As Plato said, science rests on sensations. The 10 random scientific discoveries given below are further confirmation of this. Of course, no one has canceled scientific schools, scientific work, and, in general, entire lives devoted to science, but luck and chance can sometimes also do their job.

Penicillin

The invention of penicillin - a whole group of antibiotics that makes it possible to treat many bacteriological infections - is one of the long-standing scientific legends, but in reality it is just a story about dirty dishes. Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming decided to interrupt laboratory test staphylococcus in the laboratory and took a month's leave. Upon arrival, he discovered strange mold on the abandoned dishes with bacteria - mold that killed all the bacteria.

Microwave

Sometimes a light snack is all it takes to make a scientific discovery. American engineer Percy Spencer, who worked for the Raytheon company, one day, walking past a magnetron (a vacuum tube that emitted microwaves), noticed that the chocolate in his pocket had melted. In 1945, after a series of experiments (including an exploding egg), Spencer invented the first microwave oven. The first microwave ovens, like the first computers, looked bulky and unrealistic, but in 1967, compact microwave ovens began to appear in American homes.

Velcro

Not only can snacks be good for science, but so can a walk in the fresh air. While traveling through the mountains in 1941, Swiss engineer George Mestral noticed a burdock that had clung to his pants and the fur of his dog. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the burdock hooks clung to everything that had the shape of a loop. This is how the Velcro type fastener appeared. In English it sounds like "Velcro", which is a combination of the words "velvet" (corduroy) and "crochet" (crochet). The most notable user of Velcro in the 60s was NASA, which used it in astronaut suits and to secure objects in zero gravity.

The Big Bang Theory

The discovery of the prevailing theory of the origin of the Universe today began with noise similar to radio interference. In 1964, while working with the Holmdel antenna (a large horn-shaped antenna that was used as a radio telescope in the 60s), astronomers Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias heard a background noise that puzzled them greatly. Having rejected most of the existing causes of noise, they turned to Robert Dicke's theory, according to which the radiation residues from the Big Bang that formed the Universe became background cosmic radiation. 50 kilometers from Wilson and Penzias, at Princeton University, Dicke himself was searching for this background radiation, and when he heard about their discovery, he told his colleagues: “Guys, this looks like a sensation.” Wilson and Penzias later received the Nobel Prize.

Teflon

In 1938, scientist Roy Plunkett was working on how to make refrigerators more suitable for the home and replace the then-available refrigerant, which consisted primarily of ammonia, sulfur dioxide and propane. After he opened the container containing one of the samples he was working on, Plunkett discovered that the gas inside had evaporated, leaving behind a strange, slippery rosin-like substance that was resistant to high temperatures. In the 1940s, this material was used in a project to develop nuclear weapons, and a decade later - in the automotive industry. It was only in the 60s that Teflon began to be used in the way that is familiar to us - for non-stick cookware.

Vulcanizate

In the 1830s, vegetable rubber was used to make water-repellent boots, but it had one big problem - instability to high and low temperatures. It was believed that rubber had no future, but Charles Goodyear disagreed with this. After years of trying to make rubber more durable, the scientist stumbled upon what would become his greatest discovery entirely by accident. In 1839, while demonstrating one of his last experiments, Goodyear accidentally dropped rubber on a hot stove. The result was a charred leather-like substance in an elastic rim. Thus, the rubber became resistant to temperatures. Goodyear made no profit from his invention, and died leaving huge debts. Already 40 years after his death, the still famous company “Goodyear” took his name.

Coca Cola

The inventor of Coca-Cola was not a businessman, a candy merchant, or anyone else who dreamed of getting rich. John Pemberton just wanted to invent a normal cure for headaches. A pharmacist by profession, he used two ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts. When his laboratory assistant accidentally mixed them with carbonated water, the world saw the first Coca-Cola. Unfortunately, Pemberton died before his mixture became one of the most popular drinks on Earth.

