Inventions, 10 -BRE
Without the efforts of famed inventors such as Thomas Edison, James Watt, Alexander Graham Bell, and the Wright brothers, our daily life today would look a lot different. Landmark inventions like the printing press, steam engine, telephone, incandescent light bulb, and airplane heralded new stages of progress in technology and spurred further innovation.
Inventions Encyclopedia Articles By Title
10 everyday items invented by Indigenous Americans
When it comes to Native cultures in the Americas, many people may be familiar with powwows, tepees, warbonnets,......
10 Inventions That Changed Your World
You may think you canât live without your tablet computer and your cordless electric drill, but what about the......
6 Fast Facts about Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell, best known as the inventor of the telephone, also made other significant contributions to......
6 Signs Itâs Already the Future
Sometimesâwhen watching a good sci-fi movie or stuck in traffic or failing to brew a perfect cup of coffeeâwe lament......
7 Celebrities You Didnât Know Were Inventors
Since 1790 there have been more than eight million patents issued in the U.S. Some of them have been given to great......
Abbe, Ernst
Ernst Abbe was a physicist whose theoretical and technical innovations in optical theory led to great improvements......
Abel, John Jacob
John Jacob Abel was an American pharmacologist and physiological chemist who made important contributions to a......
Abel, Sir Frederick Augustus
Sir Frederick Augustus Abel was an English chemist and explosives specialist who, with the chemist Sir James Dewar,......
Abney, Sir William de Wiveleslie
Sir William de Wiveleslie Abney was a specialist in the chemistry of photography, especially noted for his development......
Acheson, Edward Goodrich
Edward Goodrich Acheson was an American inventor who discovered the abrasive Carborundum and perfected a method......
Ader, Clément
Clément Ader was a self-taught French engineer, inventor, and aeronautical pioneer. Ader constructed a balloon......
Adobe Inc.
Adobe Inc., American developer of printing, publishing, and graphics software. Adobe was instrumental in the creation......
Aiken, Howard
Howard Aiken was a mathematician who invented the Harvard Mark I, the forerunner of the modern electronic digital......
al-Jazarī
al-Jazarī was a Muslim inventor. He is remembered for his automaton designs, including water-operated automatons,......
Alexanderson, Ernst F.W.
Ernst F.W. Alexanderson was an electrical engineer and television pioneer who developed a high-frequency alternator......
AlexeĂŻeff, Alexandre
Alexandre AlexeĂŻeff was a Russian-born French filmmaker who invented the pinscreen method of animation with his......
Allbutt, Sir Thomas Clifford
Sir Thomas Clifford Allbutt was an English physician, the inventor of the short clinical thermometer. His investigations......
Alvarez, Luis
Luis Alvarez was an American experimental physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1968 for work......
Amici, Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista Amici was an astronomer and optician who made important improvements in the mirrors of reflecting......
Amontons, Guillaume
Guillaume Amontons was a French physicist and inventor of scientific instruments, best known for his work on friction......
Anderson, Philip W.
Philip W. Anderson was an American physicist and corecipient, with John H. Van Vleck and Nevill F. Mott, of the......
Archer, Frederick Scott
Frederick Scott Archer was an English inventor of the first practical photographic process by which more than one......
Archimedes
Archimedes was the most famous mathematician and inventor in ancient Greece. He is especially important for his......
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory, the first U.S. national research laboratory, located in Argonne, Illinois, some 40......
Arkwright, Sir Richard
Sir Richard Arkwright was a textile industrialist and inventor whose use of power-driven machinery and employment......
Armstrong, Edwin H.
Edwin H. Armstrong was an American inventor who laid the foundation for much of modern radio and electronic circuitry,......
Armstrong, William George Armstrong, Baron
William George Armstrong, Baron Armstrong was a British industrialist and engineer who invented high-pressure hydraulic......
Arnold, Harold DeForest
Harold DeForest Arnold was an American physicist whose research led to the development of long-distance telephony......
Ashkin, Arthur
Arthur Ashkin was an American physicist who was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physics for his invention of optical......
Aston, Francis William
Francis William Aston was a British physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1922 for his discovery of......
Atanasoff, John Vincent
John Vincent Atanasoff was an American physicist who, with his graduate student Clifford Berry, developed the Atanasoff-Berry......
