Inventions
84 questions tagged Inventions — spanning every one of the seven Ws.
When was the first mobile phone call made?
Motorola engineer Martin Cooper made the first handheld mobile phone call on 3 April 1973 on a New York City street.
How do barcodes work?
A barcode stores numbers as a pattern of black bars and white spaces of different widths, which a scanner reads by measuring reflected light.
When was the first car invented?
Karl Benz patented the first practical petrol-powered car on 29 January 1886.
When was the bicycle invented?
The first two-wheeled bicycle, Karl Drais’s pedal-less “running machine”, was first ridden in 1817.
When were glasses invented?
Eyeglasses were invented in northern Italy around the 1280s.
When was paper invented?
Paper was invented in China more than 2,000 years ago, and court official Cai Lun improved it in AD 105.
Whose invention was the car?
Karl Benz is credited with the first practical petrol-powered car, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, patented in 1886.
Whose invention was the television?
No single inventor: John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television in 1926, while Philo Farnsworth built the first fully electronic TV system in 1927.
Whose invention was the computer mouse?
Douglas Engelbart invented the computer mouse in the 1960s at the Stanford Research Institute, with engineer Bill English building the first prototype.
Whose invention was the dishwasher?
Josephine Cochrane of Illinois invented the first commercially successful dishwasher, patented in 1886.
Whose invention was the microwave oven?
American engineer Percy Spencer invented the microwave oven at Raytheon after noticing, around 1945, that radar equipment had melted a snack in his pocket.
Whose invention were blue jeans?
Tailor Jacob Davis and merchant Levi Strauss patented copper-riveted denim work trousers in 1873, creating the first blue jeans.
Whose invention was the Rubik’s Cube?
Hungarian architecture professor Ernő Rubik invented the cube in 1974 as a teaching tool for understanding three-dimensional movement.
Whose invention were Post-it Notes?
Post-it Notes came from 3M scientists Spencer Silver, who created a weak reusable adhesive in 1968, and Art Fry, who found the perfect use for it in 1974.
When Was the First Submarine Used in Warfare?
The Turtle, built in 1775, became the first submarine used in combat during the American Revolution in 1776.
Whose Invention Is the Printing Press?
Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable-type printing press around 1440 in Mainz, Germany.
Whose Invention Is Dynamite?
Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist and engineer, invented dynamite in 1867.
What is a patent?
A patent is a legal right granted by a government that gives an inventor the exclusive right to make, use and sell an invention for a limited time.
When was Velcro invented?
Velcro was invented by Swiss engineer George de Mestral, who came up with the idea in 1941 and patented it in the 1950s.
When was the flush toilet invented?
The first flushing toilet was designed by Sir John Harington in 1596, and Alexander Cumming patented the S-bend flush toilet in 1775.
When was basketball invented?
Basketball was invented in December 1891 by James Naismith, a Canadian physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts.
When was the three-point seat belt invented?
The modern three-point seat belt was invented by Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin at Volvo and introduced in 1959.
When was aspirin invented?
Aspirin was first synthesised in a stable, pure form by chemists at Bayer in 1897 and launched as a medicine in 1899.
When was the typewriter invented?
The first commercially successful typewriter was invented by Christopher Latham Sholes and colleagues, patented in 1868 and sold from 1874.
When was nylon invented?
Nylon was invented by Wallace Carothers and his team at DuPont in 1935, becoming the first fully synthetic fibre made commercially.
Where was gunpowder invented?
Gunpowder was invented in China, probably in the 9th century, by alchemists searching for an elixir of immortality.
Whose Invention Was the Jigsaw Puzzle?
The jigsaw puzzle is credited to London engraver and mapmaker John Spilsbury, who created 'dissected maps' around 1766.
Whose Invention Was the Safety Pin?
The modern safety pin was invented by American mechanic Walter Hunt, who patented it in 1849.
Whose Invention Is the Ballpoint Pen?
The modern ballpoint pen was invented by Hungarian journalist László Bíró, who patented it in Britain in 1938.