Radioactivity

Bad weather can also lead to a scientific discovery. In 1896, French scientist Antoine Henri Becquerel conducted an experiment on a crystal enriched with uranium. He believed that sunlight was the reason the crystal burned its image onto the photographic plate. When the sun disappeared, Becquerel decided to pack his things to continue the experiment on another clear day. A few days later, he took the crystal out of his desk drawer, but the image on the photographic plate lying on top was, as he described, hazy. The crystal emitted rays that fogged the plate. Becquerel did not think about the name of this phenomenon and suggested continuing the experiment to two colleagues - Pierre and Marie Curie.

Viagra

Angina is a common name for chest pain, especially spasms in the coronary arteries. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer has developed a pill called UK92480 to narrow these arteries and relieve pain. However, the tablet, which failed in its original purpose, had a very strong by-effect(you probably guessed which one) and was later renamed Viagra. Last year, Pfizer sold $288 million worth of those little blue pills.

Smart dust

Housework can be frustrating at times, especially when dust covers your entire face. Jamie Link, a chemist at the University of California, San Diego, worked on one silicon chip. When it accidentally crashed, the tiny pieces still continued to send signals, acting as little sensors. She dubbed these small, self-assembling particles “smart dust.” Today, “smart dust” has enormous potential, especially in the fight against tumors in the body.

Everything in the universe is made up of parts, which in turn construct more meaningful, essential objects. But every little thing plays its irreplaceable role in creating the integrity of what is happening. So in our lives, we often, without noticing, use what at one time might have seemed fantastic, something radical and inaccessible, those little things that make our life more convenient, simpler, more interesting.

If we were to list all the discoveries, then a dozen weighty volumes would hardly be enough. Therefore, if possible, I will try to remember the most key ones in my opinion. The ones that come to mind first. Those that really changed people's lives, making it what we see now.

1. Wheel

Justified first of all, I would like to mention an ordinary wheel, perhaps something that is now perceived as banal and taken for granted. The first such devices began to be used around 8000 BC. And as a result, it became the main active discovery that laid the foundation for the entire technological development of mankind. The ability to move loads, construction using flywheel and block wheel mechanisms, and the use of gears in the creation of more complex machines made such a simple but effective device truly multi-purpose.

1. Steam engine

Circular motion and the wheel laid a reliable foundation for subsequent discoveries, of which the next most important is the invention of the steam engine. It is said that scientist James Watt was inspired to create it by watching the lid of a boiling kettle rise. This is where the truly small things changed the lives of subsequent generations.

Initially used in such simple processes as pumping water from mines and driving millstones, steam engines quickly realized their potential in the eyes of inventors, resulting in the appearance of the first steam ship.

And in the 19th century, steam was “already pushing” huge locomotives along the transcontinental railway USA. Steam engines provided the impetus for the development of cities and complex communications around the world, along with the opening up of mobility and the ability to overcome long distances.

1. Electricity

The next significant discovery of humanity that I would like to highlight is electricity. It, in turn, was not just a successful solution to everyday pressing problems, but was the result of a long, focused study of its possible application. Almost one hundred percent of the mechanisms or processes currently involved in everyday life, production, technology, industry, one way or another, use the capabilities of electricity. Remember its significance the next time the necessary source is simply not at hand. After all, this is one of those phenomena when, it would seem, a familiar and integral part of our life, has a centuries-old history of development.

1. Battery

Electricity, in turn, entailed a number of equally significant inventions that seem so naive in our modern views for life.

The battery is a product of increased knowledge about electricity. Although this invention cannot be called new either. Based on research and excavations, it was possible to establish that even in ancient Baghdad, pots with copper and steel inside were used, which were capable of producing their own electric charge. But more likely such a device could be used as a “miracle” since it was found in the house of a man who was a former magician. And most likely, it caused amazed looks and thoughts even from the owner himself.

The creator of the first modern battery is called Alexandro Volta. And, undoubtedly, with the invention of a device that allows you to save energy, the possibilities of its use have acquired real potential. This became the basis for the study of telephony and telegraph. The battery is what will be used in the future to operate more complex devices, such as our mobile phones, laptops, cars, etc.

1. Telegraph and telephone

The first device capable of transmitting “instant” messages using electricity was the telegraph. More specifically, everything is based on the use of batteries and electromagnetism.

With the help of electromagnetic pulses, it became possible to transmit dots and dashes, coded letters, numbers, compiled into the necessary messages for transmission over any distance.

