Science has been a blessing for human civilization for eternity and it has been making our lives easier. From vehicles to mobile phones and medical equipment, all these things are gifts of science to mankind. But inventions and discoveries are not always driven by science. As the old saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of all the inventions”. There was a time that humans had to kill animals and eat raw meat to survive.
The discovery of fire changed that forever as humans became familiar with the benefits of consuming cooked food. Lighting fire was one of the first discoveries made by humans. Wooden wheels, wooden arms and clothes made of trees’ leaves and husks were some of the first few discoveries that made the lives of humans easier.
There’s a basic difference between discovery and invention. Discoveries are made by researchers or scientists, but inventions do not always need the inventor to be a scientist. Inventions can be intentional or accidental. But one thing is certain – Inventions make our lives easier in one way or another. Inventions play a key role in shaping and transforming human civilization. From wooden wheels to spaceships and nuclear-powered ships, there is a lot that has been gifted to the world through inventions.
We did some brainstorming and web browsing to point out 8 such inventions that changed the world.
Wheels
Imagine a world without vehicles. Traveling to different parts of the world on foot. How inconvenient it could have been? Wheels are one of the earliest inventions of human history. In the very early days, humans carved out wheels out of wooden logs and made wooden carts to carry killed animals and goods. The oldest record of wheels can be traced back to 3500 B.C but the invention is said to be even older than that. Wooden wheels couldn’t provide a smooth ride thus metal rims were introduced and later rubber tires were invented as well.
Automobile
Just like the invention of wheels, the invention of the automobile played an instrumental role in shaping the world. The invention of the wheel ensured that goods and animals could be transported easily but the cart still had to be pulled using animals of human force. The invention of engines and automobiles eradicated the problem of wheel carts being pulled by animals or humans. The invention of the automobile and vehicles made traveling long distances easier. German Inventor Karl Benz is credited for the invention of modern cars but they became accessible to the public in the early 20th century.
Concrete
The skyrocketing towers and buildings across the world are proof of the progress that human civilization has made in terms of construction and architecture. Concrete is today one of the most widely used materials that are used for construction purposes across the world. Cement is one of the key ingredients of Concrete and it was first brought to use in 1300 BC. However, it was at around 6500 BC that concrete-like structures were built first.
Petrol
Yes, the invention of wheels and engines was instrumental in shaping human civilization but it is the fuel that powers modern-day vehicles. Petrol is one of the major fuels used to power vehicles. It was the invention of gasoline or petrol that fuelled the first industrial revolution. Edwin Drake dug the first oil well and refined the oil to produce kerosene in 1859 in Pennsylvania. However, it was in 1892 that the invention started bearing fruit.
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Steam Engine
Motor vehicles were not enough to carry huge and heavy goods. This realisation led to the invention of the Steam engine that was used to pull trains having multiple coaches until these engines were replaced by more eco-friendly diesel engines and later by electric engines. The first practical steam engine was patented by Thomas Savery in 1698. However, it was in 1781 that James Watt patented an improved version of the steam engine. These engines transformed the transportation industry starting in 1800.
Airplane
Trains were enough to connect two distant landmasses but the human civilisation faced another barrier – connecting 2 continents. Travelling from one continent to another on the road was not possible and the world needed a faster and economic alternative for ships. Wright brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright managed to invent the world’s the first airplane on December 17, 1903. The concept revolutionised international travels and within a few years, the world saw airplanes of different grades and capacity operating under different task forces.
Fire
As mentioned earlier, fire is one of the first inventions in the history of mankind. Fire is one of the five natural elements but it took humans several years to figure out how to light a fire. Humans learned lighting fire by rubbing a certain type of stones together. The concept of matchsticks is relatively new. The invention of fire is one of the most important as if not for fire, we would still be surviving on raw meat and uncooked food. Humans learnt lighting fire in the early stone age and they used it as a shield against winter, for scaring wild animals and for cooking.
Electricity
If it weren’t for electricity, there would have been no metro trains today, we wouldn’t have been able to light a bulb and I wouldn’t have been writing this article. Electricity powers most of the machines that we see around us. From powering a TV set or washing machine to lighting a bulb or powering a train, electricity has a vast range of applications and it has made our lives easy and convenient in more ways that one can think.
1831 is the year when scientists got a major breakthrough with respect to electricity and its applications. Thanks to Michael Faraday for discovering the basic principles of electricity generation. Several scientists contributed significantly over the years and the invention of wire and electronic equipment made it a huge success. Scientists like Ohm contributed to the deed immensely.
