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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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.
3 Important Inventions Discovered by Accident
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On March 14, 1951, Albert Einstein was celebrating his 72nd birthday at the Princeton Club in New Jersey when a group of photographers asked to take a photo.
The date has been an official annual celebration of the mathematical sign since 2009.
Phones have transformed since Alexander Graham Bell’s first call. Sprawling box sets and rotary dials led to push buttons and smartphones.
This tool was invented to solve a dangerous problem in childbirth.
Billions of years before humans—or even dinosaurs—existed, Earth created a natural nuclear reactor.
Design touches extended far beyond the supersonic jet's sleek exterior.
Early in its existence, massive asteroids smashed into Earth with lasting consequences for our planet’s geology and life.
"Lady Edison": The Inventor Who Made Daily Life Easier
Beulah Louise Henry was an American inventor whose creations—including the double chain stitch sewing machine, vacuum ice cream freezer, hair curler, double-ended umbrella and improved can opener—helped revolutionize manufacturing technology.
Though people have been skiing for thousands of years, mechanical lifts only recently began carrying them upslope.
Many people associate aspirin with willow bark, but the pills in your cabinet don’t come from a tree.
These secret codes enabled secure communication—at least until others found ways to crack them.
