Technologies which changed the world

From ancient tools to the latest digital advances, these human inventions changed the world and transformed life on earth. Human inventions and technologies have shaped civilizations and transformed life on the Earth. As expectations and capabilities evolve, each generation cultivates its own set of innovative thinkers. Right from the invention of the wheel to the development of the Mars rover, a large number of these inventions have been truly revolutionary, even if hadn't been so obvious at the time.

Most major inventions don't have just one inventor. Instead, they have been developed separately by many people, or many people have had a hand in their evolution from basic concepts to useful inventions. Here is a list of our top picks of revolutionary inventions that changed the world :. The wheel stands out as an original engineering marvel, and one of the most famous inventions. This basic technology not only made it easier to travel, but also served as the base for a huge number of other innovative technologies.

Yet, the wheel is not actually that old. The oldest known wheel is from Mesopotamia, around B. By that time, humans were already casting metal alloys, constructing canals and sailboats, and even designing complex musical instruments such as harps.

In fact, the main invention was not the wheel itself, which was likely invented the first time someone saw a rock rolling along, but the combination of a wheel and a fixed axle, which allows the wheel to be connected to a stable platform. Without the fixed axel, the wheel has only very limited utility. This modern invention may have originally been created for spiritual purposes.

Later it was adapted for navigational purposes. The earliest compasses were most likely invented by the Chinese, around BC. Some were made of lodestone, which is a naturally-occurring form of the mineral magnetite.

There is also evidence that other civilizations may have also used lodestone. At some point, possibly around CE, people began suspending the lodestones so they could move freely, and using them for navigation. A description of a magnetized needle and its use among sailors occurs in a European book written in , so by that time, it is likely that the use of a needle as a compass was commonplace.

Although the birth of the modern car is often said to have occurred in , when German inventor Karl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen , automobiles had been in the works since , when Nicolas-Joseph Cugno developed the steam-powered automobile capable of human transportation. Over the years, a huge number of people contributed to the development of the automobile and its constituent parts.

In the early 20th century, Henry Ford innovated mass-production techniques that allowed automobiles to become affordable to the masses. These techniques then became standard with General Motors, and Chrysler following suit. The history of the automobile really reflects a worldwide evolution. The work of many people was required in order to develop the internal combustion engine and the other systems the automobile relies on.

Dozens of spin-off industries were also involved, including oil and steel. Hie patented a device that used steam power to propel water from mines. However, it is Englishman Thomas Savery, an engineer, and inventor, who is usually credited with developing the first practical steam engine, in His device was used to draw water from flooded mines using steam pressure.

In developing his engine, Savery used principles set forth by Denis Papin, a French-born British physicist who invented the pressure cooker. In , another Englishman, Thomas Newcomen, developed an improvement in the engine, and in , James Watt, a Scottish instrument maker employed by Glasgow University, added a separate condenser to Newcomen's engine, which allowed the steam cylinder to be maintained at a constant temperature — dramatically improving its functionality.

He later developed a double rotating steam engine that, by the s, would be powering trains, mills, factories, and numerous other manufacturing operations. Concrete is one of the most widely used artificial materials. It's a composite material made from a mixture of broken stone or gravel, sand, Portland cement, and water, which can be spread or poured into molds and forms a mass resembling stone on hardening.

One of the key ingredients of concrete is cement. The foundation of cement was laid in BC. Middle eastern builders coated the outside of their clay fortresses with a thin, and moist layer of burned limestone, which chemically reacted with gasses in the air to form a hard, protective surface. Around BC, the first concrete-like structures were built by the Nabataea traders or Bedouins in the southern Syria and northern Jordan regions.

By BC, the significance of hydraulic lime was known, which led to the development of mortar supply kilns for the construction of rubble-wall houses, concrete floors, and underground waterproof cisterns. Around BC, the Egyptians were using early forms of concrete as a mortar in their building.

In , Portland cement was invented by Joseph Aspdin of England. George Bartholomew had laid down the first concrete street in the US during , which still exists. By the end of the 19 th century, the use of steel-reinforced concrete was developed.

In , using steel-reinforced concrete, August Perret designed and built an apartment building in Paris. This building a wide admiration and popularity for concrete and also influenced the development of reinforced concrete. Gasoline is a fuel derivative of petroleum. To be more specific, petrol is a transparent, petroleum-derived liquid that is used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. Interestingly gas was initially discarded as an unwanted byproduct.

Before the discovery and commercialization of gasoline, the fuel of choice was a blend of alcohol, usually methanol, and turpentine called camphene, and later this would be largely replaced by kerosene. The first oil well dug in the US, i n , in Pennsylvania, refined the oil to produce kerosene. Although the distillation process also produced gasoline, this was discarded as a byproduct. The method of distillation refining only produced about 20 percent gasoline from a given amount of crude petroleum.

