10 Inventions that have Forever Changed the World

In my opinion, there are 10 particular inventions that dramatically changed life for mankind.

I listed them in historically chronological order, as I enjoy history and thought it would be a cool progression of how man became increasingly more technologically advanced.

1. The Toilet -  Although notoriously nicknamed the “crapper” because of its improvements by Thomas Crapper, the toilet was actually first invented by an Englishman named John Harrington in 1596. If it weren’t for this brilliant Englishman’s idea, our world may quite literally be full of crap.

2. Electricity - Although William Gilbert is known as the “Father of Electricity,” the actual inventor of electricity was Otto von Guerick, who created a machine that produced static electricity in 1660. Thomas Edison did not invent electricity nor the light bulb, he merely made a better version of the light bulb. Regardless, these men all established the foundation for an idea that would quite literally light up the world. Without electricity, thousands of latter inventions may have not been possible.

3. The Steam Engine - Invented in 1698, the steam engine is a technological advancement that lead to future combustion engines and other mechanical innovations. Our modern, high-tech world would be a very different place if the steam engine were never invented. In its time, the steam engine facilitated the industrial revolution, urban development, and transportation. Thanks the steam engine, manufacturing, agriculture, and mining also benefited in efficiency.

4. The Automobile - A Frenchman with a wonderful name, Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot invented the first self-propelled road vehicle in 1769, or military tractor. Although Cugnot created the vehicle to further the success of the French army, what he didn’t know is that his idea would be the first of many future vehicle inventions that were to come. The electric carriage, gasoline automobile, and the hybrid automobile would not exist today without Cugnot’s clever tricycle. Cars are a very important technological creation that have not only helped transportation but also a myriad of other industries and technologies.

5. The Airplane - Although most of us erroneously credit the Wright brothers with the invention of the airplane, it was actually Richard Pearse who invented the first airplane in 1902. Although his plane only flew for about 350 yards, Pearse’s creation would transform transportation for later generations. The airplane is nidispensible in our world today, as individuals like me would not be able to travel from the OC to SF in a matter of minutes and would not be able to receive important correspondence, such as medications or orders from Amazon.com, if it weren’t for Pearse’s airplane.

6.  The Telephone - Ring ring. Hello? It’s Alexander Graham Bell! He patented the first telephone in 1876. A century after independence, Bell’s creation facilitated communication, as it helped millions of people connect in a matter of hours. Thanks to Bell, the good old Pony Express, which took months to deliver messages, would no longer be the only source of communication that everyone was dependent. 

7.  The Computer - John Mauchly is credited with creating the first computer in 1946. His invention would also become indispensable to humanity, as computers have expanded and improved several areas of human life: technology, education, infrastructure, and entertainment.

8. The Internet - The internet is one technological advancement that has simultaneously helped and harmed humanity. Seemingly a blessing, the internet has allowed billions of people to connect within seconds, to see each other despite miles of separation, and to share all kinds of information without any stamps. Still, the internet has hurt society, as younger generations prefer to communicate online over speaking in person. Whether for better or worse, the creation of the internet is attributed to J. C. R. Licklider, who wanted to create a network of computer systems that could be interconnected so that he could connect 3 separate systems in Santa Monica, UC Berkeley, and MIT in 1958.

9. The Cellphone - Martin Cooper designed the first cell phone in 1973. It’s nearly impossibly to imagine a world without cellphones, as our modern society is incredibly dependent on them today: cellphones help us communicate with anyone on the go, update our fb statuses in bathrooms, take pictures of every meal we consume, and even help us avoid traffic with its various gps apps. It took only 41 years for the cell phone to become a necessity to most of the world’s population: who knows what gadget we’ll be dependent on in the next forty years?

10. The Laptop - Although the computer in itself was an amazing invention, in 1981 Adam Osborne thought of something better: a portable computer that could be taken any where. Known as the laptop, this portable computer has also changed the world, as technological resources became more accessible to more people around the world. Today, millions of college students and professors, like us, depend on laptops for even the most menial of tasks.