Light bulb (practical): Thomas Edison, 1879
Telephone: Alexander Graham Bell, patented 1876
Airplane (first powered flight): Wilbur and Orville Wright, 1903
Printing press with movable type in Europe: Johannes Gutenberg, about 1440
Steam engine (improved): James Watt, 1700s
Cotton gin: Eli Whitney, 1793
Telegraph: Samuel Morse and others, 1830s-40s
Radio: Guglielmo Marconi and others, 1890s
Television (early electronic): Philo Farnsworth and others, 1920s
World Wide Web: Tim Berners-Lee, 1989
First programmable computer concept: Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, 1830s
Vaccine for smallpox: Edward Jenner, 1796
Polio vaccine: Jonas Salk, 1955
Penicillin: Alexander Fleming, 1928
Battery: Alessandro Volta, 1800
Dynamite: Alfred Nobel, 1867
Safety pin: Walter Hunt, 1849
Sewing machine (practical): Elias Howe, 1846
Telescope (first used for astronomy): Galileo, 1609
Microscope (early compound): Zacharias Janssen and others, late 1500s
Thermometer (mercury): Daniel Fahrenheit, 1714
Barometer: Evangelista Torricelli, 1643
Pendulum clock: Christiaan Huygens, 1656
Lightning rod: Benjamin Franklin, 1750s
Bifocal glasses: Benjamin Franklin
Reaper: Cyrus McCormick, 1830s
Elevator with safety brake: Elisha Otis, 1850s
Jet engine: Frank Whittle and Hans von Ohain, 1930s
Transistor: Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley, 1947
Integrated circuit: Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce, late 1950s
Personal computer revolution: 1970s and 1980s, with machines such as the Apple II
Mobile phone (first handheld call): Martin Cooper, 1973
Laser: Theodore Maiman built the first working laser, 1960
Satellite (first): Sputnik 1, 1957
Automobile (gasoline): Karl Benz, 1885
Model T assembly line cars: Henry Ford, 1908
Bicycle with pedals: Developed in the 1860s
Paper: Invented in China, about 105 CE
Printing (woodblock): Developed in China long before Europe
Compass: Invented in China
Gunpowder: Invented in China
Wheel: Invented in Mesopotamia about 3500 BCE
Plow: Early farming tool invented thousands of years ago
Zipper: Whitcomb Judson, 1893, improved by Gideon Sundback
Velcro: George de Mestral, 1941
Post-it note: Spencer Silver and Art Fry, 1970s
Microwave oven: Percy Spencer, 1940s
Crayons: Crayola introduced them in 1903
Bakelite plastic: Leo Baekeland, 1907
Nylon: Wallace Carothers at DuPont, 1935
Braille: Louis Braille, 1824
Stethoscope: Rene Laennec, 1816
Pasteurization: Louis Pasteur, 1860s
X-ray machine: Based on Wilhelm Roentgen's discovery, 1895
Insulin discovery: Banting and Best, 1921
Pacemaker: Developed in the 1950s
MRI scanner: Developed in the 1970s
Hot air balloon: Montgolfier brothers, 1783
Parachute (modern): Developed by Andre-Jacques Garnerin, 1797
Rocket (liquid-fueled): Robert Goddard, 1926
Space Shuttle: NASA, first launch 1981
Internet's ancestor: ARPANET, 1969
Email: Ray Tomlinson, 1971
GPS: Developed by the US in the 1970s-90s
Electric motor (early): Michael Faraday and others, 1820s-30s
Dynamo generator: Faraday's principle; used widely by 1870s
Alternating current system: Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse
Phonograph: Thomas Edison, 1877
Motion picture camera: Lumiere brothers and Edison's team, 1890s
Photography (early): Louis Daguerre, daguerreotype 1839
Aqualung (scuba): Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan, 1943
3D printing: Developed in the 1980s
LEGO brick (modern): Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, 1958

Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/sci-inventions