Inventions
2062 inventions across 8 eras. Each invention emerged not from individual genius but from the convergence of conditions—the "adjacent possible."
44 with full evolutionary narratives
3G cellular network
3G cellular network - requires enrichment
5G cellular network
5G cellular network - requires enrichment
Abacus
The abacus did not emerge to solve abstract mathematical problems. It emerged to count grain—specifically, to manage the complex accounting that templ...
Abjad
Abjad - requires enrichment
Absorption refrigerator
Absorption refrigerator - requires enrichment
Accordion
Accordion - requires enrichment
Acetone
Acetone - requires enrichment
Acetylsalicylic acid
first synthesis in 1853; the Aspirin entry represents improvements in synthesis and commercialization that allowed the widespread use of Aspirin in me...
Acheson process
Process to make synthetic graphite and silicon carbide
Acheulean stone tool
Acheulean stone tool - requires enrichment
Achromatic lens and achromatic telescope
Achromatic lens and achromatic telescope - requires enrichment
Acrylic glass
Acrylic glass - requires enrichment
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint - requires enrichment
Active-pixel sensor
Active-pixel and CMOS sensors aren't exactly the same thing, but CMOS is by far the most common type of APS today
Advanced driver-assistance system
Advanced driver-assistance system - requires enrichment
Advanced Encryption Standard
Advanced Encryption Standard - requires enrichment
Aeolipile
Aeolipile - requires enrichment
Aerogel
Aerogel - requires enrichment
Aerosledge
Aerosledge - requires enrichment
Agar
Agar - requires enrichment
Agar plate
Agar plate - requires enrichment
Agent Orange
Agent Orange - requires enrichment
Air conditioner
Air conditioner - requires enrichment
Air fryer
Air fryer - requires enrichment
Air gun
Air gun - requires enrichment
Air-independent submarine
Air-independent submarine - requires enrichment
Airbag
Airbag - requires enrichment
Aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier - requires enrichment
Aircraft carrier with full-length flight deck
Aircraft carrier with full-length flight deck - requires enrichment
Aircraft dope
Aircraft dope - requires enrichment
Aircraft steam catapult
Aircraft steam catapult - requires enrichment
Airless tire
Airless tire - requires enrichment
Airplane
Airplane - requires enrichment
Airship with manual propulsion
crossed the English channel in 1785
Alcohol fermentation
Alcohol fermentation - requires enrichment
Alcohol thermometer
Alcohol thermometer - requires enrichment
Alembic
Alembic - requires enrichment
Alexanderson alternator
Alexanderson alternator - requires enrichment
AlexNet
Landmark machine learning breakthrough
Alkaline fuel cell
Alkaline fuel cell - requires enrichment
Alphabet with vowels
Alphabet with vowels - requires enrichment
Alternating current
Alternating current - requires enrichment
Alum
Alum - requires enrichment
Aluminium
Aluminium - requires enrichment
Amate
Amate - requires enrichment
Ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride - requires enrichment
Amphetamine
Amphetamine - requires enrichment
Amphora
Amphora - requires enrichment
Amplifier
Amplifier - requires enrichment
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation - requires enrichment
Analog computer
Antikythera mechanism possibly from Rhodes, possibly involved Hipparchus.
Analog optical disc
Analog optical disc - requires enrichment
Analytical engine
Analytical engine - requires enrichment
Anchor escapement
Anchor escapement - requires enrichment
Anemometer
Anemometer - requires enrichment
Aniline
Aniline - requires enrichment
Animal cloning
Animal cloning - requires enrichment
Animal cloning from adult cells
Animal cloning from adult cells - requires enrichment
Animal-driven rotary mill
possibly in Carthaginian Sardinia
Anode ray
Anode ray - requires enrichment
Anthrax vaccine
Anthrax vaccine - requires enrichment
Antimony
Antimony - requires enrichment
Antivirus software
From Wikipedia: "There are competing claims for the innovator of the first antivirus product. Possibly, the first publicly documented removal of an "i...
Aqua regia
Aqua regia - requires enrichment
Aqueduct
Aqueduct - requires enrichment
Arc converter
Arc converter - requires enrichment
Arc lamp
Arc lamp - requires enrichment
Arcade video game
Arcade video game - requires enrichment
Arch dam
Arch dam - requires enrichment
Archimedes' screw
Archimedes' screw - requires enrichment
Archipendulum
Archipendulum - requires enrichment
Ard plough
Ard plough - requires enrichment
Argand lamp
Argand lamp - requires enrichment
Argon
Argon - requires enrichment
Arithmetic mean
Arithmetic mean - requires enrichment
Arithmometer
First commercially successful mechanical calculator
Armed car
Armed car - requires enrichment
Armillary sphere (China)
Armillary sphere (China) - requires enrichment
Armillary sphere (Greece)
Armillary sphere (Greece) - requires enrichment
Armoured car
Armoured car - requires enrichment
Armstrong gun
Armstrong gun - requires enrichment
Arquebus and matchlock
Arquebus and matchlock - requires enrichment
Arsenic
Arsenic - requires enrichment
Arsenical bronze
Arsenical bronze - requires enrichment
Articulated tram
Articulated tram - requires enrichment
Artificial heart
Artificial heart - requires enrichment
Artificial horizon
Artificial horizon - requires enrichment
Artificial neural network
Artificial neural network - requires enrichment
Artificial refrigeration
Artificial refrigeration - requires enrichment
Artificial satellite
Artificial satellite - requires enrichment
Asbestos (industrial use)
Asbestos (industrial use) - requires enrichment
Aschheim-Zondek pregnancy test
Aschheim-Zondek pregnancy test - requires enrichment
Aspartame
Aspartame - requires enrichment
Aspirin
Aspirin - requires enrichment
Astrolabe
Astrolabe - requires enrichment
Atmospheric diving suit
Atmospheric diving suit - requires enrichment
Atmospheric railway
First demonstration in London in 1840, first line in Dublin in 1843
Atomic bomb
Atomic bomb - requires enrichment
Atomic clock
Atomic clock - requires enrichment
Atomic layer deposition
Atomic layer deposition - requires enrichment
Attention mechanism
Attention mechanism - requires enrichment
Aulos
Aulos - requires enrichment
Aurignacian stone tool
Aurignacian stone tool - requires enrichment
Autochrome
first commercially successful color photography process
Autoclave
Autoclave - requires enrichment
Autoclaved aerated concrete
Autoclaved aerated concrete - requires enrichment
Autogyro
Autogyro - requires enrichment
Automated anti-aircraft fire-control system
Automated anti-aircraft fire-control system - requires enrichment
Automated external defibrillator
Automated external defibrillator - requires enrichment
Automated insulin delivery system
Automated insulin delivery system - requires enrichment
Automatic fire sprinkler
Automatic fire sprinkler - requires enrichment
Automatic flour mill
Automatic flour mill - requires enrichment
Automatic loom
Automatic loom - requires enrichment
Automatic machine gun
The Maxim gun: first practical self-powered machine gun
Automatic milking system
Automatic milking system - requires enrichment
Automatic rice cooker
Automatic rice cooker - requires enrichment
Automatic telephone exchange
Automatic telephone exchange - requires enrichment
Automatic teller machine
Automatic teller machine - requires enrichment
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission - requires enrichment
Automobile
Automobile - requires enrichment
Backpropagation
Backpropagation - requires enrichment
Backstaff
Backstaff - requires enrichment
Bacteriophages
Bacteriophages - requires enrichment
Bagpipes
Bagpipes - requires enrichment
Bakelite
first fully synthetic plastic
Baking powder
Baking powder - requires enrichment
Balance scale
Balance scale - requires enrichment
Balance spring
Disputed priority between Hooke and Huygens
Balance wheel
Balance wheel - requires enrichment
Ball-and-disk integrator
Ball-and-disk integrator - requires enrichment
Ballista
Ballista - requires enrichment
Ballistic missile
Ballistic missile - requires enrichment
Ballistic missile submarine
Ballistic missile submarine - requires enrichment
Ballpoint pen
Ballpoint pen - requires enrichment
Banjo
Banjo - requires enrichment
Banknote seal
Banknote seal - requires enrichment
Barbat
Barbat - requires enrichment
Barbed wire
Barbed wire - requires enrichment
Barium
First isolation of the element
Barometer
Barometer - requires enrichment
Baroque guitar
Baroque guitar - requires enrichment
Barrel
Barrel - requires enrichment
Basic oxygen steelmaking
Basic oxygen steelmaking - requires enrichment
Bass guitar
Bass guitar - requires enrichment
Bassoon
Bassoon - requires enrichment
Bathyscaphe
Bathyscaphe - requires enrichment
Bayer process
Bayer process - requires enrichment
Bayonet
Bayonet - requires enrichment
Beaufort scale
Beaufort scale - requires enrichment
Bed
Bed - requires enrichment
Beekeeping
Beekeeping - requires enrichment
Beet sugar factory
Beet sugar factory - requires enrichment
Benzene
Benzene - requires enrichment
Bergius process
Bergius process - requires enrichment
Beryllium
Beryllium - requires enrichment
Bessemer process
The modern process is named after its inventor, the Englishman Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1856. The process was said to b...
Beta blocker
Beta blocker - requires enrichment
Bidet
Bidet - requires enrichment
Bidriware
Bidriware - requires enrichment
Bimetallic strip
Bimetallic strip - requires enrichment
Bimetallic thermostat
Bimetallic thermostat - requires enrichment
Binocular microscope
In the 1850s, John Leonard Riddell, Professor of Chemistry at Tulane University, invented the first practical binocular microscope while carrying out...
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature - requires enrichment
Bipolar junction transistor
Bipolar junction transistor - requires enrichment
Birch bark manuscript
Birch bark manuscript - requires enrichment
Bireme
Bireme - requires enrichment
Bismuth
Bismuth - requires enrichment
Bitumen
Bitumen - requires enrichment
Blast furnace
Blast furnace - requires enrichment
Blockchain
Blockchain - requires enrichment
Bloomery
Bloomery - requires enrichment
Blu-ray
Blu-ray - requires enrichment
Blue and white pottery
Blue and white pottery - requires enrichment
Blue laser
Blue laser - requires enrichment
Blue LED
Blue LED - requires enrichment
Blueprint
Blueprint - requires enrichment
Bluetooth
Bluetooth - requires enrichment
Boat
Boat - requires enrichment
Bobbinet machine
Bobbinet machine - requires enrichment
Bolt-action rifle
based on previous work with breech-loading rifles
Bomba kryptologiczna
Bomba kryptologiczna - requires enrichment
Bombe (cryptology)
Bombe (cryptology) - requires enrichment
Bombsight
Bombsight - requires enrichment
Bone tool
Bone tool - requires enrichment
Boomerang
Specifically returning boomerangs. Also independently invented elsewhere (North America, Egypt, Europe)
Borehole drilling
Borehole drilling - requires enrichment
Boring machine
Sometimes called the first machine tool
Boron
First isolation of the element
Bow and arrow
Bow and arrow - requires enrichment
Bow drill
Bow drill - requires enrichment
Box kite
Box kite - requires enrichment
Boyden turbine
Boyden turbine - requires enrichment
Boyle's air pump
Boyle's air pump - requires enrichment
Brace
Brace - requires enrichment
Braille
Braille - requires enrichment
Brainbow
Brainbow - requires enrichment
Brake lining
Brake lining - requires enrichment
Bramah lock
Bramah lock - requires enrichment
Brass
Brass - requires enrichment
Bread
Bread - requires enrichment
Bronze bell
Bronze bell - requires enrichment
Bubble chamber
Bubble chamber - requires enrichment
Bubonic plague vaccine
Bubonic plague vaccine - requires enrichment
Bucket chain excavator
Bucket chain excavator - requires enrichment
Bucket-wheel excavator
Bucket-wheel excavator - requires enrichment
Bude-Light
Bude-Light - requires enrichment
Buisine
Buisine - requires enrichment
Bulla
Bulla - requires enrichment
Bulldozer
Bulldozer - requires enrichment
Bulletin board system
Bulletin board system - requires enrichment
Bullroarer
Bullroarer - requires enrichment
Bunsen burner
Bunsen burner - requires enrichment
Burr mill
Burr mill - requires enrichment
Byzantine lyra
Byzantine lyra - requires enrichment
Cable car
Cable car - requires enrichment
Cable car tram
Cable car tram - requires enrichment
Cable television
Cable television - requires enrichment
Cadmium
Cadmium - requires enrichment
Cadmium pigments
Cadmium pigments - requires enrichment
Caffeine
Caffeine - requires enrichment
Calcium
First isolation of the element
Calcium carbide production
independently discovered by Willson and Moissan in the same year
Calculus
Calculus - requires enrichment
Calico
Calico - requires enrichment
Caliper
Caliper - requires enrichment
Calotype
Calotype - requires enrichment
Calutron
Technique for uranium enrichment
Cam
Cam - requires enrichment
Camera lucida
Camera lucida - requires enrichment
Camera obscura
Camera obscura - requires enrichment
Camera phone
Camera phone - requires enrichment
Campbell–Stokes recorder
Campbell–Stokes recorder - requires enrichment
Can opener
Can opener - requires enrichment
Can opener with serrated wheel
Can opener with serrated wheel - requires enrichment
Candle
Candle - requires enrichment
Candle clock
Candle clock - requires enrichment
Canning
Canning - requires enrichment
Cannon
"The earliest known depiction of a cannon is a sculpture from the Dazu Rock Carvings in Sichuan dated to 1128, however, the earliest archaeological sa...