Samuel Morse, known as the creator of his alphabet, first transmitted a telegram in 1844. How interesting fact, his first message read: “What has God created?” Ambitious, but it really had a reason. Although personal thoughts on the topic of religion can be kept to yourself in this case.

The telegraph, in turn, “paved the way” for the invention called the telephone. Which, as we all know, is capable of transmitting not dots and dashes, but voice. Scientist Alexander Bell discovered that current has the ability to transmit vibrations, just as sound waves in the air, representing sounds of certain frequencies, vibrate.

The first message Bell sent to his assistant was: "Come here, I need you." His goal was to report that the device was functioning, since he himself still doubted it, but the random phrase he heard surprised him and the assistant involved in the work on the invention.

What may be surprising about the process of the telephone being introduced to the world is that for a long time no one wanted to acknowledge the significance of this discovery. Although Bell himself was convinced of this, having in his hands a device capable of completely changing the usual methods of transmitting information, while changing the entire way of life existing at that time.

1. Computer

Having reached the point where we talk about the invention of the computer, it is awkward to miss such significant moments that preceded it, such as the advent of radio and television. But as mentioned above, it’s difficult to fit even the most interesting things into an easily readable article.

The computer is greatest invention, which changed the usual existence of an entire planet. Based on the advent of the transistor and a printed circuit board that connected a series of them. It’s hard to imagine, but in just 50 years, a computer has transformed from a unit occupying several rooms into a ubiquitous device. Including mobile devices accessible to most of humanity.

The first computer was invented by Pascal back in 1645. The device allowed the calculation of mathematical formulas. But accountants, whom this invention was supposed to help in their work, rejected the innovation for fear of being left without work. Although even this circumstance only delayed the introduction of computer technology into world practice. Other scientists, picking up this promising baton for study, continued their work in this direction. Scientist Charles Babbage is called the “father of the computer” because... The machine he invented most closely corresponds to the computer we are used to.

Today people have learned to use computers in all major fields of activity. The computer has become an indispensable device in everyday life. Development artificial intelligence should open a new era in the development of mankind. But if you think about it, everything originates and operates on the simplest processes that were successfully studied at one time and found a scope of application.

1. Internet

The growth of computer technology and the need to interconnect individual machines to transmit information or share their computing power gave rise to the emergence of the first local networks. Which in turn, increasing the functionality of their use, grew into the world-famous web called the Internet.

1. Antibiotics and vaccine

Moving away from the technical part, let's move on to medicine and discoveries that make it possible to save millions of lives every year across the planet. Who would have thought, but a simple injection with weakened pathogens can prevent a significant proportion of the occurrence of deadly diseases.

Important discoveries in the same direction include antibiotics. Penicillin was discovered back in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, when he noticed through a microscope how mold could destroy dangerous microbes. But due to a lack of knowledge and interest in this process, the discovery was abandoned. Only 10 years later, according to Fleming’s diaries, scientists realized the full potential of this discovery.

Coincidence or not, the events, when properly formed, had a huge impact on the understanding of medicine as we see it today.

1. Fertilizer production

Even at the beginning of the 20th century, scientists were frightened by such rapid population growth and the possibility of solving the issue of universal food supply. German chemist Fritz Harber discovered that ammonia can be produced through a chemical reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen. Ammonia is the main derivative in the production of fertilizers, which has become possible to produce in huge quantities. It is said that it is Harber who is involved in the possibility of increasing the planet's population by about a third and providing it with food. This discovery is often considered undeservedly forgotten, but the contribution to science that can feed an additional 2 million people cannot be called insignificant.

10. Factory farming

Factory farming is a production technology that is difficult to ignore, as it has changed the lifestyle of the majority of the world's population from rural to urban. A technology that is valued, but at the same time considered one of the most terrible inventions that destroys the ecology of the planet, along with its use or testing atomic bombs. The growing population of cities is no longer able to feed scattered farms. And the continuous production of factory-produced products, while maintaining acceptable qualities and the cost of manufactured products, makes it possible to maintain the standard of living of the urbanized population of countries in the required proportions.

