Inventions 20 21. Greatest inventions of the 20th century

1900 paper clips - Johann vaaler, Norway.

1900 talkie - Leon the hubbub, France.

1900 airship - Ferdinand von Zeppelin - German airship designer.

1901 safety razor - King Kem Gillett, American merchant.

1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright are American engineers who made the first flight in an airplane.

1903 crayons - "Krayola", USA.

1904 diode - John Ambrose Fleming, British electrical engineer.

1906 pianola - automatic machine - "Automatic Machinery and Tool Company", USA.

1906 fountain pen - Slavoljub penkala, Serbian inventor.

1907 year Washer- Alva J. Fisher.

1908 assembly line - Henry Ford, American engineer.

1908 Geiger counter - German physicist Hans Geiger and W. Müller invented a device for detecting and measuring radioactivity.

1909 Louis Blériot - French engineer, flew over the English Channel.

1909 Robert Edwin Peary is an American explorer who first reached the North Pole.

1910 Alfred Wegener - German geophysicist, author of the theory of continental drift.

1910 mixer - George Smith and Fred Osius, USA.

1911 Roald Amundsen - Norwegian explorer, the first to reach the South Pole.

1912 Robert Falcon Scott - British military officer, second to reach the South Pole.

1912 reflector - Belling Co., USA.

1913 autopilot - Elmer Speery (USA).

1915 gas mask - Fritz Haber, German chemist.

1915 cardboard milk bags - van warmer - USA.

1915 heat-resistant glassware - "Pyrex Corning Glass Works", USA.

1916 microphone - USA.

1916 tank - William Tritton, British designer.

1917 Christmas tree electric lanterns - Albert Sadaqa, Spanish American.

1917 Shock Therapy - Great Britain.

1920 hair dryer - Racine Universal Motor Company, USA.

1921 Albert Einstein - American physicist, originally from Germany, formulated the theory of relativity.

1921 Lie Detector - John A. Larsen (USA).

1921 toaster - Charles Straight (USA).

1924 adhesive plaster - Josephine Dixon, USA.

1926 black and white TV - John Logie Byrd, Scottish inventor.

1927 artificial respiration apparatus - Philip Drinker, American medical researcher.

1928 Penicillin is the first antibiotic discovered by Alexander Fleming, a Scottish bacteriologist.

1928 year chewing gum- Walter E. Deamer, USA.

1929 yo - yo - Pedro Flores, Philippines.

1930 multi-storey car park - Paris, France 1930 electronic clock - pentwood numecron.

1930 duct tape - Richard Drew, USA.

1930 frozen convenience foods - Clarence Bircey, USA.

Around 1930 bra.

1932 parking meter - Carlton Magee, American inventor.

1932 electric guitar - Adolphus Rickenbacket, USA.

1933 - 1935 Radar - Rudolf Kühnhold and Robert Watson - Watt.

1934 nylon stockings - Wallace Hume Carothers, American chemist.

1936 food baskets and carts - Silvan Goldman and Fred Young, USA.

1938 copier - Chester Carson, American lawyer, promoted the development of xerography.

1938 ballpoint pen - Laszlo biro.

1939 DDT - Paul Müller and Weismann - Switzerland.

1940 mobile phone - Bell Telephone Laboratories, USA.

1943 scuba gear - Jacques - yves Cousteau, French oceanographer.

1946 year electronic computer- John Presper Eckert and John Mowley, USA.

1946 Microwave Oven - Percy LeBaron Spencer, USA

1948 record player - CBS Corporation, USA.

1949, January 10th - vinyl records begin.
Firm RCA - 45 rpm.
Columbia - 33.3 rpm.

1950 remote control - Zenith Electronic Corporation, USA.

1950 credit card - Ralph Schneider, USA.

1951 liquid paper - Bett Nesmeath Graham, USA.

1952 year rubber gloves- United Kingdom.

1954 transistor radio - Regency Electronics, USA.

1955 Lego constructor - Ole Kirk Christiansen, Denmark.

1956 contact lenses, USA.

1957 Ultrasound - Professor Ian Donald, Scotland.

1957 Vivian Ernest Fuchs - first crossed Antarctica.

1958 Barbie doll - rud handler, USA.

Hula Hoop 1958 - Richard P. Neer and Arthur Melvin, American Inventors.

1959 microchip - Jack Kilby, USA.

1959 Hovercraft - Christopher Cockerell, British Engineer

1960 laser - Theodore Maiman, American physicist.

1961 Space Shuttle, USA.

1961 Alan Bartlett Shepard is the first American to go into space aboard the Freedom 7 capsule.

1961 Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin - Russian cosmonaut, the first man in space.

1962 John Hershel Glenn Jr. - The first American to fly around the earth.

1962 industrial robots - "Unification", USA.

1963 cassette recorder - Phillips, Netherlands.

1964 high-speed train - Japan.

1965 virtual reality - Ivan Slacherland, American scientist, specialist in computer technology.

1968 computer mouse - Douglas Engelbart.

1969 the first people. Moon-setters - American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin.

1970 Artificial Heart - Robert K. Jarvik, USA.

1970 fire alarm - Pitway Corporation, USA.

1971 body armor - Stephanie Kwolek, the American chemist who invented fiber.

1972 year computer games- Nolan Bushnell, USA.

1973 wobot, the first humanoid robot - Japan.

1977 Internet - Winton Surf, USA.

1978 personal computer - Steven Jobs and Stefan Wozniak.

1979 audio player - Sony, Japan.

1980 Rubik's cube - Hungarian professor Erno Rubik.

1981 year video camera - Sony, Japan 1981 CD - Japan and the Netherlands 1983 Satellite TV - US Satellite Communications Inc., USA 1988 Airbags - Toyota, Japan 1980s Laptop - Cleve Sicklear, Great Britain 1998 "mad dog 2", car on solar powered- United Kingdom.