Cantilever bridge
Cantilever bridge - requires enrichment
Capillary action
Capillary action - requires enrichment
Capsule endoscopy
Capsule endoscopy - requires enrichment
Caravel
Caravel - requires enrichment
Carbide lamp
Carbide lamp - requires enrichment
Carbon arc welding
Carbon arc welding - requires enrichment
Carbon fibers
Carbon fibers - requires enrichment
Carbon microphone
Considered to have been independently invented by Hughes in England and Edison and Berliner in the US
Carbon paper
Carbon paper - requires enrichment
Carbon-14
Carbon-14 - requires enrichment
Carbon-dioxide laser
Carbon-dioxide laser - requires enrichment
Carbonated water
Carbonated water - requires enrichment
Cardboard
Cardboard - requires enrichment
Carding
Carding - requires enrichment
Carnot cycle
Carnot cycle - requires enrichment
Carousel slide projector
Carousel slide projector - requires enrichment
Carrack
Carrack - requires enrichment
Carruca
Carruca - requires enrichment
Cartesian coordinate system
Cartesian coordinate system - requires enrichment
Carvel boat building
Carvel boat building - requires enrichment
Cash register
Cash register - requires enrichment
Cassegrain reflector telescope
Cassegrain reflector telescope - requires enrichment
Cassette deck
Cassette deck - requires enrichment
Cassette tape
Cassette tape - requires enrichment
Cast iron
Cast iron - requires enrichment
Cast stone
Cast stone - requires enrichment
Castle
image shows the Castle Site of Montbazon, built in the late 10th or 11th century
Catalytic converter
Catalytic converter - requires enrichment
Catamaran
Catamaran - requires enrichment
Cataract surgery
speculatively, may be mentioned in Mesopotamian and Egyptian sources
Cathode ray
Cathode ray - requires enrichment
Cathode-ray tube
Cathode-ray tube - requires enrichment
Cave painting
Cave painting - requires enrichment
Cavity magnetron
Cavity magnetron - requires enrichment
Celestial globe
Celestial globe - requires enrichment
Cell
Cell - requires enrichment
Cell phone
Cell phone - requires enrichment
Cell theory
Cell theory - requires enrichment
Cellophane
Cellophane - requires enrichment
Cellophane adhesive tape
Cellophane adhesive tape - requires enrichment
Cellular network
Cellular network - requires enrichment
Celluloid
improvement on Parkesine, using camphor
Cellulose
Cellulose - requires enrichment
Cellulose acetate film
aka "safety film" because it's less flammable than nitrocellulose
Celsius scale
Celsius scale - requires enrichment
Central dogma of molecular biology
Central dogma of molecular biology - requires enrichment
Central processing unit
Central processing unit - requires enrichment
Centrifuge
Centrifuge - requires enrichment
Ceramic
Ceramic - requires enrichment
Ceramic bell
Ceramic bell - requires enrichment
Cerulean blue
Cerulean blue - requires enrichment
Chain mail
Chain mail - requires enrichment
Chain pump
Chain pump - requires enrichment
Chain rule
first mention in 1676, the year that Leibniz left Paris, visited London, and settled in Hanover
Chamberland water filter
Chamberland water filter - requires enrichment
Charcoal
first use of pure carbon
Charge qubit
Charge qubit - requires enrichment
Charged-coupled device
Charged-coupled device - requires enrichment
Chariot
Chariot - requires enrichment
Chatbot
Chatbot - requires enrichment
Chemically strengthened glass
Chemically strengthened glass - requires enrichment
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy - requires enrichment
Cheque
Cheque - requires enrichment
Chess automaton
Chess automaton - requires enrichment
Chinampa
Chinampa - requires enrichment
Chinese treasure ship
Chinese treasure ship - requires enrichment
Chintz
Chintz - requires enrichment
Chlorine
Chlorine - requires enrichment
Chlorofluorocarbons
Chlorofluorocarbons - requires enrichment
Chocolate
Chocolate - requires enrichment
Chocolate bar
Chocolate bar - requires enrichment
Cholera vaccine
Cholera vaccine - requires enrichment
Chromatography
Chromatography - requires enrichment
Chromic acid cell
Chromic acid cell - requires enrichment
Chromium
Chromium - requires enrichment
Chromosome theory of inheritance
independent work by Boveri and Sutton around the same time
Chromosomes
Chromosomes - requires enrichment
Chronophotographic gun
Chronophotographic gun - requires enrichment
Chronophotography
Chronophotography - requires enrichment
Cigar
Cigar - requires enrichment
Cigarette
Cigarette - requires enrichment
Cinematograph
Cinematograph - requires enrichment
Cipher disk
Cipher disk - requires enrichment
Circular knitting machine
Circular knitting machine - requires enrichment
Clarinet
Clarinet - requires enrichment
Clark electrode
Clark electrode - requires enrichment
Class-D amplifier
Class-D amplifier - requires enrichment
Claude air liquefaction
Claude air liquefaction - requires enrichment
Claus process
Claus process - requires enrichment
Clavichord
Clavichord - requires enrichment
Clay tokens
Clay tokens - requires enrichment
Clinker boat building
Clinker boat building - requires enrichment
Cloisonné
Cloisonné - requires enrichment
Closed-core transformer
Closed-core transformer - requires enrichment
Clothing
Clothing - requires enrichment
Cloud chamber
Cloud chamber - requires enrichment
Cloud computing
Cloud computing - requires enrichment
CMOS
CMOS - requires enrichment
Coade stone
Coade stone - requires enrichment
Coal gas and gas lighting
Sometimes attributed to William Murdoch in the UK and Philippe LeBon in France
Coal mining
Coal mining - requires enrichment
Coal power plant
Coal power plant - requires enrichment
Coal tar
Coal tar - requires enrichment
Coat of plates
Coat of plates - requires enrichment
Cobalt
Cobalt - requires enrichment
Cobalt blue
Cobalt blue - requires enrichment
Cocaine
Cocaine - requires enrichment
Cochineal dye
Cochineal dye - requires enrichment
Cochlear implant
Cochlear implant - requires enrichment
Cockcroft–Walton generator
Cockcroft–Walton generator - requires enrichment
Cocoa powder
Cocoa powder - requires enrichment
Codex
Codex - requires enrichment
Coffee
Coffee - requires enrichment
Coffee filter
Coffee filter - requires enrichment
Coffee percolator
Coffee percolator - requires enrichment
Cog
Cog - requires enrichment
Coins
Coins - requires enrichment
Coke (fuel)
Coke (fuel) - requires enrichment
Collodion
Collodion - requires enrichment
Collodion wet-plate photography
Collodion wet-plate photography - requires enrichment
Color motion picture film
Color motion picture film - requires enrichment
Color photography
idea by Maxwell in 1855, first photo in 1861 by Sutton
Color television
Color television - requires enrichment
Colt revolver
Colt revolver - requires enrichment
Combination lock
Combination lock - requires enrichment
Combine harvester
Combine harvester - requires enrichment
Combined oral contraceptive pill
Combined oral contraceptive pill - requires enrichment
Commercial telegraphy
Commercial telegraphy - requires enrichment
Communications satellite
Communications satellite - requires enrichment
Commutated rotary electric motor
Commutated rotary electric motor - requires enrichment
Compact disc
Compact disc - requires enrichment
Compact fluorescent lamp
Compact fluorescent lamp - requires enrichment
Compass
Compass - requires enrichment
Complete garment knitting machine
Complete garment knitting machine - requires enrichment
Composite bow
Composite bow - requires enrichment
Compound bow
Compound bow - requires enrichment
Compound microscope
Compound microscope - requires enrichment
Comptometer
Comptometer - requires enrichment
Compton scattering
Compton scattering - requires enrichment
Computer mouse
Computer mouse - requires enrichment
Computer network
Computer network - requires enrichment
Computer program
First computer program: Note G, an algorithm for Bernoulli numbers written by Ada Lovelace as supplementary material for a paper on the Analytical Eng...
Computer-assisted instruction system
Computer-assisted instruction system - requires enrichment
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery - requires enrichment
Concept of chemical element
Concept of chemical element - requires enrichment
Conching
Conching - requires enrichment
Concrete
Concrete - requires enrichment
Condensed milk
Condensed milk - requires enrichment
Condenser
Condenser - requires enrichment
Condenser microphone
Condenser microphone - requires enrichment
Conex box
Conex box - requires enrichment
Congreve rocket
Congreve rocket - requires enrichment
Construction mortar
Construction mortar - requires enrichment
Contact lens
Contact lens - requires enrichment
Contact process
Contact process - requires enrichment
Container ship
Container ship - requires enrichment
Continuous track snow vehicle
Continuous track snow vehicle - requires enrichment
Continuous track tractor
Continuous track tractor - requires enrichment
Continuous track vehicle
Continuous track vehicle - requires enrichment
Continuously recording camera
Continuously recording camera - requires enrichment
Control of fire
Fire didn't wait for a clever hominid to "discover" it. Fire waited for conditions that would make its control inevitable—and those conditions took mi...
Controlled-access highway
Controlled-access highway - requires enrichment
Convection oven
Convection oven - requires enrichment
Convolutional neural network
Convolutional neural network - requires enrichment
Convulsive therapy
Uses the drug metrazol to induce seizure; replaced by electroconvulsive therapy after 1938
Cooling tower
Cooling tower - requires enrichment
Copernican heliocentrism
Copernican heliocentrism - requires enrichment
Copper
Copper - requires enrichment
Copper pipes
Pyramid of Sahure in Egypt
Copper smelting
Copper smelting - requires enrichment
Copying lathe
Copying lathe - requires enrichment
Corbel arch
Corbel arch - requires enrichment
Corbel arch bridge
Corbel arch bridge - requires enrichment
Corliss steam engine
Corliss steam engine - requires enrichment
Corn tortilla
Corn tortilla - requires enrichment
Corneal contact lens
Corneal contact lens - requires enrichment
Cornu helicopter
first rotary wing aircraft to achieve free flight
Corridor
Corridor - requires enrichment
Corrugated fiberboard
Improved by Oliver Long in 1874 by having liner sheets on both sides of the corrugated part
Corrugated iron
Corrugated iron - requires enrichment
Cotton (New World)
Cotton (New World) - requires enrichment
Cotton (Old World)
Cotton (Old World) - requires enrichment
Cotton gin
Cotton gin - requires enrichment
Counterweight trebuchet
Counterweight trebuchet - requires enrichment
Crab claw sail
Crab claw sail - requires enrichment
Crane
Crane - requires enrichment
Crank
Crank - requires enrichment
Crank-slider mechanism
Crank-slider mechanism - requires enrichment
Cream of tartar
Cream of tartar - requires enrichment
Credit card
Credit card - requires enrichment
CRISPR gene editing
CRISPR gene editing - requires enrichment
Crochet
Crochet - requires enrichment
Crookes radiometer
Crookes radiometer - requires enrichment
Crookes tube
Crookes tube - requires enrichment
Crossbow (China)
Crossbow (China) - requires enrichment
Crossbow (Greece)
It's possible that crossbows spread from China to Europe, but there are differences in mechanism
Crucible
Crucible - requires enrichment
Crucible steel
Crucible steel - requires enrichment
Cruise control
Cruise control - requires enrichment
Cruise missile
Cruise missile - requires enrichment
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency - requires enrichment
Crystal detector
Crystal detector - requires enrichment
Crystal oscillator
Crystal oscillator - requires enrichment
Crystal radio
Crystal radio - requires enrichment
Crystallized sugar
Crystallized sugar - requires enrichment
CT scan
CT scan - requires enrichment
Cultured meat
Cultured meat - requires enrichment
Cultured pearl
Cultured pearl - requires enrichment
Cupronickel
Cupronickel - requires enrichment
Curta calculator
Invented in Vienna in 1938, but delayed by WWII and first manufactured in Liechtenstein in 1948
Cyanoacrylate
Cyanoacrylate - requires enrichment
Cyclostyle
Cyclostyle - requires enrichment
Cyclotron
Cyclotron - requires enrichment
Cylinder seal
Cylinder seal - requires enrichment
Czochralski method
Czochralski method - requires enrichment
Daguerreotype
Daguerreotype - requires enrichment
Dandy horse
Dandy horse - requires enrichment
Daniell cell
First battery to be a practical source of electrical current
Data Encryption Standard
Data Encryption Standard - requires enrichment
Davy lamp
Davy lamp - requires enrichment
DDT
DDT - requires enrichment
DDT insecticide
DDT insecticide - requires enrichment
de Laval nozzle
de Laval nozzle - requires enrichment
De Rivaz engine
first internal combustion engine to power a land vehicle
Decaffeinated coffee
Decaffeinated coffee - requires enrichment
Deep ultraviolet lithography
Deep ultraviolet lithography - requires enrichment
Defibrillator
Defibrillator - requires enrichment
Dental braces
Dental braces - requires enrichment
Dental filling
Dental filling - requires enrichment
Dentures
Dentures - requires enrichment
Depth sounding
Depth sounding - requires enrichment
Destroyer
Destroyer - requires enrichment
Detent escapement
Detent escapement - requires enrichment
Deuterium
Deuterium - requires enrichment
Dhow
Dhow - requires enrichment
Diamond anvil cell
Diamond anvil cell - requires enrichment
Dichroic glass
data for the Lycurgus cup, the earliest known item made of dichroic glass
Dictionary
Dictionary - requires enrichment
Didymium
Didymium - requires enrichment
Diesel engine
Diesel engine - requires enrichment
Diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive - requires enrichment
Diesel power shovel
Diesel power shovel - requires enrichment
Difference engine
Difference engine - requires enrichment
Differential gear
Differential gear - requires enrichment
Diffusion pump
Diffusion pump - requires enrichment
Digging stick
Digging stick - requires enrichment
Digital audio player
Digital audio player - requires enrichment
Digital camera
Digital camera - requires enrichment
Digital cellular network
Digital cellular network - requires enrichment
Digital currency
Digital currency - requires enrichment
Digital electronic watch
Digital electronic watch - requires enrichment
Digital programmable computer
Digital programmable computer - requires enrichment
Digital video recorder
Digital video recorder - requires enrichment
Dilution refrigerator
Dilution refrigerator - requires enrichment
Dioptra
Dioptra - requires enrichment
Directed evolution
Directed evolution - requires enrichment
Dirigible
Dirigible - requires enrichment
Disappearing-filament pyrometer
Disappearing-filament pyrometer - requires enrichment
Discovery of Neptune
Discovery of Neptune - requires enrichment
Discovery of Uranus
Discovery of Uranus - requires enrichment
Discovery of viruses
Discovery of viruses - requires enrichment
Discrete cosine transform
Discrete cosine transform - requires enrichment
Dishwasher
Dishwasher - requires enrichment
Dissolving views
Dissolving views - requires enrichment
Distillation
Distillation - requires enrichment
Divinatory compass
Divinatory compass - requires enrichment
Diving bell
Diving bell - requires enrichment
Diving helmet
Diving helmet - requires enrichment
Diving machine
Diving machine - requires enrichment
Diving regulator
Diving regulator - requires enrichment
DNA as the carrier of information
DNA as the carrier of information - requires enrichment
DNA ligase
DNA ligase - requires enrichment
DNA polymerase
DNA polymerase - requires enrichment
DNA profiling
DNA profiling - requires enrichment
DNA sequencer
DNA sequencer - requires enrichment
DNA sequencing
Sanger sequencing and Maxam-Gilbert sequencing were developed independently approximately in the same year (1977). They use different techniques. Sang...
