Science
Greatest Inventions in History
The most impactful inventions that transformed human civilization, from ancient tools to modern technology.
25 rows6 columns2 views0 downloadsSource: VariousUpdated: 2/22/2026
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25 of 25 rows
Invention↕ | Year↕ | Inventor(s)↕ | Country↕ | Field↕ | Impact↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel | 3500 BC | Unknown (Mesopotamia) | Iraq | Transportation | Enabled trade and travel |
| Printing Press | 1440 | Johannes Gutenberg | Germany | Communication | Democratized knowledge |
| Steam Engine | 1712 | Thomas Newcomen | England | Energy | Industrial Revolution |
| Electricity | 1879 | Thomas Edison | United States | Energy | Modern civilization |
| Telephone | 1876 | Alexander Graham Bell | United States | Communication | Real-time voice communication |
| Automobile | 1886 | Karl Benz | Germany | Transportation | Personal mobility |
| Airplane | 1903 | Wright Brothers | United States | Transportation | Global travel |
| Penicillin | 1928 | Alexander Fleming | Scotland | Medicine | Antibiotic era |
| Internet | 1983 | Vint Cerf / Bob Kahn | United States | Communication | Global connectivity |
| Compass | 200 BC | Unknown (Han Dynasty) | China | Navigation | Exploration and trade |
| Gunpowder | 850 AD | Chinese alchemists | China | Military | Changed warfare forever |
| Paper | 105 AD | Cai Lun | China | Communication | Record keeping |
| Telescope | 1608 | Hans Lippershey | Netherlands | Science | Astronomy revolution |
| Vaccination | 1796 | Edward Jenner | England | Medicine | Eradicated diseases |
| Radio | 1895 | Guglielmo Marconi | Italy | Communication | Mass broadcasting |
| Television | 1927 | Philo Farnsworth | United States | Communication | Visual mass media |
| Computer | 1945 | John von Neumann | United States | Technology | Digital age |
| Transistor | 1947 | Bardeen / Brattain / Shockley | United States | Electronics | Miniaturization |
| World Wide Web | 1989 | Tim Berners-Lee | Switzerland | Communication | Information age |
| Smartphone | 2007 | Apple (Steve Jobs) | United States | Technology | Mobile computing |
| GPS | 1973 | US Department of Defense | United States | Navigation | Precise location |
| Nuclear Energy | 1942 | Enrico Fermi | United States | Energy | Power and weapons |
| X-Ray | 1895 | Wilhelm Rontgen | Germany | Medicine | Medical imaging |
| Semiconductor Chip | 1958 | Jack Kilby | United States | Electronics | Modern electronics |
| Algebra | 820 AD | Al-Khwarizmi | Persia (modern Iraq) | Mathematics | Foundation of modern math |
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