10 groundbreaking inventions that changed the world

Curiosity and creativity are two core qualities that have propelled humanity to the heights of science and technology. From the moment our ancestors first cracked a rock to create a sharp tool, the journey of constant innovation began.

From inventions like the printing press to the telephone to the smartphone, each step forward has been a revolution. Some inventions come in miraculous flashes of light, but most great breakthroughs are the result of creative minds working tirelessly over years.

In this article, we will explore 10 important inventions, learn the science behind them, and the inspiring birth stories of groundbreaking inventions that changed the world.

1. Global Positioning System (GPS)

In the past, navigating the globe was a daunting challenge. People relied on compasses, maps, nautical chronometers, and even the stars to explore and locate nearly every corner of the Earth.

However, these traditional tools are ineffective when it comes to guiding an aircraft through the vast sky or determining an exact position over unexplored terrain.

The advent of GPS has ushered in a new era of positioning and navigation. This network of satellites continuously transmits signals, allowing anyone on Earth, with just a simple GPS receiver, to accurately determine their location.

GPS has revolutionized the transportation industry and become the foundation for popular navigation apps like Google Maps, making travel smarter and more convenient than ever.

Currently, there are 31 GPS satellites operating in Earth orbit, far exceeding the original 24 satellites launched by the US Department of Defense (DOD) between 1978 and 1993. In addition, there are 42 satellites that are no longer operational but still floating in space.

The GPS system operates in parallel with three other major satellite navigation systems including Russia's GLONASS, China's BeiDou and the European Union's Galileo, creating a powerful and reliable global navigation network.

GPS plays a vital role in everyday life. For example, rescue workers rely on GPS to find and rescue people in distress in the wilderness, police use the technology to track and apprehend criminals, and lost people rely on GPS to find their way back home.

From emergency situations to everyday activities, GPS has become a silent yet extremely reliable guide.

One particular factor that contributed to the rapid spread of GPS was the fact that the system was provided free of charge by the US government. This landmark decision was made after a tragedy in 1983 when a South Korean passenger plane was shot down after accidentally entering Soviet airspace.

To prevent similar incidents from recurring, then-US President Ronald Reagan announced the expansion of GPS access to the public, turning this advanced military technology into a global navigation tool, serving the interests of all mankind.

2. Phone

Many inventors pioneered the transmission of voice over electronic devices, and many of them later filed lawsuits related to intellectual property rights when telephones became popular.

However, Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell was the first to patent the electric telephone on March 7, 1876. Three days later, Bell made the first historic call to his assistant, Thomas Watson, with the famous words: "Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you."

Alexander Graham Bell's inspiration for the invention of the telephone came largely from his family. His father was an orator and teacher of communication for the deaf, while his mother, a talented musician, lost her hearing in old age.

Meanwhile, his wife, Mabel, whom he married in 1877, had also been deaf since the age of 5. It was these experiences and influences from his family that motivated Bell to pursue research in sound and communication.

His invention was quickly embraced, revolutionizing business and communications worldwide. When Bell died on August 2, 1922, all telephone services in the United States and Canada were cut off for one minute in his honor, marking a tribute to the great legacy he left behind.

3. Smartphone

While the telephone was a groundbreaking invention, the advent of smartphones in recent decades has ushered in a revolution in personal mobile computing. More than just a communication tool, smartphones have become multi-purpose devices, connecting people to the world through the internet, applications, and countless other utilities.

The line between a cell phone and a smartphone is hard to draw. One of the first devices to deserve the title “smartphone” was the IBM Simon, released in 1994. It was the first all-in-one phone that could send email and incorporate a personal organizer.

However, the device was not very popular. Other milestones include the introduction of the BlackBerry in 2000, which ushered in the era of mobile web browsing and on-the-go email.

And of course, we can't forget the iPhone, launched in 2007, which reshaped the world with its intuitive touchscreen, a design that has become the standard for every smartphone today.

Smartphones have become the launch pad for the explosion of social networking and instant messaging applications, while integrating many advanced technologies into a compact device that fits in the palm of your hand.

For most people, a smartphone is more than just a phone, it is also a laptop, a high-quality camera, and a task organizer. However, the power of this device does not stop there, it also acts as a smart sensor, GPS navigator, microphone, electronic wallet, and many other useful tools.

4. Printer

Around 1440–1450, German inventor Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized the world with his invention of the printing press. The key element in this technology was hand-molded type, a new technique that allowed for the rapid and mass production of movable metal type.

Before Gutenberg, inventors in China and Korea had developed movable metal type technology, but Gutenberg was the first to mechanize the printing process. He used linseed oil ink combined with soot and created an efficient method of transferring ink from metal type to paper, ushering in an era of unprecedented widespread and profound dissemination of knowledge.

Thanks to the revolutionary process of movable type printing, the printing press increased the speed of copying books many times over, opening up an era of rapid and widespread dissemination of knowledge unprecedented in history. That shows that the impact of the printing press on society and human knowledge is undeniable.

