Technology, science, and inventions have progressed at an accelerated rate during the hundred years of the 20th century, more so than any other century.
We began the 20th century with the infancy of airplanes, automobiles, and radio, when those inventions dazzled us with their novelty and wonder.
We end the 20th century with spaceships, computers, cell phones, and the wireless Internet all being technologies we can take for granted.
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The zeppelin invented by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin.
Charles Seeberger redesigned Jesse Reno’s escalator and invented the modern escalator.
1901
King Camp Gillette invents the double-edged safety razor.
The first radio receiver, successfully received a radio transmission.
Hubert Booth invents a compact and modern vacuum cleaner.
1902
Willis Carrier invents the air conditioner.
The lie detector or polygraph machine is invented by James Mackenzie.
George Claude invented neon light.
1903
Edward Binney and Harold Smith co-invent crayons.
Bottle-making machinery invented by Michael J. Owens.
The Wright brothers invent the first gas motored and manned airplane.
Mary Anderson invents windshield wipers.
William Coolidge invents ductile tungsten used in lightbulbs.
1904
Teabags invented by Thomas Suillivan.
Benjamin Holt invents a tractor.
John A Fleming invents a vacuum diode or Fleming valve.
1905
Albert Einstein published the Theory of Relativity and made famous the equation, E = mc2.
invents Cornflakes.
Lewis Nixon inven
1906
William Kellogg ts the first sonar like device.
Lee Deforest invents electronic amplifying tube (triode).
1907
Leo Baekeland invents the first synthetic plastic called Bakelite.
Color photography invented by Auguste and Louis Lumiere.
The very first piloted helicopter was invented by Paul Cornu.
1908
The gyrocompass invented by Elmer A. Sperry.
Cellophane invented by Jacques E. Brandenberger.
Model T first sold.
J W Geiger and W Müller invent the geiger counter.
Fritz Haber invents the Haber Process for making artificial nitrates.
1909
Instant coffee invented by G. Washington.
1910
Thomas Edison demonstrated the first talking motion picture.
Georges Claude displayed the first neon lamp to the public on December 11, 1910, in Paris.
1911
Charles Franklin Kettering invents the first automobile electrical ignition system.
1912
Motorized movie cameras invented, replaced hand-cranked cameras.
The first tank patented by Australian inventor De La Mole.
Clarence Crane created Life Savers candy in 1912.
1913
The crossword puzzle invented by Arthur Wynne.
The Merck Chemical Company patented, what is now know as, ecstasy.
Mary Phelps Jacob invents the bra.
Gideon Sundback invented the modern zipper.
1914
Garrett A. Morgan invents the Morgan gas mask.
1915
Eugene Sullivan and William Taylor co-invented Pyrex in New York City.
1916
Radio tuners invented, that received different stations.
Stainless steel invented by Henry Brearly.
1917
Gideon Sundback patented the modern zipper (not the first zipper).
1918
The superheterodyne radio circuit invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong. Today, every radio or television set uses this invention.
Charles Jung invented fortune cookies.
1919
The pop-up toaster invented by Charles Strite.
Short-wave radio invented.
The flip-flop circuit invented.
The arc welder invented.
1920
The tommy gun patented by John T Thompson.
The Band-Aid (pronounced ‘ban-‘dade) invented by Earle Dickson.
1921
Artificial life begins — the first robot built.
John Larson invented the lie detector.
1922
Insulin invented by Sir Frederick Grant Banting.
The first 3-D movie (spectacles with one red and one green lens) is released.
1923
Garrett A. Morgan invents a traffic signal.
The television or iconoscope (cathode-ray tube) invented by Vladimir Kosma Zworykin.
John Harwood invented the self-winding watch.
Clarence Birdseye invents frozen food.
1924
The dynamic loudspeaker invented by Rice and Kellogg.
Notebooks with spiral bindings invented.
1925
The mechanical television a precursor to the modern television, invented by John Logie Baird.
1926
Robert H. Goddard invents liquid-fueled rockets.
1927
Eduard Haas III invents PEZ candy.
JWA Morrison invents the first quartz crystal watch.
Philo Taylor Farnsworth invents a complete electronic TV system.
Technicolor invented.
Erik Rotheim patents an aerosol can.
Warren Marrison developed the first quartz clock.
Philip Drinker invents the iron lung.
1928
Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.
Bubble gum invented by Walter E. Diemer.
