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Lightning Rod
Invented by benjermine Frankline this was the first way humans could harness the power of electricity and it greatly reduced the risk of home fires because of lightning strike. -
Dictionary
Samuel Johnson published the first English dictionary -
Spinning Jenny
The spinning jenny is a multi-spool spinning frame. It was invented in 1764 by James Hargreaves in Stanhill, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire in England. -
Indoor Plumbing
Alexander Cummings received a patent for the first flushing toilet. -
Steam Engine
The powerful steam engine was first made truly usable by James Watt in 1778. These steam engines helped run factories and were used to power steam boats and locomotives, allowing people to travel faster, safer and longer distances than they had in the past on horse. -
Hot Air Balloon
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier were the inventors of the Montgolfière-style hot air balloon. -
Parachute
Credit for the invention of the first practical parachute frequently goes to Sebastien Lenormand who demonstrated the parachute principle in 1783. -
Steamboat
From 1784 James Rumsey built a pump-driven boat and successfully steamed upstream on the Potomac River in 1786. -
Steam Locomotive
In 1784, William Murdoch, a Scottish inventor, built a prototype steam road locomotive. -
Guillotine
Used to behead people during the French Revolution. -
Modern Bicycle
The first modern day bicycle was made in 1839 by Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a blacksmith living in a village near Dumfries, Scotland. -
Sewing Machine
Elias Howe, born in Spencer, Massachusetts, created his sewing machine in 1845 -
Steam Tractor
The first engine-powered farm tractors used steam and were introduced in 1868. These engines were built as small road locomotives and were operated by one man if the engine weighed less than 5 tons. They were used for general road haulage and in particular by the timber trade. -
Street Car
On January 17, 1871, San Franciscan Andrew Smith Hallidie patented the first cable car -
Telephone
Graham Bell was the first to have his design for the telephone patented, although Gray was only a few hours behind. During a sound experiment in 1875, Graham Bell discovered he could hear over the wire. The first phone call placed was on March 10, 1876, between Graham Bell and his assistant, Thomas Watson, who was seated in the next room. -
Light Bulb
The invention of the electric light bulb is attributed to Thomas Alva Edison, with the first successful trial taking place on October 22, 1879. It consisted of an evacuated glass bulb containing a filament made from a carbonized cotton thread. -
Steam-Engine Motorcycle
Sylvester Howard Roper invented a two-cylinder, steam-engine motorcycle in 1867. -
Motorboat
The first boat powered by a petrol engine was tested on the Neckar river by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in 1886. -
Basketball
James Naismith was the Canadian physical education instructor who invented basketball in 1891. James Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario and educated at McGill University and Presbyterian Cllege in Montreal. -
Airplane
The airplane was invented by Wilbur and Orville, the Wright brothers. On 17th December, 1903, the first airplane flight took place; attempts to build an airplane by Wright brothers started in 1899. Most of the initial research in airplane development took place between the years 1799 and 1809
