Inventions Facts for Kids
Genius facts about great inventions
Toilet paper was first used in China in the 6th century AD and was considered a luxury item. The first commercially packaged toilet paper on a roll was invented by Seth Wheeler in the United States in 1891.
The first modern fire extinguisher was patented by British captain George William Manby in 1818. It contained compressed potassium carbonate solution — very different from the dry powder or foam extinguishers we use today.
Galileo invented an early thermoscope around 1592, but it had no scale and was not very accurate. Daniel Fahrenheit invented the mercury thermometer with a standardised scale in 1714, followed by Anders Celsius who created his centigrade scale in 1742.
The first loudspeaker was developed by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 as part of his telephone system. The modern moving-coil loudspeaker, which works by vibrating a cone, was invented by Chester Rice and Edward Kellogg in 1925.
Liquid Paper correction fluid was invented in 1951 by bank secretary Bette Nesmith Graham, who used white tempera paint to cover her typing mistakes. She mixed batches in her kitchen blender and sold them to colleagues before patenting the product.
The world's first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840. Before stamps, the person receiving a letter had to pay for it — which meant people often refused to accept expensive deliveries.
The first TV remote control, called the 'Lazy Bones', was invented by Zenith Radio Corporation in 1950. It was connected to the TV by a long cable — the first wireless remote was not invented until 1956.
The first practical solar cell was invented at Bell Laboratories in the USA in 1954 and had an efficiency of just 6%. Today's best solar cells can convert more than 40% of sunlight into electricity.
Skateboards were invented in California in the 1950s by surfers who wanted something to ride on flat days when the waves were too small. The first skateboards were made from planks of wood with roller-skate wheels attached underneath.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) was developed by the US military in the 1970s and became fully operational in 1995. It uses signals from 24 satellites orbiting Earth to pinpoint any location on the planet within a few metres.