Many new things were invented in the 20th century. New construction projects were built, military equipment was developed, and space was explored. Let's try to note the most outstanding inventions and buildings that were made in the twentieth century and left a significant imprint on the history of mankind.
1. Titanic
This famous cruise ship British company The White Star Line, the largest of its time, was launched on May 31, 1911. The construction of such a large steamship aroused truly enormous interest among people. Still would! Its length was as much as 268.83 m, its width reached 28.19 m, and its height reached 54 m. The liner could carry 2,556 passengers and another 892 crew members.
On April 2, 1912, the Titanic successfully passed sea trials on the water and a few days later set off on its first voyage. Only very wealthy people could get on board the ship, because... the ticket price reached 4,350 dollars (this is about 60 thousand according to modern course). But, unfortunately, the Titanic's maiden voyage turned out to be its last.
On April 10, 1912, she set sail from the port of Southampton with 1,316 passengers and 891 crew on board. The final destination of the journey was supposed to be the Irish port of Cobh... But on April 14, 1912, the ship crashed after colliding with an iceberg, as a result of the disaster more than 1,500 people died, only 704 survived....
2. Vostok spaceship
A real breakthrough in space exploration was human flight into outer space! It’s nice to know that Soviet scientists were the first to succeed in this matter. Spaceship Vostok, intended for flights in low-Earth orbit, was designed under the leadership of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev.
Only one cosmonaut could be on board the ship, and the flight duration was no more than five days. The launch of the first manned spacecraft took place on April 12, 1961, piloted by Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin. “Vostok” made one revolution around our planet, spending 108 minutes on it.
3. Sydney Opera House
Perhaps the most striking symbol of Australia, besides the kangaroo, is the famous Opera theatre in Sydney. This architectural structure (with an area of 2.2 hectares), built in 1973, is recognized as one of outstanding examples modern architecture (it is also called an architectural wonder of the world).
More than $100 million was spent on construction, and the construction itself lasted more than 15 years! In addition to the opera hall itself, there is also a concert hall, drama and chamber theater halls, several restaurants and a reception hall. The theater can accommodate 1,507 people at the same time. Here is the world's largest mechanical organ with ten thousand pipes.
4. First computer
In the modern world it is difficult to imagine life without computers. But just recently, some 50-60 years ago, the creation of such a machine as a computer seemed like a pipe dream. After World War II, in 1946, the world learned about the creation in the United States of the first electronic computer, ENIAC, the development of which took more than half a million dollars and three years of time.
The chief designer was Charles Babbage, who went down in history as the inventor of the first prototype of a computer. The machine was enormous: it weighed about 28 tons and absorbed about 140 kW of energy. The computers that were invented before him were a kind of prototype of ENIAC. Although he himself, whose power is equal to thousands of adding machines, was first called an “electronic calculator.”
5. Nuclear weapons
Sooner or later humanity would learn to create weapons mass destruction, which actually include nuclear. The United States was the first to achieve success in this area. Project to create atomic bomb, which was called the Manhattan Project (led by Leslie Groves), was carried out on July 16, 1945.
The first atomic bomb weighed 2722 kg, the power reached 18 kt in TNT equivalent. The creation of such weapons led to tragic consequences: explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For a relatively short time, the United States had a monopoly in this matter. Already in 1949 on August 29, in the area of Semipalatinsk on test site the first Soviet test was carried out nuclear device under code name"RDS-1".
The presence of nuclear weapons in the USSR made it possible to maintain parity between the two states. Currently, the world community is trying to protect itself from this type of weapon and is trying to prevent its further spread, as well as try to destroy what has already been created.
A lot was done in the 20th century scientific discoveries, more than in all previous times. The knowledge of mankind is growing steadily every year; if the pace of development continues, it is even impossible to imagine what else awaits us.
In the 20th century, major discoveries were made mainly in two areas: biology and physics.
Let's look at some of the most important discoveries of the twentieth century.
Antibiotic penicillin
There was a revolutionary breakthrough in 20th century medicine when, in 1928, the English scientist Alexander Fleming discovered the effect of mold on bacteria.
Thus, the bacteriologist discovered the world's first antibiotic, penicillin, from molds Penicillium notatum is a medicine that has saved the lives of millions of people. It is worth noting that Fleming’s colleagues were mistaken in believing that the main thing was strengthening the immune system, and not fighting germs. Therefore, antibiotics were not in demand for several years. Only closer to 1943 did the medicine find widespread use in medical institutions. Fleming continued to study microbes and improve penicillin.
