Timeline of historic inventions
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This is a chronological list of particularly important or significant technological inventions.
Note: Dates for inventions are often controversial. Inventions are often invented by several inventors around the same time, or may be invented in an impractical form many years before another inventor improves the invention into a practical form. Where there is ambiguity, the date of the first known working version of the invention is used here.
Paleolithic Era
- Indeterminate: Music, Language
- 2.4 Ma BP: Olduwan - struck stone tools, in East Africa
- 1.65 Ma: Acheulean - struck and reworked stone tools, in Kenya
- 1.4 Ma: Knife in Ethiopia
- 1 Ma: Controlled fire and sterilization of food and water (cooking) in East Africa
- 500 ka: Shelter construction [3]
- 100-500 ka: Clothing
- 400 ka: Pigments in Zambia [4]
- 400 ka: Spears in Germany [5]
- 200 ka: Burial in Africa
- 100 ka: Lithic blades in Africa and the Near East
- 60 ka: Ships probably used by settlers of New Guinea
- 50 ka: Flute in Slovenia
- 50 ka: Bow in Tunisia [6] [7]
- 43 ka: Mining in Swaziland and Hungary
- 37 ka: Tally sticks in Swaziland [8]
- 30 ka: Sewing needles
- 26 ka: Ceramics in Moravia
- 25 ka: Atlatl in Northwest Africa [1]
- 17 ka: twisted Rope (probably much earlier)
- 15 ka: Boomerang in Australia[2]
- 12 ka: Basket weaving
10th millennium BC
- Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent
- Alcoholic beverages in the Fertile Crescent
- Adobe in the Near East
- 9500 BC: Granary in the Jordan Valley
9th millennium BC
- 8700 BC: Metalworking (copper pendant) in Mesopotamia (Iraq)
- 8000 BC: Wall (Jericho)
8th millennium BC
- Animal husbandry in the Near East
- Plaster in Jericho
7th millennium BC
- 7000 BC: Bow drill in Mehrgarh (India)/(Pakistan)[3]
- 7000 BC: Dental surgery in Mehrgarh[3]
- 6200 BC: Map in Çatalhöyük
- Cloth woven from flax fiber
6th millennium BC
- Beer in Sumer, Mesopotamia (Iraq)[2]
- Irrigation in the Fertile Crescent
- Ploughs in Mesopotamia (Iraq)
- City in Mesopotamia (Iraq)
5th millennium BC
- Beer and bread in Egypt
- Wheel and axle combination in Mesopotamia
- Ice skate in Scandinavia[4]
4th millennium BC
- 4000 BC: Canal in Mesopotamia
- 4000 BC: Stone paved street Ur Iraq
- 3807/3806 BC: Timber Engineered roadway in England
- 3500 BC: Plywood in Egypt
- 3500 BC: Writing in Sumer
- 3500 BC: Carts in Sumer
- 3100 BC: Drainage in the Indus Valley Civilization (India/Pakistan)
- 3000 BC: Sailing
- Bronze: Susa (Iran)
- Silk in China
- Cement in Egypt
- River boats in Egypt
- Noodle in China
- Comb in Persia (these combs were very refined, so combs themselves are probably older)
3rd millennium BC
- 2850 BC: Button in the Indus Valley Civilization
- 2850 BC: Soap in Mesopotamia
- 2632-2611 BC: Step pyramid: Imhotep in Egypt
- 2602 BC: Papyrus: Imhotep in Egypt
- 2605 BC: Suture: Imhotep in Egypt
- 2601 BC: Pharmaceutical cream: Imhotep in Egypt
- 2602 BC: Chariot in Mesopotamia
- 2604 BC: Artificial sewage system in the Indus Valley Civilization
- 2605 BC: Toilet in the Indus Valley Civilization
- 2506 BC: Flush toilet in the Indus Valley Civilization
- 2509 BC: Arch in Mohenjo-daro (Indus Valley Civilization)[5]
- 2400 BC: Shipyard in Lothal (Indus Valley Civilization)
- 2000 BC: Currency
- Dagger in Near East
- Sickle-sword in Sumer
- Alphabet in Phoenicia
- Candles in Egypt
- Sledges in Scandinavia
- Ski in Scandinavia[2]
2nd millennium BC
- Iron: Anatolia or the Caucasus]
- Perfume: Tapputi in Mesopotamia
- Bronze Age sword in Mesopotamia
- Glass in Egypt[6]
- Rubber in Mesoamerica
- Spoked-wheel chariot: Indo-Iranians
- Water clock in Egypt
- Iron Age sword
- Bells in China
- 1000s BC: Coins in China
1st millennium BC
- Catapult in Near East
- South Pointing Chariot in China
- Differential gear in China and Greek island of Antikythera
- Stupa in India
- Sound in Ancient Rome[7]
- Forceps in Ancient Rome[8][9][7]
- Scalpel in Ancient Rome[8][9][7]
- Cautery in Ancient Rome[7]
- Speculum in Ancient Rome[7]
- Cross-bladed scissors in Ancient Rome[8][7]
- Surgical needle in Ancient Rome[7]
- Cataract surgery in Ancient Rome[10]
- Blowgun in India[11]
- Iron pellet in India[11]
- 700s BC: Button in Ancient Greece, Etruscan civilization[2]
- 600s BC: Latin alphabet in Ancient Rome
- 592 BC: Anchor in Ancient Greece[12]
- 500s BC: Sugar in India
- 500s BC: Dental bridge in Etruria
- 500s BC: Kite in China
- 500s BC: Trebuchet in China
- 500s BC: Maps in Ancient Greece[13]
- 475 BC: Scythed Chariot: Ajatashatru in India
- 500s BC: Plastic surgery: Sushruta in India
- 500s BC: Cosmetic surgery: Sushruta in India
- 400s BC: Football: in China
- 400s BC: Catapult: in Ancient Greece[14]
- 350 BC: Water wheel in India[15]
- 350 BC: Watermill in India[15]
- c. 300: Wootz steel in India
- 300s BC: Aqueduct in Ancient Rome[16]
- 300s BC: Compass in China
- 300s BC: Encyclopedia (compilation of Plato's teachings): Speusippus in Ancient Greece[2]
- 300s BC: Screw: Archytas
- 250 BC: Lever in Ancient Greece
- 200s BC: Compound pulley: Archimedes
- 200s BC: Odometer: Archimedes?
