Since time immemorial, thousands of inventions by man have gone on to transform the world. Here is a list of 50 (in alphabetical order) that may have played a bigger part than most:
Abacus- 190 AD
Use of the abacus, with its beads in a rack, was first documented in China in about 190 AD. The Chinese version was the speediest way to do sums for centuries and, in the right hands, can still outpace electronic calculators.
Fridge- 1834
Jacob Perkins was the first to describe how pipes filled with volatile chemicals whose molecules evaporated very easily could keep food cool.
Gun- 14th century
Gunpowder led to the creation of the cannon in the 13th century. The biggest step that led to the modern gun was Smith and Wesson's metal-cased cartridge, first fired in 1857.
Internal combustion engine- 1859
Credit for the first working internal combustion engine goes to the Belgian inventor Étienne Lenoir, who converted a steam engine in 1859. It spawned the billions of engines that have been built since.
Laser- 1960
Physicist Theodore Maiman built the first working laser in 1960. His device was based around a ruby crystal that emitted light "brighter than the centre of the sun".
Light bulb- 1848
Joseph Swan in fact developed a bulb before Edison, but the pair later joined forces and today share credit for creating the gadget we perhaps take for granted more than any other.
Locks- 2000 BC
Egyptians were the first to put things under lock and key about 4,000 years ago .
Microchip- 1958
US engineer Jack Kilby built the world's first monolithic integrated circuit, or microchip that changed the world of computing.
Mobile phone- 1947
The first mobile phone service was introduced by Bell Laboratories in Missouri in 1947.
Paper- 105 AD
The Chinese began using bark, bamboo fibres, hemp and flax to mill the first reams almost 2,000 years ago, but it took centuries for paper to envelop the world.
PC- 1977
Steve Jobs, whose Apple II, launched in 1977, was the first consumer PC to resemble the machines that went on to transform our lives.
Printing press- 1454
The Chinese were the world's first printers – they practised block printing as early as 500 AD – but a German goldsmith called Johannes Gutenberg was the first to construct a press.
Radio- 1895
Alexander Popov, a Russian, and the Italian-Irish inventor Guglielmo Marconi, separately sent and received the first radio waves. Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio message (three dots for the letter 'S') in 1901.
Telephone- 1876
Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell raced to make the first working phone in the 1870s, Bell winning in a photo-finish.
Television- 1925
Scotsman John Logie Baird first demonstrated TV to the public in 1925.
The internet- 1969
Abacus- 190 AD
Use of the abacus, with its beads in a rack, was first documented in China in about 190 AD. The Chinese version was the speediest way to do sums for centuries and, in the right hands, can still outpace electronic calculators.
Fridge- 1834
Jacob Perkins was the first to describe how pipes filled with volatile chemicals whose molecules evaporated very easily could keep food cool.
Gun- 14th century
Gunpowder led to the creation of the cannon in the 13th century. The biggest step that led to the modern gun was Smith and Wesson's metal-cased cartridge, first fired in 1857.
Internal combustion engine- 1859
Credit for the first working internal combustion engine goes to the Belgian inventor Étienne Lenoir, who converted a steam engine in 1859. It spawned the billions of engines that have been built since.
Laser- 1960
Physicist Theodore Maiman built the first working laser in 1960. His device was based around a ruby crystal that emitted light "brighter than the centre of the sun".
Light bulb- 1848
Joseph Swan in fact developed a bulb before Edison, but the pair later joined forces and today share credit for creating the gadget we perhaps take for granted more than any other.
Locks- 2000 BC
Egyptians were the first to put things under lock and key about 4,000 years ago .
Microchip- 1958
US engineer Jack Kilby built the world's first monolithic integrated circuit, or microchip that changed the world of computing.
Mobile phone- 1947
The first mobile phone service was introduced by Bell Laboratories in Missouri in 1947.
Paper- 105 AD
The Chinese began using bark, bamboo fibres, hemp and flax to mill the first reams almost 2,000 years ago, but it took centuries for paper to envelop the world.
PC- 1977
Steve Jobs, whose Apple II, launched in 1977, was the first consumer PC to resemble the machines that went on to transform our lives.
Printing press- 1454
The Chinese were the world's first printers – they practised block printing as early as 500 AD – but a German goldsmith called Johannes Gutenberg was the first to construct a press.
Radio- 1895
Alexander Popov, a Russian, and the Italian-Irish inventor Guglielmo Marconi, separately sent and received the first radio waves. Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio message (three dots for the letter 'S') in 1901.
Telephone- 1876
Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell raced to make the first working phone in the 1870s, Bell winning in a photo-finish.
Television- 1925
Scotsman John Logie Baird first demonstrated TV to the public in 1925.
The internet- 1969
