The 20th century will certainly be remembered as one of the most productive eras of mankind. Inventions and innovations have occurred in every field, from medicine to mechanics, engineering to electronics, and transportation to transplants. The advances of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, in the late 19th century gave many new inventors the boost they needed to further their designs.
1. Henry Ford pretty may not have invented the automobile, but he certainly put the average family on the road with the creation of the Model T Ford in 1908. Thanks to his conveyor belt, assembly line process of production, cars could be made faster, sold cheaper, and were accessible to almost everyone who wanted to take to the road.
2. The Wright brothers took their dream of flight from Ohio to Kitty Hawk and started the ball rolling for an industry that has gone from sand dunes to the moon in less than a century.
3. Robert Goddard, “father of modern rocketry”, developed the solid fuel rocket and the guidance system to control it, using his own gyro controlled device. He developed the supersonic rocket in 1935.
4. John Logie Baird, a Swedish inventor was one of many who worked on the invention of the television, however, he made the first public broadcast as early as 1928, and developed color TV in 1930.
5. Dr. Percy LeBaron Spencer accidentally invented the microwave oven in 1946, while he was working for the Raytheon Corporation. Realizing that the waves could cook food rapidly, the microwave was developed, and is now a part of every household and most businesses.
6. Christiaan N. Barnard, a South African surgeon was a pioneer in the field of organ transplants. His innovative work in the field of heart surgery, valve replacement and other techniques included the first heart transplant in 1967.
7. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio, the disease that crippled countless individuals during the 1940s and 50s, putting an end to the epidemic.
8. Tim Berners-Lee is credited for creating something that most of us use everyday, the World Wide Web. While numerous people were involved in the actual creation of the computer, Lee is responsible for the creation of HTML and URLs.
9. Portable phones have been in existence for a long time in one form or another, but Bell Labs has the distinction of creating the modern cell phone through their research team in 1947.
10. Stephanie Louise Lwolek developed Kevlar, an incredibly strong polymer fiber that has saved countless lives when used in bullet proof vests and helmets.
There are thousands of inventions that have occurred in the last 100 years, and thanks to these brilliant people, life in general has become easier, healthier, and certainly, more convenient.
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