The Wheel –8,000 BC
According to archaeologists the wheel was
invented by the Sumerians. It was made of
planks of wood joined together. Later on in life
the Egyptians improved it. Where would we be
today without cars and bikes? So if they had
never made that simple wheel than we would
not have these things!
Gravity – 1665
Gravity or gravitational force
was discovered by a man
named Sir Issac Newton. The
pull of the force depends on
the mass of object to how
strong the pull is. Thanks to
gravity we on all still on the
earth!
Electricity – 1773
1. A man named Benjamin Franklin
discovered electricity. Electricity is a
form of energy which is caused by
electrons or protons which make a
current to power objects. Many more
scientists and inventors tried to use the
power of electricity to make a light but
that did not happen until 1879. So if
Benjamin Franklin had not discovered
electricity than we would not be able to
watch TV or power our computers.
Fire – 500,000 BC
Fire was first used by cavemen and
early people and it changed their lives!
It provided early men and women with
a means of warmth and they were able
to cook food so that they did not have
to eat raw food. Fire does have a bad
side because it can get out of control
and cause many problems like the
great fire of London. But really it has
done a lot to help people.
Printing Press – 1450
In 1450 Johannes Gutenberg
made his first printing press. A
printing press is a device for evenly
printing ink onto paper or cloth so
that was when people could start
to mass produce books. So without
the printing press we would never
have learnt to read books.
Mechanical computer – 1822
A man named Charles Babbage
made the first mechanical
computer. A mechanical computer is
computer made with levers and
gears rather than electronic
components. He never finished his
first computer due to funding and
he died before the second one was
completed so his son Henry Babbage,
finished it for him. Mechanical
computers really did help the people
fighting in the Second World War.
Solar Energy – 1839
Solar power is the conversion of
light into electricity. It has
helped people to cut down on
the amount of normal electricity
they use because they have their
own source of electricity which is
eco-friendly. This is also helping
to stop global warming.
Combustion Engine – 1860
The combustion engine is an engine
which burns the fuel inside the engine
unlike a steam engine which burns it
outside the engine. So if the combustion
engine was not made than we would
not have car and motorbikes.
Antibiotics - 1870
Antibiotics have helped people in many different
ways. They can be used to treat mild conditions
such as acne or life-threatening condition.
Antibiotics have saved lives and have been used to
treat many people. So where would we be without
them?
Telephone - 1876
Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell
both independently designed devices
that could transmit speech electrically.
These devices were called the
“telephone”. Today phones have
improved alot and we now have mobile
phones too. This makes staying in touch
with people very easy.
Light Bulb - 1879
Joseph Wilson Swan and Thomas
Alva Edison invented the light bulb.
Soon after it was made it was in
many towns and cities. It meant
that people could work for longer
in a safer way.
Radio -1895
The radio is very like other inventions such as
the telephone and telegraph. It all began with
the discovery of radio waves - electromagnetic
waves can transmit music, speech, pictures and
other data invisibly through the air. They are
used in other devices like televisions,
microwaves and cordless phones. We still use
the radio today which is really good for
transmitting news when on the go and in the
car.
Penicillin – 1928
Penicillin was invented by Sir
Alexander Fleming. Penicillin is
used to treat infections caused
by bacteria, such as ear
infections. Penicillin has
treated many infections from
small ones to big ones and has
helped people to get better.
Internet – 1958
The internet was invented by a
man called Vint Cerf. The internet
is a global computer network
which provides people with a
variety of information and
communication facilities. People
use the internet daily for different
things.
TV- 1923
The TV was not invented by one person it was
invented by lots of people. The inventors
attempted to either build a mechanical television
system or to build an electronic television system.
The electric TV worked better than the mechanical
one because it can transmit pictures through a
wire. Was the TV a good or bad invention? TV
might provide people with entertainment but do
people just watch because they have too much free
time?
Space Travel – 1943
In 1943 the German V2 was the
first rocket to go into space. It only
reached 100km from the Earth’s
surface (the boundary to space.)
The rocket was made by Wernher
Von Braun who later worked with
NASA on the rocket which went to
the moon. Since 1943 many
people have gone into space.
DNA – 1973
James Watson and Francis Crick started
to work on the structure of DNA. At
that time DNA was known to be in the
nucleus of every living cell. They used
all the evidence from chemical x-ray to
find out the size and shape of DNA.
DNA effects people because we are all
made out of DNA.
GPS – 1995
GPS is a Global Positioning System
which gives you your location,
directions and time information and it
works in all weathers. It helps people
to know where they are and if they get
lost they can find their way home.
Cloning – 1996
Doll was a cloned sheep and was the
first successfully cloned mammal.
Dolly was created at the Roslin
Institute in Edinburgh. Cloning was a
significant scientific breakthrough. So
will they clone a person next?
The Gastric Breeding Frog – 2013
Scientists at Australia’s University of Newcastle
have brought an extinct frog back to life from
frozen tissue. The male gastric frog fertilizes
the eggs which the female swallows so the
babies are born in the mouth. What will they
bring back next?