- 200s BC: Archimedes' screw : Archimedes
- 200 BC: Horseshoe in Ancient Rome
- 150s BC: Clockwork (Antikythera mechanism)
- 150s BC: Astrolabe: Hipparchus in Ancient Greece
- 100s BC: Big-toe stirrup in India[17]
- 100 BC: Glassblowing in Ancient Rome[18]
- 100s BC: Parchment in Pergamon
- 1st century BC: Trip hammer in China
- 40 BC: Rolling-element bearing in Roman ship
- Chaturaji in India
- Chaturanga in India
- Xiangqi in China
1st millennium AD
- 50 AD: Mouldboard plough in Gaul
- 77 AD: Encyclopedia (comprehensive work): Pliny the Elder in Ancient Rome[2]
- 100s: Central heating in Roman Empire[19]
- 100s: Aeolipile : Roman Egypt by Hero of Alexandria
- 105: Paper: Cai Lun in China[20]
- 132: Rudimentary Seismometer: Zhang Heng in China
- 200s: Kongming lantern (Hot air balloon) in China
- 200s: Horseshoes in Germany
- 300s: Toothpaste in Roman Egypt
- 400s: Horse collar in China
- 500-1000: Spinning wheel in India[21]
- 589: Toilet paper in China
- 673: Greek fire: Kallinikos of Heliopolis
- 700: Quill pen
- 700s: Brass astrolabe: Muhammad al-Fazari[22]
- 721-815: Alembic: Geber in Iraq[23]
- 721-815: Still: Geber
- 721-815: Distilled alcohol: Geber[23]
- 721-815: Distilled wine: Geber[23]
- 721-815: Distilled beverage: Geber
- 725: Clockwork escapement mechanism: Yi Xing of China
- 800-873: Valve: Banū Mūsā in Iraq[24]
- 800-873: Float valve: Banū Mūsā[24]
- 800-873: Feedback controller: Banū Mūsā[24]
- 800-873: Automatic flute player: Banū Mūsā[25]
- 800-873: Programmable machine: Banū Mūsā[25]
- 810-887: Glass from stones: Abbas Ibn Firnas in al-Andalus
- 810-887: Eye glasses: Abbas Ibn Firnas[26]
- 810-887: Metronome: Abbas Ibn Firnas
- 852: Parachute: Abbas Ibn Firnas in al-Andalus
- 875: Hang glider: Abbas Ibn Firnas
- c. 865-900: Kerosene: Al-Razi (Rhazes) in Iraq[26]
- c. 865-900: Kerosene lamp: Al-Razi
- 865-925: Hard soap: Al-Razi[27]
- 800s: Injection syringe: Ammar ibn Ali al-Mawsili in Iraq[26]
- 800s: Quadrant in Iraq[28]
- 800s: Windmill in Persia[29]
- 800s: Gunpowder in China
- 900s: Banknote in China
- 953: Fountain pen in Egypt[30]
- 994: Astronomical sextant: Abu-Mahmud al-Khujandi in Persia[31]
- Coffee: Khalid in Ethiopia
- Fore-and-aft rig in India[32]
- Lateen in India[32]
- Porcelain in China
- Woodblock printing in China
- Prayer wheel: Tibet[33]
- Shatranj in Persia
- Paned window in the Arab Empire[34]
- Street lamp in the Arab Empire[34]
- Retort in the Arab Empire
- Sherbet in the Arab Empire
- Soft drink in the Arab Empire
- Mercury escapement mechanism in the Middle East
2nd millennium
11th century
- c. 1000: Pendulum: Ibn Yunus in Egypt[35]
- 1000: Ligature: Abu al-Qasim (Abulcasis) in al-Andalus[36]
- 1000: Forceps: Abu al-Qasim[37][8][9][7]
- 1000: Plaster: Abu al-Qasim[38]
- 1000: Curette: Abu al-Qasim[39]
- 1000: Retractor: Abu al-Qasim[39]
- 1000: Scalpel: Abu al-Qasim[39][8][9][7]
- 1000: Sound: Abu al-Qasim[39]
- 1000: Surgical needle: Abu al-Qasim[40]
- 1000: Surgical catgut: Abu al-Qasim
- 1000: Surgical hook: Abu al-Qasim[39]
- 1000: Surgical rod: Abu al-Qasim[39]
- 1000: Surgical spoon: Abu al-Qasim[39]
- c. 1000-1037: Thermometer: Avicenna (Ibn Sina) in Persia[41]
- c. 1000-1037: Steam distillation: Avicenna
- c. 1000-1037: Essential oil: Avicenna
- c. 1000-1048: Orthographical astrolabe: Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī in Persia[42]
- c. 1000-1048: Planisphere: Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī[42]
- c. 1000-1048: Laboratory flask: Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī[43]
- c. 1000-1048: Pycnometer: Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī[43]
- c. 1000-1048: Conical measure: Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī[44]
- 1011-1021: Parabolic mirror: Ibn al-Haytham (Alhacen) in Iraq
- 1011-1021: Pinhole camera: Ibn al-Haytham[45]
- 1011-1021: Camera obscura: Ibn al-Haytham[45]
- 1028-1087: Equatorium: Arzachel (Al-Zarqali) in al-Andalus[46]
- 1028-1087: Saphaea: Arzachel