Döbereiner's lamp
one of the first lighters
Dock
Dock - requires enrichment
Dog sled
Dog sled - requires enrichment
Dolby noise-reduction system
Dolby noise-reduction system - requires enrichment
Domain Name System
Domain Name System - requires enrichment
Domestic refrigerator
Domestic refrigerator - requires enrichment
Domestication of barley
Domestication of barley - requires enrichment
Domestication of bees
Domestication of bees - requires enrichment
Domestication of cacao trees
Domestication of cacao trees - requires enrichment
Domestication of cattle
Domestication of cattle - requires enrichment
Domestication of chickens
Domestication of chickens - requires enrichment
Domestication of citrus fruit
Domestication of citrus fruit - requires enrichment
Domestication of coconuts
Domestication of coconuts - requires enrichment
Domestication of cucumbers
Domestication of cucumbers - requires enrichment
Domestication of flax
Domestication of flax - requires enrichment
Domestication of goats
Domestication of goats - requires enrichment
Domestication of llamas and alpacas
Domestication of llamas and alpacas - requires enrichment
Domestication of maize
Domestication of maize - requires enrichment
Domestication of millet
Domestication of millet - requires enrichment
Domestication of pigeons
Domestication of pigeons - requires enrichment
Domestication of pigs (China)
Domestication of pigs (China) - requires enrichment
Domestication of pigs (Near East)
Domestication of pigs (Near East) - requires enrichment
Domestication of potatoes
Domestication of potatoes - requires enrichment
Domestication of rice
Domestication of rice - requires enrichment
Domestication of sheep
Domestication of sheep - requires enrichment
Domestication of soybeans
Domestication of soybeans - requires enrichment
Domestication of sugarcane
Domestication of sugarcane - requires enrichment
Domestication of the camel
Domestication of the camel - requires enrichment
Domestication of the dog
Domestication of the dog - requires enrichment
Domestication of the donkey
Domestication of the donkey - requires enrichment
Domestication of the horse
Domestication of the horse - requires enrichment
Domestication of vanilla
Domestication of vanilla - requires enrichment
Domestication of wheat
Domestication of wheat - requires enrichment
Double bass
Double bass - requires enrichment
Double-acting pin tumbler lock
earliest patent for a pin tumbler lock
Double-action piston bellows
Double-action piston bellows - requires enrichment
Double-edge safety razor
Double-edge safety razor - requires enrichment
Double-slit experiment
Double-slit experiment - requires enrichment
Dragline excavator
Dragline excavator - requires enrichment
Drawloom
Drawloom - requires enrichment
Drink can
Drink can - requires enrichment
Drone
Drone - requires enrichment
Drum
First artificial drums found date from Neolithic China
Drum (container)
Drum (container) - requires enrichment
Dry cell
first dry cell (battery with no liquid). Other versions independently invented by Sakizō Yai in Japan and Wilhelm Hellesen in Denmark
Dry compass
Dry compass - requires enrichment
Dry dock
Dry dock - requires enrichment
Dry latrines
Dry latrines - requires enrichment
Dry photographic plate
Dry photographic plate - requires enrichment
Drywall
Drywall - requires enrichment
Duct tape
Duct tape - requires enrichment
Dulcian
Dulcian - requires enrichment
Dumaresq
Dumaresq - requires enrichment
Dutch process cocoa
Dutch process cocoa - requires enrichment
DVD
DVD - requires enrichment
Dye-sensitized solar cell
Dye-sensitized solar cell - requires enrichment
Dynamic random-access memory
Dynamic random-access memory - requires enrichment
Dynamite
Dynamite - requires enrichment
Dynamo
Dynamo - requires enrichment
Dynamo self-excitation
Dynamo self-excitation - requires enrichment
E-reader
E-reader - requires enrichment
Ear trumpet
Ear trumpet - requires enrichment
Earth oven
Earth oven - requires enrichment
Earth's circumference
Earth's circumference - requires enrichment
Ebonite
Ebonite - requires enrichment
EEPROM
EEPROM - requires enrichment
Egyptian blue
First synthetic pigment
Egyptian faience
Unrelated to the other material called "faience"
Egyptian wooden pin tumbler lock
Egyptian wooden pin tumbler lock - requires enrichment
Ejector seat
Ejector seat - requires enrichment
Electret microphone
Most common type of microphone today
Electric arc
independently by Davy (1800, short) and Petrov (1802, long continuous arcs)
Electric arc furnace
Electric arc furnace - requires enrichment
Electric arc steel furnace
Electric arc steel furnace - requires enrichment
Electric car
first human-carrying electric automobile (there were precursor electrically powered vehicles, but they were small prototypes)
Electric chainsaw
Electric chainsaw - requires enrichment
Electric chair
Electric chair - requires enrichment
Electric clock
Electric clock - requires enrichment
Electric drip coffee maker
Electric drip coffee maker - requires enrichment
Electric generator
Electric generator - requires enrichment
Electric guitar
Electric guitar - requires enrichment
Electric hearing aid
Electric hearing aid - requires enrichment
Electric locomotive
Electric locomotive - requires enrichment
Electric motor
Electric motor - requires enrichment
Electric organ
Electric organ - requires enrichment
Electric pen
Electric pen - requires enrichment
Electric shaver
Electric shaver - requires enrichment
Electric stove
Electric stove - requires enrichment
Electric telegraph
first electric telegraph on considerable distance
Electric toaster
Electric toaster - requires enrichment
Electric toothbrush
Electric toothbrush - requires enrichment
Electric traffic light
Electric traffic light - requires enrichment
Electric tram
The picture shows the Gross-Lichterfelde tram in Berlin in 1882, the first commercially successful line
Electric-powered submarine
Electric-powered submarine - requires enrichment
Electrical tape
Electrical tape - requires enrichment
Electrocardiography machine
Electrocardiography machine - requires enrichment
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy - requires enrichment
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography - requires enrichment
Electroluminescence
Electroluminescence - requires enrichment
Electrolysis
Electrolysis - requires enrichment
Electrolysis of water
Electrolysis of water - requires enrichment
Electrolytic detector
Electrolytic detector - requires enrichment
Electromagnet
Electromagnet - requires enrichment
Electromagnetic catapult
Electromagnetic catapult - requires enrichment
Electromagnetic induction
independently discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831 and Joseph Henry in 1832
Electromechanical programmable computer
The Z1: first freely programmable computer in the world
Electromechanical relay
Electromechanical relay - requires enrichment
Electron
Electron - requires enrichment
Electron microscope
Electron microscope - requires enrichment
Electronic calculator
Electronic calculator - requires enrichment
Electronic cigarette
Electronic cigarette - requires enrichment
Electronic digital computer
Electronic digital computer - requires enrichment
Electronic general purpose computer
ENIAC: first programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer
Electronic paper
Electronic paper - requires enrichment
Electronic television
Electronic television - requires enrichment
Electrostatic generator
Electrostatic generator - requires enrichment
Electrotachyscope
Electrotachyscope - requires enrichment
Electrotherapy
Electrotherapy - requires enrichment
Electrotyping
Electrotyping - requires enrichment
Electrum
Electrum - requires enrichment
Elephant clock
Elephant clock - requires enrichment
Elevator
Elevator - requires enrichment
Email - requires enrichment
Embroidery
Embroidery - requires enrichment
Endless chain drive
Endless chain drive - requires enrichment
Enigma machine
Enigma machine - requires enrichment
Epinephrine (medication)
Epinephrine (medication) - requires enrichment
Epinephrine autoinjector
Epinephrine autoinjector - requires enrichment
Epoxy resin
Simultaneous and independent developments by Schlack and Castan in Germany and Switzerland
EPROM
EPROM - requires enrichment
Eraser
Eraser - requires enrichment
Eruptor
Intermediate form between fire lances and cannons, when fire lances began being made of metal and put on frames
Escalator
Escalator - requires enrichment
Espresso machine
Espresso machine - requires enrichment
Ethanol (isolation)
Ethanol (isolation) - requires enrichment
Ether
Ether - requires enrichment
Excimer laser
Excimer laser - requires enrichment
Exoskeleton
Exoskeleton - requires enrichment
External DC defibrillator
External DC defibrillator - requires enrichment
External pacemaker
External pacemaker - requires enrichment
Extreme ultraviolet lithography
Extreme ultraviolet lithography - requires enrichment
Eyeglasses
Eyeglasses - requires enrichment
Facial recognition system
Facial recognition system - requires enrichment
Fahrenheit scale
Fahrenheit scale - requires enrichment
Fast potter's wheel
various possible origins: Sumer, southeast Europe, China, Indus Valley civilizaton
Fax machine
Fax machine - requires enrichment
Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel - requires enrichment
Ferrocement
Ferrocement - requires enrichment
Ferrofluid
Ferrofluid - requires enrichment
Fiberglass
Fiberglass - requires enrichment
Field-effect transistor (concept)
Field-effect transistor (concept) - requires enrichment
Field-programmable gate array
Field-programmable gate array - requires enrichment
Fierce-fire oil cabinet
Double-piston pump naphtha flamethrower; Chinese version of Greek fire, plausibly acquired indirectly (through Arabia) from the West
Fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft - requires enrichment
Finery forge
Finery forge - requires enrichment
Fire arrow
Fire arrow - requires enrichment
Fire engine
Fire engine - requires enrichment
Fire extinguisher
Fire extinguisher - requires enrichment
Fire hydrant
Fire hydrant - requires enrichment
Fire lance
Fire lance - requires enrichment
Fire piston
Fire piston - requires enrichment
Fire-control system
Fire-control system - requires enrichment
Fired bricks
invented in both China and Mesopotamia, details unclear
Firefighting foam
Firefighting foam - requires enrichment
Fireworks
Fireworks - requires enrichment
Fischer–Tropsch process
Fischer–Tropsch process - requires enrichment
Fish hook
Fish hook - requires enrichment
Fishing net
Fishing net - requires enrichment
Fishing reel
Fishing reel - requires enrichment
Flash memory
Flash memory - requires enrichment
Flash powder
Flash powder - requires enrichment
Flashlight
Flashlight - requires enrichment
Flexography
Flexography - requires enrichment
Flintlock musket
Flintlock musket - requires enrichment
Float glass
Inventor and company have the same name by coincidence
Floating dry dock
Floating dry dock - requires enrichment
Floating-gate MOSFET
Floating-gate MOSFET - requires enrichment
Floating-point arithmetic
Floating-point arithmetic - requires enrichment
Floppy disc
Floppy disc - requires enrichment
Fluid catalytic cracking
Fluid catalytic cracking - requires enrichment
Fluked anchor
Fluked anchor - requires enrichment
Fluorescent lamp
Fluorescent lamp - requires enrichment
Fluorine (isolation)
Fluorine (isolation) - requires enrichment
Flush toilet
Flush toilet - requires enrichment
Flute
Flute - requires enrichment
Flux qubit
Flux qubit - requires enrichment
Fluyt
Fluyt - requires enrichment
Flying bomb
Flying bomb - requires enrichment
Flying cash
Precursor to true banknotes during Tang dynasty
Flying shuttle
Flying shuttle - requires enrichment
FM radio
FM radio - requires enrichment
Foam extinguisher
Foam extinguisher - requires enrichment
Focal plane tomography
Focal plane tomography - requires enrichment
Fountain
Fountain - requires enrichment
Fountain pen
Fountain pen - requires enrichment
Four-stroke engine
Four-stroke engine - requires enrichment
Fourdrinier machine
Improvement of the paper machine by Robert
Fourneyron turbine
Fourneyron turbine - requires enrichment
Fracking
Fracking - requires enrichment
Fractional distillation
Fractional distillation - requires enrichment
Fragmentation bomb
Fragmentation bomb - requires enrichment
Francis turbine
Francis turbine - requires enrichment
Franklin stove
Franklin stove - requires enrichment
Frequency analysis
Frequency analysis - requires enrichment
Friction match
Friction match - requires enrichment
Frigate
Frigate - requires enrichment
Frog pregnancy test
Frog pregnancy test - requires enrichment
Froth flotation
Froth flotation - requires enrichment
Fuel cell
Fuel cell - requires enrichment
Fuel pump
Fuel pump - requires enrichment
Full plate armour
Full plate armour - requires enrichment
Fulling mill
Fulling mill - requires enrichment
Fully mechanical clock
Fully mechanical clock - requires enrichment
Fulminate-based firearm
Fulminate-based firearm - requires enrichment
Fulminates
Fulminates - requires enrichment
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Functional magnetic resonance imaging - requires enrichment
Functional programming language
Functional programming language - requires enrichment
Fused filament fabrication
Fused filament fabrication - requires enrichment
Galilean moons
Galilean moons - requires enrichment
Galleon
Galleon - requires enrichment
Galley
Galley - requires enrichment
Gallium
Gallium - requires enrichment
Gallium arsenide
Gallium arsenide - requires enrichment
Gallium nitride
Gallium nitride - requires enrichment
Galvanism
Galvanism - requires enrichment
Galvanometer
Galvanometer - requires enrichment
Gas centrifuge
Gas centrifuge - requires enrichment
Gas mantle
Gas mantle - requires enrichment
Gas mask
Gas mask - requires enrichment
Gas stove
Gas stove - requires enrichment
Gas turbine
Gas turbine - requires enrichment
Gaseous diffusion
Technique for uranium enrichment
Gasoline as fuel
Gasoline as fuel - requires enrichment
Gatling gun
Gatling gun - requires enrichment
Gears
Gears - requires enrichment
Geiger counter
Geiger counter - requires enrichment
Geissler tube
Geissler tube - requires enrichment
Gelignite
Gelignite - requires enrichment
Genaille–Lucas rulers
Genaille–Lucas rulers - requires enrichment
Gene therapy
Gene therapy - requires enrichment
General anesthesia
General anesthesia - requires enrichment
General relativity
General relativity - requires enrichment
General-purpose computing on GPU
General-purpose computing on GPU - requires enrichment
Generative adversarial network
Generative adversarial network - requires enrichment
Genetic code
Genetic code - requires enrichment
Genetically modified animal
Genetically modified animal - requires enrichment
Genetically modified food
Genetically modified food - requires enrichment
Genetically modified organism
Genetically modified organism - requires enrichment
Genetically modified plant
Genetically modified plant - requires enrichment
Geographic information system
Geographic information system - requires enrichment
Geordie lamp
Geordie lamp - requires enrichment
Geothermal power
Geothermal power - requires enrichment
Geothermal power plant
Geothermal power plant - requires enrichment
Germanium
Germanium - requires enrichment
Gilchrist–Thomas process
Gilchrist–Thomas process - requires enrichment
Gimbal
Philo described it and the invention is sometimes attributed to him
Gittern
Gittern - requires enrichment
Glass
Glass - requires enrichment
Glass blowing
Glass blowing - requires enrichment
Glass mirror
Glass mirror - requires enrichment
Glass-ceramic
Glass-ceramic - requires enrichment
Glider
Scientific principles for heavier-than-air, man-carrying gliders were first published in 1799 by Cayley
Globe
Globe - requires enrichment
GLP-1 receptor agonist
GLP-1 receptor agonist - requires enrichment
Glucose (isolation)
Glucose (isolation) - requires enrichment
Glucose meter
First biosensor of any kind
Glue
Glue - requires enrichment
Glutamic acid
Glutamic acid - requires enrichment
Glyphosate
Glyphosate - requires enrichment
Gold
Gold - requires enrichment
Gold cyanidation
Gold cyanidation - requires enrichment
Golden rice
Golden rice - requires enrichment
Golgi's method
Golgi's method - requires enrichment
Goniometer
Goniometer - requires enrichment
GPU
GPU - requires enrichment
Grafting
Grafting - requires enrichment
Grain cradle
Grain cradle - requires enrichment
Grain elevator
Grain elevator - requires enrichment
Graphene
Graphene - requires enrichment
Graphical user interface
Graphical user interface - requires enrichment
Graphite
Graphite - requires enrichment
Graphite pencil
Graphite pencil - requires enrichment
Graphophone
Graphophone - requires enrichment
Greek fire
Greek fire - requires enrichment
Green fluorescent protein
Green fluorescent protein - requires enrichment
Green fluorescent protein imaging
Green fluorescent protein imaging - requires enrichment
Greenhouse
Greenhouse - requires enrichment
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse effect - requires enrichment
Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar - requires enrichment
Grenade
Grenade - requires enrichment
Gristmill
Gristmill - requires enrichment
Ground stone
Ground stone - requires enrichment
Guncotton
Guncotton - requires enrichment
Gunpowder
Gunpowder emerged from a search for immortality. The Taoist alchemists of Tang dynasty China sought elixirs that would grant eternal life—and in their...