5. Internet

The Internet is a global network that connects billions of computers and devices around the world, allowing people to exchange information and interact without being limited by geographical distance.

In the 1960s, a group of computer scientists at the US Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency built a communications network called ARPANET, the precursor to today's Internet.

ARPANET used a groundbreaking data transmission technique called "packet switching," developed by computer scientist Lawrence Roberts, building on the pioneering work of other scientists. This breakthrough laid the foundation for the birth and development of the Internet as we know it today.

In the 1970s, scientists Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf developed the core communications protocols for the Internet, including the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP). These protocols serve as the "common language" that allows computers around the world to connect and exchange data with each other.

In 1989, the Internet entered a new era thanks to the revolutionary invention of the World Wide Web (WWW) or Web by Tim Berners-Lee, while he was working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

The core idea of ​​the WWW is to integrate advanced technologies such as computers, data networks, and hypertext into a global information system that is powerful, intuitive, and easy to use.

The advent of the WWW not only made the Internet more accessible, but also opened up a global space of connection where people could share information, learn, and communicate in ways never before possible in history.

6. Battery

The first battery was invented in 1800 when Italian physicist Alessandro Volta stacked alternating copper and zinc discs, separated by cloth soaked in salt water, and discovered that this structure could generate an electric current.

In 1802, Scottish professor William Cruickshank improved on Volta's design, creating a version called the trough battery. This device consisted of 50 copper and zinc discs placed in a wooden box containing a salt solution, which increased conductivity and efficiency.

However, it was not until 1859 that French physicist Gaston Planté invented the first rechargeable lead-acid battery, opening up the potential for widespread practical applications. Despite many improvements, modern versions of Planté's lead-acid battery are still commonly used in automobiles today.

7. Airplane

Human flight has inspired inventors for centuries. The first controlled human flight took place in 1783, when Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier took off in a hot air balloon.

By 1853, British engineer George Cayley had designed the first glider that could fly successfully. However, it was not until 1903 that Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful flight with a powered aircraft.

Their plane not only took off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (USA) under its own power, but also flew and landed safely, without being destroyed, something many previous inventions could not do.

The Wright brothers were inspired by watching birds in flight, and their glider was also designed with wings like birds, but with a wingspan of 10 meters.

8. Refrigerator

Refrigeration has existed in various forms for thousands of years. Depending on the climate, people used ice or cold water to preserve food. However, artificial refrigeration did not really come into being until 1748, when physician William Cullen first demonstrated the process of cooling through evaporation.

Further breakthroughs came in 1834, when American engineer Jacob Perkins invented a system of vapor compression. By 1876, German engineer Carl von Linde had developed a process for liquefying gases, ushering in a new era of commercial refrigeration.

In 1913, American engineer Fred Wolf invented the first household refrigerator, and with the increasing demand for fresh produce, the number of households owning refrigerators also increased.

9. Nuclear energy

Nuclear energy was first discovered in the 1930s by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, who discovered that bombarding atoms with neutrons could cause them to split, releasing huge amounts of energy. He went on to develop the first nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago.

This success opened an important turning point, leading to the birth of nuclear power plants in the 1950s. In 1951, the state of Idaho (USA) put into operation the first nuclear power plant, producing electricity from atomic energy at Experimental Reactor I.

Meanwhile, the city of Obninsk in the former Soviet Union became the world's first grid-connected nuclear power plant in 1954, and by 1957, the Shippingport nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania (USA) became the first commercial nuclear power plant.

One of the major problems with today's nuclear power plants is the use of fission reactions to split atoms, creating radioactive substances with long decay times.

In addition, nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl (Russia) and Fukushima-Daiichi (Japan) have highlighted the great risks and challenges that fission-based nuclear energy brings, raising questions about the safety and sustainability of this technology.

As a result, scientists are working to develop a viable nuclear fusion reactor, a theoretical technology that has the potential to generate clean, limitless energy. In 2022, researchers reported a major breakthrough: a fusion reactor produced more energy than it consumed.

However, experts stress that we still have a long way to go before we can produce a practical and usable fusion reactor. Currently, nuclear energy is still widely used around the world, generating about 10% of global energy.

10. X-ray

Like many great inventions, X-rays were discovered by accident. In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen conducted a two-month study of radiation.

In an experiment to test whether cathode rays could penetrate glass, he unexpectedly found that the radiation could penetrate thick screens and create shadows of solid objects.

Realizing the potential of this discovery early on, he continued his research and discovered that X-rays could penetrate the human body, displaying detailed images of the skeleton and internal organs.

Just one year later, the first group of doctors performed X-ray diagnostics on patients. This discovery paved the way for the birth and development of X-rays, helping doctors accurately diagnose problems with broken bones, tumors, and important internal organ diseases.