Cloning
The 90s became the era of biotechnology. The first worthy representative of the work of scientists in this direction was an ordinary sheep. Usually she was only outwardly. For the sake of its appearance, the staff of the Roslin Institute in England worked hard for several years. The egg from which the famous Dolly was later born was completely gutted, then the nucleus of an adult sheep cell was placed in it. The developed embryo was implanted back into the uterus and the result was awaited. Dolly, in the rank of candidates for the title of the first clone of a large living creature, beat out almost 300 candidates - all of them died at different stages of the experiment. Although the legendary sheep survived, its fate was unenviable. After all, the ends of DNA, telomeres, which serve as biological body clock, have already counted 6 years in Dolly’s mother’s body. After another 6 years of the clone's life, in February 2003, the animal died from the diseases of old age - arthritis, specific pneumonia and other ailments. But Dolly’s appearance on the cover of Nature magazine in 1997 itself created a real sensation - it became a symbol of the superiority of man and science over nature itself. The following years after Dolly's cloning saw the appearance of copies of a wide variety of animals - dogs, piglets, bulls. It was even possible to obtain second-generation clones - clones from clones. So far, however, the problem with telomeres has remained unresolved, and human cloning remains prohibited around the world. But this direction science remains very interesting and promising.
Aviation
Not in last resort The great discoveries of the 20th century are new types of transport. Two brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright went down in human history as the first pilots. Orville Wright achieved controlled flight in 1903. The plane he developed with his brother stayed in the air for only 12 seconds, but it was a huge breakthrough for aviation at that time. The date of the flight is considered the birthday of aviation. The Wright brothers were the first to design a machine control system that twisted the wing panels with cables. In 1901, a wind tunnel was also created. They also invented the propeller. Already by 1904 it saw the light new model aircraft, more advanced and capable not only of flight, but also of performing maneuvers. In 1905, a third option appeared, which could remain in the air for about thirty minutes. Two years later, the brothers signed a contract with the US Army, and later the French bought the plane. Many began to think about carrying passengers, and the Wrights made the necessary adjustments to their model, installing an additional seat and making the engine more powerful. Thus, the beginning of the 20th century opened up completely new opportunities for humanity.
It should be added that Rosing was not the only one who was involved in the invention of the television. Back in the 19th century, the Portuguese scientist Adriano De Paiva and the Russian-Bulgarian physicist Porfiry Bakhmetyev proposed their ideas for developing a device that transmitted images through wires. In particular, Bakhmetyev came up with a diagram of his device - a telephotograph, but was never able to assemble it due to lack of funds.
In 1908, Armenian physicist Hovhannes Adamyan patented a two-color apparatus for transmitting signals. And at the end of the 20s of the 20th century in America, Russian emigrant Vladimir Zvorykin assembled his own television, which he called “iconoscope”.
TV
One of most important discoveries The 20th century was the invention of the television. Russian physicist Boris Rosing patented the first apparatus in 1907. In his model, he used a cathode ray tube, and used a photocell to convert signals. By 1912, he improved the television, and in 1931 it became possible to transmit information using color pictures. In 1939, the first television channel opened. Television has given a huge impetus to changing people's worldview and methods of communication.
Computer
Today we cannot imagine our daily life without a computer or laptop. But just recently the first computing machines used only in science.
In 1941, the German engineer Konrad Zuse designed the Z3 mechanical device, which worked on the basis of telephone relays. The computer was practically no different from modern style. In 1942 American physicist John Atanasov and his assistant Clifford Berry began developing the first electronic computer, but they failed to complete this invention.
In 1946, American John Mauchly developed the ENIAC electronic computer. The first machines were huge and took up entire rooms. And the first personal computers appeared only in the late 70s of the 20th century.
Internet
The World Wide Web has transformed human life, because today, probably, there is no corner of the world where this universal source of communication and information is not used.
Dr. Licklider, who led the American military information sharing project, is considered one of the pioneers of the Internet. The public presentation of the created Arpanet network took place in 1972, and a little earlier, in 1969, Professor Kleinrock and his students tried to transfer some data from Los Angeles to Utah. And despite the fact that only two letters were transmitted, the era of the World Wide Web began. That's when the first email appeared. The invention of the Internet has become worldwide famous discovery, and by the end of the 20th century there were already more than 20 million users.
Mobile phone
Now we can’t imagine our life without a mobile phone, and we can’t even believe that they appeared quite recently. The creator of wireless communications was the American engineer Martin Cooper. It was he who made the first cell phone call in 1973.
Literally one decade later, this means of communication became available to many Americans. The first Motorola phone model was expensive, but people really liked the idea of this method of communication - they literally signed up in line to purchase it. The first handsets were heavy and large, and the miniature display showed nothing but the number being dialed.