To paraphrase the classic - if there were no ballpoint pens, they would have to be invented. All the conveniences of a ballpoint pen can be fully appreciated only by those who have had a chance to write with fountain pens and bulk pens.

With the arrival of ballpoint pens on the stationery market, schoolchildren could breathe a sigh of relief. Blots, blotting paper, ink-filled notebooks, smeared hands, faces are a thing of the past. After all, earlier the task of a schoolchild was not so much teaching writing as the ability to handle pens and inkpots.

The emergence of ballpoint pens

The main inconvenience of fountain pens and fountain pens was the need for regular wetting of the pen with ink, which was still acceptable at school, but significantly slowed down any processes in the adult world - from political to industrial. A particular need for transformation was observed where pilots were forced to use pencils. The idea of ​​a permanent supply of ink to the nib of a pen has been considered by inventors for a long time. The first analogs of a pen with a ball mounted in a nib were found in the territory of modern Armenia in a drawing dated 1166. Subsequently, the idea of ​​a rotating nib was returned several times - 350 patents were issued in the United States alone. But the official inventors are the American John D. Loud and the Hungarians Laszlo and Georg Biro, who patented the leak-proof pens.

The idea to organize in the Soviet Union own production ballpoint pens originated in 1949. It was not in the tradition of the Soviet state to buy patents, the more popular consumption. Therefore, on the basis of the best world samples, domestic copies were created. Enterprises of the local industry and industrial cooperation were engaged in the production of ballpoint pens. The quality of the product was so low that the introduction of the first ballpoint pens went off without much hype. The bad design of the nib assembly was a problem. Inconvenience was also created by the complex procedure of re-filling the balloon - a ball was removed from the tip, a new portion of ink was pumped through the hole with a syringe, and the ball was rolled back into the sphere. There were even stationary refueling points. The quality of ink left much to be desired, for the production of which they began to use a mixture of castor oil and rosin. At that time, the Union did not have technological capabilities to eliminate these shortcomings, pens were no longer in demand and they were no longer produced. The production of ballpoint pens was resumed. in 1965 at the Kuibyshev ball bearing plant. Then the Swiss equipment for the production of writing units was purchased and it was possible to learn the formulation of Parker ink. However, the introduction of ballpoint pens into popular culture took place in the early 70s. The popularization of the model was hindered by educational standards according to which great importance was attached to the formation of handwriting. Technical capabilities ballpoint pens did not allow to fulfill the requirements for “writing out” letters that existed at that time. For a long time, the problem was the issue of accessories - it was extremely difficult to replace the written-in pen, it was necessary to buy a new one. But with the solution of these issues, the design boom of ballpoint pens began in the Union. Sets of colored pens began to be produced, automatic, two-, four-, six-color ballpoint pens An interesting fact: of the Kremlin leaders, MS was the first to sign documents with a Parker ballpoint pen. Gorbachev. Previous chiefs preferred either pencils or solid ink utensils.

The principle of a ballpoint pen is quite simple - at its end there is a small ball that rolls along the surface of the paper and leaves traces of ink that seeps into the small gap between the walls. But this invention was made not so long ago - in 1888, and the pen became widespread only in the XX century, after the creation of a modern design.

The history of the invention of the ballpoint pen

Until the end of the 19th century, all writing instruments that used ink needed constant dipping in an inkwell. It was inconvenient to write, for a long time, ugly blots remained on the paper. Engineers began to think about how to make a pen with an ink supply. In 1888, American engineer John Loud patented the principle of operation of a pen with a special reservoir for ink, which was fed through thin grooves to a nib with a round hole. There was no ball in the small hole at the end of the pen yet, but this device already made it possible to write on paper without dipping it in ink. Although this pen was far from perfect: it also made blots, although less often than feathers.
In 1938, a Hungarian journalist by the name of Biro invented a modern ballpoint pen: first of all, he placed a small ball in the hole, which allowed to retain ink and prevent blots from entering, and also made writing more pleasant. In addition, Biro also made special ink for such pens - watching the printing of newspapers, he noticed that the ink on them dries much faster. True, they were too thick for use in a pen, but he refined their formula.

The history of the development of the ballpoint pen

A lot of time has passed since the advent of the modern design of a ballpoint pen - more than seventy years, but its principle and structure have hardly changed. Even the very first pens of this kind had excellent characteristics, and most importantly, they were distinguished by a large supply of ink and their low consumption.
The first buyers of ballpoint pens were pilots - it was important for them that the writing instrument did not "flow", since at high altitude it was a common phenomenon: the pressure in the air was higher.
The first ballpoint pens appeared in the Soviet Union after World War II. Soviet engineers had to make ink on their own, as the owner of the company that produces the most famous pens, Parker, refused to cooperate with Stalin. The production of pens began in 1949, but they were too expensive to be widely distributed.
It wasn't until 1958 that ballpoint pens dropped in price enough to be used everywhere. In 1965, they began to be produced on Swiss equipment, and soon the pens were given out in schools. Soon this product became one of the most popular, today most pens have this design.

The first guided aircraft

In December 1903, the first controlled aircraft by the Wright brothers was created under the name "Flyer 1". It was not the first aircraft in history, but its main feature was the developed new theory of flight "on three axes of rotation". It was this theory that allowed aircraft construction to develop further, focusing the attention of scientists not on the installation of more powerful parts, but on the effectiveness of their application. "Flyer-1" held out in the air for almost a minute, flying at the same time 260 meters.

A computer

The invention of the computer and the first fully-fledged programming language is assigned to the German engineer Konrad Zuse. The first fully functional computing machine was introduced to the public in 1941 and was called the Z3. It should be noted that the Z3 had all the properties that computers have today.
After the war, the Z3, as well as the previous developments, was destroyed. However, his successor Z4 survived, from which sales of computers began.