The discoveries presented above have laid out new options and development paths for all of humanity. Somewhere they were simple, somewhere the result of painstaking work and study, but in any case they have already become necessary and familiar to us. But as long as life does not stand still, there are those places in which we live, everything around us will be fraught with mystery. fewer mysteries than was revealed.

P. S.

11. A nuclear engine is a device that opens the way to discoveries outside our planet.

“Earthly life” would seem to be something that should be more understandable and known to us, but this is not always the case. Does this mean that the open spaces of galaxies, systems, and the universe contain billions of more secrets and mysteries? But they still need to be reached. To imagine, invent and bring into reality the opportunity to step beyond our natural vision.

People managed to go into outer space and land on the satellite of our planet, but the conquest of space is just beginning. There is still no means of transportation capable of covering distances of the universe measured in light years. Man has never set foot on another planet, not even our solar system.

But they have been working on studying this direction for a long time. Russia already has every chance of achieving a significant breakthrough. The basis for interstellar travel should be a new nuclear engine, the timing of final development of which is planned to be completed within 12-14 years. Even now it becomes clear that new technology will help reduce the time of a possible flight to Mars by half. True, so far attention is focused only on the cost of implementing the development, which will amount to over 500 million euros. To solve this problem, it is possible to involve interested states in cooperation. So to speak, solve a big problem together.

Each list can be supplemented. Everyone has a number of their own undeniable arguments. Any point of view has the right to exist. And as can be seen from everything described above, sometimes significant and significant discoveries for humanity are hidden at our fingertips, and may go unnoticed due to all sorts of insignificant aspects. Most often it is simply a lack of knowledge. But nothing is impossible! Just as progress does not stand still, we simply need to develop, complementing and expanding our knowledge and horizons at an appropriate pace. There are undeniable prospects ahead, the main thing is to know where to apply the proper efforts.

There are inventions in the world created for our entertainment, comfort and coziness, such as a lighter or kitchen utensils. Undoubtedly, they are very useful and extremely practical. At the same time, there are also innovations that have completely changed the way of our lives - inventions that have influenced the history and way of life of man.

In this article, I offer for your consideration a list of 10 inventions, ranging in age from 800,000 years to several decades, all of which, however, have made our lives easier and more convenient. Representing various aspects of life, all these inventions play a huge role in human life.

Fire

Imagine the face of an ancient man who first produced fire, and did it on his own, without the help of lightning or a forest fire. New archaeological excavations carried out in Israel claim that X-Day took place approximately 800,000 years ago, when the planet was still dominated by Homo erectus, the upright man. This species of man was the first of our ancestors to learn how to make fire by striking silicon (a type of quartz) against another mineral containing metal. The spark that jumped out as a result of the impact of two stones created the fire.

The advent of this technology was a breakthrough for man: suddenly he had a warm, bright parking lot, processed food and a completely new menu of foods that could be cooked over a fire.

Wheel

Despite the hackneyed nature of the invention, it undoubtedly has a place in the top ten, because it is not just an innovation, but an invention of inventions, since the wheel technology was subsequently used in many iconic inventions. The first wheel known to science dates back to 3,500 BC, and was found in Mesopotamia. Initially, the wheel was used for pottery. Then, apparently realizing the potential of the invention, people began to use the wheel in transport, which significantly expanded the human habitat.

Concrete

Another example of an important innovation that disappeared during the Dark Ages was concrete, an early recipe for which was known to the ancient Egyptians (scientists believe it was used in the construction of the pyramids). The ancient Romans adopted the technology from their eastern counterparts, and actively used it in the construction of, for example, the Roman Pantheon, a monument that has survived to this day.

The technology of mixing cement and binding elements such as sand and water had virtually disappeared by the 18th century, when the English engineer John Smeaton improved the composition of concrete. This material is still the main source of construction material for the creation of bridges, dams, roads and buildings.

Electricity

Where would humanity be without electricity? Well, you probably wouldn’t read this list. It is difficult for a modern person to imagine a time when the world did without electricity. However, thanks to the efforts of scientists such as Nikola Tesla, Michael Faraday and Thomas Edison, by the end of the 19th century the world learned about electricity. The invention was so successful that the first power plants appeared in the United States by the 1880s. However, for a long time, electricity remained only the province of large cities. By the 1930s, only 10% of villages were connected to electrical networks.