Development spacecraft
April 12, 1961 became a significant milestone in the history of mankind - its first representative went into space. This was not the first rocket to orbit the Earth. Back in 1957, the first artificial satellite. But it was Yuri Gagarin who showed that dreams of stars can someday become reality. It turned out that not only bacteria, plants and small animals, but also humans can live in zero gravity. We realized that the space between the planets is surmountable. Man has visited the Moon, and an expedition to Mars is being prepared. solar system filled with space agency apparatus. A person studies Saturn and Jupiter, Mars and the Kuiper belt up close. Several thousand satellites already revolve around our planet. These include meteorological and scientific instruments (including powerful orbital telescopes), and commercial communications satellites. This allows us today to call anywhere on the planet. The distances between cities seem to have decreased, and thousands of television channels have become available.
TO important inventions The 20th century can be attributed to those achievements that did not turn the world upside down, but made a certain contribution to the lives and everyday life of people.
Vacuum cleaner, 1901
English inventor Cecil Booth came up with a device that sucked dust in train cars. This gasoline-powered device moved through the streets on a horse-drawn carriage by a team of four people.
On August 30, 1901, a representative of the southwestern part of England, Herbert Cecil Booth, received a patent for his device that performs the functions of a vacuum cleaner.
Disposable blades, 1909
Disposable blades were invented by American inventor King Camp Gillette, founder of The Gillette Company, as an inexpensive alternative to using a razor. These are important inventions for men.
Motor plane, 1903
American inventors Orville and Wilbur Wright invented the first motorized airplane. After much trial and error, testing the wing design, the construction of the airplane was completed and they were able to rise to 37 meters in 12 seconds. The design, further improvements in safety and control resulted in stable flight from the ground with a pilot. This is an important invention, which is why today we see the impact of airplanes and aircraft in the military and transportation industries.
Parachute, 1913
With the invention of the airplane, it was quite natural to invent the parachute. Although the idea of a parachute has been around since the 15th century since the time of Leonardo da Vinci, it was not applied practically. American inventor Stefan Banich gave his invention to the military at the beginning of the 20th century. He donated a US patent to the US Army and gained the respect of the inventor.
There is also a patent for the invention of the Russian inventor of the backpack parachute, Gleb Kotelnikov, which he registered in France on March 20, 1912. The tsarist government was not interested in recruiting pilots. However, after the ballooning tragedies, the development of this means of rescue resumed. Several types were manufactured from RK-1 to RK-4 (RK - Russian Kotelnikov).
The parachute was already widely used during the Second World War. Today, parachutes are still used in military and civilian aircraft.
Liquid fuel for a rocket, 1914
Using fuel from liquid oxygen and gasoline, the first flight of the rocket occurred on March 16, 1926. American professor Robert H. Godart launched a liquid fuel rocket to a height of 12.5 meters in 2.5 seconds. She demonstrated that it was possible to use liquid fuel. Ultimately, this fuel is now used to launch spacecraft.
Electronic television, 1923
Russian emigrant, American inventor Vladimir Zvorykin is credited with inventing the first completely electronic television(unlike an electromechanical TV). Vladimir Zvorykin invented the final design of the transmitting tube iconoscope, which became the basis future system electronic television.
Sliced Bread, 1928
Otto Frederick Rowwedder Davenport invented the first machine to slice one loaf of bread at a time. Other inventors stood on the sidelines of this invention, cutting off the sandwich's crust for the lazy.
Antibiotics, 1928
Although the ancient Chinese used antibiotics 2,500 years ago, they didn't use them until nearly the 20th century. Scottish biologist and pharmacologist Alexander Fleming, who accidentally discovered the unique properties of the famous antibiotics, penicillin. After working on some germ cultures, he noticed areas in some cultures where bacteria did not grow, and it turned out that fungi were affecting these areas. After separating the extract, he identified them as part of the Penicillinaceae genus. Now penicillin is used to treat cellulite, gonorrhea, meningitis, pneumonia, and syphilis. So yes, penicillin is a good antibiotic.
Ballpoint pen, 1938
Hungarian inventor Lazio Biro created this possible replacement for a fountain pen. A ballpoint pen is cheap, reliable and easy to maintain. The ink dries almost immediately after contact with the paper. These important inventions of ballpoint pens help in many ways.
Spiral, 1945
Elegant and ingenious in its simplicity, the spiral is one of the greatest toys ever. No one can resist the toy's charm of moving down the stairs or simply rocking back and forth. In 1943, after observing the movement of a torsion spring, engineer Richard James approached his wife Betty about the possibility of making this toy. After various tests and materials, they came up with the toy we know and love today.
