Science has trans- formed human life beyond all imaginations. Life in the modern world is governed and conditioned by the off-shoots of science, by great inventions and discoveries. Thanks to the efforts of great scientists and inventors, man is no longer a helpless toy in the hands of nature but the proud master of three worlds of land, air and water. Hence we live, move and have our being in an age of science and technology, and whatever we cast our eyes; we are overwhelmed by the glorious achievements of Science- by the great inventions and discoveries.
Various inventions by great inventors have revolutionized modern day science. It is really very interesting to know about how famous products were invented by different people at the same time. It is so because great minds think alike.
Television:- In 1926 John Logie Baird in Scotland, demonstrated a machine that transmits movie pictures using radio technology, calling it a “televisor.” It was based on an 1884 idea by German Paul Nipkow. At the same time, Philo Fansworth was toiling away in San Francisco on his concept for television. The two men met a few months later, and Baird had to agree that Farnsworth’s electronic design was the better. They weren’t the only ones working on a TV model. Vladmir Zworykin, a Russian immigrant to New York, was working on cathode-ray tubes.
Telephone:- One hour before Alexander Graham Bell registered his patent for the telephone in 1876, Elisha Gray, an American electrical engineer patented his design. But after years of litigation, the patent finally went to Graham Bell.
Flying machines:- The Wright brothers of America, Orville and Wilbur are credited with inventing and building the world’s first successful airplane. On December 17, 1903, just at 10:35 am Orville Wright took the first flight in to the air for what has come to be known as the first powered flight. But, earlier to Wright brothers, Richard Pearse of New Zealand and Preston Watson of Scotland were also experimenting with flying machines. Again as early as in 1899 Gustave Whitehead, a German immigrant to the United States clearly built a number of airplanes. But the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.
Differential calculus:- The principles of differential calculus were invented by Sir Isaac Newton in 1669, in England. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in Germany found out that at about the same time.
Integrated circuit;- Without the one knowing about the other, Jack Kilby from Texas and Robert Noyce from California invented the integrated circuit in 1958. However, their idea was not new – Briton GW Dummer of Britain had suggested such a design in 1952.
Paperclip:- When Norwegian inventor Johann Vaaler patented his paperclip in 1901, there already were similar designs by William Middlebrook and Cornelius Brosnan. Vaaler is credited with being the first to design a paperclip because of the drawings he made as early as 1899.
Electronic musical instrument:- In 1876 by Elisha Gray, an American electrical engineer invented the first electronic musical instrument. He had invented a basic single note oscillator. The “Musical Telegraph” used steel reeds whose oscillations were created and transmitted over a telephone line by electromagnets. At the same time, around 1874, Graham Bell had also designed an experimental “Electric Harp” for speech transmission over a telephone line using similar technology to Gray’s.