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The invention of the steam locomotive
In 1802, Richard Trevithick patented a "high pressure engine" and created the first steam-powered locomotive engine on rails. Trevithick wrote on February 21, 1804, after the trial of his High Pressure Tram-Engine, that he "carry'd ten tons of Iron, five wagons, and 70 Men...above 9 miles...in 4 hours and 5 Mints." Though a ponderous-sounding journey, it was the first step toward an invention that would utterly change man's relationship to time and space. -
The invention of the arc lamp, the first electric light
British chemist Humphrey Davy is credited with inventing the arc lamp. In 1809, he connected two wires to a battery, and used charcoal strips as electrodes. This created a sufficiently intense light for illumination, and Davy's arc lamp became a popular component of his public lectures. -
Laws of thermodynamics
The laws of thermodynamics define a group of physical quantities, such as temperature, energy, and entropy, that characterize thermodynamic systems in thermodynamic equilibrium. The laws also use various parameters for thermodynamic processes, such as thermodynamic work and heat, and establish relationships between them. They state empirical facts that form a basis of precluding the possibility of certain phenomena. -
Charles Wheatstone invents the microphone.
Wheatstone is best known for inventing the telegraph. His interests were varied, and he devoted some of his time the study of acoustics during the 1820s. Wheatstone was among the first scientists to formally recognize that sound was "transmitted by waves through mediums." This knowledge led him to explore ways of transmitting sounds from one place to another, even over long distances. He worked on a device that could amplify weak sounds, which he called a microphone. -
Samuel Morse invents the telegraph
An electrical telegraph is a point-to-point text messaging system. It used coded pulses of electric current through dedicated wires to transmit information over long distances. It was the first electrical telecommunications system, the most widely used of a number of early messaging systems called telegraphs, devised to send text messages more rapidly than written messages could be sent. This system allowed for communication to occur without the necessity of physical transportation. -
The invention of the anesthesia
On October 16, 1846 William T. G. Morton (1819-1868) made history by being first in the world to publicly and successfully demonstrate the use of ether anesthesia for surgery. This occurred at what came to be called "The Ether Dome," at Massachusetts General Hospital on patient Edward Gilbert Abbott. -
The creation of the periodic table
In 1869 Russian chemist Dimitri Mendeleev started the development of the periodic table, arranging chemical elements by atomic mass. He predicted the discovery of other elements, and left spaces open in his periodic table for them. -
The germ theory of disease
The germ theory of disease states that microorganisms known as pathogens or "germs" can lead to disease. These small organisms, too small to see without magnification, invade humans, other animals, and other living hosts. Their growth and reproduction within their hosts can cause disease. "Germ" may refer to not just a bacterium but to any type of microorganism, such as protists or fungi, or even non-living pathogens that can cause disease, such as viruses, prions, or viroids. -
Heinrich Hertz invents radar.
The basic principles needed for radar systems were established in the 1880s, when German physicist Heinrich Hertz first produced and transmitted radio waves across his laboratory. He discovered that the invisible waves were a form of electromagnetic radiation, and noticed that some materials transmit radio waves while others reflect them. -
The creation of the aspirin
The aspirin we know came into being in the late 1890s in the form of acetylsalicylic acid when chemist Felix Hoffmann at Bayer in Germany used it to alleviate his father's rheumatism, a timeline from Bayer says. Beginning in 1899, Bayer distributed a powder with this ingredient to physicians to give to patients. The drug became a hit and, in 1915, it was sold as over-the-counter tablets.