Jacob Schick patented the electric shaver.
1929
American, Paul Galvin invents the car radio.
Yo-Yo re-invented as an American fad.
1930
Scotch tape patented by 3M engineer, Richard G. Drew.
The frozen food process patented by Clarence Birdseye.
Wallace Carothers and DuPont Labs invents neoprene.
The “differential analyzer”, or analog computer invented by Vannevar Bush at MIT in Boston.
Frank Whittle and Dr Hans von Ohain both invent a jet engine.
1931
Harold Edgerton invented stop-action photography.
Germans Max Knott and Ernst Ruska co-invent the electron microscope.
1932
Polaroid photography invented by Edwin Herbert Land.
The zoom lens and the light meter invented.
Carl C. Magee invents the first parking meter.
Karl Jansky invents the radio telescope.
1933
Frequency modulation (FM radio) invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong.
Stereo records invented.
Richard M. Hollingshead builds a prototype drive-in movie theater in his driveway.
1934
Englishmen, Percy Shaw invents cat eyes or roads reflectors.
Charles Darrow claims he invented the game Monopoly.
Joseph Begun invents the first tape recorder for broadcasting – first magnetic recording.
1935
Wallace Carothers and DuPont Labs invents nylon ( polymer 6.6.)
The first canned beer made.
Robert Watson-Watt patented radar.
1936
Bell Labs invents the voice recognition machine.
Samuel Colt patents the Colt revolver.
1937
Chester F. Carlson invents the photocopier.
The first jet engine is built.
1938
The ballpoint pen invented by Ladislo Biro.
Strobe lighting invented.
LSD was synthesized on November 16, 1938 by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann of Sandoz Laboratories.
Roy J. Plunkett invented tetrafluoroethylene polymers or Teflon.
Nescafe or freeze-dried coffee invented.
The first working turboprop engine.
1939
Igor Sikorsky invents the first successful helicopter.
The electron microscope invented.
1940
Dr William Reich invents the orgone accumulator.
Peter Goldmark invents modern color television system.
Karl Pabst invents the jeep.
1941
Konrad Zuse’s Z3, the first computer controlled by software.
Aerosol spray cans invented by American inventors, Lyle David Goodloe and W.N. Sullivan.
Enrico Fermi invents the neutronic reactor.
1942
John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry built the first electronic digital computer.
Mueller designs a turboprop engine.
1943
Synthetic rubber invented.
Richard James invents the slinky.
James Wright invent silly putty.
Swiss chemist, Albert Hofmann discovered the hallucinogenic properties of LSD.
Emile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau invent the aqualung.
1944
The kidney dialysis machine invented by Willem Kolff.
Synthetic cortisone invented by Percy Lavon Julian.
1945
Vannevar Bush proposes hypertext.
The atomic bomb invented.
1946
The microwave oven invented by Percy Spencer.
1947
British/Hungarian scientist, Dennis Gabor, developed the theory of holography.
Mobile phones first invented. Although cell phones were not sold commercially until 1983.
Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley invent the transistor.
Earl Silas Tupper patented the Tupperware seal.
1948
The Frisbee ® invented by Walter Frederick Morrison and Warren Franscioni.
Velcro ® invented by George de Mestral.
Robert Hope-Jones invented the Wurlitzer jukebox.
1949
Cake mix invented.
The 50s have always been described as a conservative period socially, however, advancements in technology were about to change all that. During the 50s, television became the dominant media. While television had been invented many years previous, the 50s saw nearly every family buying a television set, and nearly everyone watching television for longer and longer periods of time. Television broadcasts became our number one source of news, information, and entertainment during the 50s. Live news broadcasts were now possible coast to coast, and this has changed our world forever.
1950
The first credit card (Diners) invented by Ralph Schneider.
1951
Super glue invented.
Power steering invented by Francis W. Davis.
Charles Ginsburg invented the first video tape recorder (VTR).
1952
The first patent for bar code issued to inventors Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver.
The first diet soft drink sold.
Edward Teller and team build the hydrogen bomb.
1953
Radial tires invented.
The first musical synthesizer invented by RCA.
David Warren invented the black box – flight recorder.
Transistor radio invented by Texas Instruments.
1954
Oral contraceptives invented – the pill.
The first nonstick teflon pan produced.
The solar cell invented by Chaplin, Fuller and Pearson.