Atwater, Wilbur Olin
Wilbur Olin Atwater was an American scientist who developed agricultural chemistry and nutrition science. Upon......
Auenbrugger von Auenbrugg, Leopold
Leopold Auenbrugger von Auenbrugg was a physician who devised the diagnostic technique of percussion (the art of......
Babbage, Charles
Charles Babbage was an English mathematician and inventor who is credited with having conceived the first automatic......
Babbitt, Isaac
Isaac Babbitt was an American inventor of a tin-based alloy (now known as babbitt) widely used for bearings. Trained......
Babcock, Harold Delos
Harold Delos Babcock was an astronomer who, with his son Horace Welcome Babcock, invented (1951) the solar magnetograph,......
Babcock, Horace Welcome
Horace Welcome Babcock was an American astronomer who, with his father, Harold Delos Babcock, invented the solar......
Baekeland, Leo
Leo Baekeland was a U.S. industrial chemist who helped found the modern plastics industry through his invention......
Bailey, Sir Donald Coleman
Sir Donald Coleman Bailey was a British engineer who invented the Bailey bridge, which was of great military value......
Baird, John Logie
John Logie Baird was a Scottish engineer, the first man to televise pictures of objects in motion. His invention,......
Baker, Sir Benjamin
Sir Benjamin Baker was an English civil engineer and the chief designer of the railway bridge over the Firth of......
Baldwin, Frank Stephen
Frank Stephen Baldwin was an inventor best-known for his development of the Monroe calculator. His first calculator,......
Baldwin, Matthias William
Matthias William Baldwin was a manufacturer whose significant improvements of the steam locomotive included a steam-tight......
Bardeen, John
John Bardeen was an American physicist who was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in both 1956 and 1972.......
Barnack, Oskar
Oskar Barnack was the designer of the first precision miniature camera to become available commercially, the Leica......
Barnes, Albert C.
Albert C. Barnes was an American inventor of the antiseptic Argyrol (a mild silver protein anti-infective compound......
Basov, Nikolay
Nikolay Basov was a Soviet physicist, one of the founders of quantum electronics, and a corecipient of the Nobel......
Baudot, Jean-Maurice-Ămile
Jean-Maurice-Ămile Baudot was an engineer who, in 1874, received a patent on a telegraph code that by the mid-20th......
Bauer, Sebastian Wilhelm Valentin
Sebastian Wilhelm Valentin Bauer was a German pioneer inventor and builder of submarines. In 1850 Bauer built his......
Baxter, George
George Baxter was an English engraver and printer who invented a process (patented 1835) of colour printing that......
Beach, Alfred Ely
Alfred Ely Beach was an American publisher and inventor whose Scientific American helped stimulate 19th-century......
Beau de Rochas, Alphonse
Alphonse Beau de Rochas was a French engineer who originated the principle of the four-stroke internal-combustion......
Becket, Frederick Mark
Frederick Mark Becket was a metallurgist who developed a process of using silicon instead of carbon as a reducing......
Beebe, William
William Beebe was an American biologist, explorer, and writer on natural history who combined careful biological......
Belin, Ădouard
Ădouard Belin was a French engineer who in 1907 made the first telephoto transmission, from Paris to Lyon to Bordeaux......
Bell, Alexander Graham
Alexander Graham Bell was an inventor, scientist, and teacher of the deaf whose foremost accomplishments, during......
Bell, Henry
Henry Bell was a Scottish engineer who launched the first commercially successful steamship in Europe. After serving......
Bendix, Vincent
Vincent Bendix was an American inventor and industrialist who contributed to the development of automobiles and......
Bennett, Willard Harrison
Willard Harrison Bennett was an American physicist who discovered (1934) the pinch effect, an electromagnetic process......
Bentham, Sir Samuel
Sir Samuel Bentham was a British engineer, naval architect, and navy official in Russia (1780â91) and England (from......
Benz, Bertha
Bertha Benz was a German automotive pioneer who was instrumental in the development of the first engine-powered......
Benz, Karl
Karl Benz was a German mechanical engineer who designed and in 1885 built the worldâs first practical automobile......
Berliner, Emil
Emil Berliner was a German-born American inventor who made important contributions to telephone technology and......
Berners-Lee, Tim
Tim Berners-Lee is a British computer scientist, generally credited as the inventor of the World Wide Web. In 2004,......