Internet

The Internet was originally conceived by the US Department of Defense as a reliable channel for transmitting information in case a war breaks out. Several research centers were commissioned to develop the first network, which eventually managed to create the first Arpanet server. Over time, the server began to grow, and more and more scientists were connected to it to exchange information.
The first remote connection (at a distance of 640 km) was succeeded by Charlie Kline and Billy Duvally. It happened in 1969 - this day is considered the birthday of the Internet. After this operation, the sphere began to develop at a tremendous rate. In 1971, a program was developed to send Email and in 1973 the network went international.

Space exploration

The stumbling block in the 20th century in relations between the United States and the Soviet Union was the development in space exploration. The first artificial satellite was launched by the USSR on October 4, 1957.
The first scientist who put forward the idea of ​​creating a rocket traveling between planets was K. Tsiolkovsky. By 1903, he was able to design it. The main thing that was in his development was the formula for the speed of an aircraft created by him, which is used to this day in rocketry.
The first vehicle to travel into space was the V-2 rocket launched in the summer of 1944. It was this event that laid the foundation for further accelerated development, demonstrating the great capabilities of missiles.

Inventions of the 20th century that turned our lives upside down

Since ancient times, people have tried to translate dreams and fantasies into reality in order to simplify and diversify their life. We will list several inventions of the 20th century that changed the way we look at life.
1. X-rays

KVNovskaya joke says that the X-ray was invented by clerk Ivanov, who told his wife: "I can see right through you, bitch." In fact, electromagnetic radiation was discovered at the end of the 19th century by the German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen. Turning on the current in the cathode tube, the scientist noticed that a nearby paper screen, covered with crystals of platinum-cyanide barium, emitted a green glow. According to another version, the wife brought dinner to Roentgen, and when she put the plate on the table, the scientist noticed that her bones were visible through the skin. It is reliably known that Wilhelm long time refused to receive a patent for an invention, not considering his research a full-fledged source of income. X-rays can be safely ranked among the discoveries of the 20th century.

2. Airplane

Since ancient times, people have tried to create an aircraft and rise above the ground. But it was only in 1903 that the American inventors, the Wright brothers, successfully tested their "Flyer - 1" equipped with an engine. He stayed in the air for a full 59 seconds and flew over the Kitty Hawk Valley 260 meters. This event is considered the moment of the birth of aviation. Today, it is impossible to imagine business development or recreation without airplanes. Steel Birds are still the most quick view transport.

3. Television

Not so long ago, the TV was considered a prestigious item that emphasized the status of the owner. At various times, many minds have worked on its development. Back in the 19th century, Portuguese professor Adriano De Paiva and Russian inventor Porfiry Bakhmetyev independently put forward the idea of ​​the first device capable of transmitting an image over a wire. In 1907, Max Dieckmann demonstrated the first television receiver with a 3x3 screen. In the same year, Boris Rosing, a professor at the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology, proved the possibility of using a cathode ray tube to convert an electrical signal into a visible image. In 1908, the Armenian physicist Hovhannes Adamyan received a patent for a two-color apparatus for transmitting signals. At the end of the 20s of the 20th century, the first television was developed in America, assembled by a Russian émigré, Vladimir Zvorykin. He managed to break the light beam into blue, red and green colors and get color image... He called his sample "an iconoscope". However, in the West, the "father of television" is considered the Scotsman John Lodge Bird, who patented a device that creates an image of eight lines.

19th century inventions

Inventions of the 19th and 20th centuries are very numerous. The most significant ones are photography, dynamite, aniline dyes for fabrics. In addition, cheaper methods of making paper, alcohol were discovered, and new medicines were invented.

Technical inventions of the 19th century were of great importance in the development of society. So, with the help of the telegraph, people were able to transmit messages within a few seconds from one end of the world to the other. The telegraph was invented in 1850. A little later, telegraph lines began to appear. Graham Bell invented the telephone. Today people cannot imagine life without this discovery.

Inventions of the 19th century from different countries of the world were brought to the exhibition in 1851 in England. It was attended by about seventeen thousand exhibits. In the following years, other countries, following the example of England, also began to organize international exhibitions of the latest achievements.

The inventions of the 19th century became a powerful impetus to the development of chemistry, physics, mathematics. A feature of this period was the widespread use of electricity. Scientists of that time were studying electromagnetic waves and their influence on different materials... The use of electricity also began in medicine.

Michael Faraday noticed the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction, James K. Maxwell developed the electromagnetic theory of light. Heinrich Hertz proved that electromagnetic waves exist.

The inventions of the 19th century in the field of medicine and biology were no less significant than in other scientific fields. A great contribution to the development of these industries was made by: Robert Koch, who discovered the causative agent of tuberculosis, Louis Pasteur, who became one of the founders of microbiology and immunology, Claude Bernard, who laid the foundations of endocrinology. In the same century, the first X-ray image was obtained. The French doctors Brissot and Lond saw a bullet in the patient's head.

Inventions of the 19th century were also in the field of Astronomy. This science began to develop rapidly in that era. So, there was a section of Astronomy - Astrophysics, which studied the properties of celestial bodies.

Dmitry Mendeleev made a great contribution to the development of chemistry, discovering the Periodic Law, on the basis of which the table of chemical elements was created. He saw the table in a dream. Some of the predicted elements were discovered later.

The beginning of the 19th century was marked by the development of mechanical engineering and industry. In 1804, a steam-powered car was demonstrated. In the 19th century, the internal combustion engine was created. This contributed to the development of faster means of transportation: steamships, steam locomotives, automobiles.

In the 19th century, railways began to be built. The first was built in 1825 by Stephenson in England. By 1840 the length of all railways was about 7,700 km, then at the end of the 19th century it was about 1,080,000 km.