- 1038-1075: Noria with flywheel: Ibn Bassal in al-Andalus[47]
- 1041: Movable type printing press: Bi Sheng in China
- 1088: Mechanical clock: Su Song
- 1088: Clock tower: Su Song
- 1088: Magnetic compass described by Shen Kuo in China
- Mechanical astrolabe: Ibn Samh in al-Andalus[48]
- Glass mirror in al-Andalus[26]
12th century
- c. 1100: Framed bead abacus in China
- 1100-1161: Tracheotomy: Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar) in al-Andalus[40]
- 1119: Watertight hull compartment: Zhu Yu in China
- 1121: Steelyard: Al-Khazini in Persia[43]
- 1121: Hydrostatic balance: Al-Khazini[43]
- 1126: Fire arrow: Li Gang in China
- 1126: Rocket: Li Gang
- 1128: Cannon in China and Europe
- 1135-1200: Linear astrolabe: Sharaf al-Dīn al-Tūsī in Persia[49]
- 1154: Striking clock: Al-Kaysarani in Syria[50]
- 1190: Compass in Italy[51]
13th century
- c. 1200: Glass mirror in Europe[2][52]
- c. 1200: Combination lock: Al-Jazari in Iraq (Mesopotamia)[30]
- 1206: Clock automaton: Al-Jazari
- 1206: Flow control regulator: Al-Jazari
- 1206: Closed-loop system: Al-Jazari
- 1206: Elephant clock: Al-Jazari
- 1206: Weight-driven mechanical clock: Al-Jazari[30]
- 1206: Hand washing device: Al-Jazari
- 1206: Kitchen appliance: Al-Jazari
- 1206: Cam: Al-Jazari
- 1206: Camshaft: Al-Jazari[53]
- 1206: Crankshaft: Al-Jazari[30]
- 1206: Crank mechanism: Al-Jazari[54]
- 1206: Connecting rod: Al-Jazari[54]
- 1206: Segmental gear: Al-Jazari[55]
- 1206: Suction pipe: Al-Jazari
- 1206: Suction piston pump: Al-Jazari[56]
- 1206: Reciprocating piston engine: Al-Jazari[56]
- 1206: Double-acting engine: Al-Jazari[56]
- 1206: Humanoid robot: Al-Jazari[57]
- 1206: Programmable robot: Al-Jazari[57]
- 1275: Torpedo: Hasan al-Rammah of Syria[58]
- 1297-1298: Wooden movable type printing: Wang Zhen of China
- Sandpaper in China
- Solid-fuel rocket in China
- Condom in Italy
- Buttonhole in Germany[2]
- 1206: Solar-driven mechanical bookholder: Al-Jazari[30]
14th century
- 1350: Suspension bridges in Peru
- Spherical astrolabe in the Middle East
15th century
- Arquebus and Rifle in Europe
- 1441: Rain gauge: Jang Yeong-sil
- 1450s: Alphabetic movable type printing press: Johann Gutenberg
- 1451: Concave lens for eyeglasses: Nicholas of Cusa
- 1490 - 1492: Globe "Nürnberg Terrestrial Globe" by German mapmaker Martin Behaim
16th century
- c. 1500: Ball bearing: Leonardo Da Vinci
- c. 1500: Scissors: Leonardo Da Vinci
- 1510: Pocket watch: Peter Henlein
- 1540: Ether: Valerius Cordus
- 1551: Steam turbine: Taqi al-Din in Egypt[59]
- 1565: Pencil: Conrad Gesner[60][2]
- 1576: Ironclad warship: Oda Nobunaga
- 1582: Gregorian calendar: multiple inventors
- 1589: Stocking frame: William Lee
- 1593: Thermoscope: Galileo Galilei
- Musket in Europe
- Pencil in England
17th century
- 1608: Telescope: Hans Lippershey
- 1609: Microscope: Hans Lippershey, Hans Janssen, Zacharias Janssen
- 1620: Slide rule: William Oughtred
- 1623: Automatic calculator: Wilhelm Schickard
- 1630-1632: Artificial wings: Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi in Turkey
- 1631]: Vernier scale: Pierre Vernier
- [1633: Manned rocket: Lagari Hasan Çelebi in Turkey[58]
- 1642: Adding machine: Blaise Pascal
- 1643: Barometer: Evangelista Torricelli
- 1645: Vacuum pump: Otto von Guericke
- 1657: Pendulum clock: Christiaan Huygens
- 1672: Steam car: Ferdinand Verbiest[61][62]
- 1679: Pressure cooker: Denis Papin
- 1690: Polhem wheel: Christopher Polhem
- 1698: Steam engine: Thomas Savery
- 1700: Piano: Bartolomeo Cristofori
18th century
- 1701: Seed drill: Jethro Tull
- 1709: Iron smelting using coke: Abraham Darby I
- 1711: Tuning fork: John Shore
- 1712: Steam piston engine: Thomas Newcomen
- 1714: Mercury thermometer: Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
- 1731: Octant: John Hadley, Thomas Godfrey
- 1733: Flying shuttle: John Kay
- 1737: Marine chronometer (H1): John Harrison
- 1742: Franklin stove: Benjamin Franklin
- 1750: Flatboat: Jacob Yoder