Microwave, 1945
This common kitchen appliance was discovered by accident. While working as an engineer, Percy Spencer noticed that the chocolate in his pocket began to melt while he was working on an active radar installation. It was the microwave radar that caused the sticky mess. He then deliberately cooked the popcorn, then the egg. Spencer then sealed the microwaves in a metal box with the food moving inside the box. After Percy, Spencer filed a US patent where the first microwave oven was built in 1947. It was a 1.8 m oven, weighed 340 kg and cost about $5000, consuming 3000 watts (compared to today's standard of 1000 watts). Today, microwave ovens are slightly smaller and more economical.
These simple and important inventions led to.
Petrakova Ekaterina, Tolmacheva Alina
The Greatest Inventions of the 20th Century research project provides an overview of greatest discoveries and inventions of mankind of the 20th century that qualitatively changed our lives.
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Greatest inventions of the 20th century
Probably everyone knows what aviation, a car, a computer, the Internet, television are? Nowadays it’s difficult to find a child who doesn’t know how to understand computers and mobile phones, but it’s unlikely that any of them thought, “Who invented all these things?” and that’s why we decided to conduct research into who is the founder of all these things, and this is what we got...
And aviation
In 1903, bicycle manufacturers the Wright brothers made the first ever powered flight. In 1930, British engineer Frank Whittle registered a patent for a jet engine. As a result of research, in 1939 the German company Heinkel created the first jet aircraft, the He-178.
In 1949, Britain's Comet, the first passenger jet, began flying - the predecessor of the famous Boeing 747, which two decades later made international travel fast, comfortable and cheap. Today, aviation engineers predict the future appearance of megaplanes capable of carrying up to 700 passengers.
A television
The Scottish engineer John Logie Bird has the greatest right to be considered the father of television. In 1923, he filed a patent for a device that created an eight-line image, resulting in sales of what was later called the “television set” in the 1930s. In 1932, the British BBC began regular television broadcasting for the first time in history. Today, television reaches anywhere on the earth - through relay stations or radio relay lines, via cables or satellites. Philosophers are still debating whether this is a blessing or a disaster for civilization.
Televisions have changed a lot during this time and here is an example of this:
Enicillin
The miracle drug of the century was discovered in 1928 by Scottish researcher Alexander Fleming, who noticed that mold was killing a culture of bacteria he had grown. It took a decade before this discovery became widespread. Scientists from Oxford University have found a way to clean up mold, allowing it to begin medical use. Began in 1943 industrial production penicillin, significantly accelerated by the Second World War. Penicillin saved countless lives and gave birth to an entire family of antibiotics.
D fission of the atomic nucleus
The atomic age began in 1942, when the Manhattan Project facility at the University of Chicago exceeded the threshold critical mass. The first explosion of an atomic bomb took place on July 16, 1945 at the Los Alamos test site, New Mexico. Two bombs, one uranium and one plutonium, exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki the following month. After the war, rivalry between the USSR and the USA dragged the world into a dangerous arms race. Today at developed countries nuclear power widely used for peaceful purposes.
Computer
The first electromechanical computer, Colossus, was created by British mathematician Alan Turing in 1943 to break Nazi encryption codes. Subsequent inventions made the computer smaller and increased its speed thousands of times. The transistor (1947), integrated circuit (1959), and microprocessor (1970) speeded up data processing. The hard drive (1956), modem (1980), and mouse (1983) made this data more accessible. The future lies in computers built into wristwatches and refrigerators that remind the owner that the house has run out of milk.
DNA
On February 28, 1953, British scientist Francis Crick announced to his friends in the Cambridge pub The Eagle: “I have discovered the secret of life!” Crick and the American James Watson discovered that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the carrier of heredity.
Disclosure genetic code humans, animals and plants has increased resistance to disease and improved food quality. In the coming decades, humanity is expected to gain the ability to gene therapy for cancer, heart disease, hemophilia, diabetes and many other dangerous diseases.
Human DNA is only 1% different from monkey DNA.
Laser
This device is based on the theory of radiation stimulation, formulated by Albert Einstein back in 1917. But it took 40 years before Gordon Gould, a doctoral student at New York's Columbia University, turned the idea into reality. The discovery embroiled Gould in a 30-year battle over patent priority. Meanwhile, his discovery has found countless applications, from welding and medicine to computers and video.
