Inventions Facts for Kids
Genius facts about great inventions
The tin can for preserving food was invented in 1810 by Peter Durand in England. Strangely, the tin opener was not invented for another 48 years, so people had to use chisels and hammers to open cans.
Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanised rubber in 1839 when he accidentally dropped a mixture of rubber and sulphur on a hot stove. The result was a tough, flexible material that did not melt in summer or crack in winter.
The escalator was patented by Jesse Reno in 1892 and first appeared as a fun ride at Coney Island amusement park in New York. It was not until 1898 that escalators were installed in department stores.
Whitcomb Judson invented the zip fastener in 1893, but it took more than 20 years before it became widely popular. The military began using zips on uniforms during World War One, which helped spread the idea.
The first permanent photograph was taken in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce using a camera obscura and a pewter plate coated with bitumen. The exposure took about eight hours in sunlight.
James Watt improved the steam engine in the 1760s, making it efficient enough to power factories and locomotives. His invention is often called the spark that lit the Industrial Revolution.
The internet grew out of a US military project called ARPANET, which sent its first message in 1969. The message was meant to be 'LOGIN' but the system crashed after just two letters — 'LO'.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989 while working at a physics laboratory in Switzerland. He gave his invention to the world for free, refusing to patent it.
Scottish inventor John Logie Baird made the first public demonstration of television in London in 1926, using a system based on spinning discs. His first clear TV picture was of a ventriloquist's dummy called Stooky Bill.
Guglielmo Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio signal in 1901, transmitting the Morse code letter 'S' from Cornwall, England, to Newfoundland, Canada. Many scientists had said such a feat was impossible.