Inventions Facts for Kids
Genius facts about great inventions
Band-Aids were invented in 1920 by Earle Dickson for his wife, who kept cutting herself while cooking.
Electric cars were actually invented before gasoline cars — the first crude electric vehicle was built around 1832.
The tin can was invented in 1810, but the tin can opener was not invented until 1858 — people used hammers and chisels for nearly 50 years!
The first demonstration of colour television took place in 1928 by Scottish inventor John Logie Baird, but it took decades before colour TV became common in homes.
The first ever photographic self-portrait was taken by Robert Cornelius in 1839. He had to stand still for over a minute!
The modern friction match was invented in 1826 by English pharmacist John Walker, who accidentally scraped a stick coated in chemicals and it burst into flame.
Ada Lovelace is widely regarded as the first computer programmer. In the 1840s, she wrote instructions for a machine that had not even been built yet.
The first practical automatic dishwasher was invented in 1886 by Josephine Cochrane, who was frustrated that her servants kept chipping her fine china.
The very first text message was sent in 1992, and it said 'Merry Christmas'.
The implantable cardiac pacemaker was invented by accident in 1956 when engineer Wilson Greatbatch used the wrong resistor in a heart-rhythm recording device and noticed it produced electrical pulses.