T organ transplantation
The key date is 1967, when South African doctor Christian Barnard performed the world's first human heart transplant. As related branches of medicine developed, reducing transplant rejection, doctors mastered the replacement of hands, intestines, skin and retinas. Today on the agenda is a brain cell transplant, which will cure Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and “xenotransplantation” - the transplantation of animal organs into humans.
TO space flights
The space age began on October 4, 1957 with the launch of the first Soviet satellite. The first person in space was Soviet citizen Yuri Gagarin in 1961. In 1969, American astronauts landed on the surface of the Moon. Later, countries went into space Western Europe, China and Japan.
Today, satellites are used to establish cheap and high-quality telephone communications, television and data transmission. And also for navigation, weather forecasting and obtaining scientific data. Unmanned vehicles travel to other planets. In the near future, it is planned to create long-term habitable stations in low-Earth orbit.
Military fighter pilots under the age of 35, up to 175 cm tall, weighing up to 75 kg were selected as cosmonauts. (According to other sources: age up to 30 years, height up to 170 cm, weight up to 70 kg), as well as endurance, health and of course a lot of training.
1961 1963
Internet
In 1969, the world's first transfer of switched data packets between two remote computers was carried out in Southern California. The Pentagon's secret project has become a worldwide social and cultural phenomenon thanks to the easy-to-use and intuitively transparent ideology of hyperlinks and transitions without a single central base data.
Today the number of Internet users has reached 183 million; by 2003, according to some estimates, it may exceed a billion.
The list, as you can see, is quite impressive. The people of the 20th century did not waste the 100 years allotted to them in vain. And yet, the main discovery of the second millennium occurred long before our century. The inventor of printing, Johannes Gutenberg, is recognized as the Man of the Millennium. However, this is no longer an opinion France Press, and the Sunday Times.
M abundant phone
Many people are interested in the question of who invented the mobile phone. Most people believe that the mobile phone does not have a specific inventor, but this is not the case, although primacy in this matter is still disputed by different companies.
The idea of creating a cell phone was first proposed by Bell Laboratories, part of AT&T. True, it was initially planned to produce phones for use exclusively in cars. At the same time, Motorola, which had already produced portable radios, was developing cell phones.
The name of the person who first invented the mobile phone is Martin Cooper, who at that time headed the portable communications development department at Motorola. However, even in his own company, Cooper did not immediately find support. The company employees did not believe that his idea would be such a success in the future.
A significant day in the history of mobile phones - April 3, 1973, it was then, while leisurely walking around Manhattan, Martin Cooper called Joel Engel, head of research at Bell Laboratories, directly from the street. Cooper's choice was not accidental: AT&T developed earlier technology mobile communications, and both companies were competing with each other: whose communications would be more practical and easy to use. Thus, Cooper showed his victory over his competitors.
Today, mobile phones have undergone significant changes, have significantly decreased in size, and now it is simply impossible for a modern person to imagine his life without them.
Automobile
According to the information presented on my website, the very first car in the world was with steam engine. Of course, this unit can and can be called a car, but for some reason I can’t wrap my head around it. By the concept of a car, I associate a vehicle that is quite compact, easy to use and, to some extent, reliable. All these definitions are clearly not suitable for 19th century cars. In addition, it is necessary to organize serial production of cars so that they are available for use by a wide range of people. What exactly cannot be said about those one-off specimens, well, with the exception of a few. So let's try together to find the answer to the question - who invented the first car?
Daimler and Benz as the founders of the automobile industry.
Time passed, but the cars did not change. It can be said that evolutionary process The industry has reached a dead end. How the engine was invented internal combustion and in 1885 the very first car appeared before the world - Karl Benz's three-wheeler. The car was quite simple, it was something like Kulibin’s invention, only it was driven not by muscle power, but by a gasoline engine. Almost at the same time, Gottlieb Daimler invented a motorized bicycle, and a year later a motorized “cart”.
The first car in the world Benz car Benz car history of the first car
The world's first car was invented by Karl Benz in 1886. It received public recognition and was put into industrial production. It was a three-wheeled vehicle, with a 1.7 liter engine, which was located horizontally. A large flywheel protruded strongly from the rear side. This vehicle was controlled using a T-shaped steering wheel.
At this point, the history of the first car reaches a new level, since Benz was the first to offer customers a ready-made and usable prototype of the modern car, and Daimler was the first to launch a functional car engine.
The peculiarity of this car was that it used a water-cooled engine. Moreover, the engine and flywheel were located horizontally. The crankshaft was open. Through a simple differential, with the help of a belt and chains, the engine drove the rear wheels.
Three years later, Benz released the first four-wheeled cars. Based on a three-wheeled design, they seemed too old-fashioned at the time. But, despite their slowness and primitiveness, they were distinguished by their simplicity, accessibility in terms of maintenance and repair, and durability.
