Look around you ,you are surrounded by objects that might seem ordinary, but everything around you is unique in its own sense and has a story to tell. This book is for all the curious minds interested in those stories. It’s because these individuals and many others like them asked questions about why things were the way they were that they stumbled onto or created something new. Keep in mind no discovery or invention can be achieved by one single person, there are a lot of people involved but we only remember the names of those who had the breakthrough. Here we will go through a few inventions without which our lives would have surely been different.
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Who Invented the Camera? Photography was a very gradual invention which took centuries to develop.It was a journey with numerous landmarks in its path.
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L
ets start from where it all
photograph using a light sensitive
began.The first idea of a
material he developed through his
camera.Camera works on the basic concept that if you have a hole in
knowledge of chemistry. It was after the death of Joseph
the wall of a dark room,the light
in 1833 that his understudy Louis
passes through the hole creates a
Daguerre who was a French
projection which retains color and
artist, who, took the idea forward
perspective but is inverted.This
to develop the first ever camera
came to be known as “Camera
for public use.He called it the
Obscura”. This technique of pinhole
Daguerreotype. Daguerreotypes
philosophy is mentioned in the
were very expensive, so only the
writings of Chinese philosopher
wealthy could afford to have their
Mozi in around 400 BC.
portrait taken. Even though the
In the 15th century famous painter
portrait was the most popular
Leonardo Davinci used the pinhole
subject, the daguerreotype
camera to trace out details for his
was used to record many other
sketches. Painters like Rembrandt
images such as topographic and
and Carvaggio used the Camera
documentary subjects, antiquities,
Obscura techniques for their
still lives, natural phenomena and
paintings in the 1700s.It was in
remarkable events.
1826 that French inventor Joseph
Each daguerreotype is a
Nicéphore Niépce (Lets just call
remarkably detailed, one-of-a-kind
him Joseph for the ease of it!)
photographic image on a highly
took first ever photograph with a
polished, silver-plated sheet of
technique called Heliography. It
copper, sensitized with iodine
took him 8 hours to develop the
vapors, exposed in a large box
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camera, developed in mercury
After Daguerre, it was George
fumes, and stabilized (or fixed) with
Eastman who introduced the
salt water. Although Daguerre was
photographic film in 1884.This was
required to reveal, demonstrate,
the start of amateur photography,
and publish detailed instructions
it significantly reduced the size
for the process, he wisely retained
of the camera and made it far
the patent on the equipment
more accessible. He founded his
necessary to practice the new art.
company which came to be known
From the moment of its birth,
as Kodak.In 1888, he launched the
photography had a dual character
first Kodak camera (a few years
as a medium of artistic expression
later, he amended the company
and as a powerful scientific tool
name to Eastman Kodak).
and Daguerre promoted his
The company slogan was “You
invention on both fronts. On March
press the button, we do the rest,”
8, 1839, Daguerre’s laboratory
which meant the camera was sent
burned to the ground in a fire
in to the company after the 100
accident, destroying the inventor’s
exposures on the roll of film had
written records and the bulk of his
been used; they developed it and
early experimental works.
sent it back to the customer. In
1889, Eastman hired a chemist to
Eastman again though who
develop a type of flexible film that
introduced the first colour film for
could be more easily inserted into
the masses in 1935.
cameras. Thomas Edison adapted
Once photo sensitive chips were
the film for use in the motion-
developed, the chemical process
picture camera he was developing,
of creating pictures became
further propelling the success
obsolete. Through decades of
of Eastman’s company. The
innovation in SLRs and DSLRs to
Brownie camera was launched
mobile phone cameras, we finally
in 1900 to target new hobbyist
come to present day where we
photographers with its $1 price tag.
have front cameras more powerful
Eastman’s innovations started the
than anything that existed back
amateur photography craze that is
then. One must keep in mind
still going strong today.
though it was because of the
After that the first colour
Camera Obscura that we have this
photograph came around 1861,
technology today. It is because
a man named Thomas Sutton
someone observed light through a
combined three images he took
small hole centuries ago that you
with red, blue and green filters
can take so many selfies under a
to make the photograph, it was
minute.
a picture of a bow. It was Kodak
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Who Invented the Telegraph? Many inventors tried and worked on the telegraph but the first practical instrument that could send telegraph using electricity successfully was designed by Samuel F. B. Morse.
