Inventions & Science

Science and inventions have propelled human progress, as well as led to human destruction. From the creation of the first stone tools to reusable space rockets to the atomic bomb, each step builds upon the history of human knowledge.

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Illustration by Eduardo Ramón Trejo. Photos from Getty Images.

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The epic race to standardize the electrical system—later known as the War of the Currents—lit up 19th-Century America.

Here are the milestones and innovations that drove the automotive revolution.

Some of the modern world's most groundbreaking technologies emerged during this 30-year period.

Barcode tech was first patented in 1949, but engineers came up with the UPC code in the 1970s to answer a need for better efficiency in grocery stores.

Top 10 Kitchen Inventions That Changed Food Forever

Top 10 Kitchen Inventions That Changed Food Forever

From fire to the air fryer, humans have a remarkable history of innovating in the kitchen. Discover the 10 kitchen inventions that changed food forever, in this episode of History Countdown.

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Inventions & Science
Inventions & Science

Play-Doh

A failed wallpaper cleaning product gets a second chance as a classroom craft and accidentally becomes one of America’s most iconic toys.

Inventions & Science

The Deadly Design of the Ford Pinto

Early driving was risky—rumble seats, built-in cigarette lighters and fire-prone cars made even short trips dangerous.

Inventions & Science

Did Scientists Really Reanimate the Dead?

In 1803 Italy, a scientist tests the idea that the body runs on electricity using an executed prisoner, sparking eerie questions about reanimation.

Inventions & Science

These Toys Turned Playtime Into Peril

Remember when playtime meant tempting fate? From toy belts that fired speeding projectiles to high-powered pogo sticks that sent us soaring, these perilous playthings were made for kids—but their risks were anything but child’s play.

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Inventions & Science

10 Military Inventions We Use Every Day

Many everyday tools—from zippers to Super Glue to computers—originated as military inventions.

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Barcode tech was first patented in 1949, but engineers came up with the UPC code in the 1970s to answer a need for better efficiency in grocery stores.

Americans eat about a million pounds of the stuff a year.

Inventions & Science

If Looks Could Kill . . . These Beauty Trends Actually Did

From dentures that could explode at the dinner table and stiff shirt collars that could strangle us, to toxic hair implants, the pursuit of the perfect look once pushed people to surprisingly dangerous lengths.

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Appearing in 1900, the first license plates in the United States were made of leather.

A Revolutionary War-era identification helped kickstart a new scientific field.

Inventions & Science

Top 3 Fast & Furious Cars of All Time

Peyton Manning and guests take us through the greatest cars of all time.

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Inventions & Science

Invention of the Automobile

Who inspired Henry Ford to get into the car business? See why motorized wheels have been called one of the greatest inventions in modern history.

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It’s hard to credit a single person with inventing the automobile. Not only did an estimated 100,000 patents lead to cars as we know them, but people also disagree on what qualifies as the first true automobile.  For historians who think that early steam-powered road vehicles fit the bill, the answer is Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, a […]

When Were Cars Invented? The 1901 Mercedes, designed by Wilhelm Maybach for Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, deserves credit for being the first modern motorcar in all essentials. Its thirty-five-horsepower engine weighed only fourteen pounds per horsepowe...

In 1886, German inventor Karl Benz patented what is generally regarded as the first modern car. Less than two decades later, in 1903, Massachusetts and Missouri became the first states to require a driver’s license, although it wasn’t necessary to pass a test to obtain one. In 1908, Henry Ford launched the Model T, the […]

Did you know pizza took the United States by storm before it became popular in its native Italy?

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