Gunpowder piston engine
Gunpowder piston engine - requires enrichment
Gutta-percha (modern use)
Gutta-percha (modern use) - requires enrichment
Gyro gunsight
Gyro gunsight - requires enrichment
Gyrocompass
Gyrocompass - requires enrichment
Gyroscope
Gyroscope - requires enrichment
Haber process
Haber process - requires enrichment
Hafted axe
Hafted axe - requires enrichment
Hafted spear
Hafted spear - requires enrichment
Hafting
Hafting - requires enrichment
Hair dryer
Hair dryer - requires enrichment
Half-track
Half-track - requires enrichment
Hall–Héroult process
Hall–Héroult process - requires enrichment
Halogen lamp
Halogen lamp - requires enrichment
Hampson–Linde air liquefaction
gas liquefaction / air separation. Independently invented in the same year by Linde and Hampson
Han purple and Han blue
Han purple and Han blue - requires enrichment
Hand plane
Hand plane - requires enrichment
Hand-drawn animated film
Hand-drawn animated film - requires enrichment
Handheld electronic game
Handheld electronic game - requires enrichment
Handheld film camera
Handheld film camera - requires enrichment
Handheld game console
Handheld game console - requires enrichment
Handheld hair dryer
Handheld hair dryer - requires enrichment
Hang
Hang - requires enrichment
Hard disk drive
Hard disk drive - requires enrichment
Hardware security module
Hardware security module - requires enrichment
Harmonica
Harmonica - requires enrichment
Harp
Harp - requires enrichment
Harpoon
Harpoon - requires enrichment
Harpoon cannon
Harpoon cannon - requires enrichment
Harpsichord
Harpsichord - requires enrichment
Head-mounted display
The first head-mounted display is often called "The Sword of Damocles", but this was a joke name.
Heat pump
Heat pump - requires enrichment
Heated greenhouse
Heated greenhouse - requires enrichment
Heavy arquebus
Heavy arquebus - requires enrichment
Hectograph
Hectograph - requires enrichment
Helical scan
Helical scan - requires enrichment
Helicopter
the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 was the first practical helicopter
Helicopter drone
Helicopter drone - requires enrichment
Heliograph
Heliograph - requires enrichment
Heliography
Heliography - requires enrichment
Heliotrope
Heliotrope - requires enrichment
Helium (discovery)
Lockyer and Janssen are generally jointly credited with the discovery, though it can be argued that Janssen doesn't deserve the credit.
Helium (isolation)
independently isolated in the UK and in Sweden during the same year
Helium-3
Helium-3 - requires enrichment
Herbicide-resistant GMO
Herbicide-resistant GMO - requires enrichment
Heterodyne
Heterodyne - requires enrichment
Hidden Markov model
Hidden Markov model - requires enrichment
Higgs boson
Higgs boson - requires enrichment
High-electron-mobility transistor
High-electron-mobility transistor - requires enrichment
High-level programming language
High-level programming language - requires enrichment
High-pressure sodium-vapor lamp
High-pressure sodium-vapor lamp - requires enrichment
High-pressure steam engine
High-pressure steam engine - requires enrichment
High-speed maglev
High-speed maglev - requires enrichment
High-speed rail
High-speed rail - requires enrichment
High-speed steam engine
High-speed steam engine - requires enrichment
High-speed steel
High-speed steel - requires enrichment
High-temperature superconductor
High-temperature superconductor - requires enrichment
High-vacuum tube
High-vacuum tube - requires enrichment
Hipposandal
Hipposandal - requires enrichment
Hoe
Hoe - requires enrichment
Holography
Holography - requires enrichment
Home computer
Home computer - requires enrichment
Home pregnancy test
Home pregnancy test - requires enrichment
Hook-and-loop fastener
Hook-and-loop fastener - requires enrichment
Horizontal pendulum seismograph
Horizontal pendulum seismograph - requires enrichment
Horse collar
Horse collar - requires enrichment
Horse-drawn seed drill
Horse-drawn seed drill - requires enrichment
Horse-drawn tram
Horse-drawn tram - requires enrichment
Horsepower
Horsepower - requires enrichment
Hot blast
Hot blast - requires enrichment
Hot metal typesetting
Hot metal typesetting - requires enrichment
Hot-dip galvanization
Hot-dip galvanization - requires enrichment
Hourglass
Hourglass - requires enrichment
Hovercraft
Hovercraft - requires enrichment
Human genome sequencing
Human genome sequencing - requires enrichment
Human in vitro fertilisation
Human in vitro fertilisation - requires enrichment
Hunter process
Hunter process - requires enrichment
Hurdy-gurdy
Hurdy-gurdy - requires enrichment
Hwacha
Hwacha - requires enrichment
Hybrid electric car
Hybrid electric car - requires enrichment
Hybrid integrated circuit
Hybrid integrated circuit - requires enrichment
Hydraulic accumulator
Hydraulic accumulator - requires enrichment
Hydraulic excavator
Hydraulic excavator - requires enrichment
Hydraulic mining
Hydraulic mining - requires enrichment
Hydraulic power network
Hydraulic power network - requires enrichment
Hydraulic press
Hydraulic press - requires enrichment
Hydraulic telegraph
Hydraulic telegraph - requires enrichment
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid - requires enrichment
Hydroelectric power plant
Hydroelectric power plant - requires enrichment
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity - requires enrichment
Hydrogen
Hydrogen - requires enrichment
Hydrogen balloon
The first manned flight was also completed by the same inventors later that year
Hydrogen bomb
Hydrogen bomb - requires enrichment
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide - requires enrichment
Hygrometer
There was controversy with Deluc, also of Geneva, who invented a whalebone hygrometer perhaps a few years before.
Hypermedia
Hypermedia - requires enrichment
Hypertext Transfer Protocol
Hypertext Transfer Protocol - requires enrichment
Hypocaust
Hypocaust - requires enrichment
Hypodermic needle
Hypodermic needle - requires enrichment
I-beam
I-beam - requires enrichment
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen - requires enrichment
Ice-making machine
Ice-making machine - requires enrichment
Iceland spar
Iceland spar - requires enrichment
Ignition magneto
Ignition magneto - requires enrichment
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator - requires enrichment
Implantable pacemaker
Implantable pacemaker - requires enrichment
Impulse generator
Impulse generator - requires enrichment
In vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation - requires enrichment
In-ovo sexing
In-ovo sexing - requires enrichment
Incense
Incense - requires enrichment
Incense clock
Incense clock - requires enrichment
Indigo dye
Indigo dye - requires enrichment
Indium
Indium - requires enrichment
Induced pluripotent stem cell
Induced pluripotent stem cell - requires enrichment
Induced radioactivity
Induced radioactivity - requires enrichment
Induction coil
Independently invented by Callan and Page
Induction motor
Induction motor - requires enrichment
Industrial porcelain enamel
Industrial porcelain enamel - requires enrichment
Influence machine
Influence machine - requires enrichment
Information theory
Information theory - requires enrichment
Infrared LED
Infrared LED - requires enrichment
Injection molding
Injection molding - requires enrichment
Ink
Ink - requires enrichment
Inkjet printing
Inkjet printing - requires enrichment
Instant film
Instant film - requires enrichment
Instant noodles
Instant noodles - requires enrichment
Insulated-gate bipolar transistor
Insulated-gate bipolar transistor - requires enrichment
Insulin
Insulin - requires enrichment
Insulin pump
Insulin pump - requires enrichment
Integrated cartridge
Integrated cartridge - requires enrichment
Integrated circuit computer
Integrated circuit computer - requires enrichment
Intercontinental ballistic missile
R-7 Semyorka was both a military missile and a rocket that led to the development of the Vostok rockets, which launched Sputnik and the Vostok capsule...
Intermodal container
Intermodal container - requires enrichment
Internal combustion engine
Internal combustion engine - requires enrichment
International system of units
International system of units - requires enrichment
Internet forum
Internet forum - requires enrichment
Internet protocol suite
Internet protocol suite - requires enrichment
Interstellar probe
Interstellar probe - requires enrichment
Iodine
Iodine - requires enrichment
Iron
Iron - requires enrichment
Iron lung
Iron lung - requires enrichment
Iron smelting and wrought iron
Iron smelting and wrought iron - requires enrichment
Iron-framed building
Iron-framed building - requires enrichment
Ironclad
Ironclad - requires enrichment
Irrigation
Irrigation - requires enrichment
Isotopes
Isotopes - requires enrichment
Ivory carving
Ivory carving - requires enrichment
Jacob's staff
Jacob's staff - requires enrichment
Jacquard loom
Jacquard loom - requires enrichment
Janssen photographic revolver
Janssen photographic revolver - requires enrichment
Jesuit's bark
Jesuit's bark - requires enrichment
Jet aircraft
Jet aircraft - requires enrichment
Jet airliner
Jet airliner - requires enrichment
Jew's harp
Jew's harp - requires enrichment
JFET
JFET - requires enrichment
Josephson junction
Josephson junction - requires enrichment
Joule heating
Joule heating - requires enrichment
Joule–Thomson effect
Joule–Thomson effect - requires enrichment
Junk rig
Not Chinese in origin, although typically associated with Chinese junks
K'un-lun po
K'un-lun po - requires enrichment
Kaplan turbine
Kaplan turbine - requires enrichment
Keel
Keel - requires enrichment
Kelvin scale and absolute zero
Kelvin scale and absolute zero - requires enrichment
Kelvin water dropper
Kelvin water dropper - requires enrichment
Kelvite sounding machine
Kelvite sounding machine - requires enrichment
Kepler's laws of planetary motion
Kepler's laws of planetary motion - requires enrichment
Keplerian refracting telescope
Keplerian refracting telescope - requires enrichment
Kermes dye
Kermes dye - requires enrichment
Kerosene
Kerosene - requires enrichment
Kerosene lamp
Kerosene lamp - requires enrichment
Ketamine
Ketamine - requires enrichment
Kevlar
Kevlar - requires enrichment
Kiln
Kiln - requires enrichment
Kinetophone
Kinetophone - requires enrichment
Kinetoscope
Kinetoscope - requires enrichment
Kite
Kite - requires enrichment
Kite experiment
Kite experiment - requires enrichment
Kithara
Kithara - requires enrichment
Knitting
Knitting - requires enrichment
Kraft paper process
Kraft paper process - requires enrichment
Kroll process
The Kroll process made pure titanium economical, leading to many applications starting in the 1950s.
Krypton
Krypton - requires enrichment
Lacquer
Lacquer - requires enrichment
Lambda calculus
Lambda calculus - requires enrichment
Lamellar armour
Lamellar armour - requires enrichment
Laminated glass
Laminated glass - requires enrichment
Lancashire loom
Lancashire loom - requires enrichment
Land mine
Land mine - requires enrichment
Lap steel guitar
Lap steel guitar - requires enrichment
Laptop computer
First true laptop: the Epson HX-20
Large language model
Large language model - requires enrichment
Laser
Laser - requires enrichment
Laser cutting
Laser cutting - requires enrichment
Laser printer
Laser printer - requires enrichment
LaserDisc
LaserDisc - requires enrichment
Lashed-lug boat building
Lashed-lug boat building - requires enrichment
LASIK
LASIK - requires enrichment
Lateen and settee sail
Lateen and settee sail - requires enrichment
Lathe
Lathe - requires enrichment
Latitude and longitude
Latitude and longitude - requires enrichment
Laudanum
Paracelsus popularized opium in Europe and coined the word laudanum, but his opium pill differed significantly from Sydenham's tincture of opium in th...
Lawn mower
Lawn mower - requires enrichment
Lead chamber process
Lead chamber process - requires enrichment
Lead pipes
Lead pipes - requires enrichment
Lead smelting
Lead smelting - requires enrichment
Leaded gasoline
Leaded gasoline - requires enrichment
Leavened bread
Leavened bread - requires enrichment
Leavers machine
Leavers machine - requires enrichment
Leclanché cell
Leclanché cell - requires enrichment
LED display
LED display - requires enrichment
LED lamp
LED lamp - requires enrichment
Leibniz wheel
Leibniz wheel - requires enrichment
Lever escapement
Escapement used in almost all modern mechanical watches
Lever tumbler lock
Lever tumbler lock - requires enrichment
Leyden jar
Leyden jar - requires enrichment
Lidar
Lidar - requires enrichment
Light bulb
This date corresponds to commercially successful light bulbs, but there were many earlier attempts. Independently invented by Swan and Edison
Light-emitting diode
Light-emitting diode - requires enrichment
Lighthouse
Lighthouse - requires enrichment
Lightning rod
Lightning rod - requires enrichment
Lime
Lime - requires enrichment
Lime mortar
Lime mortar - requires enrichment
Limelight
Limelight - requires enrichment
Line printer
Line printer - requires enrichment
Linear motor
Linear motor - requires enrichment
Linen
Linen - requires enrichment
Liquefied gas refrigerants
Linde's "new process made possible using gases such as ammonia, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and methyl chloride (CH3Cl) as refrigerants and they were widely...
Liquid compass
Liquid compass - requires enrichment
Liquid crystals
Discovered by Reinitzer in Prague, with input from Lehman (who coined the name)
Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen - requires enrichment
Liquid oxygen
Independently obtained by Louis Paul Cailletet in France and Raoul Pictet in Switzerland. Zygmunt Wróblewski and Karol Olszewski made more significant...
Liquid-crystal display
Liquid-crystal display - requires enrichment
Liquid-propellant rocket
Liquid-propellant rocket - requires enrichment
Lira da braccio
Lira da braccio - requires enrichment
Lithium
Lithium - requires enrichment
Lithium battery pacemaker
Lithium battery pacemaker - requires enrichment
Lithium iodide battery
Lithium iodide battery - requires enrichment
Lithium-ion battery
modern Li-ion battery. There were earlier ones (see lithium battery pacemakers in the 1970s)
Lithium-ion electric car
Lithium-ion electric car - requires enrichment
Lithography
Lithography - requires enrichment
LLM chatbot
LLM chatbot - requires enrichment
Logarithm
Logarithm - requires enrichment
Long division
Long division - requires enrichment
Long short-term memory
Long short-term memory - requires enrichment
Loom with punched tape
Loom with punched tape - requires enrichment
Lost-wax casting
oldest lost wax objects in Bulgaria; other early examples in Israel and Indus Valley
Low-pressure sodium-vapor lamp
Low-pressure sodium-vapor lamp - requires enrichment
LSD
LSD - requires enrichment
LTE and 4G cellular network
The definition of 4G was retroactively amended to include LTE, making 2009 the date of its first commercialization
Lumière cinematograph
the Lumière brothers bought the rights to the name and patent and then applied them to what was mostly their own invention
Lunar and lunisolar calendars
Lunar and lunisolar calendars - requires enrichment
Lunar lander
Lunar lander - requires enrichment
Lute
Lute - requires enrichment
Lyocell
Lyocell - requires enrichment
Lyre
Lyre - requires enrichment
Macuahuitl
Macuahuitl - requires enrichment
Magdeburg hemispheres
Experiment used to demonstrate the power of atmospheric pressure.