Microscope

Most inventions are the result of big-picture thinking. The microscope, a mechanical creation that allowed us to see a completely different life, is an example of how discoveries can be made on such a small scale.

The first microscope used light and lenses to optically magnify small specimens. Created in the late 16th and early 17th centuries by Dutch masters, the first scientific use of the microscope dates back to the Englishman Robert Hook, who decided to examine a louse and a flea under the instrument.

A television

Television is a classic example of how engineering innovations, developing separately from each other, were able, when combined into a single device, to revolutionize the way people live.

One of the most significant inventions of the 20th century began with the concept of creating a device that played moving pictures to music. However, the world decided differently, and by 1920 television had become a reality, and the post-war period is usually called the “era of television.”

Antibiotics

Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was very difficult to live to old age - every day dozens of potential killers awaited a person, from tuberculosis bacilli to other dangerous infections.

Everything changed in the 1930s when Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin, an antibiotic that could successfully fight bacterial infections. This discovery became one of the most important discoveries in medicine, and began to save people's lives immediately after the launch of production. It is to the success of penicillin that the modern pharmaceutical industry owes its prosperity.

Computer

The Internet has turned the computer into a truly fantastic device, but would cyberspace exist without the corresponding hardware support? The computer is another invention that initially had a less rosy fate, although most historians point to the fact that the first programmable computer, the Z3, was invented by German engineer Konrad Zuse in the 1930s. Secret project sponsored by the Nazi government was destroyed during the war. However, the original technology used by the German scientist to create the Z3 continues to live on today.

Iron processing

Iron is one of the most abundant metals on Earth, and steel, its alloy, is an essential material. Moreover, iron processing is as important today as it was thousands of years ago. Iron was first worked around 3,500 years ago in Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey), and the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age was a major force for agriculture in the ancient world, as stronger iron tools allowed people to better work the land. More advanced weapons, although they led to a series of aggressive wars, also contributed to a more flexible development of society and its consolidation.

Flush toilet

The flush toilet may be considered a modern invention, but ancient societies successfully used this item of public life. Already 5,000 years ago, private houses in Pakistan had toilets connected by pipes to a drainage system. Unfortunately, the invention was lost with the Dark Ages that came to Europe. Again, flush toilets replaced holes in the floor and wooden chairs with a hole only in the 16th century, when the English aristocrat John Harrington created a flush toilet for Queen Elizabeth I.

Humanity has made a huge number of discoveries throughout the history of its existence. Inventions have helped people become stronger and overcome many diseases, tame the forces of nature and improve their lives. We will describe only 10 discoveries, familiar to everyone, that changed history and greatly influenced the development of human civilization.

Fire

Fire scared ancient people no less than animals. He had enormous destructive power, bringing death and destruction. Man was able to “tame” fire. People learned to cook food, heat their homes in winter, and protect themselves from predatory and dangerous animals. The “taming” of fire marked the beginning of the development of trades and crafts: weapons, dishes, and production tools appeared.

Wheel and cart

By inventing the wheel, humanity received a convenient way of transportation. People began to populate and develop new lands. After the discovery of metal, wheels became stronger and carts were able to withstand long distances. People learned to harness horses in them, and the speed of movement increased tenfold.

Writing

It took people several thousand years to turn naive drawings, knots and notches into real writing. Pictograms, drawings of men and animals appeared, indicating an action or concept, for example, writing Ancient Egypt. Later they were replaced by hieroglyphs and the alphabet: we still use them. The rapid development of civilization and the exchange of knowledge between different cultures and peoples began.

Paper

Writing allowed people to store information, and paper made it accessible to millions of people. Before the invention of paper, writing materials were very expensive. Almost 2000 years ago, the Chinese Cai Lun created an inexpensive type of paper from cotton ropes; in 751 it was brought to the Middle East by the Arabs, and then, through the Spanish Moors, the paper came to Europe. In the 12th century, the first production appeared in Italy.

Gunpowder and firearms

Gunpowder is also a Chinese invention. Gunpowder appeared in Europe in the late Middle Ages. Gradually firearms, cannons and arquebuses, replaced the bow and arrows. Knights in heavy armor, armed with swords, could no longer sit in their castles during a siege. The world began to change: the feudal system and many small appanage estates were replaced by strong powers with trained armies.

