Technologies that transformed the world

The Wheel 

It's difficult to deny that the wheel is not among the world's greatest technological achievements. This essential invention improved travel and served as the base for many other innovations and advancements.

Around 3,500 B.C., the world's oldest wheel was discovered in Mesopotamia. The real, considerably during the past, however, was not the wheel, but the fixed axle, which permitted the wheel to be coupled to a stable base.

So it's hard to argue against the wheel being ranked first!

Electricity (Battery) 

Electricity has always existed, but the challenge has always been to turn it into something valuable. This occurred whenever battery electricity was produced.

We've all been familiar with the term 'volts.' It was invented in 1799 by Alexandro Volta, who is credited with discovering the first functional battery. The fundamentals of electric transmission were then discovered by Michael Faraday.

It's also worth noting that a prehistoric battery was created some 2,000 years ago by filling a clay jar with a vinegar solution and introducing an iron rod wrapped in copper into the clay jar.

Nicolas-Joseph Cugno, who invented the first steam-powered autos, produced the first automobile in 1769. Then came German inventor Karl Benz, who patented the first automobile.

Lightbulb

We've all heard that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Wrong! Or, at the very least, that is not quite accurate.

To build the first recognised light bulb, an Englishman called Joseph Swan created a carbonized paper filament and evacuated a glass bulb. However, without a sufficient vacuum tube, his innovation did not endure long enough to be commercially viable.

That honor belongs to Thomas Edison, who invented the first metal filament in 1878 and transformed it into the first commercially practical light bulb. And the world was never the same again!

Transistors

The transistor is an essential component of nearly every electronic gadget. Julius Lilienfeld patented the first field transistor in 1926, but it was not economically feasible.

That changed in 1947, when Bell Laboratories' John Barden, Walter Brattain, and Willian Shockley created the first commercial transistor. And for this, all three received the Nobel Prize in Physics.

And transistors have evolved into a critical component of electronic devices that enable us to utilize cell phones, computers, and televisions. Possibly the most important technology in this digital-first age.

The refrigerator

Even though many of you think the refrigerator shouldn't be on this list, consider how life would be without it.

James Harrison devised it almost 150 years ago when he built the first workable vapor compression machine. However, G.E. created the first widely used refrigerator in 1927, which began the industrial usage of refrigeration and changed the globe.

And, personally, I couldn't keep my beer cold if it weren't for the refrigerator. So, for me, this technology is among the top 10!

Television

There is no doubt that television has impacted our lives and should be higher on the list.

Many people contributed to the development of television, but one of the first names linked with television was Paul Nipkow, a 23-year-old German student. However, Georges Rignoux in Paris was the first to transmit images in 1909.

The computer 

Charles Babbage is regarded as the father of the computer, along with Ada Lovelace, who produced the first programmes. The first mechanical computer was created by Charles Babbage. Although there is no single true inventor of the modern computer, Alan Turing came up with the initial concept in 1936.

And, even if these early inventors could see where computers are now, do you think they would understand how their innovation changed an entire generation? That's quite cool!

The World Wide Web

It may surprise you that the internet and the World Wide Web are not synonymous.

ARPANET, or the Advanced Research Project Agency Network, was the first prototype of the internet in the 1960s. Despite the fact that the first prototype used TCP/IP protocols in 1983, the current internet has a crown.

The World Wide Web is a method of accessing information via the internet, and the internet serves as the WWW's networking backbone.

It's a minor distinction, but it's significant for all you gearheads out there!

Telephones and cell phones

Alexander Graham Bell spoke the first words over a telephone in 1876. 'Mr. Watson, come here,' he said. 'I'm looking for you.'

People could communicate swiftly and efficiently thanks to the telephone. It also made it easier for firms to perform their operations.

Cell phones transformed the globe because three-quarters of the world's population now has a mobile phone and the majority have internet access.