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hatsapp, Messenger, texts-
W
practical instrument that could
Instant communication,
send telegraph using electricity
so convenient right? today we
successfully was designed by
have the capabilities to connect
him. Before Morse’s invention, in
all across the globe through texts
1792 an optical telegraph line was
, audios and videos in less than a
developed in France by Claude
second with ease. But have you
Chappe(The ‘Ch’ is pronounced
wondered of a time when these
as ‘Sh’ for reasons beyond me) His
technologies did not exist? About
signal system consisted of three
how we evolved from using birds
simple signal elements i.e. a beam
as messengers to mobile phones?
and two arms. Chappe was able to
Letters can be considered as the
produce the entire alphabet with
obvious step in this direction,
jus these three elements.With the
with postal services dating back
help of twenty two signal towers
to ancient Egyptian Era. The
the system could be used to send
first electronic message service
a message across a distance of
though was the game changer and
270 Kms.
that is what a telegraph was. A telegraph by definition is a
After the optical telegraph came the magnetic needle
system for transmitting messages
telegraph in the 1830s.Developed
from a distance along a wire by
by two Englishman Cooke and
creating signals by making and
Wheatstone, Although not the first
breaking an electrical connection.
magnetic needle telegraph, it was
Samuel F. B. Morse invented the
the first telegraph system to be put
first telegraph in 1837. Before
to commercial service. The device
Morse many inventors tried and
was used in the railways and
worked on the same but the first
consisted of five magnetic needles
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which deflected as they received
The device he developed used an
electrical currents. The needles
electric circuit, an overhead wire
were placed in a diamond shaped
and Earth as another conductor to
box with all the letters mapped
complete the circuit. A marker was
out at specific positions. The
moved to produce written code on
deflections pointed out the letters
a piece of paper using pulses of
thus mapping out the words.
current to deflect electromagnet-
Samuel Morse was a professor
this was Morse code. The code
of art and design at New York
consisted of simple dots and
University in 1835. He became
dashes in which Morse was able to
interested in telegraphic device
include the entire English alphabet
in 1832 and started working on it.
and numerals. Three spaces were
For the same he took technical
inserted between letters and
assistance from Leonard Gale, a
numerals to indicate where a word
chemistry professor and monetary
stopped and the next started. For
support from Alfred Vail.
one more year the machine was
worked on to emboss the paper
printed on the tape but in the U. S.
with dots and dashes and then
the trained operator transmitted
the public demonstration was
message by sending it through
conducted in 1838. After five years
keys and receiving by ears at the
telegraph lines were constructed.
speed of 40 to 50 words a minute.
And the first telegraphic message
Telegraphs might be obsolete
was “What Hath God wrought?�
today with the huge presence
A complete line was officially
of wireless networks but they
inaugurated on May 24, 1844. The
were the first step towards
first transcontinental telegraph line
telecommunication at a global
was built by the Western Union
scale. They are the reason we
along the railroads in 1851.
can send numerous messages
For economic reasons, the Post
wherever and whenever we want
and Telegraph department
to and share our thoughts and
intervened in 1881 and it was in
ideas. With technology growing
1943 that the Post and Telegraph
one can now even tell if you saw
department and the Western
the message and did not reply to
Union joined hands. Originally
it, If only Morse had that sort of
the telegraphic message was
convenience!
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Who Invented the Bulb? Historians agree that Thomas Edison was not the inventor of the electric light bulb, but he did produce the first commercially viable one
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istorians agree that Thomas
H
immobile source of lighting which
Edison was not the inventor
produced extreme heat and
of the electric light bulb, but he
required a well established supply
did produce the first commercially
network.
viable one. Earlier light bulbs were
Thomas Edison’s serious
experimented with as far back as
incandescent light bulb research
1802 and there were 23 others who
began in 1878, filing his first patent
had invented light bulbs, some of
later that year ”Improvement In
whom were still working on them
Electric Lights” in October 1878.
at the time of Edison’s work. One
Three factors in combination
of them was William Murdoch
are generally recognized as
who brought the gas light to
contributing to Edison’s success
commercial use. A gas produced
i.e.a durable incandescent
by burning coal was captured in air
material, elimination of air from
tight vessels and supplied across
the bulb-a better vacuum and
homes through pipe lines.The
a filament material of high
advantages of gas light over oil
resistance.