Magic lantern
Magic lantern - requires enrichment
Maglev
Maglev - requires enrichment
Magnesium
First isolation of the element
Magnetic detector
Developed on a ship between the UK and North America
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging - requires enrichment
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape - requires enrichment
Magnetism of the Earth
Magnetism of the Earth - requires enrichment
Magnetometer
Magnetometer - requires enrichment
Magnifying glass
speculative: the Nimrud lens may have been a magnifying glass, or just a decorative item. There are clear references to magnifying glasses in Aristoph...
Mainspring
Mainspring - requires enrichment
Malaria vaccine
Malaria vaccine - requires enrichment
Mammal cloning
Mammal cloning - requires enrichment
Mangalloy
First commercially successful alloy steel
Manganese
Manganese - requires enrichment
Manned hot air balloon
Manned hot air balloon - requires enrichment
Manual vacuum cleaner
Manual vacuum cleaner - requires enrichment
Maple syrup
Maple syrup - requires enrichment
Margarine
Margarine - requires enrichment
Marimba
Marimba - requires enrichment
Marimbaphone
Marimbaphone - requires enrichment
Marine chronometer
Marine chronometer - requires enrichment
Mariner's astrolabe
Mariner's astrolabe - requires enrichment
Maritime flag signalling
Maritime flag signalling - requires enrichment
Markov chain
Markov chain - requires enrichment
Mars rover
Mars rover - requires enrichment
Maser
Maser - requires enrichment
Masking tape
Masking tape - requires enrichment
Mass spectrometer
Mass spectrometer - requires enrichment
Massive parallel sequencing
Massive parallel sequencing - requires enrichment
Maxwell's equations
work done over many years, especially at Glenlair House in Scotland, and published in full form in 1873 when Maxwell was professor at Cambridge
Maya blue
Maya blue - requires enrichment
Maya numerals and zero
Maya numerals and zero - requires enrichment
Measles vaccine
Measles vaccine - requires enrichment
Measuring rod
Measuring rod - requires enrichment
Mechanical calculator
Mechanical calculator - requires enrichment
Mechanical television
Mechanical television - requires enrichment
Mechanical wood pulping
Invented independently in the same year by Keller in Saxony and Fenerty in Nova Scotia. Fenerty's version was immediately adapted into newsprint.
Mechanized submarine
Mechanized submarine - requires enrichment
Media streaming
Media streaming - requires enrichment
Medical respirator
Medical respirator - requires enrichment
Mellotron
Mellotron - requires enrichment
Mendelian inheritance
forgotten then rediscovered in 1900
Meniscus lens
Meniscus lens - requires enrichment
Mercator projection
Mercator projection - requires enrichment
Mercury
Mercury - requires enrichment
Mercury battery
Mercury battery - requires enrichment
Mercury thermometer
Mercury thermometer - requires enrichment
Mercury-arc valve
Mercury-arc valve - requires enrichment
Mercury-vapor lamp
Mercury-vapor lamp - requires enrichment
Merge sort
Merge sort - requires enrichment
Mesoamerican calendars
Mesoamerican calendars - requires enrichment
Messenger RNA
Discovery credit is usually considered shared among several people
Metal-cased rocket artillery
Metal-cased rocket artillery - requires enrichment
Metal-halide lamp
Metal-halide lamp - requires enrichment
Metallic nib
Metallic nib - requires enrichment
Metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy
Metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy - requires enrichment
Methane
Methane - requires enrichment
Method of exhaustion
Method of exhaustion - requires enrichment
Method of indivisibles
Method of indivisibles - requires enrichment
Metre
Metre - requires enrichment
Metric system
Metric system - requires enrichment
Metronome
Metronome - requires enrichment
Meusnier's dirigible
designed used by the Robert brothers and Jacques Charles in 1784
Microblogging
Microblogging - requires enrichment
Microcentrifuge
Microcentrifuge - requires enrichment
Microcode
Microcode - requires enrichment
Microcomputer
Fist commercially available microprocessor-based computer: the Micral
Microkeratome
Microkeratome - requires enrichment
Microlith
Microlith - requires enrichment
Micropipette
Micropipette - requires enrichment
Microprocessor
Microprocessor - requires enrichment
Microtome
Microtome - requires enrichment
Microwave oven
Microwave oven - requires enrichment
Military submersible
Military submersible - requires enrichment
Milk chocolate
Milk chocolate - requires enrichment
Milk-cream separator
Milk-cream separator - requires enrichment
Mills bomb
First modern fragmentation grenade
Miniature neon lamp
Miniature neon lamp - requires enrichment
Minié ball
Minié ball - requires enrichment
Mining
Mining - requires enrichment
Miquelet lock
Miquelet lock - requires enrichment
Mirror
Mirror - requires enrichment
Mirror galvanometer
Mirror galvanometer - requires enrichment
Mitrailleuse
Mitrailleuse - requires enrichment
Mobile radio telephone
Mobile radio telephone - requires enrichment
Modem
Modem - requires enrichment
Modern barbed wire
Modern barbed wire - requires enrichment
Modern cryptography
Modern cryptography - requires enrichment
Modern evolutionary synthesis
Modern evolutionary synthesis - requires enrichment
Modern fountain pen
Modern fountain pen - requires enrichment
Modern guitar
Modern guitar - requires enrichment
Modern oil well
Modern oil well - requires enrichment
Modern pencil
Modern pencil - requires enrichment
Modern Portland cement
Significantly distinct from the original Portland cement of 1824, developed by William Aspdin's father Joseph. Priority disputed between Willam Aspdin...
Moka pot
Moka pot - requires enrichment
Molybdenum
Molybdenum - requires enrichment
Monolithic integrated circuit
Monolithic integrated circuit - requires enrichment
Monosodium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate - requires enrichment
Monte Carlo method
Monte Carlo method - requires enrichment
Moog synthesizer
First commercial synthesizer
Moon landing
Moon landing - requires enrichment
Moore tube
Moore tube - requires enrichment
Morphine
Morphine - requires enrichment
Morse code
Morse code - requires enrichment
Mortar and pestle
Mortar and pestle - requires enrichment
Mortise and tenon
Mortise and tenon - requires enrichment
MOS DRAM
MOS DRAM - requires enrichment
MOS SRAM
MOS SRAM - requires enrichment
MOSFET
MOSFET - requires enrichment
Motorboat
first internal combustion engine to power a boat
Motorcycle
First motorcycle using an internal combustion engine. Earlier steam velocipedes can also be considered.
Motorized air compressor
Motorized air compressor - requires enrichment
Mould-board plough
Mould-board plough - requires enrichment
Mousterian stone tool
Mousterian stone tool - requires enrichment
Movable type
Movable type - requires enrichment
Movie camera
The Kinetograph is arguably the first true movie camera
Moving-coil galvanometer
Moving-coil galvanometer - requires enrichment
Moving-coil loudspeaker
Moving-coil loudspeaker - requires enrichment
Moving-coil oscillograph
Moving-coil oscillograph - requires enrichment
MP3 audio compression
MP3 audio compression - requires enrichment
MP3 player
MP3 player - requires enrichment
mRNA vaccine
mRNA vaccine - requires enrichment
Mudbricks
Mudbricks - requires enrichment
Multi-touch
Multi-touch - requires enrichment
Multi-touch smartphone
Multi-touch smartphone - requires enrichment
Multi-tube seed drill
Multi-tube seed drill - requires enrichment
Multistage rocket
An illustration and description in the 14th century Chinese Huolongjing by Jiao Yu and Liu Bowen shows the oldest known multistage rocket; this was th...
Multivibrator
Multivibrator - requires enrichment
Mummification
Mummification - requires enrichment
Muscle cuirass
Muscle cuirass - requires enrichment
Musical bow
Musical bow - requires enrichment
Musical Instrument Digital Interface
Musical Instrument Digital Interface - requires enrichment
Musical notation
Musical notation - requires enrichment
Muslin
Muslin - requires enrichment
Mustard gas
Mustard gas - requires enrichment
Mysorean rocket
Mysorean rocket - requires enrichment
Nailed horseshoe
oldest horseshoes with possible nails are known from an Etruscan tomb dated 4th century BC, but there are no other finds/references until the 5th cent...
Nålebinding
Nålebinding - requires enrichment
Napalm
Napalm - requires enrichment
Napier's bones
Napier's bones - requires enrichment
Natron
Natron - requires enrichment
Natural selection
Natural selection - requires enrichment
Naval mine
Naval mines were first invented by Chinese innovators of Imperial China and were described in thorough detail by the early Ming dynasty artillery offi...
Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG laser - requires enrichment
Neocognitron
Neocognitron - requires enrichment
Neodymium
Neodymium - requires enrichment
Neodymium magnet
Neodymium magnet - requires enrichment
Neon
Neon - requires enrichment
Neon lighting
Neon lighting - requires enrichment
Neptunium
Neptunium - requires enrichment
Nernst lamp
Nernst lamp - requires enrichment
Network with end-to-end principle
Network with end-to-end principle - requires enrichment
Neural language model
Neural language model - requires enrichment
Neuron doctrine
Neuron doctrine - requires enrichment
Neutrino
Neutrino - requires enrichment
Neutron
Neutron - requires enrichment
New quadrant
New quadrant - requires enrichment
Newcomen atmospheric engine
first practical steam engine
Newton's laws of motion
Newton's laws of motion - requires enrichment
Nichrome heating element
Nichrome heating element - requires enrichment
Nickel
Nickel - requires enrichment
Nickel silver
Alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc; does not contain silver!
Nickel–cadmium battery
Nickel–cadmium battery - requires enrichment
Nickel–iron battery
Nickel–iron battery - requires enrichment
Niobium
Niobium - requires enrichment
Nipkow disk
Nipkow disk - requires enrichment
Nitric acid
Nitric acid - requires enrichment
Nitrocellulose film
Nitrocellulose film - requires enrichment
Nitrogen
Nitrogen - requires enrichment
Nitroglycerin
Nitroglycerin - requires enrichment
Nixie tube
Nixie tube - requires enrichment
Nixtamalization
Nixtamalization - requires enrichment
Noise-cancelling headphones
Noise-cancelling headphones - requires enrichment
Nomogram
Nomogram - requires enrichment
Nonius
Nonius - requires enrichment
Noodles
Noodles - requires enrichment
Normalsegelapparat
first serially produced heavier-than-air flying machine
Northrop loom
Northrop loom - requires enrichment
Nottingham lace curtain machine
Nottingham lace curtain machine - requires enrichment
Nuclear fission
Nuclear fission - requires enrichment
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion - requires enrichment
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear magnetic resonance - requires enrichment
Nuclear power
Nuclear power - requires enrichment
Nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant - requires enrichment
Nuclear reactor
First reactor: Chicago Pile-1
Nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine - requires enrichment
Nuclear-powered surface ship
Nuclear-powered surface ship - requires enrichment
Nucleic acid
Nucleic acid - requires enrichment
Nylon
Nylon - requires enrichment
Oboe
Oboe - requires enrichment
Obsidian tool
Obsidian tool - requires enrichment
Ocean thermal energy conversion
Ocean thermal energy conversion - requires enrichment
Ocean thermal energy conversion plant
Ocean thermal energy conversion plant - requires enrichment
Octant
Octant - requires enrichment
Odometer (China)
Odometer (China) - requires enrichment
Odometer (Western)
Odometer (Western) - requires enrichment
Offset printing
Offset printing - requires enrichment
Offshore wind farm
Offshore wind farm - requires enrichment
Oil lamp
Oil lamp - requires enrichment
Oil refinery
Oil refinery - requires enrichment
Oldowan stone tool
Oldowan stone tool - requires enrichment
OLED
OLED - requires enrichment
Olive oil
Olive oil - requires enrichment
Onager
This is the design most commonly associated with catapults, which was a generic word for artillery in Greco-Roman times
Ondes Martenot
Ondes Martenot - requires enrichment
Ondol
Ondol - requires enrichment
One-time pad
One-time pad - requires enrichment
Open hearth furnace
Open hearth furnace - requires enrichment
Operating system
Operating system - requires enrichment
Opium poppy cultivation
The opium poppy did not wait for humans to discover its properties. It waited for the conditions that would make its cultivation inevitable—and those...
Optacon
Optacon - requires enrichment
Optical amplifier
Optical amplifier - requires enrichment
Optical fiber
Optical fiber - requires enrichment
Oral polio vaccine
Oral polio vaccine - requires enrichment
Orangery
Orangery - requires enrichment
Organistrum
Organistrum - requires enrichment
Oriented strand board
Oriented strand board - requires enrichment
Oscilloscope
perfected in 1899 by Jonathan Zenneck
Ostwald nitric acid process
Ostwald nitric acid process - requires enrichment
Oud
Oud - requires enrichment
Outrigger boat
Outrigger boat - requires enrichment
Ox hide bellows
Ox hide bellows - requires enrichment
Oxy-fuel welding and cutting
Oxy-fuel welding and cutting - requires enrichment
Oxygen (Scheele–Priestley)
independently (re)discovered by Scheele and Priestley. Scheele discovered it earlier but Priestley often gets credit due to having published first
Oxygen (Sendigovius)
very likely discovered by Sendigovius in 1604, but then re-discovered in the 1770s, from which modern oxygen chemistry derives
Oxygen mask
Oxygen mask - requires enrichment
Oxyhydrogen blowpipe
Oxyhydrogen blowpipe - requires enrichment
Oyster farming
Oyster farming - requires enrichment
Ozone
Ozone - requires enrichment
p–n junction
p–n junction - requires enrichment
p–n junction isolation
p–n junction isolation - requires enrichment
Pacemaker
Pacemaker - requires enrichment
Packet switching
Packet switching - requires enrichment
Paddle wheel boat
Paddle wheel boat - requires enrichment
Paddy field
The paddy field did not arise from a single moment of invention. It emerged from centuries of observation along the lower Yangtze River, where Neolith...
Padlock
Padlock - requires enrichment
Pager
Pager - requires enrichment
PageRank
PageRank - requires enrichment
Palm-leaf manuscript
Palm-leaf manuscript - requires enrichment
Pan flute
Pan flute - requires enrichment
Panemone windmill
first practical windmill
Pantelegraph
Pantelegraph - requires enrichment
Paper
Paper wasn't invented in 105 CE. Paper was formalized—the culmination of centuries of experimentation finally systematized into a reproducible industr...
Paper cartridge
Paper cartridge - requires enrichment
Paper clip
Paper clip - requires enrichment
Paper machine
Paper machine - requires enrichment
Paper money
Jiaozi: considered the first true paper money
Paper recycling
Paper recycling - requires enrichment
Papermaking
Cai Lun is generally credited as the inventor of paper, but there is archeological evidence that paper predates him by centuries. He likely came up wi...