The now widely known model, named after his daughter, Mercedes, was published at the very end of 1900 and became, according to historians, the prototype of the modern car.
The very first car was an ordinary cart, which was equipped with a steam engine, which was capable of producing the power necessary to move the car itself and the driver. This first steam car was created in 1768 and existed in only one copy, which is quite logical, since there was simply no need for such machines.
The very idea of moving from horse-drawn carriages to mechanized carriages is a real breakthrough, which can be compared to the transition from the usual conservation of fire among cavemen before its extraction.
Numerous inventionsXIX - beginningXX century have radically changed people's daily lives, especially in major cities. WITH early XIX V. A genuine revolution in communications has begun in the world. They developed as rapidly as transport.
Inventions of S. Morse
IN 1837 American artist S. Morse(1791-1872) invented the electromagnetic telegraph apparatus, and in next year developed a special alphabet, later named after him - “Morse code” - for transmitting messages. On his initiative, the first telegraph line Washington - Baltimore. In 1850, an underwater telegraph cable connected England with continental Europe, and in 1858 - with the USA. Scotsman A.-G Bell(1847-1922), who moved to the USA, invented in 1876 telephone set, first presented at the World's Fair in Philadelphia.
Inventions of T. Edison
He was particularly inventive Thomas Alva Edison(1847-1931), who had about 4 thousand patents for various inventions in 35 countries. He improved the Bell telephone, and in 1877 he invented a device for recording and reproducing sound - the phonograph. On its basis, engineer E. Berliner invented the gramophone and records for it in 1888, thanks to which music entered everyday life. Later, a portable modification of the gramophone appeared - the gramophone. At the end of the 19th century. Factory production of gramophone records was established in the USA, and the first double-sided discs appeared in 1903. Edison invented a safe incandescent lamp in 1879 and launched its industrial production. He became a successful entrepreneur and earned the nickname “King of Electricity.” By 1882, Edison owned a network of factories for the production of light bulbs, and that’s when the first power plant came into operation in New York.
Invention of the telegraph and radio
Italian G. Marconi(1874-1937) in 1897 Mr. patented in England " wireless telegraph”, ahead of the Russian engineer A. S. Popov, who began experiments with radio communications before him. In 1901, the Marconi company organized the first radio show through Atlantic Ocean. In 1909 he received the Nobel Prize. By this time, a diode and a triode had been invented, which made it possible to amplify the radio signal. Electronic radio tubes have made radio installations compact and mobile.
Invention of television and cinema
Already at the beginning of the 20th century. The technical prerequisites for the invention of television and software equipment were created, and experiments were carried out with color photography. The predecessor of modern photography was the daguerreotype, which was invented in 1839 Mr. French artist and physicist L.-J.-M. Daguerre(1787-1851). IN 1895 The Lumière brothers held the first film show in Paris, and in 1908 the feature film “The Murder of the Duke of Guise” was released on French screens. In 1896, film production began in New York, and in 1903 the first American Western, The Great Train Robbery, was filmed. The center of the world film industry was the Los Angeles suburb of Hollywood, where film studios appeared in 1909. The “star” system and others were born in Hollywood distinctive features American cinema, the first films of the greatest comic actor and director C.-S. were created there. Chaplin.
Invention of the sewing and typewriter
In 1845, the American E. Howe invented the sewing machine, in 1851 I.-M. Singer improved it, and by the end of the 19th century. Sewing machines have become part of the everyday life of many housewives around the world. In 1867, the first typewriter appeared in the USA, and in 1873, the Remington company launched their mass production. In 1903, production of the improved Underwood model began, which became the most popular brand of typewriter in the world. Wide use sewing and typewriters, the construction of telephone networks and other inventions contributed to the emergence of mass female professions and the involvement of women in the workforce.
Invention of pocket and wrist watches
From the middle of the 19th century. mass distribution began pocket watch; at British soldiers Wristwatches appeared on the fronts of the Boer War.
Invention of communal amenities
The invention of the elevator, central heating and water supply, gas and then electric lighting completely changed the living conditions of the townspeople. Material from the site
Weapon Upgrade
Technological progress also manifested itself in the production of weapons. In 1835 the American S. Colt(1814-1862) patented a 6-shot revolver, which was put into service during the war with Mexico American army. The Colt revolver became the most common weapon of this class, especially in the Western United States. Another American H.-S. Maksim(1840-1916), invented an easel machine gun in 1883. The first test is formidable weapon passed in colonial wars which the British carried out in Africa, and then the machine gun was adopted by many armies of the world. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. all types of weapons continued to be improved. In addition to conventional weapons, chemical weapons appeared. Combat aviation was created, and fleets included battleships, destroyers, submarines. By the beginning of the First World War, humanity had created such means of extermination that doomed it to inevitably great sacrifices.