Ray Kroc started McDonalds.
1955
Tetracycline invented.
Optic fiber invented.
1956
The first computer hard disk used.
The hovercraft invented by Christopher Cockerell.
Bette Nesmith Graham invented “Mistake Out,” later renamed Liquid Paper, to paint over mistakes made with a typewriter.
1957
Fortran (computer language) invented.
1958
The computer modem invented.
Gordon Gould invents the laser.
The Hula Hoop invented by Richard Knerr and Arthur “Spud” Melin.
The integrated circuit invented by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce.
1959
The internal pacemaker invented by Wilson Greatbatch.
Barbie Doll invented.
Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce both invent the microchip.
The 60s have been described by historians as the ten years having the most significant changes in history. By the end of the 60s humanity had entered the spaceage by putting a man on the moon. The 60s were influenced by the youth of the post-war baby boom – a generation with a fondness for change and far-out gadgets.
1960
The halogen lamp invented.
1961
Valium invented.
The nondairy creamer invented.
1962
The audio cassette invented.
The fiber-tip pen invented by Yukio Horie.
Spacewar, the first computer video game invented.
Dow Corp invents silicone breast implants.
1963
The video disk invented.
1964
Acrylic paint invented.
Permanent-press fabric invented.
BASIC (an early computer language) is invented by John George Kemeny and Tom Kurtz.
1965
Astroturf invented.
Soft contact lenses invented.
NutraSweet invented.
The compact disk invented by James Russell.
Kevlar invented by Stephanie Louise Kwolek.
1966
Electronic Fuel injection for cars invented.
1967
The first handheld calculator invented.
1968
The computer mouse invented by Douglas Engelbart.
The first computer with integrated circuits made.
Robert Dennard invented RAM (random access memory).
1969
The arpanet (first internet) invented.
The artificial heart invented.
The ATM invented.
The bar-code scanner is invented.
The 70s began the age of the practical computer made possible by the invention of the floppy disk and the microprocessor that occurred during the 70s.
1970
The daisy-wheel printer invented.
The floppy disk invented by Alan Shugart.
1971
The dot-matrix printer invented.
The food processor invented.
The liquid-crystal display (LCD) invented by James Fergason.
The microprocessor invented by Faggin, Hoff and Mazor.
VCR or videocassette invented.
1972
The word processor invented.
Pong first video game invented by Nolan Bushnell.
Hacky Sack invented by John Stalberger and Mike Marshall.
1973
Gene splicing invented.
The ethernet (local computer network) invented by Robert Metcalfe and Xerox.
Bic invents the disposable lighter.
1974
The post-it notes invented by Arthur Fry.
Giorgio Fischer, a gynecologist from Rome, Italy, invents liposuction.
1975
The laser printer invented.
The push-through tab on a drink can invented.
1976
The ink-jet printer invented.
1977
Magnetic resonance imaging invented by Raymond V. Damadian.
1978
Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston invented the VisiCalc spreadsheet.
The artificial heart Jarvik-7 invented by Robert K. Jarvik.
1979
Cell phones invented.
Cray supercomputer invented by Seymour Cray.
Walkman invented.
Scott Olson invents roller blades.
Many of the most popular consumer products still around today were invented in the 80s for example: cell phones and home computers.
The 80s saw the rise of the multi-national corporations.
1980
The hepatitis-B vaccine invented.
1981
MS-DOS invented.
The first IBM-PC invented.
The scanning tunneling microscope invented by Gerd Karl Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer.
1982
Human growth hormone genetically engineered.
1983
The Apple Lisa invented.
Soft bifocal contact lens invented.
First Cabbage Patch Kids sold.
Programmer Jaron Lanier first coins the term “virtual reality”.
1984
The CD-ROM invented.
The Apple Macintosh invented.
1985
Windows program invented by Microsoft.
1986
A high-temperature super-conductor invented by J. Georg Bednorz and Karl A. Muller.
Synthetic skin invented by G. Gregory Gallico, III.
Fuji introduced the disposable camera.
1987
The first 3-D video game invented.
Disposable contact lenses invented.
1988
Digital cellular phones invented.
The RU-486 (abortion pill) invented.
Doppler radar invented by Christian Andreas Doppler.
Prozac invented at the Eli Lilly Company by inventor Ray Fuller.
The first patent for a genetically engineered animal is issued to Harvard University researchers Philip Leder and Timothy Stewart.