It is believed that people began to use computers in the 20th century. However, their first prototypes were invented already in the previous century. The Frenchman Jacquard in 1804 discovered the way of programming the loom. The invention made it possible to control the thread using punched cards, which contained holes in certain places. With the help of these holes, the thread was supposed to be applied to the fabric.

Lathes, invented at the end of the 18th century, found wide application in industry in the 19th century. The equipment has successfully replaced manual labor, processing metal with high precision.

The 19th century is rightfully called the century of the "industrial revolution", railways and electricity. This century has had a huge impact on the worldview and culture of mankind, changing its value system. The invention of electric lamps, radio, telephone, motor and many other discoveries turned human life that time.

The 20th century went down in history due to a large number of important events. During these hundred years, two world wars have happened, man went into space, the state for the first time announced the transition to a post-industrial society. All this would have been impossible without the corresponding discoveries in the most diverse fields of knowledge. They served as the impetus for further development.

The most important discoveries

The first major discovery is penicillin. This molecule became the world's first antibiotic and saved the lives of millions of people during the war. In 1928, biologist Alexander Fleming observed during an experiment that common mold destroys bacteria. In 1938, two scientists, who continued to work on the properties of penicillin, managed to isolate its pure form, on the basis of which the substance was produced as a medicine. All this gave a huge impetus to medicine in research and the creation of new medicines, thanks to which doctors around the world can fight most diseases.
A discovery by Max Planck was made, which explained to the entire scientific world how the energy inside the atom behaves. Based on these data, Einstein created a quantum theory in 1905, and after him Niels Bohr managed to create the first model of the atom. This gave impetus to electronics, nuclear energy, the development of chemistry and physics. All scientists used this data in their discoveries. Thanks to this discovery, the world has become so high-tech.

Recently evaluated discoveries

The third important discovery was made in 1936 by John Keynes. He developed a theory of self-regulation market economy... His books and the thoughts put forward in them helped develop the economy and created the classical school, which is still taught in higher education universities. Thanks to his work, macroeconomics emerged as an independent science.
The fourth important discovery was made in 1911 by Kamerling-Oness. He was the first to introduce the concept of superconductivity. This is a state in which some materials can have zero resistance to electricity. The contribution of this discovery is that thanks to such materials it became possible creation strong magnetic fields, which are necessary to create conditions for numerous experiments. Due to the possibilities of conduction, power lines are already beginning to be created much smaller in size. Superconductors are part of most serious scientific equipment.
The fifth discovery was made in 1985, when it was possible to find ozone holes that arise in the atmosphere due to the release of a large amount of freons. Restoring the ozone layer is very important to prevent large amounts of solar radiation from reaching Earth. Decreased ozone affects the incidence of cancers and the life of animals and plants.
Thanks to this discovery, mankind has taken measures to reduce emissions of freons based on bromine and chlorine and replace the substance with fluorinated freons. But the most important thing is that people are thinking about preserving the planet and how to avoid the destruction of the environment as a result of anthropogenic activities.

Medical inventions of the 20th century. Top 10 medical discoveries of the 20th century

What are the 10 medical discoveries that have revolutionized medicine? This is what our article is about. In general, there are many ratings of everything in the world on the site top10reiting.com. Many discoveries were made without any goals, just as an experiment, and in the future they played a significant role in saving people with dangerous diseases.

Penicillin

Consider such a strange drug as penicillin, which saves from severe prolonged gangrene and pneumonia that did not heal and was fatal. Opened by a British scientist, into which he invested his negligence, without rinsing the test tube after the microbes that he studied. In the future, this played an important role that led to the drug "Penicillin" which was used as an antibiotic.

Consider now a highly demanded research as DNA. Which did not save human destinies for races. This discovery was recognized by all scientists of the world, how English scientists created a molecule, collecting all the information about the DNA of all living things on earth, from bacteria to humans, and came to a common idea that the structure of cells is the same for everyone. They made no small contribution to the development of genetics as such.

Organ transplant

Organ transplantation until the 20s was unknown, no one dared to carry out such a case with a person, but a doctor from America decided to take the risk, who transplanted the kidney and liver of a living person into a living one without having a lethal outcome.

A large-scale apparatus like an ultrasound scan plays a big role in the present time, and all thanks to those waves that penetrate into a person and mirror the process in the body. The initial source of radioactivity and passing for such research thanks to nuclear physics led to the development of radiobiology, from which there were changes in ionizing radiation on living organisms.

Vacuum conception

Another name for conception from a test tube, which facilitates fertility, is an expensive and painstaking process, its essence lies in the fact that the family of a healthy man is taken and sits in the female uterus, where conception occurs under the supervision of a specialist doctor, the danger of lying on a woman as rejection and such actions can occur will have to be interrupted, but in modern conditions such cases are unlikely.

Phacoemulsification

Destruction of the lens by the method of vibration vibrations, which destroy the nucleus. The advantage of such an operation is that the incision is small, it is practically invisible. Operations often take place without complications, and another artificial lens sits in place of the previous lens, which performs all the same functions as the natural one.

Prosthetics

Prosthetics. Medicine has stepped forward on long distance in the field of mechanics, namely, scientists created a prosthesis, an artificial part of the body, an organ by German scientists, thanks to his findings, many now have arms and legs as well as hearts and eyes. But closer to the 21st century, prostheses have become such that they are indistinguishable from natural.

Imunology

Immunology has made its contribution to science, which helps to cope in the early stages and stop with viruses and diseases. Mechnikov has developed a serum that helps the body to fight in the early stages.

A disease of unknown origin, which has not yet been solved, but helps keep in balance with life with the help of insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar thanks to beta cells. Back in the 69th year, they began to research this disease, but they could not find a solution, what is still lacking in the body to reduce sugar. In Toronta, the development was not the first stage, but with the final finale.

