Ever since Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, America has led the world in scientific discoveries and inventions. These innovations have changed the world for good. They have been of enormous benefit to mankind. They have greatly improved our quality of life. Hence, the U.S. is famous for “American ingenuity” and “American know how.”
Wikipedia’s category of “American Inventions” is 200 pages. The U.S. leads the world in Nobel Prize winners by far. It’s not even close. (U.S. 390. U.K. 134. Germany 109. France 70.) The American Dream attracts leading scientists and engineers from throughout the world.
U.S inventions and scientific discoveries are another thing that makes America great.
A few examples of modern U.S. inventions that affect our lives daily
- Personal computers
- Cell phones
- Internet
- Voice mail
- You Tube
- Facebook/Twitter
- GPS
- LED Lights
- 3 D printing
- E readers (Kindle)
- Touch Screens
Partial list of U.S. inventions (1800-2020) that have changed our lives and benefited mankind
1800s
- 1801 Fire hydrant
- 1805 Refrigeration
- 1815 Dental floss
- 1833 Sewing machine (lock-stitch)
- 1836 Morse code
- 1836 Circuit breaker
- 1839 Vulcanized rubber
- 1848 Pin tumbler lock
- 1849 Safety pin
- 1850 Dishwasher
- 1853 Spring Clothespin
- 1858 Mason jar
- 1858 Pencil eraser
- 1858 Ironing board
- 1859 Electric stove
- 1859 Escalator
- 1859 Petroleum jelly
- 1860 Vacuum cleaner
- 1863 Ratchet wrench
- 1867 Paper clip
- 1867 Barbed wire
- 1868 Paper bag
- 1868 Tape measure
- 1869 Pipe wrench
- 1869 Clothes hanger
- 1870 Can opener
- 1873 Jeans
- 1875 Dental drill
- 1876 Telephone
- 1877 Phonograph
- 1879 Cash register
- 1881 Metal detector
- 1881 Electric Iron
- 1882 Electric Fan
- 1883 Solar energy cell
- 1883 Thermostat
- 1885 Photographic film
- 1888 Drinking straw
- 1888 Ballpoint pen
- 1890 Smoke detector
- 1891 Incandescent light bulb
- 1892 Bottle cap
- 1893 Zipper
- 1894 Mousetrap
- 1898 Remote control
1900
- 1900 Nickel-zinc battery
- 1900 Fly swatter
- 1901 Assembly line production
- 1901 Safety razor
- 1902 Hearing aid
- 1902 Air conditioning
- 1903 Airplane
- 1903 Windshield wipers
- 1904 Automatic transmission
- 1907 Paper towel
- 1911 Automobile self-starter
- 1912 Electric blanket
- 1912 Electric traffic light
- 1916 Supermarket
- 1916 Light switch (toggle)
- 1919 Food Blender
- 1921 Adhesive bandage
- 1921 Garage door
- 1923 Cotton swab
- 1926 Garage door opener
- 1926 Power steering
- 1926 Drive through
- 1927 Television set
- 1927 Garbage disposal
- 1928 Ice cube tray
- 1928 Electric razor
- 1929 Frozen food
- 1935 Richter earthquake scale
- 1937 Shopping cart
- 1938 Fiberglass
- 1938 Nylon
- 1938 Teflon
- 1939 Automated teller machine (ATM)
- 1942 Nuclear power
- 1945 Microwave oven
- 1945 Cruise control
- 1946 Tupperware
- 1946 Credit card
- 1948 Hair spray
- 1948 Cable television
- 1948 Video games
- 1952 Car airbags
- 1953 DNA structure
- 1954 Synthetic diamond
- 1956 Videotape
- 1957 Laser
- 1957 Air-bubble packing
- 1958 Carbon fiber
- 1958 Integrated circuit
- 1959 Weather satellite
- 1962 Communications satellite
- 1962 Light-emitting diode (LED)
- 1963 Computer mouse
- 1964 Permanent press clothing
- 1965 Aspartame
- 1965 Cordless telephone
- 1965 Compact Disc
- 1969 Laser printer
- 1971 Personal computer
- 1971 E-mail
- 1971 Bar codes
- 1972 Global Positioning System (GPS)
- 1973 Mobile cell phones
- 1974 Post it notes
- 1973 Voicemail
- 1975 Digital cameras
- 1980 Computer screen mouse interface
- 1983 Internet
- 1984: Macintosh Personal Computer 1988: Disposable Contact Lenses
- 1990: Hubble Space Telescope
- 1996: Google
- 1999: Wi-Fi
2000
- 2000 Camera phone
- 2001: Human Genome Map
- 2001: iPod
- 2004: Facebook
- 2005 YouTube
- 2006: Twitter
- 2007: iPhone
- 2009: Fitbit
Where would we be without these inventions? What would our lives be like? Which of these inventions can you not live without?
The breadth and depth of American inventions and scientific discoveries is enormous. The benefit to mankind is incomparable. No other nation compares. This is another reason America so great.
(See: “Category: American Inventions,” “Timeline of U.S. Discoveries,” Science and Technology in the U.S.,” “Technological and Industrial History of the U.S.” “List of Nobel Laureates by Country,” Wikipedia; “75 Breakthroughs by American’s National Laboratories,” www.energy.gov)
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