- 1752: Lightning rod: Benjamin Franklin
- 1759: Shampoo: Sake Dean Mahomet of Bengal
- 1764: Spinning jenny: James Hargreaves/Thomas Highs
- 1767: Carbonated water: Joseph Priestley
- 1769: Water frame: Richard Arkwright/Thomas Highs
- 1769: Steam road vehicle: Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot
- 1775: Submarine Turtle: David Bushnell
- 1776: Steamboat: Claude de Jouffroy
- 1776: Watt steam engine: James Watt
- 1777: Card teeth making machine: Oliver Evans
- 1777: Circular saw: Samuel Miller
- 1779: Spinning mule: Samuel Crompton
- 1780s: Iron rocket: Tipu Sultan of India
- 1783: Parachute: Jean Pierre Blanchard
- 1783: Hot air balloon: Montgolfier brothers
- 1784: Bifocals: Benjamin Franklin
- 1784: Oil lamp: Aimé Argand[2]
- 1784: Shrapnel shell: Henry Shrapnel
- 1785: Power loom: Edmund Cartwright
- 1785: Automatic flour mill: Oliver Evans
- 1786: Threshing machine: Andrew Meikle
- 1791: Artificial teeth: Nicholas Dubois De Chemant
- 1793: Cotton gin: Eli Whitney
- 1798: Vaccination: Edward Jenner
- 1798: Lithography: Alois Senefelder
19th century
1800s
- 1801: Jacquard loom: Joseph Marie Jacquard
- 1802: Screw propeller steamboat Phoenix: John Stevens
- 1802: Gas stove: Zachäus Andreas Winzler
- 1804: Locomotive: Richard Trevithick
- 1805: Submarine Nautilus: Robert Fulton
- 1807: Steamboat Clermont: Robert Fulton
- 1808: Band saw: William Newberry
- 1809: Arc lamp: Humphry Davy
1810s
- 1814: Steam locomotive (Blücher): George Stephenson
- 1816: Miner's safety lamp: Humphry Davy
- 1816: Stirling engine: Robert Stirling
- 1816: Stethoscope: Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec
- 1817: Draisine or velocipede (two-wheeled): Karl Drais
- 1817: Kaleidoscope: David Brewster
- 1818: Bicycle: Karl Drais[2]
1820s
- 1821: Electric motor: Michael Faraday
- 1823: Electromagnet: William Sturgeon
- 1824: Portland cement: William Aspdin, first toy balloon, Michael Faraday
- 1826: Photography: Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
- 1826: Internal combustion engine: Samuel Morey
- 1827: Friction match: John Walker
- 1829: Steam locomotive: George Stephenson[2]
1830s
- 1830: Lawn mower: Edwin Beard Budding
- 1830: Thermostat: Andrew Ure[2]
- 1830: Stenotype on punched paper strip: Karl Drais
- 1831: Multiple coil magnet: Joseph Henry
- 1831: Magnetic acoustic telegraph: Joseph Henry (patented 1837)
- 1831: Reaper: Cyrus McCormick
- 1831: Electrical generator: Michael Faraday, Ányos Jedlik
- 1834: The Hansom cab is patented
- 1834: Louis Braille perfects his Braille system
- 1834: Refrigerator: Jacob Perkins
- 1834: Combine harvester: Hiram Moore
- 1835: Revolver: Samuel Colt
- 1835: Electromechanical Relay: Joseph Henry
- 1835: Incandescent light bulb: James Bowman Lindsay
- 1836: Sewing machine: Josef Madersberger
- 1837: US electric printing press patented by Thomas Davenport (February 25)
- 1837: Steel plow: John Deere
- 1837: Standard diving dress: Augustus Siebe
- 1837: Camera Zoom Lens: Jozef Maximilián Petzval
- 1837: Magnetic telegraph: Samuel Morse
- 1838: Electric telegraph: Charles Wheatstone (also Samuel Morse)
- 1838: closed diving suit with a helmet: Augustus Siebe
- 1839: Vulcanization of rubber: Charles Goodyear
1840s
- 1840: Artificial fertilizer: Justus von Liebig
- 1842 Superphosphate fertilizer: John Bennett Lawes
- 1842: Anaesthesia: Crawford Long
- 1843: Typewriter: Charles Thurber
- 1843: Fax machine: Alexander Bain
- 1843: Ice cream maker: Nancy Johnson
- 1845: Pneumatic tyre: Robert Thomson (inventor)
- 1846: Sewing machine: Elias Howe
- 1846: Rotary printing press: Richard M. Hoe
- 1849: Safety pin: Walter Hunt
- 1849: Francis turbine: James B. Francis
- 1849: Telephone: Antonio Meucci
1850s
- 1852: Airship: Henri Giffard
- 1852: Passenger elevator: Elisha Otis
- 1852: Gyroscope: Léon Foucault
- 1855: Bunsen burner: Peter Desaga
- 1855: Bessemer process: Henry Bessemer
- 1856: Celluloid: Alexander Parkes