Whose Invention Was the Modern Pencil?
The modern pencil lead was invented by French scientist Nicolas-Jacques Conté in 1795, who mixed graphite with clay and fired it.
Whose Invention Was the Frisbee?
The Frisbee was invented by American Walter Frederick Morrison, whose plastic flying disc was sold to Wham-O in 1957.
Whose Invention Was the Gramophone?
The gramophone was invented by German-American Emile Berliner, who patented it in 1887.
Whose Invention Was the Compact Disc?
The compact disc was jointly developed by Philips and Sony, with the first commercial CDs released in Japan in 1982.
Whose Invention Is the MP3?
The MP3 format was developed mainly by a team at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute led by Karlheinz Brandenburg.
Whose Idea Was the Text Message?
The SMS text message concept was developed by Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert in 1984, and engineer Neil Papworth sent the first one in 1992.
Whose Invention Is USB?
USB was developed by an industry group led by Intel engineer Ajay Bhatt, with USB 1.0 released in 1996.
Whose Invention Was the Stethoscope?
The stethoscope was invented by French physician René Laennec in 1816.
Whose Invention Was Volleyball?
Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan, a YMCA instructor in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1895.
Whose Company Created Crayola Crayons?
Crayola crayons were created by cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith of the Binney & Smith company, first sold in 1903.
Whose Invention Was the Lava Lamp?
The lava lamp was invented by British entrepreneur Edward Craven Walker, who launched it in 1963.
How Does Velcro Work?
Velcro works with two strips: one covered in tiny stiff hooks and one in soft loops; pressing them together makes the hooks catch in the loops.
How Does an Inkjet Printer Work?
An inkjet printer fires thousands of microscopic ink droplets per second through tiny nozzles, placing them precisely to form text and images.
How Does a Pendulum Clock Keep Time?
A pendulum clock keeps time because a pendulum of fixed length swings at a very regular rate, and an escapement counts each swing to move the hands.
How Are Pencils Made?
Pencils are made by sandwiching rods of baked graphite and clay between grooved wooden slats, then gluing, cutting and painting them.
Why do clocks go clockwise?
Clock hands copy the movement of a sundial's shadow in the Northern Hemisphere, where mechanical clocks were invented.
Why does bread rise when yeast is added?
Bread rises because yeast ferments sugars and releases carbon dioxide gas. The gas gets trapped in the dough, making it expand.
What is the Gutenberg printing press?
The Gutenberg printing press was a movable-type printing system developed in the 15th century. It helped make books far cheaper and faster to produce.
What is a boomerang?
A boomerang is a curved throwing tool, traditionally used by Indigenous Australians for hunting and sport. Some boomerangs are designed to return to the thrower, while others are not.
What is the steam engine?
The steam engine is a machine that uses expanding steam to do mechanical work. It became a key technology of the Industrial Revolution.
What is a steam engine?
A steam engine is a machine that uses steam pressure to do work, usually by moving a piston or turbine. It was a key invention of the Industrial Revolution.
What is a clockwork mechanism?
A clockwork mechanism is a system of gears, springs, and escapements that stores and releases energy in a controlled way to keep time or power moving parts. It is the basis of mechanical clocks and many wind-up devices.
When was the first ATM opened?
The first ATM began operating in 1967. It was installed by Barclays in London.
When was the first barcode invented?
The barcode concept was patented in 1952 by Norman Woodland and Bernard Silver. The design later evolved into the familiar striped code used in shops.
When did Jacques Cousteau and Émile Gagnan invent the modern scuba regulator?
They developed the Aqua-Lung in 1943. It became the basis of modern open-circuit scuba diving.
Where did the first successful powered airplane flight take place?
The first successful powered airplane flight took place at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in the United States. The Wright brothers flew on December 17, 1903.
Where was the first photograph taken?
The first surviving photograph was made at Le Gras, in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce created it around 1826–1827.
Where is the world’s oldest known surviving windmill?
