Throughout history, there have been many brilliant scientists whose inventions have played crucial roles in the development of humanity.
Inventors Who Changed the World
1. Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci is arguably one of the greatest minds in human history, known for numerous futuristic ideas that surpassed the technological capabilities and understanding of his time, such as helicopters, submarines, tanks, parachutes, and computers.
However, many of Da Vinci’s ideas remained mere sketches and detailed descriptions on paper, never realized as practical inventions due to the limitations of the technology of his era.
2. Edwin Land
Although Edwin Land did not invent the camera or photography, he perfected various techniques surrounding photography through his brilliant inventions.
While a freshman at Harvard University, Land created a type of polarizing filter used in photography, enhancing the deep blue of the sky while eliminating reflections from water or glass. He later collaborated with other scientists to apply this polarizing filter across various scientific and artistic fields and famously developed the instant camera known worldwide.
3. Benjamin Franklin
Not only a distinguished politician, Benjamin Franklin was also incredibly talented in various fields, especially science and engineering. He invented numerous famous items, including the lightning rod, urinary catheter, bifocal glasses, and the glass harmonica.
However, Franklin never registered patents for his inventions, believing that his creations should be shared widely for everyone’s benefit, akin to the benefits he received from the inventions of those before him.
4. Hero of Alexandria
Hero was the first to invent the vending machine (originally designed to dispense holy water), a wind-powered organ, a water pump, a syringe, and a fountain, laying the groundwork for future inventions like the thermometer.
However, Hero did not prioritize the importance of his inventions and did not pursue further improvements on them; he may not have realized their significant role centuries later. For instance, when he invented the first steam engine, he simply used it to open and close temple doors; had he been more ambitious, the industrial revolution might have occurred two centuries earlier.
5. Jerome “Jerry” Hal Lemelson
In his lifetime, Lemelson held 605 patents. He invented many important items, including automated warehouses, industrial robots, cordless phones, fax machines, video recorders, and camcorders.
Additionally, Lemelson made significant contributions in fields such as medicine, cancer detection and treatment, diamond coating applications, electronics, and television.
6. George Westinghouse
Westinghouse was a pioneer in the electrical industry of the 19th century, known for his significant inventions. He advocated for alternating current, positioning himself as a rival to Thomas Edison, who supported direct current.
Moreover, Westinghouse invented the air brake, a crucial contribution to transportation, particularly in rail transport.
7. Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone in the world, a result of his long efforts to find a way to cure his mother’s deafness, although his invention came about by accident.
Additionally, Bell invented the metal detector, the phonograph, submarine signaling devices, and equipment for measuring hearing abilities in the hearing impaired.
8. Thomas Edison
Contrary to popular belief, Edison did not invent the electric light bulb but rather refined the ideas of previous inventors, applying them in practice and commercializing them through mass production and sales to households. Thanks to this, we have electric lighting today.
He also created other notable inventions, such as the duplex telegraph (which sent two messages simultaneously), which he later improved to triple and multiple telegraphs. Additionally, the phonograph brought him fame. In total, Edison held 1,500 patents worldwide.
9. Nikola Tesla
Tesla made revolutionary contributions in the fields of electricity and magnetism. His theoretical works and inventions regarding alternating current power systems and AC motors laid the foundation for the second industrial revolution.
Furthermore, he contributed significantly to research in robotics, remote control, radar, computer science, nuclear physics, theoretical physics, and ballistics. In his youth, he worked for Thomas Edison’s company, improving many of Edison’s outdated machines. However, due to disagreements over the use of alternating current, he left the job. In his later years, he died in poverty and solitude, with his incredible ideas leading him to be labeled as a mad scientist.
10. Archimedes of Syracuse
Archimedes is the nightmare of students worldwide as he accurately calculated the value of pi, proved a series of geometric theorems, calculus, and created a system using exponents.
Additionally, Archimedes invented various machines and weapons to defend his homeland, most famously using lenses to harness solar energy to burn enemy ships.
The most famous anecdote about Archimedes is when he discovered how to calculate the volume of an irregularly shaped object (a gold crown shaped like a laurel wreath) while sitting in a bathtub. Overjoyed with this discovery, he jumped out of the tub and ran naked through the streets, exclaiming “Eureka! Eureka!” (I have found it!).