However, once it was discovered that the internal combustion engine ran best on light fuels like gasoline, the refining process was, well refined. In , to produce gasoline more easily using chemical catalysts and pressure. The new t hermal cracking process doubled the efficiency of refining and made refining gasoline more practical.

Railways can carry a large number of passengers with comfort while also being able to haul heavy loads to long distances. While tracks, or rails, had been in use for carrying wagons since the sixteenth century, the history of modern train travel is just over years old. The first full-scale working railway steam locomotive was built in the United Kingdom in by Richard Trevithick , a British engineer. It used high-pressure steam to drive the engine.

On 21 February , the world's first steam-powered railway journey took place when Trevithick's unnamed steam locomotive hauled a train along the tramway in Wales. However, Trevithick's locomotives were too heavy for the cast-iron plateway track then in use. The commercial appearance of train networks came in the s. In , George Stephenson was appointed as an engineer for the construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the northeast of England, which was opened as the first public steam-powered railway in With all of the payment capabilities available these days, you could leave home without your wallet and be just fine.

Technology has changed how we watch television today. Cable companies are continuously rolling out new features allowing viewers to pause and rewind live TV and record their favorite programs to watch later. Streaming services like Netflix , Hulu , and Amazon Prime Video all offer access to cable TV shows and original content for a low monthly price. Streaming is just another way to watch your favorite shows, but it uses the Internet instead of cable.

It can be a more cost-effective way to watch television. Streaming services offer movies and TV shows that are grouped by genre, making it easy to find your favorites.

With streaming, you can watch on the go — all you need is an Internet connection. Many of the streaming services we listed above have mobile applications that allow you to download content directly to your device.

This option allows you to watch even if you go somewhere without Internet access. More and more TVs these days are even designed for streaming. Smart TVs will enable you to access more programs and even save money. With a Smart TV, you can access both streaming services and cable channels. To save money, you can also opt-out of cable altogether.

It all depends on your budget and what you enjoy watching. A standard definition TV displays horizontal pixels. That means TVs today show a picture with nearly 6x more definition than standard-definition TVs making for a much better viewing experience and can make your favorite shows and movies that much more enjoyable. Seniors who suffer from hearing loss can benefit from using a TV Listening Device that provides superior sound quality, enhancing the overall TV viewing experience.

An e-reader device like a Kindle or Nook can hold thousands of books without taking up space in your home. Audio books are an especially great way to enjoy classic and new books alike. For aging seniors, audio books are great when it becomes more challenging to read the small type in books. When it comes to music, technology has also helped consolidate the devices we use. We can access our music no matter where we are.

In the same vein as books, vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and other physical albums will always have their place. They serve a unique purpose in enjoying music. Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have made it possible to access millions of artists all at a monthly fee. The number of devices with music streaming capabilities continues to grow.

You can use your smartphone, computer, car, portable speakers, and even TVs to listen to your favorite songs. With the proliferation of online dating sites, you can register on a website, find a match and start to communicate at your own pace. With the proliferation of online dating sites, you can register on a website, find a match, and start to communicate at your own pace.

This vetting helps you prioritize your time and protect your privacy while still getting to know someone new. You can gain access to the information you want to know about a particular person. Online dating platforms have millions of registered users and have received lots of good reviews from every part of the world.

It is comfortable, straightforward, safe, and it works. All of the technology mentioned above has been made possible because of the Internet. New websites, platforms, and applications will continue to revolutionize the way we live our lives. This synching makes their usual functions accessible remotely and automated through data available on the world wide web.

The Internet of Things can help to significantly improve aging in place and at-home safety, especially for seniors living with conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and arthritis. IoT devices are designed to monitor health at home, aid with mobility, and provide continuous monitoring.

Some examples of objects that use IoT today include driverless cars, fitness trackers like Fitbit, thermostats, and doorbells. Objects that use IoT are also commonly referred to as smart objects think of smart TVs. These systems usually have their own applications that you can open and control no matter where you are. All you would have to do is open the smart thermostat app to tell it what to do. The sensors on these thermostats are specifically designed to optimize your home for energy efficiency.

Once you set your desired temperature, the thermostat can work on its own to keep your home at the best temperature. There is no hassle and no need to make several trips to different stores. While we still encourage as much daily exercise as possible, it can be too hectic and even hazardous sometimes for seniors to be out running so many errands.

Your average yard sale is even now online. With websites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace , you can browse listings from people in your area.

These are people who are looking to get rid of their used furniture, clothes, appliances, and more. Using these websites, you can view items based on what you need and your budget. If smart devices seem overwhelming to you, there may be an easy solution: voice assistants.

With a voice assistant, you can control all of the smart devices in your home and access the Internet by speaking voice commands. When it comes to shopping, these devices allow you to create a shopping list out loud and then have it automatically transferred to your phone. This makes the whole process easier for seniors with mobility issues with writing or who would rather speak out loud than make a list on a phone. Many of these devices even integrate directly with online shops. With the Amazon Alexa , you can immediately make Amazon purchases without ever having to go online.