- 1858: Undersea telegraph cable: Fredrick Newton Gisborne
- 1858: Mason jar: John L. Mason
- 1859: Oil drill: Edwin L. Drake
- 1859: Lead acid battery: Gaston Plante
1860s
- 1860: Light Bulb, Sir Joseph Swan
- 1860: Linoleum: Fredrick Walton
- 1860: Repeating rifle: Oliver F. Winchester, Christopher Spencer
- 1860: Self-propelled torpedo: Giovanni Luppis
- 1861: Ironclad USS Monitor: John Ericsson
- 1861: Siemens regenerative furnace: Carl Wilhelm Siemens
- 1862: Revolving machine gun: Richard J. Gatling
- 1862: Mechanical submarine: Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol
- 1862: Pasteurization: Louis Pasteur, Claude Bernard
- 1863: Player piano: Henri Fourneaux
- 1865: Roller Coaster: LaMarcus Adna Thompson
- 1865: Barbed wire: Louis Jannin
- 1866: Dynamite: Alfred Nobel
- 1868: Practical typewriter: Christopher Sholes, Carlos Glidden and Samuel W. Soule, with assistance from James Densmore
- 1868: Air brake (rail): George Westinghouse
- 1868: Oleomargarine: Mege Mouries
- 1869: Vacuum cleaner: I.W. McGaffers
- 1869: Celluloid: John Wesley Hyatt[2]
1870s
- 1870: Chewing gum: Thomas Adams[2]
- 1870: Magic Lantern projector: Henry R. Heyl
- 1870: Stock ticker: Thomas Alva Edison
- 1871: Cable car (railway): Andrew S. Hallidie
- 1872: Adding machine: Edmund D. Barbour
- 1873: Jeans: Levi Strauss[2]
- 1873: Railway knuckle coupler: Eli H. Janney
- 1873: Modern direct current electric motor: Zénobe Gramme
- 1874: Barbed wire: Joseph Glidden[2]
- 1874: Electric street car: Stephen Dudle Field
- 1874: DDT: Othmar Zeidler[2]
- 1875: Dynamo: William A. Anthony
- 1875: Magazine (firearm): Benjamin B. Hotchkiss
- 1876: Carpet sweeper: Melville Bissell
- 1876: Gasoline carburettor: Daimler
- 1876: Loudspeaker: Alexander Graham Bell
- 1877: Stapler: Henry R. Heyl
- 1877: Induction motor: Nikola Tesla
- 1877: Phonograph: Thomas Alva Edison
- 1877: Microphone: Emile Berliner
- 1878: Cathode ray tube: William Crookes
- 1878: Rebreather: Henry Fleuss
- 1879: Pelton turbine: Lester Pelton
- 1879: Cash register: James Ritty
1880s
- 1880: Photophone: Alexander Graham Bell
- 1880: Roll film: George Eastman
- 1880: Safety razor: Kampfe Brothers
- 1880: Seismograph: John Milne
- 1881: Metal detector: Alexander Graham Bell
- 1882: Electric fan: Schuyler Skaats Wheeler
- 1883: two-phase (alternating current) induction motor: Nikola Tesla
- 1884: Linotype machine: Ottmar Mergenthaler
- 1884: Fountain pen: Lewis Waterman
- 1884: Punched card accounting: Herman Hollerith
- 1884: Trolley car, (electric): Frank Sprague, Charles Van Depoele
- 1885: Automobile patent granted (internal combustion engine powered): Karl Benz, first automobile put into production
- 1885: Maxim gun: Hiram Stevens Maxim
- 1885: Motorcycle: Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach
- 1885: Alternating current transformer: William Stanley
- 1885: Safety bicycle: John Kemp Starley
- 1886: Dishwasher: Josephine Cochrane
- 1886: Gasoline engine: Gottlieb Daimler
- 1886: Improved phonograph cylinder: Tainter & Bell
- 1887: Monotype machine: Tolbert Lanston
- 1887: Contact lens: Adolf E. Fick, Eugène Kalt and August Muller
- 1887: Gramophone record: Emile Berliner
- 1887: Ceiling fan: Philip Diehl
- 1888: Polyphase AC Electric power system: Nikola Tesla (30 related patents.)
- 1888: Kodak hand camera: George Eastman
- 1888: Ballpoint pen: John Loud
- 1888: Harvester-thresher: Matteson (?)
- 1888: Kinematograph: Augustin Le Prince
- 1889: Northrop Loom: Draper Corporation, James Henry Northrop: First automatic bobbin changing weaving loom placed in production. Over 700,000 would be sold worldwide. (Over 100 Patents to James Henry Northrop' name)
1890s
- 1891: Escalator: Jesse W. Reno[2]
- 1891: Thermal cracking process: Vladimir Shukhov
- 1891: Zipper: Whitcomb L. Judson
- 1891: Carborundum: Edward G. Acheson
- 1892: Color photography: Frederic E. Ives
- 1892: Automatic telephone exchange (electromechanical): Almon Strowger - First in commercial service.