Berthold der Schwarze
Berthold der Schwarze was a German monk and alchemist who, probably among others, discovered gunpowder (c. 1313).......
Berthoud, Ferdinand
Ferdinand Berthoud was a horologist and author of extensive treatises on timekeeping. Berthoud was apprenticed......
Bessemer, Henry
Henry Bessemer was an inventor and engineer who developed the first process for manufacturing steel inexpensively......
Besson, Jacques
Jacques Besson was an engineer whose improvements in the lathe were of great importance in the development of the......
Bigelow, Erastus Brigham
Erastus Brigham Bigelow was an American industrialist, noted as the developer of the power carpet loom and as a......
Binnig, Gerd
Gerd Binnig is a German-born physicist who shared with Heinrich Rohrer (q.v.) half of the 1986 Nobel Prize for......
Birdseye, Clarence
Clarence Birdseye was an American businessman and inventor best known for developing a process for freezing foods......
Bissell, Melville Reuben
Melville Reuben Bissell was the U.S. inventor of the carpet sweeper. After growing up in Berlin, Wis., Bissell......
Blackett, Patrick
Patrick Blackett was the winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1948 for his discoveries in the field of cosmic......
Blake, Lyman Reed
Lyman Reed Blake was an American inventor who devised a sewing machine for sewing the soles of shoes to the uppers.......
Blakely, Sara
Sara Blakely is an American inventor and entrepreneur who created Spanx, a brand of body-slimming womenâs undergarments,......
Blanchard, Thomas
Thomas Blanchard was an American inventor who made major contributions to the development of machine tools. Blanchard......
Blenkinsop, John
John Blenkinsop was an English inventor, designer of the first practical and successful railway locomotive. Blenkinsopâs......
Bloembergen, Nicolaas
Nicolaas Bloembergen was a Dutch-born American physicist, corecipient with Arthur Leonard Schawlow of the United......
Blondel, André-EugÚne
André-EugÚne Blondel was a French physicist known for his invention of the oscillograph and for his development......
Blériot, Louis
Louis Blériot was a French airplane manufacturer and aviator who made the first flight of an airplane between continental......
Bodmer, Johann Georg
Johann Georg Bodmer was a Swiss mechanic and prolific inventor of machine tools and textile-making machinery. Information......
Boehm, Theobald
Theobald Boehm was a German flutist, composer for the flute, and flute maker whose key mechanism and fingering......
Bogardus, James
James Bogardus was an inventor and builder who popularized cast-iron construction, which was commonly used in American......
Borda, Jean-Charles de
Jean-Charles de Borda was a French mathematician and nautical astronomer noted for his studies of fluid mechanics......
Borden, Gail
Gail Borden was an American philanthropist, businessman, and inventor, who envisioned food concentrates as a means......
Bosch, Robert
Robert Bosch was a German engineer and industrialist who was responsible for the invention of the spark plug and......
Bose, Jagadish Chandra
Jagadish Chandra Bose was an Indian physicist and plant physiologist who worked on radio waves and studied plant......
Bothe, Walther
Walther Bothe was a German physicist who shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1954 with Max Born for his invention......
Boulsover, Thomas
Thomas Boulsover was an English inventor of fused plating, or âold Sheffield plate.â After an apprenticeship in......
Boykin, Otis
Otis Boykin was an African American electrical engineer and inventor whose improvements to resistorsâcomponents......
Boyle, Willard
Willard Boyle was a physicist who was awarded, with American physicist George E. Smith, the Nobel Prize for Physics......
Boys, Sir Charles Vernon
Sir Charles Vernon Boys was an English physicist and inventor of sensitive instruments, known particularly for......
Bramah, Joseph
Joseph Bramah was an engineer and inventor whose lock-manufacturing shop was the cradle of the British machine-tool......
Brandt, Alfred
Alfred Brandt was a German civil engineer who was primarily responsible for the successful driving of the Simplon......
Brattain, Walter H.
Walter H. Brattain was an American scientist who, along with John Bardeen and William B. Shockley, won the Nobel......
Braun, Ferdinand
Ferdinand Braun was a German physicist who shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909 with Guglielmo Marconi for......
Braun, Wernher von
Wernher von Braun was a German engineer who played a prominent role in all aspects of rocketry and space exploration,......
Breguet, Abraham-Louis
Abraham-Louis Breguet was the leading French watchmaker of his time, known for the profusion of his inventions......