Vitaminology

The body is so fragile that it does not have time to fight many diseases, frequent illnesses, viruses, and a decline in immunity are associated with a lack of vitamins in the body. For the first time of the teachings, Resche came to this discovery and began to develop and combine vitamins different groups, having conducted more than one study, he came to the division of vitamins into groups and made an immunological table.

Today, a parachute designed for soft landings from high altitudes has become a common item used all over the world. The subject, which is so familiar to everyone, has come a long and interesting way through the centuries, acquiring a modern appearance.
The great Leonardo da Vinci, who became the author of many useful tools and mechanisms of Renaissance Italy, did not ignore the parachute, having developed the design of the simplest apparatus with an area of ​​a stretched dome, approximately equal to the area of ​​modern. A drawing similar to a conical device is preserved in one of the 15th century manuscripts. However, the ingenious invention remained only on paper.
A few decades later, the Italian Fausto Veranzio, impressed by da Vinci's sketches, published in 1595 the treatise "New Machines". The treatise depicts a drawing of a man flying from a tower, suspended from a six-meter dome, attached at the edges to wooden frame... In 1617, Veranzio made his dream come true by descending on a piece of square canvas from the bell tower of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice.

Gains and losses

The following centuries revealed to the world several dozen inventors who contributed to the development of the parachute. Some died while testing their vehicles.

In 1777 the Frenchman de Fontanges designed the “flying cloak” version of the parachute. A criminal was chosen to test the "cloak". In the presence of the guards of the law, the inventor and the audience, the repeat offender Jacques Dumier climbed the Parisian gun tower and jumped. The flight went well, the death penalty was abolished for the criminal paratrooper.

Soon, the Frenchman Louis Sebastian Lenormand modernized the design of Fausto Veranzio. The device had the form of an umbrella-shaped linen dome with slings, glued on the inside with paper in order to reduce air permeability. In addition, Lenormand invented a "parachute", combining in one word the Greek "pair" and the French "shute", which literally translates "against the fall."

André Jacques Garnerin is the first person to jump from a balloon. On October 22, 1797, at an altitude of 1 kilometer above the Parc Monceau in Paris, he cut the lines connecting the basket with the eight-meter dome.
Garnerin's wife, Jeanne Genevieve, followed her husband's example, becoming the first woman in the world to make the jump.

In the 19th century, jumping from a height became popular among itinerant circus paratroopers. Aerial acrobats made money by performing risky stunts. One of the most famous was Charles Lairoux, who for a circus trick created a device against falling, similar to a large umbrella. The device resembled a strange semi-automatic parachute with 12 wedges, which were connected by lines to a belt belt. The device was fixed from the side of the balloon with a special twine with a spring, which was unclenched during the jump, and the parachute was disconnected from the balloon. Lairu died during a test flight.

In 1880, Erwin Baldwin invents the automatic parachute. Making a jump, the cord that fastened the structure with the ball broke off under the weight, filling the dome with air.

After 2 years, Lev Stevenson creates an exhaust ring, and Herman Lateman uses a new principle of opening a parachute from an elongated bag.

Creation of the first aviation parachute

Over time, balloons have replaced airplanes. As aviation developed, so did the number of casualties. The parachute as a lifesaving device for pilots has become an urgent issue.

In 1910, Lev Makarovich Matsievich, the legend of Russian aeronautics, died on demonstration flights in St. Petersburg. Impressed by the tragedy, Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov, a theater actor, was eager to design an aircraft parachute. A year later, after completing the work, he created a reliable, compact and lightweight device that was assembled into a knapsack, attached to the pilot with suspension system... At the bottom of the shoulder bag, there were springs that ejected, when the pulling ring was pulled out, a silk dome, into the edges of which a thin elastic cable was sewn. The invention, the PK-1 free-action knapsack parachute, which immediately received recognition abroad, was registered by Kotelnikov in 1913 in France. The use of the device in Russia began only in the First World War.
So, a simple actor played crucial role in the development of world aviation. Over time, knapsack parachutes have improved and changed, but the principle of operation has remained the same.

Video Great inventions of the XX century. "De facts from de Jura"

In this article, we'll talk about the great discoveries of the 20th century. It is not surprising that since ancient times people have tried to make their wildest dreams come true. At the turn of the last century, incredible things were invented that turned the life of the whole world upside down.

X-rays

Let's start the list of great discoveries of the 20th century by looking at electromagnetic radiation, which was actually discovered at the end of the 19th century. The inventor was the German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen. The scientist noticed that when the current is turned on, a small glow begins to appear in the cathode tube covered with barium crystals. There is another version, according to which the wife brought dinner to her husband, and he noticed that he saw her bones visible through the skin. These are all versions, but there are also facts. For example, Wilhelm Roentgen refused to receive a patent for his invention, since he believed that this activity could not bring real income. Thus, we classify X-rays as one of the great discoveries of the 20th century that influenced the development of scientific and technical potential.

TV

More recently, the TV was a thing that testifies to the wealth of its owner, but in the modern world, television has receded into the background. At the same time, the very idea of ​​the invention originated in the 19th century at the same time by the Russian inventor Porfiry Gusev and the professor from Portugal Adriano de Paiva. They were the first to say that a device would soon be invented that would allow the transmission of an image using a wire. The first receiver, the screen size of which was only 3 by 3 cm, was demonstrated to the world by Max Dieckmann. At the same time, Boris Rosing proved that it is possible to use a cathode ray tube in order to be able to convert an electrical signal into an image. In 1908, physicist Hovhannes Adamyan from Armenia patented an apparatus for transmitting signals, consisting of two colors. It is believed that the first television was developed in the early 20th century in America. It was collected by the Russian emigrant Vladimir Zvorykin. It was he who broke the light beam into green, red and blue, thus obtaining a color image. He called such an invention an iconoscope. In the West, the inventor of television is considered John Byrd, who first patented a device that creates an image of 8 lines.