lamps and candles and by the 19th
His early experiments involved
century gas lights were used for
the fabrication and testing of many
street lights and factories.The only
different metal filaments, including
drawback was that the light itself
platinum. Platinum was very
was not that bright.Electricity was
difficult to work with, and prone
introduced during the same time
to being weakened by heating
as gas lights and soon electric
and oxygen attack.In addition,
bulbs took over.The problem
platinum was expensive, and too
was that gas lights provided an
low in resistance; which would
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require heavy copper conductors
light bulb so it became impractical
in Edison’s electric distribution
for actual use.(Later Swan joined
system he was designing to supply
hands with Edison as his electric
commercial installations of his
distribution system expanded)
bulbs. This system would later
Edison then resorted to a carbon-
become the model for our modern
based, high-resistance, filament.
electric utility power distribution
One year later in October 1879
system of today.Another European
Edison successfully tested a
inventor Joseph Swan filed the
filament that burned for 13.5 hours.
patent for electric light bulb the
Continuing to improve his design,
same year as Edison,Although he
by November 1879, he filed for a
cauld not come up with a filament
U.S. patent for an electric lamp
to increase the burn time of his
using “a carbon filament or strip
bulb so that it could be put to
coiled and connected to platina
commercial use.Also he had not
contact wires�.
designed the fixtures to place the
The filament was made from a
piece of carbonized thread.
that he absorbed knowledge
By New Year’s he was
from a lot of inventors working in
demonstrating lamps using
the field before he came up with
carbonized cardboard filaments
the electric light bulb. Electric
to large crowds at the Menlo
lights became cheap, safe,
Park laboratory. It was not until
and convenient to use and the
several months after the patent
public and commercial concerns
was granted that Edison and his
installed them in rapidly increasing
team discovered that a carbonized
numbers. The rest is history.
bamboo filament could last over 1200 hours. A year later, Edison began manufacturing commercial lamps using carbonized Japanese bamboo as filaments. Throughout his career, Edison worked on many improvements to his signature invention, an invention that literally changed the way we live after dark. He admitted
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Who Invented the Airplane? The invention of Airplanes is also a very debatable topic with historians arguing over different inventors.
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lying is something that
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sponges. As it could destroy the
gets everyone excited, it is
balloon, one of the flight member
something we dream about,
took off his coat to stop the fire.
soaring through the winds like
The problem with these balloon
birds in the sky. Given today’s
was that it could not be guided
technology it is quite possible but
to a specific destination. With
what about the first time man left
more research and time invested
earth to join the clouds?
in the concept of flying in the air,
Well before we got the airplane
gliders were invented. This non
we got the hot air balloon. Joseph
motorized flying mechanism was
and Michel Montgolfier (two
better than the hot air balloon.
French brothers) were the first
Earliest glider that could really fly
to take flight on 21 November
was developed by George Cayel.
1783 in a giant hot air balloon
And in 1843, William Henson
which they called the Montgolfier
made the plans for model plane
balloon. They flew aloft about
which unfortunately proved to
910m above Paris for a distance of
be a disappointment for him. And
nine kilometres. After 25 minutes,
soon after, his friend named John
the machine landed between
Stingfellow designed a plane with
the windmills, outside the city.
the same model and succeeded.
Enough fuel remained on board
This plane managed to fly but did
at the end of the flight to have
not stay in the air for a long time.
allowed the balloon to fly four to
It was almost a century later that
five times as far. However, the fire
the Wright brothers took flight.
was destroying the balloon fabric
Between this period there were
and had to be controlled with
numerous flight attempts made all
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across the globe, both successful
Kitty Hawk as their proving ground
and unsuccessful. But why do we
because of the constant wind that
remember the Wright’s then?
added lift to their craft.
To understand that we need to
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They observed that you on a
understand what the Wright’s
bicycle you need to lean on one
achieved? An airplane is defined
side to turn, this was missing from
as a vehicle that’s manned,
all the flight attempts made before
powered heavier than air (so not
them and that is exactly what they
a balloon), take off and land on
wanted to achieve. They did so by
its own power and is controllable
observing birds on how birds could
across all three axis. This last
tilt their wings to control direction
thing is what distinguishes the
of their flight. One day Wilbur had
Wrights. The brothers began their
tube of cardboard in his hands, he
experimentation in flight in 1896
held it between his thumbs and
at their bicycle shop in Dayton,
fingers, and he observed how he
Ohio. They selected the beach at
could twist it and change its shape.
The brothers decided if they could
enough and powerful enough
give this twist to the wings it would
for their needs. So they designed
work for them. They called this
and built their own. All of their
twist wing warping which basically
hard work, experimentation and
meant they would temporarily let
innovation came together in
one wing gather more air under it
December as they took to the sky
than the other one and that would
and forever changed the course of
help their airplane take-off.
history.
