Who invented which

Buy on Amazon. The pole is called an axle, and many scholars consider it the greatest mechanical insight in the history of humankind. It was on a small coyote figure mounted on four wheels, and Charnay found it in the tomb of an Aztec child buried south of Mexico City. The Aztec child lived thousands of years after the inventor in the high steppe but before the Europeans arrived with their wheels in the Americas, which suggests that in both the New and Old Worlds a mother or father potter independently invented the wheel and axle to make a toy.

The archaeologists I spoke with are hesitant to believe such a remarkable insight could have been made in the pursuit of something as frivolous as an object for play. The engineers, however, are not. Small versions of inventions—modernly called models or prototypes—nearly always precede larger ones. They are far easier to build, take far less time, and allow an inventor to quickly discover potential problems and find solutions. Yet as ingenious as this inventor was, their toy did not spark a societal revolution.

The wagon, it seems, was irresistibly useful. They would have been loud; they would have been slow. And they were powered by teams of oxen, which were by themselves some of the largest animals in the steppe. The invention of the wagon was the prehistoric equivalent of Sputnik; it did not go unnoticed. Because the two oldest wheels archaeologists have found vary significantly in design—one has an axle fixed to the wheel as it does on a modern train, the other spins freely on the axle like on a modern car—Anthony suggests that at least some wagon builders copied what they saw from afar without being able to inspect it closely.

The invention and widespread adoption of the wagon had an immediate and dramatic effect on societies throughout the Middle East and Europe. Populations that were previously clustered around rivers exploded onto the productive but unexploited steppe. He was the father of Western philosophy and one of the first people to explain natural phenomena without reference to mythology—technically making him the world's first scientist too.

He even invented mathematics. How cool is that? Leonardo was an all-round genius. Not content with being a Renaissance artist and a visionary scientist, he also stands out as one of history's most brilliant engineers. Long before they were technically feasible, he invented the helicopter and the battle tank.

He came up with designs for mechanical looms and hydraulic saws. He drew plans for submarines and robots. The list of his contributions to the world of engineering is virtually endless. Edison was the archetypal inventor and epitomises the American spirit of inquiry and entrepreneurship. A shrewd businessman with unbridled imagination, he is credited with thousands of inventions, including the phonograph, the electric light bulb, the telephone although Alexander Graham Bell made it to the patent office first on that occasion , the movie camera, the microphone and alkaline batteries.

Shirley Ann Jackson was an award-winning theoretical physicist. Her contributions to the field of telecommunications led to the invention of numerous technologies, including caller ID and call-waiting, as well as solar cells and fiber optic cables.

In addition to creating the first computerized airline booking system, Berezin created the world's first word processor. Realizing that because of her gender she wouldn't be able to move up in the industry, she also founded her own company, Redactron, to get her inventions on the market.

While working for NASA, Askins was tasked with finding a way to improve the quality of photos taken from space. Her method of enhancing photo negatives was far more widely applicable, as it could be used to clarify photos after they were already developed.

Her technology has been adapted for use with X-rays and historical photo restoration. The International Space Station relies on solar power, but for a third of its rotation, the earth blocks the sun's rays. Gonzalez-Sanabria's long-life nickel hydrogen batteries keep the International Space Station powered up during that dark portion of its rotation. At only 12 years old, Zimmerman invented software that allows people with speech disabilities to communicate non-verbally by using symbols on a touchpad that are then translated to written language.

Bath's patented Laserphaco Probe allows doctors to dissolve cataracts quickly and painlessly before applying new lenses to patients' eyes. This technology is used worldwide to prevent blindness due to cataracts. Grandin's innovative designs in the field of animal husbandry have led to calmer livestock and fewer injuries. She has developed numerous ways to handle cattle based on how they naturally behave, rather than on brute force. Her center track cattle restraint system is now used to manage about half of the cattle in the United States.

A vital breakthrough in cancer research, Tsukamoto's co-patented process of isolating human stem cells found in bone marrow has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Before Fox's innovative plant-breeding work, naturally colored cottons were rare, temperamental, and could only be picked and spun by hand.

Her work has led to cottons that grow in an array of colors and that can be machine-harvested and spun. This allows for a drastic reduction in chemical and bleach processing, and the need for synthetic dyes. Facebook Twitter Email. Who invented the dishwasher, windshield wiper, caller ID? Women created these 50 inventions. Are these some of mankind's greatest inventions?

From the wheel to the cell phone, mankind has created some pretty cool stuff. The frequency-hopping technology has been used to develop Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

It's no coincidence that some of the most famous inventors come from all walks of life. Henry Ford was a savvy business entrepreneur. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, was a physical education teacher. But what they all had in common was an idea and a vision to deliver what they felt would make the world a better place. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

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Mary Bellis. Inventions Expert.