One of the oldest surviving windmills is in Nashtifan, Iran. The vertical-axis windmills there are centuries old and still famous today.
Where is the origin of the first printed book in Europe?
The first widely recognized printed book in Europe was produced in Mainz, Germany. Johann Gutenberg’s famous Bible was printed there around 1454–1455.
Where is the first known use of paper money?
The first known paper money originated in China. It appeared during the Tang and Song dynasties, with widespread use developing in the 10th and 11th centuries.
Where is the first use of paper money believed to have begun?
It began in China, especially during the Tang and Song dynasties. The earliest widely used government-issued paper money appeared in the 11th century.
Where is the oldest known wooden wheel found?
It was found near Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the Ljubljanica Marshes. The wheel is about 5,200 years old.
Where is the origin of the first modern paper money?
Paper money first emerged in China, especially during the Tang and Song dynasties, with state-issued notes becoming common by the 11th century. The earliest widely accepted paper currency was used in China’s Sichuan region.
Which invention is considered the first practical telephone?
Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 telephone is widely regarded as the first practical telephone.
Which was the first practical telephone?
Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 telephone is usually credited as the first practical telephone. It made real voice communication over wires possible.
Which invention is usually considered the first practical telephone?
Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 telephone is usually regarded as the first practical telephone.
Whose invention was the airplane?
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, are credited with inventing the first successful powered airplane.
Whose invention is the radio?
The invention of radio is usually credited to Guglielmo Marconi, who developed practical wireless telegraphy in the 1890s. His work led to the first long-distance wireless transmissions.
Whose invention is the flush toilet?
The modern flush toilet is associated with Sir John Harington, who built an early version in 1596. Later improvements made it practical for everyday use.
Whose invention was the first successful practical steam engine?
James Watt. His improvements to the steam engine in the 1760s and 1770s made it far more efficient and useful.
Whose work invented Braille?
Louis Braille. He created the tactile reading system in the 1820s after losing his sight as a child.
Whose invention was the practical printing press?
Johannes Gutenberg created the practical movable-type printing press in the 15th century. His key work dates to around 1450.
How do crystal radios work without batteries?
Crystal radios use the energy in radio waves to create a weak electrical signal that can drive headphones. They need no batteries because they rely on the broadcast signal itself.
How did the first powered flight work?
The first powered, controlled airplane flight happened on 17 December 1903 when the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their success came from combining a light engine, wing design, and control surfaces.
How does a kaleidoscope create patterns?
A kaleidoscope uses angled mirrors inside a tube to reflect loose pieces of coloured glass or beads many times, creating symmetrical patterns that change as you turn it.
How does a hovercraft work?
A hovercraft floats on a cushion of air: powerful fans blow air underneath it, trapped by a flexible skirt, lifting the craft so it can glide over water, land, mud and ice.
What is the Haber-Bosch process?
The Haber-Bosch process is an industrial method for making ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen. It helped transform agriculture by enabling large-scale fertilizer production.
Which element was the first man-made element?
Technetium was the first element produced artificially, first identified in 1937.
What is the Haber process?
The Haber process is an industrial method for making ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen. It was developed in the early 20th century and transformed fertilizer production.
What is a reservoir formed by a dam?
A reservoir is a stored body of water created when a dam blocks a river. It can be used for drinking water, irrigation, flood control, or hydroelectric power.
Where was penicillin first discovered?
Penicillin was first discovered at St Mary's Hospital in London, England, in 1928. Alexander Fleming noticed that a mold had killed bacteria in a petri dish.
Which element was the first to be isolated by electrolysis?
Potassium was first isolated by electrolysis in 1807 by Humphry Davy.
Whose experiment first isolated a new element by electrolysis of molten salt?
Humphry Davy’s. In 1807, he isolated potassium by electrolyzing molten potash, one of the first elements discovered this way.
Whose idea was the shopping trolley?
Sylvan Goldman, who owned the Humpty Dumpty supermarkets in Oklahoma City, introduced it in 1937. Shoppers refused to use it at first, so he hired people to push trolleys around the store until customers followed.