The 20th Century's Most Important Inventions
The 20th Century's Most Important Inventions
The 20th century was a pivotal time in human advancement. Many of today's everyday items were invented in that century and prove just as useful now as they were then. Let's examine some of the most important inventions of the 20th century.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are still saving lives today—all thanks to a 1928 invention by British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming. The scientist noticed that mold was growing on bacteria in a petri dish in his lab. He was able to isolate the mold and invented penicillin, the original antibiotic. It transformed medicine and saved countless lives.
Airplanes
The invention of airplanes in 1903 transformed travel. The airplane was invented by Orville and Wilbur Wright, who built on the works of George Cayley, who himself was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci.
The Wright Brothers' airplane took to the skies in 1903 and is recognized as the first "controlled, heavier-than-air powered flight".
Airbags
These life-saving devices were invented in 1952 by John W Hettrick, who invented an air-filled bladder that would inflate rapidly using compressed air, in the event of a collision. His airbag system coincided with the development of sensors on vehicles. This dramatically reduced the number of serious injuries from collisions.
Automobiles
But before there was the airbag, there was the automobile. Henry Ford is widely credited with making the automobile widely available to the public—but the first instance of an automobile can reasonably be attributed to Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. These German inventors filed their patents on the same day in 1886. Benz's machine was three-wheeled and featured an internal combustion engine. Daimler's design was four-wheeled and powered by a gasoline engine.
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