- 1893: Carburetor: Donát Bánki and János Csonka
- 1893: Wireless communication: Nikola Tesla
- 1893: Radio: Nikola Tesla
- 1894: Radio transmission: Jagdish Chandra Bose in Bengal
- 1895: Diesel engine: Rudolf Diesel
- 1895: Radiotelegraph: Guglielmo Marconi
- 1896: Vitascope: Thomas Armat
- 1897: Modern escalator: Jesse W. Reno
- 1898: Tapered roller bearing: Henry Timken
- 1898: Remote control: Nikola Tesla
- 1899: Iron-Mercury coherer with telephone detector: Jagdish Chandra Bose in Bengal
- 1899: Automobile self starter: Clyde J. Coleman
- 1899: Magnetic tape recorder: Valdemar Poulsen
- 1899: Gas turbine: Charles Curtis
20th century
1900s
- 1900: Rigid dirigible airship: Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin
- 1900: Self-heating can
- 1900s: Microwave optics: Jagdish Chandra Bose in Bengal
- 1901: Mercury vapor lamp: Peter C. Hewitt
- 1901: Disposable razor blade: King C. Gillette
- 1901: Vacuum cleaner: Hubert Booth
- 1902: Ostwald process: Wilhelm Ostwald
- 1902: Air Conditioner: Willis Carrier [2]
- 1902: Neon lamp: Georges Claude
- 1902: Radio telephone: Poulsen Reginald Fessenden
- 1902: Rayon cellulose ester: Arthur D. Little
- 1903: Electrocardiograph (EKG): Willem Einthoven
- 1903: Powered, controlled airplane: Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright
- 1904: Thermionic valve: John Ambrose Fleming
- 1904: Tractor: Benjamin Holt
- 1905: Radio tube diode: John Ambrose Fleming
- 1906: Sonar (first device): Lewis Nixon
- 1906: Triode amplifier: Lee DeForest
- 1907: Helicopter: Paul Cornu
- 1907: Radio tube triode: Lee DeForest
- 1907: Washing machine, (electric): Alva Fisher (Hurley Corporation)
- 1908: Cellophane: Jacques E. Brandenberger
- 1908: Geiger counter: Hans Geiger and Ernest Rutherford
- 1908: Gyrocompass: Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe
- 1908: Haber process: Fritz Haber
- 1909: Bakelite: Leo Baekeland
- 1909: Gun silencer: Hiram Percy Maxim
1910s
- 1910: Neon lighting: Georges Claude
- 1910: Thermojet engine: Henri Coandă
- 1911: Gyrocompass: Elmer A. Sperry
- 1911: Automobile self starter (perfected): Charles F. Kettering
- 1911: Hydroplane: Glenn Curtiss
- 1913: Crossword: Arthur Wynne
- 1913: Parachute: Štefan Banič
- 1913: Radio receiver: Ernst Alexanderson, Reginald Fessenden
- 1913: Stainless steel: Harry Brearley
- 1913: X-Ray (coolidge tube): William D. Coolidge[63]
- 1914: Radio transmitter triode mod.: Ernst Alexanderson
- 1914: Liquid fuel rocket: Robert Goddard
- 1914: Tank, military: Sir William Ashbee Tritton and Major Walter Gordon Wilson[64]
- 1915: Tungsten Filament: Irving Langmuir
- 1915: Pyrex: Corning Inc.
- 1916: Browning Gun: John Browning
- 1916: Thompson submachine gun: John T. Thompson
- 1917: Sonar echolocation: Paul Langevin
- 1917: Cruise missile: Charles Kettering
- 1918: Interrupter gear: Anton Fokker
- 1918: Radio crystal oscillator: A.M. Nicolson
- 1919: Flip-flop circuit: William Eccles and F. W. Jordan
- 1919: Theremin: Leon Theremin
1920s
- 1921: Polygraph: John A. Larson
- 1922: Radar: Robert Watson-Watt, A. H. Taylor, L. C. Young, Gregory Breit, Merle Antony Tuve
- 1923: Sound film: Lee DeForest
- 1923: Television Electronic: Philo Farnsworth
- 1923: Wind tunnel: Max Munk
- 1923: Autogyro: Juan de la Cierva
- 1923: Xenon flash lamp: Harold Edgerton
- 1925: Ultra-centrifuge: Theodor Svedberg - used to determine molecular weights
- 1925: Television Nipkow System: C. Francis Jenkins
- 1926: Television Mechanical Scanner: John Logie Baird
- 1926: Aerosol spray: Rotheim
- 1927: Mechanical cotton picker: John Rust
- 1928: Sliced bread: Otto Frederick Rohwedder
- 1928: Electric dry shaver: Jacob Schick
- 1928: Antibiotics: Alexander Fleming (initial discovery of penicillin)
- 1928: Preselector gearbox: Walter Gordon Wilson
- 1929: Electroencephelograph (EEG): Hans Berger
- 1929: Kinescope (CRT):Vladimir Zworykin
- 1920s: Band aid: Earle Dickson
- 1920s: Man-made Insulin: Paul Langerhans
- 1920s: Mechanical potato peeler: Herman Lay
1930s
- 1930: Neoprene: Wallace Carothers
- 1931: Radio telescope: Karl Jansky Grote Reber
- 1931: Iconoscope: Vladimir Zworykin
- 1935: Microwave RADAR: Robert Watson-Watt
- 1935: Nylon: Wallace Carothers
- 1935: Spectrophotometer: Arthur C. Hardy
- 1935: Casein fiber: Earl Whittier Stephen
- 1935: Hammond Organ: Laurens Hammond
- 1937: Turboprop engine: György Jendrassik
- 1937: Jet engine: Frank Whittle and Hans von Ohain
- 1937: O-ring: Niels Christensen
- 1937: Nylon: Wallace H. Carothers[2]
- 1938: Ballpoint pen: Laszlo Biro
- 1938: xerography: Chester Carlson
- 1938: Fiberglass: Russell Games Slayter John H. Thomas
- 1939: Helicopter: Igor Sikorsky
- 1939: View-master: William Gruber
- 1939: Automated teller machine: Luther George Simjian
1950s
- 1951: Combined oral contraceptive pill: Djerassi, Miramontes, and Rosenkranz [65]
- 1951: Liquid Paper: Bette Nesmith Graham
- 1951: Nuclear power reactor: Walter Zinn
- 1952: Floppy disk: Yoshiro Nakamatsu[66]
- 1952: Optical fiber: Narinder Singh Kapany
