Inventions Facts for Kids
Genius facts about great inventions
Nylon was the world's first synthetic fibre, invented by Wallace Carothers at DuPont in 1935. It was first sold as toothbrush bristles in 1938 before being used to make stockings the following year.
Robert Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fuelled rocket in 1926 from a field in Massachusetts — it flew for just 2.5 seconds and reached a height of about 12 metres. His work laid the foundation for all modern space rockets.
The Wright brothers made the first powered aeroplane flight on 17 December 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their first flight lasted only 12 seconds and covered just 36 metres — less than the wingspan of a modern jumbo jet.
The first submarine used in combat was the Turtle, built in 1775 during the American Revolution. It was a one-person wooden vessel shaped like a walnut that the pilot had to hand-crank to move through the water.
René Laënnec invented the stethoscope in 1816 by rolling up paper into a tube to listen to a patient's heartbeat. He had been too embarrassed to press his ear directly against the patient's chest.
Reading glasses were invented around 1290 in Italy and were initially used mainly by monks and scholars who spent hours copying manuscripts. Early lenses were made from polished gemstones or glass.
Blaise Pascal built one of the first mechanical calculators in 1642 at the age of 18 to help his father add up tax figures. It could only add and subtract, but it was a breakthrough in computing history.
The first friction matches were invented in 1826 by English chemist John Walker, who discovered the mix while scraping a stirring rod clean on a hearth. He never patented his invention, so others soon copied and improved it.
The ancient Romans invented a form of concrete using volcanic ash that has lasted over 2,000 years — some Roman structures are still standing today. Modern scientists are studying Roman concrete to make our buildings more durable.
Alessandro Volta invented the first true battery in 1800, called the Voltaic pile, by stacking discs of zinc and copper separated by salt-soaked cloth. The unit of electric voltage — the 'volt' — is named in his honour.