100 times less effective than coal. -
Optic Fibers
The frst optic fibers were made in 1955. Larry Curtiss is attributed with creating the first modern glass-clad optic fibers. Today this is used for most Televisions and is very important in mant other electronics. -
Hovercraft
Christopher Cockerell created the plans for the first realistic hovercraft in1956. The were soon created and were effective in traveling over water by creating a small cushion of air. They were evntually sold for transportaion/shipping purposes. -
Computer Hard Disk
The first hard disk and disk drive was invented in 1956. It was one of many new invententions that were very important in later inventing the modern computer. The hard drive was invented by engineers for IBM -
The Pill (Contraception)
The Pill is a method of birth control that gave more freedom to women. It fostered a sexual revolution, and it later led to social changes and more independence for women. -
Toys!
Toys such as the hula-hoop, Mr. Potatoe Head, and Barby were all first sold in the 1950s. These toys were very popular then and are still today. -
Vanguard (Flopnik)
During the Cold War, the USSR had launched the first artifical satellite, called "Sputnik." This generated much fear in the US, and the Vanguard was built in response. Millions watched the launch on TV, but it was a failure, and it exploded at six feet. -
Laser
Gordon Gould created the first liht laser and the first persons to use the term laser. He was also the creater of the maser and studied at Clombia University -
Credit Card
American Express created the first credit card for all shopping as well as the ability to slowly pay off debt just like today. Before there were similar cards but only for dinning and hey required payments every month. -
Computer... kind of
The first beggings of a computer were creted in the 1950s. THe cmputer was called ENIAC and was the size of a small house. IT was gas tubes that were prone to breaking. -
Pacemaker
In 1959 the first internal pacemaker was invented. Wilson Greatbach a was a WWII veteran and engineer from cornell university. Greatbach created the first pacemaker and it was soon produced and sold -
Computer Microchip
Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce are both attributed with creaping the first microchip in 1959. This was a major breaktrough for computers even if it was not fullyknown at the time. WIth microchips no computers or any electronic for that matter would function properly today -
Halogen Lamp
Developed by Fredrick Moby, a General Electric engineer, the halogen lamp of 1960 could fit into a standard lightbulb socket. -
Valium
Valium, otherwise known as diazepam, was first marketed by Hoffmann-La Roche. It is used most often for treating insomnia, seizures, anxiety, restless legs syndrome, alcohol withdrawl, and Ménière's disease. -
Audio Cassette Tape
The Philips Company of the Netherlands first invented the compact audio-cassette. It had high-quality polyester 1/8-inch tape, and both recording and playback were at a speed of 1.7/8 inches per second. -
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint, similar to what is available today first was available to the larger public starting in 1964. It was fueled by experimentation with new binders and water solubility. -
Compact Disk (CD)
The CD was invented by James Russell in 1965. Russell received multiple patents for his compact disk system, but the cd did not become popular until it was mass manufactured by Philips in 1980. -
Electronic handheld calculator
A team of men produced a working model of the first handheld calculator in 1966 and within a year the device was patented. It was able to do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. -
Agent Orange and Napalm (Vientnam War)
Agent Orange is a herbicide and defoliant substance. It is highly toxic and was greatly used in the Vietnam war. Forests, crops, and population suffered widespread damage.
Napalm was also vastly used for similar purposes in Vietnman. -
Computer Mouse
Described as an "X-Y position indicator for a display system", the computer mouse was built by Douglas Engelbart. It recieved its patent in 1970. -
First ATM
Debuted at the Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York, ATM's went on to revolutionize the banking industry. -
VCR
The VCR was the first relativly inexpensive, and easy to use home video system. Before this the only similar products had been very expensive, and mostly for companies. -
Pong
The first video game to become very popular, Pong was created in 1972. It might not seem like that much fun today, but it was unlike anything else before. The success of Pong created the vido game industry. -
Hacky Sack
The Hacky Sack is invented in 1972 by John Stalberger and Mike Marshall. The word hacky sack is just a trademark of one type of footbag, but was/is so popular it has become a generalized trademark. -
The Ethernet
The ethernet was invented in 1972-1973 by Xerox. Ethernet became common in the 1980's and today is extrmely common. In 2010 $16 billion worth of ethernet equipment were sold. -
Laser Printer
It was first created in 1969 by Xerox and Gary Starkweather, but was not sold until 1976. The laser printer is now what almost all printers are today. -
The Walkman
The walkam was invented by Sony in 1978. It was really the first product that made it possible to listen to music on-the-go. The Walkman was extremely successful, and created a new market for portable music -
CD-ROM
The first CD was made in 1984 by sony. It has become a very important invention for electronics today. -
Apple Macintosh
The Mac was invented by Apple in 1894. It was the first personal computer to be successfully marketed and sold. Apple has obviously released a line of Macs and today is one of the most impactful companies. -
Windows by Microsoft
Windows was a revolutionary operating system. Led by Bill Gates Microsoft has become an extremly impotant compani\y for the development of computers.