- 1952: Fusion bomb: Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam
- 1952: Hovercraft: Christopher Cockerell
- 1953: MASER: Charles Townes
- 1953: Medical ultrasonography
- 1954: Radar gun: Bryce K. Brown
- 1954: Synthetic diamond: Tracy Hall
- 1954: Geodesic dome: Buckminster Fuller
- 1955: Velcro: George de Mestral
- 1955: Hard Drive: Reynold Johnson with IBM
- 1956: Digital clock
- 1956: Videocassette recorder: Ampex
- 1957: Jet Boat: William Hamilton
- 1958: Integrated circuit: Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments, Robert Noyce at Fairchild Semiconductor
- 1958: Communications satellite: Kenneth Masterman-Smith
1960s
- 1960: Laser: Theodore Harold Maiman
- 1961: Optical disc: David Paul Gregg
- 1961: Cochlear implant: William House
- 1962: Light-emitting diode: Nick Holonyak
- 1962: Space observatory: Ball Brothers Aerospace Corporation [9]
- 1963: Computer mouse: Douglas Engelbart
- 1967: Automatic Teller Machine: John Shepherd-Barron
- 1967: Hypertext: Andries van Dam and Ted Nelson
- 1968: Video game console: Ralph H. Baer
- 1960s: Packet switching: Paul Baran and Donald Davies, independently
- 1969: ARPANET (first wide-area packet switching network): United States Department of Defense[2]
1970s
- 1971: E-mail: Ray Tomlinson[67]
- 1971: Liquid Crystal Display: James Fergason
- 1971: Microprocessor: Federico Faggin and Marcian Hoff
- 1971: Pocket calculator: Sharp Corporation
- 1971: Magnetic resonance imaging: Raymond V. Damadian
- 1972: Computed tomography: Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield
- 1973: Ethernet: Bob Metcalfe and David Boggs
- 1973: Genetically modified organism: Stanley Norman Cohen and Herbert Boyer
- 1973: Personal computer: Xerox PARC
- 1974: Microcredit: Muhammad Yunus
- 1974: Rubik's Cube: Ernő Rubik
- 1974: Hybrid vehicle: Victor Wouk [10]
- 1975: DNA sequencing by chain termination Frederick Sanger
- 1975: Digital camera: Steven Sasson
- 1976: Gore-Tex fabric: W. L. Gore
- 1977: Personal stereo: Andreas Pavel
- 1977: mobile phone: Bell Labs [11]
- 1978: Spreadsheet: Dan Bricklin
1980s
- 1980: Compact Disk: Philips Electronics, Sony Corp[2]
- 1981: Scanning tunneling microscope: Gerd Karl Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer
- 1982: Insulated gate bipolar transistor: Hans Becke and Carl Wheatley RCA
- 1982: ACE inhibitor: John R. Vane
- 1983: Camcorder: Sony
- 1983: Internet: first TCP/IP network: Robert E. Kahn, Vint Cerf and others
- 1984: Lithotripsy: Claude Dornier
- 1985: Polymerase chain reaction: Kary Mullis
- 1985: DNA fingerprinting: Alec Jeffreys
- 1987: Statin: Carl Hoffman
- 1987: Digital Light Processing: Dr. Larry Hornbeck, Texas Instruments
1990s
- 1990: World Wide Web: Tim Berners-Lee
- 1993: Global Positioning System: United States Department of Defense
- 1993: Blue LED: Shuji Nakamura
- 1997: Non-mechanical Digital Audio Player: SaeHan Information Systems
- 1997: Viagra: Pfizer Inc.[2]
3rd millennium
21st century
2000s
- 2001: Self-contained artificial heart
See also
- History of technology
- Innovation
- List of inventors
- List of technology timelines
- Inventions in the Muslim world
- Timeline of science and technology in the Islamic world
- List of Chinese inventions
- History of science and technology in China
- Science and technology in ancient India
Notes
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Encyclopædia Britannica's Great Inventions, Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ a b Stone age man used dentist drill. BBC News.
- ^ "Dashing Finns were first to get their skates on 5,000 years ago". The Times. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ Kryss Katsiavriades and Talaat Qureshi, Inventions - 3000 BC to 2000 BC.
- ^ A World of Glass
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Surgical Instruments from Ancient Rome
- ^ a b c d e Roman period surgery set on show, BBC
- ^ a b c d Chirurgia, William Alexander Greenhill, M.D., Trinity College, Oxford
- ^ The Romans carried out cataract ops, BBC
- ^ a b Lynn Townsend White, Jr. (April 1960). "Tibet, India, and Malaya as Sources of Western Medieval Technology", The American Historical Review 65 (3), p. 521.
- ^ Inventions 1000 BC to 1 BC
- ^ Ancient Greek Inventions
- ^ Stone-Hurling Catapult, Greece, 400 BCE
- ^ a b Joseph Needham (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Part 2, p. 361. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd.
- ^ Ancient Roman Inventions
- ^ Lynn Townsend White, Jr. (April 1960). "Tibet, India, and Malaya as Sources of Western Medieval Technology", The American Historical Review 65 (3), p. 516.
- ^ Roman Inventions
- ^ How advanced were the Romans
- ^ Paper - one of the most important inventions of the last two millennia
- ^ C. Wayne Smith, Joe Tom Cothren (1999). Cotton: Origin, History, Technology, and Production, p. viii. John Wiley and Sons. Technology & Industrial Arts. ISBN 0471180459.
- ^ Richard Nelson Frye. Golden Age of Persia, p. 163
- ^ a b c Ahmad Y Hassan, Alcohol and the Distillation of Wine in Arabic Sources.