Automobile

The car shortened distances and increased travel speed several times. The car became the founder of a new era of humanity. Production grew rapidly, people built millions of kilometers of roads. The world has completely changed. Unfortunately, this invention brought many environmental problems to the planet that people have to solve.

Electric lamp

The electric light bulb made a real revolution. The light we use every day is the result of many years of work by many inventors. Electricity and its small representative, the light bulb, deserve one of the honorable places in the history of discoveries.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics have saved millions of lives for humanity. Thanks to antibiotics, such terrible deadly diseases as plague, typhus, dysentery, tuberculosis, and sepsis (blood poisoning) have receded.

Sail and ship

The sail and the ship, just like the invention of the wheel and cart on land, the discovery of the sail and the creation of the ship gave new lands to humanity. One can only imagine what fear the ancient people had to overcome when they dared to leave the earth’s surface and set sail across the vast endless sea.

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Just two decades ago, people could not even dream of such a level of technological development as exists today. Today, it takes only half a day to fly halfway around the globe, modern smartphones are 60,000 times lighter and thousands of times more productive than the first computers, today agricultural productivity and life expectancy are higher than ever in human history. Let's try to figure out which inventions became the most important and, in fact, changed the history of mankind.

1. Cyanide

Although cyanide seems controversial enough to be included on this list, the chemical has played important role in the history of mankind. While the gaseous form of cyanide has been responsible for the deaths of millions of people, it is the substance that is the main factor in the extraction of gold and silver from ore. Since the world economy was tied to the gold standard, cyanide was an important factor in the development of international trade.

2. Airplane

Today, no one doubts that the invention of the "metal bird" had one of the greatest impacts on human history by radically reducing the time required to transport goods or people. The invention of the Wright brothers was enthusiastically received by the public.

3. Anesthesia

Before 1846, any surgical procedure was more like some kind of painful torture. Although anesthetics have been used for thousands of years, their earliest forms were alcohol or mandrake extract. The invention of modern anesthesia in the form of nitrous oxide and ether allowed doctors to calmly operate on patients without the slightest resistance on their part (after all, the patients did not feel anything).

4. Radio

The origins of radio history are highly controversial. Many claim that its inventor was Guglielmo Marconi. Others claim that it was Nikola Tesla. In any case, these two people did a lot to enable people to successfully transmit information through radio waves.

5. Telephone

The telephone has been one of the most important inventions in our modern world. As with all major inventions, there is still debate about who its inventor was. What is clear is that the US Patent Office issued the first telephone patent to Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. This patent served as the basis for future research and development of electronic sound transmission over long distances.

6. World Wide Web

Although everyone thinks of it as a very recent invention, the Internet existed in an archaic form in 1969 when the United States military developed the ARPANET. But the Internet came into existence in its relatively modern form only thanks to Tim Berners-Lee, who created a network of hyperlinks to documents at the University of Illinois and created the first World Wide Web browser.

7. Transistor

Today it seems very easy to pick up the phone and call someone in Mali, the US or India, but this would not be possible without transistors. Semiconductor transistors, which amplify electrical signals, have made it possible to send information over long distances. The man who pioneered this research, William Shockley, is credited with creating Silicon Valley.

8. Atomic clock

Although this invention may not seem as revolutionary as many of the previous items, the invention of the atomic clock was crucial in the advancement of science. Using microwave signals emitted by changing energy levels of electrons, atomic clocks and their accuracy have made possible a wide range of modern modern inventions, including GPS, GLONASS, as well as the Internet.

9. Steam turbine

Charles Parsons' steam turbine literally changed the development of mankind, giving impetus to the industrialization of countries and making it possible for ships to quickly overcome the ocean. In 1996 alone, 90% of the electricity in the United States was generated by steam turbines.

10. Plastic

Despite the widespread use in our modern society plastic, it appeared only in the last century. The waterproof and highly pliable material is used in almost all industries, from packaging food products to toys and even spaceships. Although most modern plastics are made from petroleum, there are growing calls to return to the original version, which was partly organic.

