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Telephone	Alexander Graham Bell, patented 1876		fun-inventions-who
Light bulb (practical)	Thomas Edison, 1879, building on others' work		fun-inventions-who
Airplane (first powered flight)	Wilbur and Orville Wright, 1903		fun-inventions-who
Printing press with movable type (Europe)	Johannes Gutenberg, about 1440		fun-inventions-who
Phonograph	Thomas Edison, 1877		fun-inventions-who
Steam engine (improved)	James Watt, 1760s-1770s		fun-inventions-who
Radio (wireless)	Guglielmo Marconi, 1890s		fun-inventions-who
Television (electronic)	Philo Farnsworth, 1927		fun-inventions-who
Cotton gin	Eli Whitney, 1793		fun-inventions-who
Sewing machine (practical)	Elias Howe, 1846		fun-inventions-who
Dynamite	Alfred Nobel, 1867		fun-inventions-who
Vaccination (smallpox)	Edward Jenner, 1796		fun-inventions-who
Pasteurization	Louis Pasteur, 1860s		fun-inventions-who
Penicillin discovery	Alexander Fleming, 1928		fun-inventions-who
World Wide Web	Tim Berners-Lee, 1989		fun-inventions-who
Telescope (first)	Hans Lippershey applied in 1608; Galileo improved it in 1609		fun-inventions-who
Microscope (early)	Zacharias Janssen and others, about 1590s		fun-inventions-who
Compass	Invented in ancient China, over 1,000 years ago		fun-inventions-who
Paper	Invented in China, traditionally credited to Cai Lun about 105 CE		fun-inventions-who
Gunpowder	Invented in China around 800 CE		fun-inventions-who
Wheel	Used by ancient peoples in Mesopotamia about 5,500 years ago		fun-inventions-who
Zipper (modern)	Gideon Sundback, 1913		fun-inventions-who
Safety pin	Walter Hunt, 1849		fun-inventions-who
Bicycle (pedal)	Pierre Michaux and others, 1860s		fun-inventions-who
Automobile (gas-powered)	Karl Benz, 1885-1886		fun-inventions-who
Model T mass production	Henry Ford, 1908 onward		fun-inventions-who
Elevator safety brake	Elisha Otis, 1850s		fun-inventions-who
Refrigerator (early)	Several inventors; Jacob Perkins built an early one in 1834		fun-inventions-who
Camera (photograph)	Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype, 1839		fun-inventions-who
Movie camera (kinetoscope)	Thomas Edison and W.K.L. Dickson, 1890s		fun-inventions-who
Morse code and telegraph	Samuel Morse, 1830s-1840s		fun-inventions-who
Braille	Louis Braille, 1824		fun-inventions-who
Stethoscope	Rene Laennec, 1816		fun-inventions-who
Thermometer (Fahrenheit)	Daniel Fahrenheit, 1714		fun-inventions-who
Barometer	Evangelista Torricelli, 1643		fun-inventions-who
Parachute (sketch)	Leonardo da Vinci drew one in about 1485		fun-inventions-who
Hot air balloon	The Montgolfier brothers, 1783		fun-inventions-who
Steamboat (successful)	Robert Fulton, 1807		fun-inventions-who
Locomotive (early)	Richard Trevithick, 1804; George Stephenson's Rocket, 1829		fun-inventions-who
Battery	Alessandro Volta, 1800		fun-inventions-who
Electric generator principle	Michael Faraday, 1831		fun-inventions-who
Alternating current systems	Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, 1880s-1890s		fun-inventions-who
Transistor	Bell Labs: Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley, 1947		fun-inventions-who
Computer (Analytical Engine design)	Charles Babbage, 1830s		fun-inventions-who
First programmer	Ada Lovelace, wrote notes with the first algorithm in 1843		fun-inventions-who
Helicopter (practical)	Igor Sikorsky, 1939		fun-inventions-who
Rocket (liquid fuel)	Robert Goddard, 1926		fun-inventions-who
Post-it notes	Spencer Silver and Art Fry at 3M, 1970s		fun-inventions-who
Velcro	George de Mestral, 1941		fun-inventions-who
Ballpoint pen	Laszlo Biro, 1938		fun-inventions-who
Pencil with eraser	Hymen Lipman patented one in 1858		fun-inventions-who
Crayons (modern)	Binney and Smith, 1903		fun-inventions-who
Basketball	James Naismith, 1891		fun-inventions-who
Frisbee	Walter Morrison, 1948 (Pluto Platter, then Frisbee)		fun-inventions-who
Potato chips	Said to be created by George Crum, 1853		fun-inventions-who
Chocolate chip cookie	Ruth Wakefield, 1938		fun-inventions-who
Popsicle	Frank Epperson, 1905 as a boy; patented 1923		fun-inventions-who
Earmuffs	Chester Greenwood, 1873 at age 15		fun-inventions-who
Trampoline	George Nissen, 1930s		fun-inventions-who
Snowboard (Snurfer)	Sherman Poppen, 1965		fun-inventions-who
Skateboard	California surfers of the 1940s-50s		fun-inventions-who
Traffic light (electric)	James Hoge and others, 1914		fun-inventions-who