- ^ a b c Otto Mayr (1970). The Origins of Feedback Control, MIT Press.
- ^ a b Teun Koetsier (2001). "On the prehistory of programmable machines: musical automata, looms, calculators", Mechanism and Machine theory 36, p. 590-591.
- ^ a b c d Dr. Kasem Ajram (1992). Miracle of Islamic Science, Appendix B. Knowledge House Publishers. ISBN 0911119434.
- ^ The invention of cosmetics. 1001 Inventions.
- ^ David A. King, "Islamic Astronomy", in Christopher Walker (1999), ed., Astronomy before the telescope, p. 167-168. British Museum Press. ISBN 0-7141-2733-7.
- ^ Ahmad Y Hassan, Donald Routledge Hill (1986). Islamic Technology: An illustrated history, p. 54. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-42239-6.
- ^ a b c d e Paul Vallely, How Islamic Inventors Changed the World, The Independent, 11 Mar 2006.
- ^ O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Abu Mahmud Hamid ibn al-Khidr Al-Khujandi", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews
- ^ a b Ronald Watkins. Unknown Seas, p. 15.
- ^ Lynn Townsend White, Jr. (April 1960). "Tibet, India, and Malaya as Sources of Western Medieval Technology", The American Historical Review 65 (3), p. 519.
- ^ a b Fielding H. Garrison, History of Medicine:s themselves were the originators not only of algebra, chemistry, and geology, but of many of the so-called improvements or refinements of civilization, such as street lamps, window-panes, firework, stringed instruments, cultivated fruits, perfumes, spices, etc..."}}
- ^ Piero Ariotti (Winter, 1968). "Galileo on the Isochrony of the Pendulum", Isis 59 (4), p. 414.
- ^ Ancient surgery
- ^ Ingrid Hehmeyer and Aliya Khan (2007). "Islam's forgotten contributions to medical science", Canadian Medical Association Journal 176 (10).
- ^ Zafarul-Islam Khan, At The Threshold (sic) Of A New Millennium – II, The Milli Gazette.
- ^ a b c d e f g Khaled al-Hadidi (1978), "The Role of Muslem Scholars in Oto-rhino-Laryngology", The Egyptian Journal of O.R.L. 4 (1), p. 1-15. (cf. Ear, Nose and Throat Medical Practice in Muslim Heritage, Foundation for Science Technology and Civilization.)
- ^ a b A. I. Makki. "Needles & Pins", AlShindagah 68, January-February 2006.
- ^ Robert Briffault (1938). The Making of Humanity, p. 191.
- ^ a b Khwarizm, Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation.
- ^ a b c d Robert E. Hall (1973). "Al-Khazini", Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Vol. VII, p. 346.
- ^ Marshall Clagett (1961). The Science of Mechanics in the Middle Ages, p. 64. University of Wisconsin Press.
- ^ a b Nicholas J. Wade, Stanley Finger (2001), "The eye as an optical instrument: from camera obscura to Helmholtz's perspective", Perception 30 (10), p. 1157-1177.
- ^ Dr. A. Zahoor (1997). Al-Zarqali (Arzachel), University of Indonesia.
- ^ Ahmad Y Hassan, Flywheel Effect for a Saqiya.
- ^ Islam, Knowledge, and Science. University of Southern California.
- ^ Linear astrolabe, Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ Abdel Aziz al-Jaraki (2007), When Ridhwan al-Sa’ati Anteceded Big Ben by More than Six Centuries, Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation.
- ^ 101 gadgets that changed the world
- ^ ANTIQUES; To Reflect On Or Simply To Admire
- ^ Georges Ifrah (2001). The Universal History of Computing: From the Abacus to the Quatum Computer, p. 171, Trans. E.F. Harding, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (See [2])
- ^ a b Ahmad Y Hassan. The Crank-Connecting Rod System in a Continuously Rotating Machine.
- ^ Professor Lynn Townsend White, Jr. (cf. The Automata of Al-Jazari, Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul.)
- ^ a b c Ahmad Y Hassan. The Origin of the Suction Pump - Al-Jazari 1206 A.D.
- ^ a b A 13th Century Programmable Robot. University of Sheffield.
- ^ a b Arslan Terzioglu (2007). "The First Attempts of Flight, Automatic Machines, Submarines and Rocket Technology in Turkish History", The Turks (ed. H. C. Guzel), p. 804-810.
- ^ Ahmad Y Hassan (1976). Taqi al-Din and Arabic Mechanical Engineering, p. 34-35. Instiute for the History of Arabic Science, University of Aleppo.
- ^ pencil, Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ "SA MOTORING HISTORY - TIMELINE" (PDF). Government of South Australia.
- ^ Setright, L. J. K. (2004). Drive On!: A Social History of the Motor Car. Granta Books. ISBN 1-86207-698-7.
- ^ "Benefit to humanity"
- ^ Who Invented The Tank? - Bovington Tank Museum
- ^ [John Brockman, editor. The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years. Phoenix. 2000]
- ^ David Lazarus (1995). 'Japan's Edison' Is Country's Gadget King : Japanese Inventor Holds Record for Patent. International Herald Tribune.
- ^ Inventing Email
References
- Asimov, Isaac, "Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery", Harper & Row, 1989. ISBN 0-06-015612-0
- De Bono, Edward, "Eureka! An Illustrated History of Inventions from the Wheel to the Computer", Thames & Hudson, 1974.
- Gowlett, John, "Ascent to Civilization", McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-07-544312-0
- Platt, Richard, "Eureka!: Great Inventions and How They Happened", 2003.