11. Television

Television has had a long and storied history that dates back to the 1920s and continues to this day. This invention has become one of the most popular consumer products around the world - almost 80% of households own a television.

12. Oil

Most people don't think at all when they fill up their car's tank. Although people have been extracting oil for thousands of years, the modern oil and gas industry emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century. After industrialists saw all the benefits of oil products and the amount of energy generated by burning them, they raced to make wells for the extraction of “liquid gold.”

13. Internal combustion engine

Without the discovery of the efficiency of combustion of petroleum products, the modern internal combustion engine would have been impossible. Considering that it began to be used literally in everything from cars to agricultural combines and mining machines, these engines allowed people to replace backbreaking, painstaking and time-consuming work with machines that could do the work much faster. The internal combustion engine also gave people freedom of movement as it was used in cars.

14. Reinforced concrete

The boom in the construction of high-rise buildings only occurred in the mid-nineteenth century. By embedding steel reinforcing bars (rebar) into concrete before pouring it, people were able to build reinforced concrete man-made structures that were many times larger in weight and size than before.

Today there would be many more people living on planet Earth less people if there were no penicillin. Officially discovered by Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming in 1928, penicillin became one of the most important inventions/discoveries that made modern world possible. Antibiotics were among the first medicines, which were able to fight staphylococci, syphilis and tuberculosis.

16. Refrigerator

Harnessing heat was perhaps the most important discovery to date, but it took many millennia. Although people have long used ice for cooling, its practicality and availability were limited. In the nineteenth century, scientists invented artificial refrigeration using chemicals. By the early 1900s, nearly every meatpacking plant and major food distributor was using refrigeration to preserve food.

17. Pasteurization

Half a century before the discovery of penicillin, many lives were saved by a new process discovered by Louis Pasteur—pasteurization, or heating foods (originally beer, wine, and dairy products) to a temperature high enough to kill most spoilage bacteria. Unlike sterilization, which kills all bacteria, pasteurization only reduces the number of potential pathogens to a level that makes most foods safe to eat without risk of contamination, while still maintaining the flavor of the food.

18. Solar battery

Just as the oil industry sparked industrial growth in general, the invention of the solar cell allowed people to use a renewable form of energy in a much more efficient way. effective way. The first practical solar cell was developed in 1954 by Bell Telephone scientists, and today the popularity and efficiency of solar panels has increased dramatically.

19. Microprocessor

Today people would have to forget about their laptop and smartphone if the microprocessor had not been invented. One of the most widely known supercomputers, ENIAC, was built in 1946 and weighed 27,215 tons. Intel engineer Ted Hoff created the first microprocessor in 1971, packing all the functions of a supercomputer into one tiny chip, making portable computers possible.

20. Laser

The stimulated emission amplifier, or laser, was invented in 1960 by Theodore Maiman. Modern lasers are used in a variety of inventions, including laser cutters, barcode scanners, and surgical equipment.

21. Nitrogen fixation

Although it may seem like a bit of a stretch, nitrogen fixation, or the fixation of molecular atmospheric nitrogen, is "responsible" for the explosion of human populations. By converting atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, it became possible to produce highly effective fertilizers that increased agricultural production.

22. Conveyor

Today it is difficult to overestimate the importance of assembly lines. Before their invention, all products were made by hand. The assembly line, or assembly line, allowed the development of large-scale production of identical parts, greatly reducing the time it took to create a new product.

23. Oral contraceptives

Although tablets and pills have been one of the main methods of medicine that have existed for thousands of years, the invention oral contraceptive became one of the most significant innovations. It was this invention that became the impetus for the sexual revolution.

24. Mobile phone/smartphone

Nowadays, many people are probably reading this article from a smartphone. For this we must thank Motorola, which released the first wireless pocket phone back in 1973. mobile phone, which weighed as much as 2 kg and required as much as 10 hours to recharge. To make matters worse, at that time you could only chat quietly for 30 minutes.

25. Electricity

Most modern inventions would simply not be possible without electricity. Pioneers such as William Gilbert and Benjamin Franklin laid the initial foundation on which inventors such as Volt and Faraday began the Second Industrial Revolution.