Mobile phones

The first mobile phone appeared in the 70s of the last century. Once an employee of the famous Motorola company, which was engaged in the development of portable devices, Martin Cooper, showed his friends a huge pipe. Then they did not believe that something like this could be invented. Later, walking around Manhattan, Martin called his boss at a competitor's company. Thus, for the first time in practice, he showed the effectiveness of his huge telephone receiver. The Soviet scientist Leonid Kupriyanovich had conducted similar experiments 15 years earlier. That is why it is rather difficult to definitely talk about who actually is the discoverer of portable devices. Anyway mobile phones is a worthy discovery of the 20th century, without which to imagine modern life just impossible.

A computer

One of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century is the invention of the computer. Agree that today it is impossible to work or have a rest without this device. A few years ago, computers were used only in special laboratories and organizations, but today they are a common thing in every family. How was this supercar invented?

The German Konrad Zuse in 1941 created a computing machine that, in fact, could perform the same operations as a modern computer. The difference was that the machine was powered by telephone relays. A year later, American physicist John Atanasov and his graduate student Clifford Berry jointly developed an electronic computer. However, this project was not completed, so it cannot be said that they are the real creators of such a device. In 1946, John Mauchly demonstrated what he claimed was the first electronic computer, ENIAC. Much time passed, and huge boxes replaced small and thin devices. By the way, personal computers appeared only at the end of the last century.

Internet

The great technological discovery of the 20th century is the Internet. Agree that without it, even the most powerful computer is not so useful, especially in the modern world. Many people do not like watching TV, but they forget that power over human consciousness long ago captured the Internet. Who came up with the idea for such a global international network? She appeared in a group of scientists in the 50s of the last century. They wanted to create a quality network that was difficult to hack or eavesdrop on. The reason for this thought was the Cold War.

During the Cold War, the US authorities used a certain device that allowed data to be transmitted from a distance without resorting to the help of mail or telephone. This device was called APRA. Later, scientists from research centers in different states began to create the APRANET network. Already in 1969, thanks to this invention, it was possible to connect all the computers of the universities represented by this group of scientists. 4 years later, other research centers joined this network. After the e-mail appeared, the number of people wishing to penetrate the World Wide Web began to grow exponentially. As for the current state, at the moment more than 3 billion people use the Internet every day.

Parachute

Despite the fact that the idea of ​​a parachute came to the head of Leonardo da Vinci, it is still an invention in modern form belong to the great discoveries of the 20th century. With the advent of aeronautics, regular jumps from large balloons began, to which half-opened parachutes were attached. Already in 1912, an American decided to jump from an airplane with such a device. He successfully landed on earth and became America's most courageous inhabitant. Later, the engineer Gleb Kotelnikov invented the parachute exclusively from silk. He also managed to pack it into a small satchel. The invention was tested on a moving car. Thus, a braking parachute was invented, which would allow the emergency braking system to be activated. So, before the outbreak of the First World War, the scientist received a patent for his invention in France, and thus became the discoverer of the parachute in the 20th century.

Physicists

Now let's talk about the great physicists of the 20th century and their discoveries. Everyone knows that physics is the basis without which it is, in principle, impossible to imagine the complex development of any other science.

Let us note Planck's quantum theory. In 1900, the German professor Max Planck became the discoverer of a formula that described the distribution of energy in the black body spectrum. Note that before that it was believed that energy is always distributed evenly, but the inventor proved that the distribution is proportional due to quanta. The scientist made a report, which at that time no one believed. However, after 5 years, thanks to the conclusions of Planck, the great scientist Einstein was able to create a quantum theory of the photoelectric effect. Thanks to quantum theory, Niels Bohr was able to build a model of the atom. Thus, Planck created a powerful base for further discoveries.

We must not forget about the greatest discovery of the 20th century - the discovery of the theory of relativity by Albert Einstein. The scientist was able to prove that gravity is a consequence of the curvature of four-dimensional space, namely time. He also explained the effect of time dilation. Thanks to Einstein's discoveries, many astrophysical quantities and distances were calculated.

TO greatest discoveries 19-20 century can be attributed to the invention of the transistor. The first working device was created in 1947 by American researchers. Scientists have experimentally confirmed the validity of their ideas. In 1956, they already received the Nobel Prize for their discoveries. Thanks to them, a new era began in electronics.

Medicine

Consideration of the great discoveries in medicine of the 20th and 21st centuries will begin with the invention of penicillin by Alexander Fleming. It is known that this valuable substance was discovered through negligence. Thanks to Fleming's discovery, people have ceased to be afraid of the most dangerous diseases. In the same century, the structure of DNA was discovered. Its discoverers are considered Francis Crick and James Watson, who, using cardboard and metal, created the first model of the DNA molecule. Incredible hype was raised by the information that all living organisms have the same principle of DNA structure. For this revolutionary discovery, scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize.

The great discoveries of the 20th and 21st centuries continue with the discovery of the ability to transplant organs. Such actions were perceived as something unreal for a long time, but already in the last century, scientists realized that it is possible to achieve a safe, high-quality transplant. The official discovery of this fact took place in 1954. Then a doctor from America, Joseph Murray, transplanted a kidney to one of his patients from a twin brother. Thus, he showed that it is possible to transplant someone else's organ into a person, and he will live for a long time.

In 1990, the doctor was awarded the Nobel Prize. However, for a long time, specialists transplanted everything except the heart. Finally, in 1967, a young woman's heart was transplanted into an elderly man. Then the patient managed to live only 18 days, but today people with donor organs and hearts live for many years.

Ultrasound

Also one of the important inventions of the last century in the field of medicine is ultrasound, without which it is very difficult to imagine treatment. In the modern world, it is difficult to find a person who would not undergo an ultrasound scan. The invention dates back to 1955. In vitro fertilization is considered an incredible discovery of the last century. British scientists managed to fertilize an egg in laboratory conditions, and then place it in a woman's uterus. As a result, the world famous "test tube girl" Louise Brown was born.