To make everything in your home easier to access, you can integrate your voice assistant with any smart device to make it accessible via your voice. If your home needs temperature adjusting or you want to turn some lights off, you can do it all through a series of simple voice commands.

All you need to do is ask your voice assistant a question, and it will give you an answer found online. Drones have been used to shoot movie sequences, deliver packages and spray pesticides over crops to protect farms.

Drones have really taken off in recent years. What started out as a hobbyist gadget has transformed industries, with the unmanned aircraft shooting movie sequences, delivering packages to hard-to-reach places, surveying construction sites and spraying pesticide over crops to protect farms. Drones now range from noisy quadcopters to payload-carrying mini-planes. In the not-too-distant future, drones are expected to crowd the skies, acting as personal air taxis and performing lifesaving duties such as delivering medicine, helping with search and rescue, and fighting fires.

DNA testing has been helpful in identifying previously unknown relatives as well as criminal suspects. With a simple swab of your cheek or a sample of your saliva, DNA testing kits have helped deepen our understanding of ancestry, introduced us to living relatives around the world, determined paternity and shed light on a predisposition to specific health issues and diseases.

Over the past few years, the kits have become quite affordable and popular. Law enforcement agencies in particular have grown fond of the kits. Using a technique called genetic genealogy, they've cracked dozens of murder, rape and assault cases , some from decades ago. Then investigators use traditional genealogical research to identify possible suspects, who are then tested for a DNA match to the crime scene.

But the practice relies on investigators having access to a large cache of DNA profiles, and it stirs worries among privacy watchdogs. Companies and countries are pouring billions of dollars into quantum computing research and development. They're betting it will pay off by opening up new abilities in chemistry, shipping, materials design, finance, artificial intelligence and more. The technology is beginning to show some of the promise researchers have hyped for decades. Last year, a Google-designed quantum processor called Sycamore completed a task in seconds that, by Google's estimate, would take 10, years on the world's fastest supercomputer.

Honeywell , which once sold massive mainframes, predicts the performance of its quantum computers will grow by a factor of 10 every year for each of the next five years -- meaning they'd be , times faster in The online world was a very different place two decades ago. Social networkers of a certain age may remember Friendster , the site that launched in and allowed people to fill out an online profile and connect with people they knew in real life.

But two years later, Mark Zuckerberg changed everything when he launched a social-networking site for college students called Facebook. It opened to the general public in and quickly left Friendster and MySpace far behind. Today Facebook helps people connect and stay connected, but its real business is advertising.

It also helped pave the way for other social networks that help people chat, share photos and find jobs, among other activities. It now has 2. We've seen the concept play out on TV and in movies for years, and now with home 3D printers it's finally growing beyond a wildly exotic hobby for a small enthusiast audience. The technology allows manufacturers to build plastic components that are lighter than metal alternatives and with unusual shapes that can't be made by conventional injection molding methods.

The devices are used to create materials inside football helmets and Adidas running shoes, and Porsche plans to roll out a new 3D printing program that will allow customers to have their cars' seats partially 3D-printed. Some call 3D printing the fourth industrial revolution.

Video streaming services are quickly replacing cable and satellite subscriptions for many consumers. Twenty-five years ago, a new media storage format was taking the entertainment world by storm.

DVDs had superior picture and sound quality to the VHS tape, and they took up less room on your shelves. Movie rental stores abandoned VHS for DVDs, and online rental services like Netflix popped up, offering the convenience of mailing rented discs directly to you. Then Netflix introduced its streaming service, allowing people to watch movies and TV shows across the internet. Consumers fell in love with the convenience of on-demand programming and began the phenomenon of "cutting the cord.

By next year, more than one-fifth of US households are expected to have cut the cord on cable and satellite services, according to eMarketer. Vinyl will always be popular among audiophiles, but streaming is still the future of music listening. We have gone from complex, costly, single-purpose industrial devices to inexpensive, general-purpose desktop machines that anyone can use.

Microservice architectures, based on container technology, have dramatically changed the app lifecycle. Rather than taking months or years to build monolithic apps, developers can now rapidly build them using containers to create manageable microservices and deploy them across private and public clouds. This significantly improves the pace of app rollouts and supporting infrastructure options.

It's astounding to consider the breadth, depth, low cost and accessibility of infrastructure-as-a-service tools. Infrastructure expertise and scalability have become commodities, not differentiators, thus fostering competition and the creation of better products and services. NoSQL solves the problem of storing gigantic amounts of data. MapReduce provides an algorithm for its efficient analysis. Big companies use these pieces of technology to store and analyze huge data and use it for precise user targeting, machine learning, optical recognition and more.

From facilitating semantic data extraction in legacy digital assets to aiding the customer experience with more tailored information, artificial intelligence is the single biggest revolution in technology over the past five years. We've sat on enormous stockpiles of data for the past several years.