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Telescope
Source: The first recorded telescope invented was created by Hans Lippershey, and patented in 1608. He was a Dutch eyeglass maker who was able to make a telscope that could magnify things three times. His technique was improved upon by the famous Galileo a few years later. This invention allows us to see across long distances that we cannot normally see with the naked eye, and is still being used and improved upon today. -
Submarine
SourceThough designs for submarines and underwater boats had existed decades before, in 1620 Cornelius Jacobszoon Drebbel invented the first working submarine. It was propelled by oars, held twelve men, and was able to go about fifteen feet underwater. Though our modern-day submarines are much more advanced, can hold more men, and go much deeper, the same principle is still used today in warfare and underwater expeditions, among other uses. -
Micrometer
In 1636, William Gascoigne invented the first known version of the micrometer. A micrometer is a gauge used for measuring the distance between small distances, or the thickness of an object placed between it's two faces. Versions of the micrometer (based on the same concept) are still used today to find precise measurements, especially in the field of mechanical engineering. -
Microscopic Cells
In 1665, Robert Hooke was the first person to see a cell. He used an early version of the compact microscope to look at cork cells, pictured here, and coined the term "cell" itself. We still use the term today, and knowledge about even the most basic of cells is essential to the study of life sciences. -
Celsius Thermometer
Source. In 1742 Anders Celsius created the celcius thermometer, which used a different scale than fahrenheit. It was also called the centigrade scale because it was divided into 100 degrees, 0 being the freezing point and 100 being the boiling point of pure water at sea level air temperature. Celsius is used today as the standard temperautre gauge for every country except America. -
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William Playfair
Source. William Playfair is known for his founding of graphical methods of statistics. He invented four different styles of diagram: the bar graph, line graph, pie chart, and circle graph. Still widely used today not only among those whose career is related to statistics, his style of diagram can be seen just about anywhere one might need to display data of any kind. -
Methane Gas
Source. Alessandro Volta first discovered the existence of methane gas in 1777. He found it burned rather easily, and is used for fuel to make heat and light today. It exists naturally in the atmosphere. It is created by the decomposition of natural materials and is also used today to maufacture organic chemicals. -
General Anesthesia
Source. In 1799, Humphrey Davy discovered the effects of using nitrous oxide. He noticed it could have a possibility of being used as a general anesthetic for surgical procedures, instead of . Later, it was replaced by ether after it was discovered that nitrous oxide was highly addictive, and wouldn't necessarily put people entirely under. -
Battery
Source.The early form of today's battery, which was invented in 1800 by Alessandro Volta, later came to be known as the voltaic pile. It consisted of alternating discs of zinc and silver or copper stacked on top of each other with slips of cardboard or fabric soaked with salt water. It helped inspire the current version of the battery, which is used to power many things today. -
Protractor
Source. In 1801, Joseph Huddart created the protractor to plot the position of ships on charts. Nowadays, it's most commonly used to measure angles, especially in schools. More complex versions are used for more complex problems. -
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Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison is often considered one of the greatest inventors of his time--or any other. He invented such things as the electric light bulb, the phonograph, the motion picture, a voice recorder, and many others. His inventions forever changed the way the world works. -
Bakelite (Catalin)
Source. Bakelite was a synthetic polymer plastic patented by Leo Hendrik Baekeland. It was used to replace materials like celluloid plastic, and to make gun parts, jewelry, and casing on old phones, among other things. Bakelite was considered very much an improvement over previously used materials since the melted form of this product would not only form an exact mold of any container it was placed in, but it also would not burn, boil, melt, or dissolve in any common acids/solvents used at the time. -
Penicillin
Source. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin on accident in 1929 when he noticed a strange mold growing on a plate of bacteria he had left sitting out in the open. Noticing the mold had killed most of the bacteria, he looked into it, and eventually released penicillin. It was a necessity in the 1940s, during WW2 to have much of it available for soldiers. It saved many lives, and penicillin is sitll used today as an antibiotic. -
Radar
The first practical version of radar was invented in 1935 by Sir Robert Watson-Watt. It was especially useful in WW2, and helped soldiers detect approaching ships, airplanes, etc. This was a huge advancement since it worked as sort of an early-warning system, and gave the side using it an advantage--they could tell when something or someone was incoming faster than before. This contributed to the wins of many battles that might not have been won without radar during WW2. -
Kidney Dialysis Machine
Willem Kolff created the first artificial kidney in 1943. A kidney dialysis machine is basically a machine that, when hooked up to it, it will filter out a patient's blood when their kidneys can no longer do it for them. This machine has saved countless lives of those with dysfunctional kidneys since it's invention, and we still use dialysis machines similar to this one in modern hospitals today. -
Artificial Heart
In 1982, Robert K. Jarvik's design for an artificial heart was successfully implanted into a human. This was the first successful surgery of the kind, and his design was said to have been based off of an earlier version created by Paul Winchell. This artificial heart is just what it sounds like; it's a replacement for your heart, to be placed when your heart can no longer perform it's natural functions. Today, we still use artificial hearts similar to his original design. -
Stereolithography (3D Printing)
Stereolithography is the process by which 3D printers are based off of today. The original concept was invented by Charles W. Hull 1983, and it works by creating a model of the object you're trying to create in a computer program, and the printer uses directions sent by the computer to drop down layer by layer of ultrathin melted plastic, which all hardens into a 3D object. This is a process being experimented with today, with all kinds of 3D printers and objects made by them availible. -
Tesla Model S Car
In 2012, Tesla Motors began producing the Tesla Model S, which was one of the only cars on the market at the time that ran entirely on electricity. It was widely available and very soon could be seen often on the roads. Today, a few years later, Tesla Motors continues to release fully electric cars, doing their part to improve the quality of the environment by reducing the amount of gas-powered cars on the road. -
Exoskeletal Cast
Source.In 2013, Jake Evill came up with a design for a 3D-printed Cortex exoskeletal cast. Instead of the common plaster ones currently being used, it's lightweight, able to be worn in the shower, breathable, and can be shaped specifically to the wearer to provide extra support wherever needed. -
Self Balancing Scooter
Last year, companies like IO Hawk began releasing a self-balanacing scooter, or, as it is sometimes called, a hoverboard. It's very similar to a Segway except it has no handlebars. It has a range of about ten miles and can only go about 6 mph, but these scooters are a huge jump in personal mobility. Small and relatively light, these can be a good way for one person to go a short distance in a relatively short amount of time.