Inventors of the last century tried hard to help scientific and technological progress. Of course, all people created unusual devices as well as their financial situation allowed. Many people used various improvised means or bought cheap mechanical parts on the market. People invented constantly, came up with something new and showed their invention to their neighbors, friends, and later to the whole world. We'll show you some of these interesting 20th century inventions.
Life jacket made from bicycle tires
What to do if there is no life jacket on the ship? It can be made from bicycle tires. These are the vests that were tested and showed good results in Germany in 1924.
Universal bike
A versatile bike that will allow you to ride both on land and on water. An interesting transport was made in France in 1932. The maximum permissible weight is 130 kilograms.
The tumbler supercar (1930) allows you to move over hilly terrain, holes, and depressions.
Comfortable radio hat
A hat-radio makes it possible to be aware of all events without tying a person to specific place, for example, to home or work.
Piano for people with disabilities
There are so many people in the world with disabilities. Unfortunately, medicine at that time was just beginning to actively help the immobilized. In 1936, a British man invented a piano for his daughter that could be located directly above the bed.
Do you like to read while lying down? Sometimes it's so difficult to choose the perfect position in bed to make reading comfortable. In England in 1937, an interesting invention was created - glasses that, with the help of mirrors and lenses, allow a person to read while lying down.
Car with shovel
In France, in 1925, special shovels were invented that were attached to the car. This invention was supposed to help reduce the number of pedestrian casualties in car accidents.
GPS navigator from the 30s
The GPS navigator was created back in 1933. Inside the small metal box was a rolled up card. The speed of scrolling the roll depended on the speed of the car.
Compact folding bridge
In the Netherlands, in 1925, a folding bridge was created for emergencies, which could easily be transported on a cart. It could support the weight of 10 people.
Snowstorm masks
In northern Canada in 1939, people were tired of strong blizzards and bitter snow, which sometimes seriously injured their faces. One cunning inventor came up with special masks in case of a snowstorm.
Unusual hair dryer
An interesting device for drying hair, which cannot be found on the shelves of electronics stores. This peculiar hairdryer appeared in the last century, unfortunately, it “stayed” there, not reaching our time.
Baby stroller gas mask
Before the start of World War II, special baby strollers went on sale in England that protected against gas and various impurities. The carriages were planned to be used in the event of a gas attack.
Revolver camera
In 1937, a safe revolver was invented in America that took excellent photographs when the trigger was pulled.
Max Factor Anti-Hangover Remedy
In 1948, Max Factor employees came up with special masks with a cold compress for celebrities. This invention was used especially by lovers of alcoholic beverages.
A bicycle for all family members
An interesting bicycle with a sewing machine was invented in America in 1938. Such an invention would be useful if mom couldn’t tear herself away from her sewing machine and refused to go for a walk.
Read the latest news with newspaper-fax
The most recent newspaper in 1937 was the fax newspaper. All the latest news automatically appeared in people's homes. This invention can be compared to modern internet, where you can find all the information without having to leave your home.
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American film inventor Thomas Edison, who was able to make this form of entertainment technically feasible
The competition, sponsored by Scientific American in 1913, required participants to write essays on the 10 greatest inventions of “our time” (from 1888 to 1913), and the inventions had to be patentable and dated to the time of their “industrial introduction.”
Essentially, this assignment was based on historical perception. Innovation seems more remarkable to us when we see the changes it brings about. In 2016, we may not give credit to Nikola Tesla or Thomas Edison. of great importance, because we are accustomed to using electricity in all its forms, but at the same time we are impressed social change, which resulted from the popularization of the Internet. 100 years ago people probably wouldn’t have understood what we were talking about.
Below are excerpts from the first and second prize essays, along with a statistical tally of all entries submitted. First place was awarded to William I. Wyman, who worked at the US Patent Office in Washington, thanks to which he was well aware of scientific and technological progress.
Essay by William Wyman
1. The electric furnace of 1889 was “ the only way, allowing the production of carborundum" (the hardest artificially created material at that time). She also transformed aluminum from "merely valuable to a very useful metal" (reducing its cost by 98%) and "radically changed the metallurgical industry."
2. The steam turbine, invented by Charles Parsons, began mass production within the next 10 years. The turbine significantly improved the power supply system on ships, and was later used to support the operation of generators that produced electricity.