Papyrus
Papyrus - requires enrichment
Parabolic antenna
Parabolic antenna - requires enrichment
Parabolic radio telescope
Parabolic radio telescope - requires enrichment
Paracetamol
Paracetamol - requires enrichment
Parachute
Parachute - requires enrichment
Paraffin wax
Paraffin wax - requires enrichment
Parchment
Traditionally said to have been invented in Pergamon as a response to the cessation of papyrus imports from Egypt. Real date probably more than 1000 y...
Parkesine
first plastic; cellulose with nitric acid
Particle board
Particle board - requires enrichment
Passarola
Passarola - requires enrichment
Pasteurization
invented during a holiday in Arbois (Pasteur worked in Lille, Paris, and Strasbourg)
Patio process
Patio process - requires enrichment
Pattern-tracing lathe
apparently independent and different from Nartov's copying lathe?
Paul-Wyatt cotton mills
Paul-Wyatt cotton mills - requires enrichment
Paved roads
The paved road did not emerge from abstract planning. It emerged from mud—specifically, from the failure of natural surfaces to support wheeled transp...
Payment card
Payment card - requires enrichment
Pedal bicycle
Pedal bicycle - requires enrichment
Pedal harp
Pedal harp - requires enrichment
Pelton wheel
Pelton wheel - requires enrichment
Pencil sharpener
Pencil sharpener - requires enrichment
Pendentive dome
Pendentive dome - requires enrichment
Pendulum clock
First conceptualized by Galileo Galilei in 1637; built by Huygens in 1656
Pendulum physics
Pendulum physics - requires enrichment
Penicillin
Penicillin - requires enrichment
Penny-farthing
Penny-farthing - requires enrichment
Percussion cap
Percussion cap - requires enrichment
Periodic table
Periodic table - requires enrichment
Perspective in art
Perspective in art - requires enrichment
PET-CT
PET-CT - requires enrichment
Petri dish
Petri dish - requires enrichment
Petroleum as fuel
Petroleum as fuel - requires enrichment
Petroleum jelly
Petroleum jelly - requires enrichment
Petzval lens
Petzval lens - requires enrichment
Pewter
Pewter - requires enrichment
pH
pH - requires enrichment
pH meter
pH meter - requires enrichment
Phage display
Phage display - requires enrichment
Phage therapy
Phage therapy - requires enrichment
Phase array antenna
Phase array antenna - requires enrichment
Phase-contrast microscope
Phase-contrast microscope - requires enrichment
Phenakistiscope
Can also be considered the invention of the stroboscope
Philo's thermoscope
Philo's thermoscope - requires enrichment
Phoenician joint
Phoenician joint - requires enrichment
Phonautograph
first device to record sound, but with no playback
Phonograph
Phonograph - requires enrichment
Phonograph cylinder
Phonograph cylinder - requires enrichment
Phonograph record
Phonograph record - requires enrichment
Phosphorus
Phosphorus - requires enrichment
Photocopier
Photocopier - requires enrichment
Photogrammetry
Photogrammetry - requires enrichment
Photographic camera
Photographic camera - requires enrichment
Photography
Photography - requires enrichment
Photolithography
Photolithography - requires enrichment
Photomask projection aligner
Photomask projection aligner - requires enrichment
Photomultiplier tube
Photomultiplier tube - requires enrichment
Photon and photoelectric effect
Photon and photoelectric effect - requires enrichment
Photonic crystal
Photonic crystal - requires enrichment
Photonic-crystal fiber
Photonic-crystal fiber - requires enrichment
Photophone
Photophone - requires enrichment
Photorefractive keratectomy
Photorefractive keratectomy - requires enrichment
Photostat
Photostat - requires enrichment
Phototypesetting
Phototypesetting - requires enrichment
Photovoltaic effect
Photovoltaic effect - requires enrichment
Physautotype
Physautotype - requires enrichment
Piano
Piano - requires enrichment
Piezoelectricity
Piezoelectricity - requires enrichment
Pigeon post
Pigeon post - requires enrichment
Pigments
Pigments did not wait for artists. They waited for the cognitive capacity to see color as information—and that capacity emerged hundreds of thousands...
Pike
Pike - requires enrichment
Pine tar
Pine tar - requires enrichment
Pinfire cartridge
Pinfire cartridge - requires enrichment
Pipa
Pipa - requires enrichment
Pipe organ
Pipe organ - requires enrichment
Piston bellows
Piston bellows - requires enrichment
Pivoted scissors
Modern scissor design
Placeholder zero
Placeholder zero - requires enrichment
Planar process
Planar process - requires enrichment
Planer
Planer - requires enrichment
Planetary theory
Planetary theory - requires enrichment
Plasma display
Plasma display - requires enrichment
Plasma globe
Plasma globe - requires enrichment
Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition
Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition - requires enrichment
Platinum
Platinum - requires enrichment
Player piano
Player piano - requires enrichment
Pleasure wheel
Pleasure wheel - requires enrichment
Plumbing
Plumbing did not arise from a flash of genius. It emerged from the inexorable logic of urban density—when enough people crowd into a permanent settlem...
Plutonium
Plutonium - requires enrichment
Plywood
Plywood - requires enrichment
Pneumatic drill
Pneumatic drill - requires enrichment
Pneumatic tire
Pneumatic tire - requires enrichment
Pneumatic tube
Pneumatic tube - requires enrichment
Pocket calculator
Pocket calculator - requires enrichment
Pocket watch
Pocket watch - requires enrichment
Pointed arch bridge
Image shows the Getar bridge in Armenia
Polarizing filter
Polarizing filter - requires enrichment
Polarizing prism
Polarizing prism - requires enrichment
Polio vaccine
Polio vaccine - requires enrichment
Polished metal mirror
The polished metal mirror did not emerge from vanity. It emerged from the same impulse that drove humans to paint cave walls and carve figurines—the d...
Polonium
Polonium - requires enrichment
Polyester
Polyester - requires enrichment
Polyethylene
Polyethylene - requires enrichment
Polyimide
Polyimide - requires enrichment
Polymerase chain reaction
Polymerase chain reaction - requires enrichment
Polyphonic synthesizer
Polyphonic synthesizer - requires enrichment
Polystyrene
Polystyrene - requires enrichment
Polyurethane
Polyurethane - requires enrichment
Population genetics
Population genetics - requires enrichment
Porcelain
Porcelain - requires enrichment
Portable audio player
Portable audio player - requires enrichment
Portable defibrillator
Portable defibrillator - requires enrichment
Portable engine
Portable engine - requires enrichment
Portable operating system
Portable operating system - requires enrichment
Portland cement
Portland cement - requires enrichment
Portolan chart
Portolan chart - requires enrichment
Positional decimal numerals and true zero
Positional decimal numerals and true zero - requires enrichment
Positional numeral system
Positional numeral system - requires enrichment
Positron
Positron - requires enrichment
Positron emission tomography
Positron emission tomography - requires enrichment
Post windmill
Post windmill - requires enrichment
Postage stamp
Postage stamp - requires enrichment
Potassium
First isolation of the element
Pottery
Pottery did not emerge from a single inventor's insight. It emerged from the logic of storing food through harsh seasons—and the conditions that made...
Pound lock
Pound lock - requires enrichment
Power loom
Power loom - requires enrichment
Power MOSFET
Power MOSFET - requires enrichment
Power plug
Power plug - requires enrichment
Powered printing press
Powered printing press - requires enrichment
Powered vacuum cleaner
first vacuum cleaners using suction and an engine, invented independently by Booth and Kenney
Praseodymium
Praseodymium - requires enrichment
Praxinoscope
Praxinoscope - requires enrichment
Pre-cut cardboard box
Pre-cut cardboard box - requires enrichment
Precession of the equinoxes
Precession of the equinoxes - requires enrichment
Pressure cooker
Pressure cooker - requires enrichment
Pressure suit
Pressure suit - requires enrichment
Pressurized aircraft cabin
Pressurized aircraft cabin - requires enrichment
Printing Press
The printing press emerged in 15th-century Mainz because the conditions finally aligned—not because Gutenberg was uniquely brilliant. Chinese paper-ma...
Programmable calculator
The Programma 101 by Olivetti is often considered the first programmable calculator, although it was preceded by the much more obscure Mathatron.
Programmable electronic computer
Programmable electronic computer - requires enrichment
Programmable read-only memory
Programmable read-only memory - requires enrichment
Programmable synthesizer
Programmable synthesizer - requires enrichment
Proportional counter
Proportional counter - requires enrichment
Protein sequencing
Protein sequencing - requires enrichment
Proto-soap
Proto-soap - requires enrichment
Proximity fuze
Proximity fuze - requires enrichment
Prussian blue
Prussian blue - requires enrichment
Psaltery
Psaltery - requires enrichment
Ptolemaic geocentrism
Ptolemaic geocentrism - requires enrichment
Public bath
Public bath - requires enrichment
Public flush toilet
Public flush toilet - requires enrichment
Public gas lighting
Public gas lighting - requires enrichment
Public-key cryptography
Public-key cryptography - requires enrichment
Puddling
Puddling - requires enrichment
Pulley
Pulley - requires enrichment
Pulsejet
Pulsejet - requires enrichment
Pump organ
Pump organ - requires enrichment
Punched card
Punched card - requires enrichment
Pyroelectricity
Pyroelectricity - requires enrichment
Pyrometer
Pyrometer - requires enrichment
Pythagorean theorem
Pythagorean theorem - requires enrichment
Quadcopter camera drone
Quadcopter camera drone - requires enrichment
Quadrant
Quadrant - requires enrichment
Quadruplex telegraph
Quadruplex telegraph - requires enrichment
Quantum annealing
Controversial whether this is actually a practical technology
Quantum computer
First commercial quantum computer
Quantum tunneling
Quantum tunneling - requires enrichment
Quark
Quark - requires enrichment
Quartz clock
Quartz clock - requires enrichment
Quartz wristwatch
Quartz wristwatch - requires enrichment
Quern-stone
The quern-stone did not emerge to bake bread. It emerged to unlock calories—specifically, to transform hard, indigestible grain seeds into flour that...
Quill
Quill - requires enrichment
Quinine
Quinine - requires enrichment
Quipu
Quipu - requires enrichment
Rabbit pregnancy test
Rabbit pregnancy test - requires enrichment
Rabies vaccine
Rabies vaccine - requires enrichment
Radar
Radar - requires enrichment
Radial engine
First purpose-designed aircraft engine, for the unsuccessful Langley Aerodrome
Radial tire
Radial tire - requires enrichment
Radio broadcasting
Radio broadcasting - requires enrichment
Radio control
Radio control - requires enrichment
Radio detector
Radio detector - requires enrichment
Radio telescope
Radio telescope - requires enrichment
Radio waves and spark-gap transmitter
Radio waves and spark-gap transmitter - requires enrichment
Radioactivity
Radioactivity - requires enrichment
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating - requires enrichment
Radiofax
Radiofax - requires enrichment
Radioimmunoassay
Radioimmunoassay - requires enrichment
Radioluminescent paint
Radioluminescent paint - requires enrichment
Radium
Radium - requires enrichment
Radon
Radon - requires enrichment
Raft
The raft did not emerge to explore. It emerged to eat—specifically, to access food resources that lay just beyond reach across rivers, channels, and c...
Rail transport
Rail transport - requires enrichment
Railway semaphore signal
Railway semaphore signal - requires enrichment
Rain gauge
Rain gauge - requires enrichment
Ramjet
Ramjet - requires enrichment
Rammed earth
Rammed earth did not emerge to create architecture. It emerged to solve a simple problem: how to build permanent walls where trees were scarce and sto...
Rapid transit
Rapid transit - requires enrichment
Rayon
Rayon - requires enrichment
Razor with protective guard
Razor with protective guard - requires enrichment
Reading stone
Reading stone - requires enrichment
Reaping machine
Reaping machine - requires enrichment
Rebab
Rebab - requires enrichment
Rebreather
Rebreather - requires enrichment
Rechargeable battery
Rechargeable battery - requires enrichment
Recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA - requires enrichment
Recording telegraph
Further improvements by Frederick Bakewell. Earliest version of a fax machine.
Rectified linear unit
Rectified linear unit - requires enrichment
Recurrent neural network
Recurrent neural network - requires enrichment
Red phosphorus
Red phosphorus - requires enrichment
Reed pen
Reed pen - requires enrichment
Reflecting circle
Reflecting circle - requires enrichment
Reflecting telescope
Reflecting telescope - requires enrichment
Reflective LLM
Reflective LLM - requires enrichment
Reflector sight
Reflector sight - requires enrichment
Refrigerated ship
Refrigerated ship - requires enrichment
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete - requires enrichment
Reis telephone
Reis telephone - requires enrichment
Repeating circle
Repeating circle - requires enrichment
Reservoir
Image of the Great Hafir in Sudan
Resonant transformer
Resonant transformer - requires enrichment
Respirator
Respirator - requires enrichment
Restriction enzymes
Restriction enzymes - requires enrichment
Reusable spacecraft
Reusable spacecraft - requires enrichment
Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis - requires enrichment
Reverse overshot water wheel
Reverse overshot water wheel - requires enrichment
Revolver
There were earlier designs of revolving firearms, e.g. c. 1580, but Stopler's design is often called the first revolver
RF CMOS
RF CMOS - requires enrichment
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty - requires enrichment
Ribbon microphone
Ribbon microphone - requires enrichment
Rifled musket
Rifled musket - requires enrichment
Rifling
Rifling - requires enrichment
Rimfire ammunition
Rimfire ammunition - requires enrichment
Roberts loom
Roberts loom - requires enrichment
Roberval balance
Roberval balance - requires enrichment
Robotaxi
Robotaxi - requires enrichment
Robotic vacuum cleaner
Robotic vacuum cleaner - requires enrichment
Rochelle salt
Rochelle salt - requires enrichment
Rock-cut stepwell
Rock-cut stepwell - requires enrichment
Rocket
Rocket - requires enrichment
Roller skates
Roller skates - requires enrichment
Roman cement
unrelated to Roman concrete
Roman concrete
Roman concrete - requires enrichment
Rømer scale
Rømer scale - requires enrichment
Rope
Rope did not require invention so much as recognition. Plant fibers naturally twist; vines hang from trees; sinew binds muscle to bone. What required...
Rotary engine
Rotary engine - requires enrichment
Rotary kiln
Rotary kiln - requires enrichment
Rotary printing press
Rotary printing press - requires enrichment
Rotary quern
possibly in Celtiberian Spain, possibly in Carthage
Rotary rocket
Rotary rocket - requires enrichment
Rotor ship
Rotor ship - requires enrichment
Rotoscoping
Rotoscoping - requires enrichment
Rowing oars
Rowing oars did not emerge to replace paddling. They emerged to multiply human power—using a fulcrum point on the boat's gunwale to convert shorter ar...
Rubber
first evidence is in Mesoamerican game balls
Ruhmkorff lamp
Ruhmkorff lamp - requires enrichment
Rust-resistant iron
Rust-resistant iron - requires enrichment
S-trap
S-trap - requires enrichment
Saddle
The earliest known saddle-like equipment were fringed cloths or pads used by Assyrian cavalry around 700 BC.