Ralph Alessio and Fredrik Olsen received a patent for the Indiglo nightlight. The bluish green light is used to illuminate the entire face of a watch.
1989
High-definition television invented.
The 90s saw the invention of the internet and the rise of Microsoft. The 90s saw the invention of genetic engineering, as well as cloning, and stem cell research.
1990
The World Wide Web and Internet protocol (HTTP) and WWW language (HTML) created by Tim Berners-Lee.
1991
The digital answering machine invented.
1992
The smart pill invented.
1993
The pentium processor invented.
1994
HIV protease inhibitor invented.
1995
The Java computer language invented.
DVD (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) invented.
1996
Web TV invented.
1997
The gas-powered fuel cell invented.
1998
Viagra invented.
1999
Scientists measure the fastest wind speed ever recorded on earth, 509 km/h(318 mph).
Tekno Bubbles patented.
Modern Inventions of 2000
The mystery of Ginger.
Environmentally friendly transformer fluid from vegetable oils invented by T.V. Oommen.
FluidSense infusion pump invented (automatic and standardized intravenous applicator).
2001
AbioCor artificial heart invented by Abiomed – the Abiocor represents groundbreaking medical miniaturization technology. Nuvaring birth control invented by Organon.
Artificial liver invented by Dr. Kenneth Matsumura and Alin Foundation.
Fuel cell bike invented by Aprilia.
Self-cleaning windows invented by PPG Industries.
On October 23, 2001 Apple Computers publicly announced their portable music digital player the iPod, created under project codename Dulcimer.
2002
Braille Glove invented by Ryan Patterson.
Phone tooth invented by James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau.
Nano-tex – nanotechnology wearable fabrics invented by Nano-tex LLC.
Birth control patch invented by Ortho McNeil Pharmaceutical.
Foveon Camera Chip invented by Richard Merrill.
Date Rape Drug Spotter invented by Francisco Guerra.
Solar Tower invented by Jorg Schlaich.
Virtual keyboard invented by Canesta and VKB.
ICOPOD invented by Sanford Ponder.
2003
Optical Camouflage System invented by Susumu Tachi, Masahiko Inami, and Naoki Kawakami
Toyota’s Hybrid Car
Ice Bike invented by Dan Hanebrink
New Toy Robots Max the robotic cat invented by Omron, LUCKY, THE ROVING ROBO-RAPTOR invented by Walt Disney Imagineering, and Sony builds Aibo a companion called Orio.
New Fabrics, Salmon Skin Leather invented by Claudia Escobar and Skini, and Luminex a glowing fabric invented by Luminex.
Java Log a log for your fireplace made from used coffee grinds and invented by Rod Sprules
Infrared Fever Screening System used in public buildings to scan for people with a high temperature from a fever or sars invented by Singapore Technologies Electronics and the Singapore Defense Science and Technology Agency
The No-Contact Jacket invented by Adam Whiton and Yolita Nugent, protects the wearer by electric shocking any attackers.
2004
Adidas 1 are the thinking shoes with a built in microprocessor that decides how soft or firm support the wearer needs. Chosen by Popular Science magazine as the best recreation invention of 2004.
Translucent Concrete developed by Hungarian architect Aron Losonczi and called LitraCon and is based on a matrix of parallel optical glass fibers embedded into the concrete that can transmit light and color from the outside. However, this is not the only translucent concrete out there. Inventor Bill Price has been developing another variety.
Ka-on or Flower Sound are plants that play music invented by the Japanese based Let’s Corporation. Flowers bouquets will act as loudspeakers when placed in a special vase that has electronics hidden in the base.
Intel Express Chipsets – Grantsdale and Alderwood are the code names of Intel’s newest chips that will provide superior and inexpensive built-in sound and video capacities for the PC including the ability to do high definition video editing without additional computer cards.
SonoPrep invented by bioengineer Robert Langer, is a device that will deliver medication by sound waves rather than injection. According to the Sontra Medical Corporation, SonoPrep’s manufacturer: The small, battery-powered device applies low-frequency ultrasonic energy to the skin for 15 seconds. The ultrasound temporarily rearranges lipids in the skin, opening channels that let fluids be delivered or extracted. After about 24 hours, the skin returns to normal
2005
YouTube – the online video sharing and viewing community – was invented in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim.
Sources: Various Web Sites
Ivan's Blog 
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