Great geographical discoveries of the 20th century

In the last century, Antarctica was explored in detail. Thanks to this, scientists have obtained the most accurate data on the climatic conditions and fauna of Antarctica. Russian academician Konstantin Markov created the world's first atlas of Antarctica. We will continue the great discoveries of the early 20th century in the field of geography with an expedition that went to the Pacific Ocean. Soviet researchers measured the deepest oceanic trench, which was named the Mariana.

Nautical atlas

Later, a marine atlas was created, which made it possible to study the direction of the current, wind, determine the depth and distribution of temperature. One of the most high-profile discoveries of the last century was the discovery of Lake Vostok under a huge layer of ice in Antarctica.

As we already know, the last century was very rich in various kinds of discoveries. We can say that there has been a real breakthrough in almost all areas. The potential of scientists from all over the world has reached its maximum, thanks to which the world is currently developing by leaps and bounds. Many discoveries have become a turning point in the history of all mankind, especially with regard to research in the field of medicine.

The twentieth century was primarily a century of technology. Five of the great achievements noted by France Press are in the field of medicine and biology. Seven - to physics and technology: aviation, television, nuclear fission, computer, laser, space flights and the Internet. The twentieth century was primarily a century of technology. Five of the great achievements noted by France Press are in the field of medicine and biology. Seven - to physics and technology: aviation, television, nuclear fission, computer, laser, space flights and the Internet.

Aviation In 1903, the Wright brothers, the bicycle manufacturer, flew the first ever motorized flight. In 1903, the Wright brothers made the first ever motorized flight in bicycle makers. In 1930, British engineer Frank Whittle registered a patent for a jet engine. In 1930, British engineer Frank Whittle registered a patent for a jet engine. As a result of independent research in 1939, the German company Heinkel created the first He-178 jet. As a result of independent research in 1939, the German company Heinkel created the first He-178 jet.

In 1949, Britains Comet I, the first passenger jet, was launched, the predecessor of the famous Boeing 747, which two decades later made international flights fast, comfortable and cheap. In 1949, Britains Comet I, the first passenger jet, was launched, the predecessor of the famous Boeing 747, which two decades later made international flights fast, comfortable and cheap. Today, aeronautical engineers predict the future of mega-planes capable of carrying up to 700 passengers, the reincarnation of the supersonic Concorde and, more fantastically, flying cars. Today, aeronautical engineers predict the future of mega-planes capable of carrying up to 700 passengers, the reincarnation of the supersonic Concorde and, more fantastically, flying cars.

Television The Scottish engineer John Lodge Bird has the greatest right to be considered the father of television. The Scottish engineer John Lodge Bird has the greatest right to be considered the father of television. In 1923, he filed a patent for an eight-line imaging device, which led to the sale of what was later dubbed "television" in the 1930s. In 1923, he filed a patent for an eight-line imaging device, which led to the sale of what was later dubbed "television" in the 1930s. In 1932, the British BBC began regular television broadcasting for the first time in history. In 1932, the British BBC began regular television broadcasting for the first time in history. Today television reaches anywhere on earth - via relay stations or radio relay lines, via cables or satellites. Philosophers still debate whether this is a boon or a disaster for civilization. Today television reaches anywhere on earth - via relay stations or radio relay lines, via cables or satellites. Philosophers still debate whether this is a boon or a disaster for civilization.

Penicillin The wonder drug of the century was discovered in 1928 by Scottish explorer Alexander Fleming, who noticed that mold was killing the bacteria he had grown. The miracle cure of the century was discovered in 1928 by Scottish explorer Alexander Fleming, who noticed that mold was killing the bacteria he had grown. A decade passed before this discovery became widespread. Scientists at the University of Oxford have found a way to clean up mold, which has led to its medical use. In 1943, the industrial production of penicillin began, significantly accelerated by the Second World War. A decade passed before this discovery became widespread. Scientists at the University of Oxford have found a way to clean up mold, which has led to its medical use. In 1943, the industrial production of penicillin began, significantly accelerated by the Second World War. Penicillin has saved countless lives and launched an entire family of antibiotics. Penicillin has saved countless lives and launched an entire family of antibiotics.

Fission of the atomic nucleus The atomic era began in 1942, when the critical mass threshold was exceeded at the facility of the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago. The atomic era began in 1942 when the critical mass threshold was exceeded at the Manhattan Project facility at the University of Chicago. First explosion atomic bomb was produced on July 16, 1945 at the Los Alamos test site, New Mexico. The first atomic bomb explosion took place on July 16, 1945 at the Los Alamos test site, New Mexico. Two bombs, uranium and plutonium, exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki the very next month. Two bombs, uranium and plutonium, exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki the very next month. After the war, the rivalry between the USSR and the United States plunged the world into a dangerous arms race. After the war, the rivalry between the USSR and the United States plunged the world into a dangerous arms race. Today at developed countries nuclear energy is widely used for peaceful purposes. Today, in developed countries, nuclear energy is widely used for peaceful purposes.

Computer The first electromechanical computer, the Colossus, was created by British mathematician Alan Turing in 1943 to crack Nazi cipher codes. Subsequent inventions reduced the computer and increased its performance thousands of times. The first electromechanical computer, the Colossus, was created by British mathematician Alan Turing in 1943 to crack Nazi cipher codes. Subsequent inventions reduced the computer and increased its performance thousands of times. Transistor (1947), integrated circuit (1959), and microprocessor (1970) accelerated data processing. HDD(1956), modem (1980) and mouse (1983) made this data more accessible.