Safety bicycle
design of modern bicycles
Safety elevator
Safety elevator - requires enrichment
Safety lamp
Safety lamp - requires enrichment
Safety match
Safety match - requires enrichment
Safety pin
Safety pin - requires enrichment
Safety razor
Safety razor - requires enrichment
Sail (Mediterranean)
The sail did not emerge from theoretical understanding of aerodynamics. It emerged from geography—specifically, from the peculiar conditions of the Ni...
Salmon farming
Salmon farming - requires enrichment
Salt mining
Salt mining did not emerge to season food. It emerged to preserve it—specifically, to access the mineral that could prevent meat, fish, and vegetables...
Salt print
Salt print - requires enrichment
Saltpeter
Saltpeter - requires enrichment
Samarium
Samarium - requires enrichment
Samarium–cobalt magnet
Samarium–cobalt magnet - requires enrichment
Sandal
The sandal did not emerge to beautify feet. It emerged to protect them—specifically, to create a barrier between human soles and the sharp rocks, thor...
Satellite navigation system
First such system: Transit. First to enter widespread civilian use: GPS
Satellite television
Satellite television - requires enrichment
Saxophone
Saxophone - requires enrichment
Scale armour
Scale armour - requires enrichment
Scalpel
Scalpel - requires enrichment
Scanning electron microscope
Scanning electron microscope - requires enrichment
Schrödinger equation
Schrödinger equation - requires enrichment
Scientific pocket calculator
Scientific pocket calculator - requires enrichment
Scintillation counter
Scintillation counter - requires enrichment
Scramjet
Scramjet - requires enrichment
Screw
Screw - requires enrichment
Screw press
Screw press - requires enrichment
Screw-cutting lathe
Screw-cutting lathe - requires enrichment
Screwdriver
Screwdriver - requires enrichment
Scroll
The oldest known scroll is the Diary of Merer, which can be dated to c. 2568 BCE.
Scuba set
Scuba set - requires enrichment
Scythe
The scythe did not emerge to replace the sickle. It emerged to solve a labor problem: how to harvest grass and grain faster, by cutting more stalks wi...
Scythed chariot
Scythed chariot - requires enrichment
Seaplane
Seaplane - requires enrichment
Search engine
Search engine - requires enrichment
Seat belt
Seat belt - requires enrichment
Seaweed farming
Seaweed farming - requires enrichment
Secondary emission
Secondary emission - requires enrichment
Sector
Sector - requires enrichment
Seed drill
Seed drill - requires enrichment
Segmental arched bridge
Image shows the Ponte Molino, another Roman-era segmental arch bridge in Padua
Seismometer
Seismometer - requires enrichment
Selective laser melting
Selective laser melting - requires enrichment
Selective laser sintering
Selective laser sintering - requires enrichment
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor - requires enrichment
Selenium
Selenium - requires enrichment
Selenium photocell
Selenium photocell - requires enrichment
Self-acting hydraulic ram
Self-acting hydraulic ram - requires enrichment
Self-acting spinning mule
Self-acting spinning mule - requires enrichment
Self-propelled steam car
First automobile
Self-propelled torpedo
Self-propelled torpedo - requires enrichment
Self-propelled wheelchair
Self-propelled wheelchair - requires enrichment
Semaphore telegraph
Semaphore telegraph - requires enrichment
Semi-automatic pistol
Semi-automatic pistol - requires enrichment
Semi-automatic shotgun
Semi-automatic shotgun - requires enrichment
Semiconductors
Semiconductors - requires enrichment
Seq2seq
Seq2seq - requires enrichment
Sericulture
Sericulture - requires enrichment
Sewing machine
Sewing machine - requires enrichment
Sewing needle
The sewing needle did not emerge to create fashion. It emerged to create survival—specifically, to produce fitted clothing that could trap body heat i...
Sewn boat building
Image shows the Khufu ship, one of the earliest sewn boats (2500 BCE)
Sextant
Sextant - requires enrichment
Shaduf
Shaduf - requires enrichment
Shawm
Shawm - requires enrichment
Sheng
Sheng - requires enrichment
Shield
The shield did not emerge to make warriors braver. It emerged to solve a physics problem: how to deflect kinetic energy from incoming projectiles and...
Ship of the line
Ship of the line - requires enrichment
Shoe
Shoe - requires enrichment
Shukhov cracking process
Shukhov cracking process - requires enrichment
Sickle
Sickle - requires enrichment
Siemens–Martin process
named after Carl Wilhelm Siemens who invented the open hearth furnace, which Martin then used to make steel
Signal lamp
Signal lamp - requires enrichment
Sildenafil
Sildenafil - requires enrichment
Silica gel
Silica gel - requires enrichment
Silicon
Silicon - requires enrichment
Silicon carbide
Silicon carbide - requires enrichment
Silicon carbide JFET
Silicon carbide JFET - requires enrichment
Silicon steel
Silicon steel - requires enrichment
Silicone
Silicone - requires enrichment
Silk
Silk did not emerge from human ingenuity. It emerged from an insect—a small, blind, flightless moth that had evolved to spin a cocoon from a single co...
Silver
Silver was not discovered. It was extracted—separated from the lead ores in which it almost always occurs, through a process that required understandi...
Silver mirror
Silver mirror - requires enrichment
Silver nitrate
Silver nitrate - requires enrichment
Simple suspension bridge
Simple suspension bridge - requires enrichment
Sine quadrant
Sine quadrant - requires enrichment
Singing arc
Arguably one of the first instances of electronic music
Siphon
Siphon - requires enrichment
Skyscraper
Skyscraper - requires enrichment
Slide projector
Slide projector - requires enrichment
Slide rule
Slide rule - requires enrichment
Sling
The sling did not emerge to make throwing easier. It emerged to make throwing deadly—specifically, to accelerate a stone to velocities that could frac...
Slitting mill
Slitting mill - requires enrichment
Small modular reactor
Small modular reactor - requires enrichment
Smallpox vaccine
Smallpox vaccine - requires enrichment
Smalt
Glass colored with cobalt oxide is called "smalt" when ground into a pigment
Smart speaker
Smart speaker - requires enrichment
Smartphone
Smartphone - requires enrichment
Smartwatch
Smartwatch - requires enrichment
Smoke detector
Smoke detector - requires enrichment
Smoke helmet
Smoke helmet - requires enrichment
Smokeless gunpowder
Smokeless gunpowder - requires enrichment
Smokeless powder cartridge
Smokeless powder cartridge - requires enrichment
SMS
International development: GSM group in Germany and France, then first implementation in the UK by Vodafone, and first commercial deployment in Sweden
Snaphance
Snaphance - requires enrichment
Snaplock
Snaplock - requires enrichment
Snow goggles
Snow goggles - requires enrichment
Snowmobile
Snowmobile - requires enrichment
Soap
Attributed to "the Gauls" by Pliny
Social network service
Social network service - requires enrichment
Sodium
First isolation of the element
Sodium bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate - requires enrichment
Software as a service
Software as a service - requires enrichment
Solar calendar
Solar calendar - requires enrichment
Solar calendar with leap years
Solar calendar with leap years - requires enrichment
Solar cell
Solar cell - requires enrichment
Solar cooker
Solar cooker - requires enrichment
Solar furnace
Solar furnace - requires enrichment
Solar sail
Solar sail - requires enrichment
Solar thermal power station
Solar thermal power station - requires enrichment
Solid-state drive
Solid-state drive - requires enrichment
Soluble cellulose acetate
Soluble cellulose acetate - requires enrichment
Somatic cell nuclear transfer
Somatic cell nuclear transfer - requires enrichment
Sound film
Sound film - requires enrichment
Sounding machine
Sounding machine - requires enrichment
Sous vide
Sous vide - requires enrichment
South-pointing chariot
South-pointing chariot - requires enrichment
Soxhlets extractor
Soxhlets extractor - requires enrichment
Soybean paste and soy sauce
Soybean paste and soy sauce - requires enrichment
Space blanket
Space blanket - requires enrichment
Space capsule
First human spaceflight (Yuri Gagarin)
Space station
Space station - requires enrichment
Space suit
Space suit - requires enrichment
Space telescope
First space telescope: the OAO-1, but OAO-2 was the first successful launch
Spandex
Spandex - requires enrichment
Spar torpedo
Spar torpedo - requires enrichment
Spear
The spear was not invented. It was discovered—in the same sense that fire was discovered, by creatures who recognized a pattern in nature and learned...
Spear-thrower
The spear-thrower did not emerge to improve hunting. It emerged to solve a physics problem: how to give a projectile more velocity than the human arm...
Special relativity
Special relativity - requires enrichment
Spectrophotometer
Spectrophotometer - requires enrichment
Speculum metal mirror
Speculum metal mirror - requires enrichment
Speech recognition software
Speech recognition software - requires enrichment
Speed of light
Speed of light - requires enrichment
Sperm oil and spermaceti candle
Sperm oil and spermaceti candle - requires enrichment
Sperm whaling
Sperm whaling - requires enrichment
Spherical deep-sea submersible
Spherical deep-sea submersible - requires enrichment
Sphericity of the Earth
Sphericity of the Earth - requires enrichment
Spinning jenny
Spinning jenny - requires enrichment
Spinning mule
Spinning mule - requires enrichment
Spinning wheel
Spinning wheel - requires enrichment
Spiral stairs
Spiral stairs - requires enrichment
Spirit duplicator
Spirit duplicator - requires enrichment
Spirit level
Spirit level - requires enrichment
Sponge
Sponge - requires enrichment
Spreadsheet
Spreadsheet - requires enrichment
Sprengel pump
Sprengel pump - requires enrichment
Spring scale
Spring scale - requires enrichment
Spring scissors
Spring scissors - requires enrichment
Spritsail
Spritsail - requires enrichment
SQUID
SQUID - requires enrichment
Stainless steel
Stainless steel - requires enrichment
Stairs
Stairs did not emerge to ascend buildings. They emerged to solve a geometric problem: how to move the human body vertically through space in a way tha...
Stamp seal
The stamp seal did not emerge to decorate pottery. It emerged to solve a trust problem: how to prove that goods in a container remained untouched sinc...
Standard diving dress
Standard diving dress - requires enrichment
Standard Model of particle physics
Standard Model of particle physics - requires enrichment
Star chart
Star chart - requires enrichment
Static random-access memory
Static random-access memory - requires enrichment
Statistical language model
Statistical language model - requires enrichment
Stealth aircraft
Stealth aircraft - requires enrichment
Steam hammer
independently invented in 1839 by Nasmyth in Scotland and Bourdon in France
Steam injector
Steam injector - requires enrichment
Steam locomotive
Steam locomotive - requires enrichment
Steam shovel
Steam shovel - requires enrichment
Steam turbine
Steam turbine - requires enrichment
Steam velocipede
Both the Michaux-Perreaux and the Roper velocipedes have competing claims at being the first steam-powered velocipede
Steam-powered aircraft
Steam-powered aircraft - requires enrichment
Steam-powered battleship
Steam-powered battleship - requires enrichment
Steam-powered water pump
Steam-powered water pump - requires enrichment
Steamboat
Steamboat - requires enrichment
Steamboat transport
Steamboat transport - requires enrichment
Steel
Steel is iron with exactly the right amount of carbon—too little and it's soft wrought iron, too much and it's brittle cast iron. For three millennia,...
Steel plough
Steel plough - requires enrichment
Steel-framed building
Steel-framed building - requires enrichment
Steelmaking with partial decarbonization
Medieval process akin to the modern Bessemer process
Steelpan
Steelpan - requires enrichment
Steering oar
Steering oar - requires enrichment
Stem cell
Stem cell - requires enrichment
Stepped reckoner
Stepped reckoner - requires enrichment
Stepper
Stepper - requires enrichment
Stereo slide viewer
Stereo slide viewer - requires enrichment
Stereolithography
first 3D printing method
Stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound - requires enrichment
Stereoscope
Stereoscope - requires enrichment
Sternpost-mounted rudder
Sternpost-mounted rudder - requires enrichment
Stethoscope
Stethoscope - requires enrichment
Stirling engine
Stirling engine - requires enrichment
Stirrup
Stirrup - requires enrichment
Stocking frame
Stocking frame - requires enrichment
Stone tool
The first stone tools weren't made by humans. They weren't even made by our genus. At Lomekwi 3, on the shores of Kenya's Lake Turkana, a 2011 archaeo...
Stonemasonry
Stonemasonry did not emerge to build monuments. It emerged to solve a structural problem: how to create permanent buildings from the most durable mate...
Stored-program computer
Von Neumann architecture sometimes considered a synonym, though that is sometimes criticized (technically, the Harvard architecture also applies to so...
Straight razor
Straight razor - requires enrichment
Stratonautical space suit
Stratonautical space suit - requires enrichment
Street sweeper
Street sweeper - requires enrichment
Strong focusing
Strong focusing - requires enrichment
Strontium
First isolation of the element
Structure of DNA
Structure of DNA - requires enrichment
Strychnine
Strychnine - requires enrichment
Submarine
the Nautilus, the first practical submarine
Submarine communication cable
Submarine communication cable - requires enrichment
Subtractive color film
Subtractive color film - requires enrichment
Suction pump
Suction pump - requires enrichment
Sugar beet
Sugar beet - requires enrichment
Sulfite wood pulp process
Sulfite wood pulp process - requires enrichment
Sulfur
Sulfur - requires enrichment
Sulfur lamp
Sulfur lamp - requires enrichment
Sulfur matches
Sulfur matches - requires enrichment
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid - requires enrichment
Sundial
Sundial - requires enrichment
Sunglasses
Sunglasses - requires enrichment
Sunscreen
Sunscreen - requires enrichment
Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
Super heavy-lift launch vehicle - requires enrichment
Supercomputer
Supercomputer - requires enrichment
Superconducting magnet
Superconducting magnet - requires enrichment
Superconductors
Superconductors - requires enrichment
Superheterodyne radio receiver
Design of virtually all modern radio receivers
Superphosphate
first man-made fertilizer
Supersonic airliner
Supersonic airliner - requires enrichment
Supersonic flight
Supersonic flight - requires enrichment
Surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile - requires enrichment
Surgery under anesthesia
Surgery under anesthesia - requires enrichment
Swiss army knife
Swiss army knife - requires enrichment
Sword
The sword did not emerge from the dagger through simple enlargement. It required solving a materials problem that took centuries to overcome: how to c...
Synchrotron
independently invented by Veksler in 1944 and MacMillan in 1945. First one built in 1945
Synchrotron with superconducting magnets
Synchrotron with superconducting magnets - requires enrichment
Synthetic diamond
Synthetic diamond - requires enrichment
Synthetic dye
Synthetic dye - requires enrichment
Synthetic insulin
First medication made with modern genetic engineering
Synthetic organism
Synthetic organism - requires enrichment
Synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber - requires enrichment
Synthetic ultramarine
Synthetic ultramarine - requires enrichment
Syphon recorder
Syphon recorder - requires enrichment
Syringe
Syringe - requires enrichment
System of measurement
System of measurement - requires enrichment
Tablet computer
Tablet computer - requires enrichment
Tabulating machine
Tabulating machine - requires enrichment
Tachometric bombsight
Tachometric bombsight - requires enrichment
TALEN genome editing
TALEN genome editing - requires enrichment
Talking drum
Talking drum - requires enrichment
Tally stick
The tally stick was not a precursor to writing. It was something more fundamental: an extension of memory itself, a device that allowed information to...