The turbine, invented by Charles Parsons, powered the ships. When given in sufficient quantity, they drove generators and produced energy
3. Gasoline car. In the 19th century, many inventors worked on creating a “self-propelled” car. Wyman, in his essay, mentioned Gottlieb Daimler's 1889 engine: “A hundred years of persistent but unsuccessful efforts to create a practically self-propelled machine proves that any invention that first fits into the stated requirements becomes an immediate success. Such success came to the Daimler engine.”
4. Movies. Entertainment will always be there for you to have great value, and “the moving picture has changed the way many people spend their time.” The technical pioneer Wyman cited was Thomas Edison.
5. Airplane. For “the realization of a centuries-old dream,” Wyman praised the invention of the Wright brothers, but at the same time emphasized its military applications and doubted the general usefulness of flying technology: “Commercially, the airplane is the least profitable invention of all those under consideration.”
Orville Wright conducts a demonstration flight at Fort Mere in 1908 and fulfills the requirements of the US Army
Wilbur Wright
6. Wireless telegraphy. They have been used to transmit information between people for centuries, perhaps even millennia. various systems. In the US, telegraph signals became much faster thanks to Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail. Wireless telegraphy, invented by Guglielmo Marconi, later evolved into radio and thus freed information from cables.
7. Cyanide process. Sounds toxic, doesn't it? This process appears on this list for only one reason: it was performed to extract gold from ore. "Gold is the source vitality trade", in 1913 international trade relations and national currencies were based on it.
8. Nikola Tesla's asynchronous motor. “This landmark invention is largely responsible for the widespread use of electricity in modern industry"Wyman writes. Before electricity was available in homes, the alternating current machine, designed by Tesla, generated 90% of the electricity consumed in manufacturing.
9. Linotype. This machine allowed publishers - mainly newspapers - to compose text and cast it much faster and cheaper. This technology was as advanced as it was considered in its time printing press in relation to the manuscript scrolls that preceded it. It is possible that soon we will stop using paper for writing and reading, and the history of printing will be forgotten.
10. Electric welding process from Elihu Thomson. During the era of industrialization, electric welding allowed for faster production rates and better, more sophisticated machines for the manufacturing process.
Electric welding, created by Elihu Thomson, significantly reduced the cost of producing complex welding equipment
Essay by George Dow
The second best essay, by George M. Dowe, also from Washington, was more philosophical. He divided all inventions into three supporting sectors: manufacturing, transport and communications:
1. Electrical fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. As you become exhausted natural sources Fertilizers in the 19th century allowed for further expansion of agriculture.
2. Preservation of sugar-containing plants. George W. McMullen of Chicago is credited with discovering a method for drying sugar cane and sugar beets for transportation. Sugar production became more efficient and soon sugar supplies increased significantly.
3. High-speed steel alloys. By adding tungsten to steel, "tools thus made could cut at tremendous speeds without sacrificing the hardening or cutting edge." The increased efficiency of cutting machines has been "nothing short of a revolution"
4. Lamp with tungsten filament. Another advance in chemistry: With tungsten replacing carbon in the filament, the light bulb is considered “improved.” As of 2016, they are being phased out worldwide in favor of compact fluorescent lamps, which are 4 times more efficient.
5. Airplane. Although it was not yet widely used for transportation in 1913, "Samuel Langley and the Wright brothers should receive major honors for their contributions to the development of powered flight."
6. Steam turbine. As in the previous list, the turbine deserves praise not only for “using steam as a primary driving force”, but also for its application in “electricity generation”.
7. Internal combustion engine. In terms of transportation, Dow credits "Daimler, Ford and Duryea" the most. Gottlieb Daimler is a well-known pioneer of motor Vehicle. Henry Ford began production of the Model T in 1908, which remained very popular until 1913. Charles Duryea created one of the earliest commercially successful gasoline vehicles after 1896.
8. A pneumatic tire that was originally invented by Robert William Thomson, an engineer railway transport. “What the track did for the locomotive, the pneumatic tire did for vehicles not tied to a railroad tracks" However, the essay acknowledges John Dunlop and William C. Bartlett, each of whom made major contributions to the development of automobile and bicycle tires.
9. Wireless communication. Dow praised Marconi for making wireless communications "commercially feasible." The author of the essay also left a comment that can be attributed to the development of the World Wide Web, stating that wireless communications were “developed primarily to meet the needs of commerce, but along the way it contributed to social interaction.”
10. Typesetting machines. The giant rotary press could produce enormous volumes of printed material. The weak link in the production chain was the assembly of printing plates. Linotype and monotype helped get rid of this shortcoming.