Invention Of Ovenproof Glass

At one time glass was too delicate to put in an oven, but the invention of heatproof glass by German experts in the late 19th century, and its subsequent development in America as Pyrex® cookware, brought about a culinary revolution.

Invention Of Transistor

The invention of the transistor in 1947 represented a huge leap forward in electronics and communication technology, and was considered such an important development that its inventors shared the 1956 Nobel Prize for Physics.

Invention Of Rolodex ®

At once a design classic and a desktop accessory that has remained popular even in the computer age, the Rolodex brand card file was invented by Arnold Neustadter in 1952 and successfully marketed for the first time in 1958.

Invention Of Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell achieved fame as the inventor of the telephone, but in fact what he invented was the first commercially viable telephone: Johann Philipp Reis, Antonio Meucci and others had already invented working telephones before Bell.

Invention Of Fax Machine

In an age when faxes are transmitted using telephone lines, it is surprising to find out that the first fax machine was invented three decades earlier than the telephone - the first faxes were actually transmitted by telegraph.

Invention Of Paper Clip

Like the safety pin, the paper clip is a gloriously simple invention made from a single piece of wire, and like the safety pin it was invented in several places at almost the same time, although the credit usually goes to Johann Vaaler.

Invention Of Photocopier

The first photocopier, invented in 1903, in fact took photographs of the document to be copied, but it was a long, slow process and did not catch on. The modern, electrostatic photocopier was invented by Chester F. Carlson in 1938.

Invention Of Clockwork Radio

Neither clockwork nor radio was a new invention in 1991, but combining the two technologies to invent the clockwork radio in that year show Trevor Baylis to fame and vastly improved life for thousands of people in Africa.

Invention Of Ring Pull

At the end of the 20th century the ring pull appeared in Time Magazine's list of 'one hundred great things', but the ring pull per se, with a ring and a pull tab, was merely the second in a long line of tear-strip openers for drink cans.

Invention Of Breakfast Cereal

The concept of breakfast cereal began with Shredded Wheat, invented as an aid to digesting by Henry D. Perky in 1893. His idea was soon expanded upon when John Harvey Kellogg invented flaked breakfast cereal in 1895.

Invention Of Computer & Mouse

To name the inventor of the computer is problematic because it depends on the definition of the word "computer". However, it is much easier to define the origin of the mouse, which was invented in 1964 by Douglas Engelbart.

Invention Of Tennis

The origins of tennis lie in an 11th-century French game called jeu de paume. This developed into "real" or "royal" tennis, and modern lawn tennis evolved from a variation invented by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield in 1873.

Invention Of Crown Cork

The earliest of William Painter's 85 patented inventions related to rail travel, but his most lasting invention was the crown cork - the crimped metal bottle cap that is still in use more than 100 years after it was invented.

Invention Of Disposable Nappy

The disposable nappy was invented in 1951 by Marion Donovan, a prolific inventor who also patented more than a dozen other inventions to make life easier around the house, including DentaLoops, the Big Hangup and the Zippity-Do.

Invention Of Lorenzo's Oil

The story of Lorenzo's Oil is the extraordinary tale of a mother and father, Michaela and Augusto Odone, who, undertook their own biochemical research in order to invent a treatment for the fatal disease suffered by their son Lorenzo.

Invention Of Liquorice Allsorts

Roman soldiers were issued liquorice root to chew, and it has been used in confectionery since the 17th century, but Liquorice Allsorts were not invented until 1899, when liquorice salesman Charlie Thompson dropped his tray of samples.

Invention Of Battery

To most people in the 21st century, batteries are simply a convenient substitute if mains electricity is impractical or unavailable. But when the battery was invented in 1800 it was the first device capable of providing an electric current.

Invention Of Ballpoint Pen

Laszlo Biro is so famous as the inventor of the first practical ballpoint pen that his name is often used as a generic term for all makes of ballpoint - and it is often overlooked that he was also a sculptor, painter, hypnotist and journalist.

Invention Of Microchip

Valve computers had relatively little computing power, frequently burned out and each computer filled an entire room. When transistors replaced valves, computers became smaller and more reliable. Then Jack Kilby invented the microchip...

Invention Of Jubilee® Clip

"Jubilee Clip" is often used erroneously to describe any worm-drive hose clip, but the name is actually a registered trademark of L. Robinson & Co. The Jubilee Clip was the first such clip, and was invented by Commander Lumley Robinson in 1920.