10 Inventions That Changed Your World

Stone tools were humanity’s earliest technology, invented more than 2 million years ago by Homo habilis, an early human ancestor. The simplest implements, known to their discoverers as "choppers," were sharpened stones made by smashing one stone against another. This clever (if crude) multi-tool could be used for cutting, sawing, crushing, or smashing. Without this innovation, humanity would have never known the spork.

The first successful photograph, the daguerreotype, was invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre and Nicéphore Niépce in the 1830s. Niépce’s first attempt needed 8 hours exposure time—Daguerre’s needed 20 or 30 minutes. Now, of course, we can take photos of anything we want, anytime, instantly. Thank you, Daguerre and Niépce, for your role in making Instagram possible. #nofilter

While some musical instruments have been around for centuries (the oldest flute is thought to be at least 35,000 years old!) the saxophone is a relatively recent invention. The first saxophone was patented by Antoine-Joseph Sax in Paris in 1846. It was the first instrument to combine a reed (as in a clarinet) with a brass bell (as in a trumpet). Without its unique sound, we would never have heard jazz, or any of the music styles that followed in its footsteps.

The Bessemer process made it possible to mass-produce steel. This was a huge innovation in construction and led to many important advances. The process was invented independently and concurrently by Sir Henry Bessemer (of England) and William Kelly (of the US) in the 1840s. While different methods are used for steel manufacturing today, the Bessemer process was an important building block (pun intended). Without it, we wouldn’t have the towering skyscrapers we have today.

Celluloid, the first synthetic plastic, is hugely important to life as we know it. It was developed in the 1860s and 1870s by industrialist and inventor John Wesley Hyatt. Before then, the world could not have fathomed plastic bags, tupperware, or cheap watches. Also, celluloid is most famous these days for being the film used in film!

Thomas Alva Edison’s cylinder phonograph brought music to the masses. It was the first type of record player, which used tinfoil sheets and a vibrating stylus. The 1857 invention was a far cry from the iPod, but it heralded the beginning of portable music. Just think—before the phonograph, if people wanted to listen to a song, they had to find someone to play it. Imagine seeking out Lady Gaga every time you wanted to hear "Poker Face."

A list of inventions would simply be incomplete without mention of the Wright brothers’ historic flight. In 1903 the Wrights demonstrated that an airplane could sustain flight under the control of a pilot, a feat that had never before been accomplished. This invention changed everything from travel to shipping. Without the Wright flyer, we wouldn’t have destination weddings or last-minute shipping for Christmas.

The Iconoscope television camera and Kinescope receiver were invented by Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, a Russian-born American engineer, in the 1920s. Transmitting an image from one place to another not only made it possible for you to get your Saturday-morning cartoon fix, but also for news and other important information to travel quickly around the world.

Modern electronics simply would not be possible without the integrated circuit, which was invented in 1958 by Jack Kilby. The integrated circuit is also known as the all-important "microchip" that powers your smartphone, your Furby, and even parts of your car.

Whether you’re currently in a library, laboratory, or bathroom stall, you wouldn’t be reading this list without the invention of the personal computer. In 1977 Stephen Wozniak unveiled the Apple II, the PC that arguably paved the way to widespread personal home computer use. Apple has since become a household name, and the computer has evolved from what once took up an entire room to a device that can fit in your purse or pocket. Now that’s what I call science.