In 1902 the brothers worked out
On December 17, 1903, Orville
all the mechanisms on a gliWder
Wright piloted the first powered
and took it to a place where the
airplane 20 feet above a wind-
wind was great and there was a lot
swept beach in North Carolina.
of sand for cushioning (Kitty Hawk,
The flight lasted 12 seconds and
North Carolina) and tested out
covered 120 feet. Three more
wing warping. They made more
flights were made that day with
than 700 successful flights. After
Orville’s Brother Wilbur piloting the
having perfected glided flight, the
record flight lasting 59 seconds
next step was to move to powered
over a distance of 852 feet.
flight. No automobile manufacturer could supply an engine both light
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Who Invented the Transistor? This might be the most complicated invention to explain, but it is also the most crucial invetion of our times.
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ncluding transistors here might
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the processing for the electronics.
seem odd but that is mainly
They were bulb like structures
because we are not aware of the
with positive and negative
impact of this invention. Transistors
terminals which processed all
are without a doubt the greatest
the information in an electronic
invention of this century and have
device (mainly telephones and
shaped the modern society as we
computers). The problem with
know it.
vacuum tubes was that they were
So what is it? What does it do? It
expensive, consumed a lot of
might be hard to understand but
power, gave off too much heat,
bear with me. So every device
and were unreliable, causing a
around you that does any form
great deal of maintenance.
of data transfer or computing,
Also they heated up quite a lot so
from mobile phones to tablets to
it needed proper cooling space
television to computers. All these
and ventilation systems. This is why
devices function on a simple
we had computers which were
language of binaries, i.e. ones and
the size of a room as it required a
zeros, to process this information
lot of vacuum tubes which in turn
we need a transistor. All our
required a lot of space.
electronic devices today have
So in the mid 1940s a team
thousands of transistors which
of scientists working for Bell
have now become microscopic
Telephone Labs (Alexander
in size. But let’s not jump ahead
Graham Bell ring a bell?) in Murray
of ourselves, let’s start from the
Hill, New Jersey, were working
beginning. So before transistors
to discover a device to replace
we had vacuum tubes to do all
the then present vacuum tube
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technology. The scientists that
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Their invention got little attention
were responsible for the 1947
at the time, either in the popular
invention of the transistor were:
press or in industry. But Shockley
John Bardeen, Walter Brattain,
saw its potential. He left Bell Labs
and William Shockley. Shockley
to found Shockley Semiconductor
was the head of transistor
in Palo Alto, California. He hired
research for Bell labs, Bardeen
superb engineers and physicists,
had a Ph.D. in mathematics and
but, according to physical
physics and was a specialist in the
chemist Harry Sello, Shockley’s
electron conducting properties
personality drove out eight of
of semiconductors. Let’s just say
his best and brightest. Those
he was good with physics for the
“traitorous eight” who left Shockley
ease of it. Brattain was an expert in
founded a new company called
the nature of the atomic structure
Fairchild Semiconductor. Bob
of solids at their surface level and
Noyce and Gordon Moore, two
solid-state physics, again good
of the eight, went on to form Intel
with chemistry.
Corporation (Yes, the company
that manufactures processors
Medal of Freedom.
for most of the electronics in the
So it was these semiconductors
market today). They co-invented
that allowed us to carry such
the integrated circuit. Today, Intel
complex calculating devices like
produces billions of transistors
mobile phones in our pockets. A
daily on its integrated circuits, yet
device which has become a basic
Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley
necessity for many, something we
earned very little money from their
carry around all the time and feel
research. Nonetheless, Shockley’s
handicapped without one. Given
company was the beginning of
the amount of hard work that went
Silicon Valley.
into it it’s only apt that we make
Their original patent name for
good use of the technology.
the transistor was: Semiconductor amplifier; Three-electrode circuit element utilizing semiconductive materials. In 1956, the group was awarded the Noble Prize in Physics for their invention of the transistor. In 1977, John Bardeen was awarded the Presidential
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Camera • http://www.biography.com/people/georgeeastman-9283428 • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNo7XXg4tbQ (The Invention of Photography, Its History)
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Telegraph • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGs57VQHt7M Samuel Morse The Telegraph(Documetry) • https://www.loc.gov/collections/samuel-morse-papers/ articles-and-essays/invention-of-the-telegraph/ Bulb • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbiCLHneyaA&t=308s The Invention Of The Light Bulb, Its History Airplane • http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/wright.htm Transistor • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZcuJN0Yyi0&t=21s The Transistor: a 1953 documentary • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwS9aTE2Go4 Transistors - The Invention That Changed The World, Real Engineering
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