Tanja sail
Tanja sail - requires enrichment
Tank
invented roughly at the same time, and roughly independently, in France and the UK during WWI, but it seems the Mark I dates from September 1915 and t...
Tanned leather
Tanned leather did not emerge to make better clothing. It emerged to solve a chemistry problem: how to transform putrescible animal hide into a stable...
Tape recorder
Tape recorder - requires enrichment
Tattoo machine
Tattoo machine - requires enrichment
Taximeter
Taximeter - requires enrichment
Tea
Tea - requires enrichment
Technetium
First synthetic element
Technetium-99m radioactive tracing
Most common radioisotope in medicine
Teeth-cleaning twig
Teeth-cleaning twig - requires enrichment
Telautograph
Telautograph - requires enrichment
Telegraph sounder
Telegraph sounder - requires enrichment
Telephone
Telephone - requires enrichment
Telephone exchange
Invented by Puskás in collaboration with Edison, then the first one was built by the Bell company
Telescope
Telescope - requires enrichment
Telescopic sight
Telescopic sight - requires enrichment
Teletext
Teletext - requires enrichment
Television set
Television set - requires enrichment
Tellurium
Tellurium - requires enrichment
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television - requires enrichment
Text-to-image model
Text-to-image model - requires enrichment
The Wheel
The wheel waited 200,000 years after anatomically modern humans appeared—not because no one thought of it, but because it needed an ecosystem of prere...
Théâtre optique
Théâtre optique - requires enrichment
Théâtrophone
Earliest precursor of both media streaming and stereo sound
Theodolite
Theodolite - requires enrichment
Theremin
Theremin - requires enrichment
Thermionic diode
first vacuum tube and first diode
Thermionic emission
re-discovered by Frederick Guthrie in 1873 and Thomas Edison in 1880. The Edison discovery led to its use in vacuum tubes.
Thermoscope
Thermoscope - requires enrichment
Thermostat
Thermostat - requires enrichment
Thin-film solar cell
Thin-film solar cell - requires enrichment
Thin-film transistor
Thin-film transistor - requires enrichment
Thorium
Thorium - requires enrichment
Three-field crop rotation
Three-field crop rotation - requires enrichment
Three-point hitch
Three-point hitch - requires enrichment
Three-strip color film
Three-strip color film - requires enrichment
Threshing board
Threshing board - requires enrichment
Threshing machine
Threshing machine - requires enrichment
Throwing stick
Throwing stick - requires enrichment
Thyratron
Thyratron - requires enrichment
Thyristor
Thyristor - requires enrichment
Ticker tape
Ticker tape - requires enrichment
Tidal power station
Tidal power station - requires enrichment
Tide mill
Tide mill - requires enrichment
Tide-predicting machine
Tide-predicting machine - requires enrichment
Time clock
Time clock - requires enrichment
Time-sharing
Time-sharing - requires enrichment
Timpani
Timpani - requires enrichment
Tin bronze
Bronze was never invented in any single place. It emerged independently wherever three conditions aligned: copper-smelting knowledge, access to tin, a...
Tin can
Tin can - requires enrichment
Tin extraction
Tin extraction - requires enrichment
Tin-mercury amalgam mirror
Tin-mercury amalgam mirror - requires enrichment
Titanium
Titanium - requires enrichment
Titanium white
Titanium white - requires enrichment
Tjasker
Tjasker - requires enrichment
TNT
TNT - requires enrichment
Tobacco
Tobacco - requires enrichment
Toe stirrup
Toe stirrup - requires enrichment
Tofu
Tofu - requires enrichment
Toilet paper
Toilet paper - requires enrichment
Tokamak
Tokamak - requires enrichment
Tool steel and air-hardening steel
Tool steel and air-hardening steel - requires enrichment
Toothbrush
Toothbrush - requires enrichment
Torpedo boat
Torpedo boat - requires enrichment
Touchscreen
Touchscreen - requires enrichment
Touchstone
Touchstone - requires enrichment
Tournette
aka slow wheel, a precursor to the fast potter's wheel
Traction engine
Traction engine - requires enrichment
Traction trebuchet
Traction trebuchet - requires enrichment
Tractor
Tractor - requires enrichment
Traffic light
Traffic light - requires enrichment
Transformer (machine learning)
Transformer (machine learning) - requires enrichment
Transformer read-only storage
Transformer read-only storage - requires enrichment
Transistor
The transistor didn't emerge from Bell Labs in 1947 because Shockley, Bardeen, and Brattain were geniuses—it emerged because the adjacent possible had...
Transistor computer
Transistor computer - requires enrichment
Transistor radio
first transistor radio: the Regency TR-1. Prototypes were made earlier, in 1952
Transistorized electronic calculator
Transistorized electronic calculator - requires enrichment
Transmon
Transmon - requires enrichment
Trautonium
Trautonium - requires enrichment
Travois
The travois did not emerge to replace the wheel. It emerged in a world without wheels—and without the domesticated draft animals that would have made...
Treadwheel crane
Treadwheel crane - requires enrichment
Tricycle and quadricycle
Tricycle and quadricycle - requires enrichment
Triode
Triode - requires enrichment
Trip hammer
"Although Chinese historians assert that its origins may span as far back as the Zhou Dynasty (1050 BC–221 BC), the British sinologist Joseph Needham...
Trireme
Trireme - requires enrichment
Tritium
Tritium - requires enrichment
Trombone
Trombone - requires enrichment
Trompe and Catalan forge
Trompe and Catalan forge - requires enrichment
True arch
True arch - requires enrichment
True arch bridge
True arch bridge - requires enrichment
True flintlock
True flintlock - requires enrichment
Trumpet
Trumpet - requires enrichment
Trumpet with pistons
Trumpet with pistons - requires enrichment
Tuba
Tuba - requires enrichment
Tuberculosis vaccine
Tuberculosis vaccine - requires enrichment
Tuned radio frequency receiver
Tuned radio frequency receiver - requires enrichment
Tungsten
Tungsten - requires enrichment
Tungsten filament
Tungsten filament - requires enrichment
Tunnel boring machine
Tunnel boring machine - requires enrichment
Tunnel diode
Tunnel diode - requires enrichment
Tunnelling shield
Tunnelling shield - requires enrichment
Turbocharger
Turbocharger - requires enrichment
Turbofan
Turbofan - requires enrichment
Turbojet
Turbojet - requires enrichment
Turing machine
Turing machine - requires enrichment
TV remote control
TV remote control - requires enrichment
Two-color additive color film
Two-color additive color film - requires enrichment
Two-stroke engine and supercharger
Two-stroke engine and supercharger - requires enrichment
Typewriter
Typewriter - requires enrichment
Typewriter with QWERTY keyboard
Typewriter with QWERTY keyboard - requires enrichment
Tyrian purple
Tyrian purple - requires enrichment
Ultracentrifuge
Ultracentrifuge - requires enrichment
Ultramarine
Ultramarine - requires enrichment
Ultramicroscope
Ultramicroscope - requires enrichment
Umami
Umami - requires enrichment
Umbrella
Umbrella - requires enrichment
Universal Standard Time
Universal Standard Time - requires enrichment
Uranium
Uranium - requires enrichment
Uranium-235
Uranium-235 - requires enrichment
Usenet
Usenet - requires enrichment
V8 engine
V8 engine - requires enrichment
Vacuum flask
Vacuum flask - requires enrichment
Vacuum fluorescent display
Vacuum fluorescent display - requires enrichment
Vacuum pan
Vacuum pan - requires enrichment
Vacuum pump
Vacuum pump - requires enrichment
Van de Graaff generator
Van de Graaff generator - requires enrichment
Vanadium
Vanadium - requires enrichment
Vanilla hand-pollination
Vanilla hand-pollination - requires enrichment
Vapor-compression refrigeration system
John Gorrie made a similar attempt a few years latter, in 1842
Variolation
Variolation - requires enrichment
Vector bombsight
Vector bombsight - requires enrichment
Vending machine
Vending machine - requires enrichment
Ventilator
Ventilator - requires enrichment
Verdigris
Verdigris - requires enrichment
Verge escapement and foliot
Verge escapement and foliot - requires enrichment
Vermilion
Vermilion - requires enrichment
Verneuil method
Verneuil method - requires enrichment
Vernier scale
Vernier scale - requires enrichment
Vibraphone
Vibraphone - requires enrichment
Video camera tube
first video camera tube: the Image dissector. Soon replaced by the iconoscope and then other designs
Video display controller
Video display controller - requires enrichment
Video game
arguably the first video game
Video game console
Video game console - requires enrichment
Video tape recorder
Video tape recorder - requires enrichment
Videocassette and videocassette recorder
Videocassette and videocassette recorder - requires enrichment
Videotex
Videotex - requires enrichment
Vielle
Vielle - requires enrichment
Vihuela
Vihuela - requires enrichment
Vinegar
Vinegar - requires enrichment
Vinyl
Vinyl - requires enrichment
Vinyl record
Vinyl record - requires enrichment
Viola da gamba
Viola da gamba - requires enrichment
Violin, viola, and cello
Violin, viola, and cello - requires enrichment
Virtual assistant
Virtual assistant - requires enrichment
Visible-light LED
Visible-light LED - requires enrichment
Visual receptive field
Visual receptive field - requires enrichment
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel - requires enrichment
Vocoder
Vocoder - requires enrichment
Volley gun
Volley gun - requires enrichment
Voltaic pile
Voltaic pile - requires enrichment
Von Neumann architecture
Von Neumann architecture - requires enrichment
Vulcanized rubber
Vulcanized rubber - requires enrichment
Wagonway
the Diolkos, built to move ships across the isthmus of Corinth
Walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie - requires enrichment
War wagon
War wagon - requires enrichment
Warp knitting frame
Warp knitting frame - requires enrichment
Washing machine
Washing machine - requires enrichment
Water clock
May need to split this entry into various regional water clocks. This entry currently reflects Egyptian clocks.
Water frame
Water frame - requires enrichment
Water glass
Water glass - requires enrichment
Water organ
Ctesibius' most commonly known invention today is a pipe organ (hydraulis), a predecessor of the modern church organ.
Water turbine
Water turbine - requires enrichment
Water wheel (China)
Water wheel (China) - requires enrichment
Water wheel (Greece)
Water wheel (Greece) - requires enrichment
Water-driven astronomical clock
Water-driven astronomical clock - requires enrichment
Water-powered blast furnace
Water-powered blast furnace - requires enrichment
Waterproof concrete
Waterproof concrete - requires enrichment
Watt steam engine
Watt steam engine - requires enrichment
Wave–particle duality of matter
Wave–particle duality of matter - requires enrichment
Wax tablet
Wax tablet - requires enrichment
Wearable pacemaker
Wearable pacemaker - requires enrichment
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting - requires enrichment
Weathering steel
Weathering steel - requires enrichment
Weaving
Weaving was not invented in a single stroke. It emerged from millennia of experimentation with plant fibers—twisting, knotting, plaiting—until someone...
Web browser
Web browser - requires enrichment
Western concert flute
Western concert flute - requires enrichment
Whale oil
Whale oil - requires enrichment
Whaling
Whaling did not emerge to hunt for sport. It emerged to harvest the largest animals on Earth—mobile mountains of calories, oil, and materials that cou...
Wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrow - requires enrichment
Wheelchair
Wheelchair - requires enrichment
Wheellock
Sometimes attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, in a drawing from the 1490s or the 1500s, but may also be from an anonymous German mechanic.
White lead
White lead - requires enrichment
White LED
White LED - requires enrichment
White phosphorus match
White phosphorus match - requires enrichment
White phosphorus munition
White phosphorus munition - requires enrichment
Whiteprint
Whiteprint - requires enrichment
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi - requires enrichment
Wide-area computer network
Wide-area computer network - requires enrichment
Wiki
Wiki - requires enrichment
Williams tube memory
Williams tube memory - requires enrichment
Wimshurst influence machine
Wimshurst influence machine - requires enrichment
Wind turbine
first windmill for producing electricity. There's also a contender in Vienna a few years before (1883)
Winepress
Winepress - requires enrichment
Wire recording
Wire recording - requires enrichment
Wire wheel
Eugène Meyer got a patent in 1868, but the invention goes back to 1808
Wireless computer network
Wireless computer network - requires enrichment
Wireless telegraphy
Wireless telegraphy - requires enrichment
Wirephoto
Wirephoto - requires enrichment
Wood gas and thermolamp
Wood gas and thermolamp - requires enrichment
Woodblock printing
Woodblock printing - requires enrichment
Word processor software
Word processor software - requires enrichment
World map
World map - requires enrichment
World Wide Web
World Wide Web - requires enrichment
Worm drive roller gin
13th or 14th century: Worm gear cotton gin in Peninsular India (i.e. probably under the Yadava dynasty although may also be the Vijayanagara Empire or...
Wristwatch
Wristwatch - requires enrichment
Writing (China)
Writing (China) - requires enrichment
Writing (Egypt)
Egyptian writing did not emerge to copy Mesopotamian cuneiform. It emerged to solve distinctly Egyptian problems—recording royal power, labeling grave...
Writing (Mesoamerica)
Controversial
Writing (Mesopotamia)
Writing did not emerge to record poetry or myth. It emerged to count sheep—or more precisely, to track the complex economic transactions of temple adm...
X-Acto knife
X-Acto knife - requires enrichment
X-ray
X-ray - requires enrichment
X-ray crystallography
X-ray crystallography - requires enrichment
X-ray tube
X-ray tube - requires enrichment
Xenon
Xenon - requires enrichment
Xerography
Xerography - requires enrichment
Xun lei chong
a revolving-barrel, spear-combined musket
Xylophone
Xylophone - requires enrichment
Yablochkov candle
Yablochkov candle - requires enrichment
Yagi–Uda antenna
Yagi–Uda antenna - requires enrichment
Yakhchāl
Yakhchāl - requires enrichment
Yale pin-tumbler lock
modern lock design
Yellow LED
Yellow LED - requires enrichment
YInMn blue
YInMn blue - requires enrichment
Yttrium
Yttrium - requires enrichment
Zeppelin
first Zeppelin: LZ 1
Zinc finger
Zinc finger - requires enrichment
Zinc smelting
Zinc smelting - requires enrichment
Zinc white
Zinc white - requires enrichment
Zinc-finger nuclease genome editing
Zinc-finger nuclease genome editing - requires enrichment
Zippe-type centrifuge
Technique for uranium enrichment
Zipper
Zipper - requires enrichment
Zirconium
Zirconium - requires enrichment
Zither
Zither - requires enrichment
Zoom lens
Zoom lens - requires enrichment
Zoopraxiscope
Zoopraxiscope - requires enrichment