Birth control pills Created in 1954 by the American physician Gregory Pinkus, these pills, a mixture of two hormones that suppress ovulation, have revolutionized social and sexual relations. Created in 1954 by American physician Gregory Pinkus, these ovulation-suppressing two-hormone pills revolutionized social and sexual relations. Women gained effective control over their pregnancies by gaining the opportunity to choose when to have children. Women gained effective control over their pregnancies by gaining the opportunity to choose when to have children. Women's rights to work and sexual freedom were protected, leading to their unprecedented political and economic emancipation. Women's rights to work and sexual freedom were protected, leading to their unprecedented political and economic emancipation.

DNA On February 28, 1953, British scientist Francis Crick told his friends in the Cambridge Eagle pub: "I have discovered the secret of life!" Crick and American James Watson discovered that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is hereditary. On February 28, 1953, British scientist Francis Crick told his friends in the Cambridge pub "Eagle": "I have discovered the secret of life!" Crick and American James Watson discovered that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a carrier of heredity

Laser This device is based on the radiation stimulation theory formulated by Albert Einstein back in 1917. This device is based on the radiation stimulation theory formulated by Albert Einstein back in 1917.But 40 years passed before Gordon Gould, a doctoral student at New York Columbia University , turned the idea into reality. But it took 40 years before Gordon Gould, a doctoral student at New York Columbia University, turned the idea into reality.

Organ Transplant Organ Transplant The key date is 1967, when South African physician Christian Barnard performed the world's first human heart transplant. With the development of medicine, doctors have mastered the replacement of hands, intestines, skin, retina, and even testicles. Key date 1967, when South African physician Christian Barnard performed the world's first human heart transplant. With the development of medicine, doctors have mastered the replacement of hands, intestines, skin, retina, and even testicles.

Test-tube baby Louise Brown turned 21 this year. The young Englishwoman became the first ever "test tube baby" grown from an egg taken from the mother's body and fertilized. Louise Brown turned 21 this year. The young Englishwoman became the first ever "test tube baby" grown from an egg taken from the mother's body and fertilized. This technology has given many previously childless families the hope of procreation. This technology has given many previously childless families the hope of procreation.

Space flights The space era began on October 4, 1957 with the launch of the first Soviet satellite. The space era began on October 4, 1957 with the launch of the first Soviet satellite. Citizen of the USSR Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961. Citizen of the USSR Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961. In 1969 American astronauts landed on the lunar surface. Later countries made spacewalks Western Europe, China and Japan. In 1969, American astronauts landed on the lunar surface. Later, the countries of Western Europe, China and Japan made spacewalks.

The Internet In 1969, the world's first packet-switched data transmission between two remote computers was carried out in Southern California. In 1969, the world's first dial-up data packet transfer between two remote computers was carried out in Southern California. The Pentagon's Secret Project has become a worldwide social and cultural phenomenon thanks to the easy-to-use and intuitively transparent ideology of hyperlinks and transitions, developed in 1989 by the Briton Tim Bernes-Lee, without a single central database. by Briton Tim Bernes-Lee an easy-to-use and intuitively transparent ideology of hyperlinks and transitions without a single central database

Twelve
greatest inventions of the 20th century

The twentieth century was primarily a century of technology. Five of the great achievements noted by France Press are in the field of medicine and biology. Seven - to physics and technology: aviation, television, nuclear fission, computer, laser, space flights and the Internet.

Aviation
In 1903, the Wright brothers made the first ever motorized flight in bicycle makers. In 1930, British engineer Frank Whittle registered a patent for a jet engine. As a result of independent research in 1939, the German company Heinkel created the first He-178 jet.
In 1949, Britain's Comet I, the first passenger jet, began operations, the predecessor to the famous Boeing 747, which two decades later made international flights fast, comfortable and cheap. Today, aeronautical engineers predict the future of mega-planes capable of carrying up to 700 passengers, the reincarnation of the supersonic Concorde and, more fantastically, flying cars.

TV
The Scottish engineer John Lodge Bird has the greatest right to be considered the father of television. In 1923, he filed a patent for an eight-line imaging device, which led to the sale of what was later dubbed "television" in the 1930s. In 1932, the British BBC began regular television broadcasting for the first time in history. Today television reaches anywhere on earth - via relay stations or radio relay lines, via cables or satellites. Philosophers still debate whether this is a boon or a disaster for civilization.

Penicillin
The miracle cure of the century was discovered in 1928 by Scottish explorer Alexander Fleming, who noticed that mold was killing the bacteria he had grown. A decade passed before this discovery became widespread. Scientists at the University of Oxford have found a way to clean up mold, which has led to its medical use. In 1943, the industrial production of penicillin began, significantly accelerated by the Second World War. Penicillin has saved countless lives and launched an entire family of antibiotics.

Fission of an atomic nucleus
The atomic era began in 1942 when the critical mass threshold was exceeded at the Manhattan Project facility at the University of Chicago. The first atomic bomb explosion took place on July 16, 1945 at the Los Alamos test site, New Mexico. Two bombs, uranium and plutonium, exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki the very next month. After the war, the rivalry between the USSR and the United States plunged the world into a dangerous arms race. Today, in developed countries, nuclear energy is widely used for peaceful purposes.

A computer
The first electromechanical computer, the Colossus, was created by British mathematician Alan Turing in 1943 to crack Nazi cipher codes. Subsequent inventions reduced the computer and increased its performance thousands of times. Transistor (1947), integrated circuit (1959), and microprocessor (1970) accelerated data processing. The hard drive (1956), the modem (1980), and the mouse (1983) made this data more accessible. The future belongs to computers embedded in wrist watch, and behind refrigerators, reminding the owner that the house has run out of milk.

Birth control pills
Created in 1954 by American physician Gregory Pinkus, these pills - a mixture of two hormones that suppress ovulation - revolutionized social and sexual relations. Women gained effective control over pregnancy, gaining the opportunity to choose when to have children. Women's rights to work and sexual freedom were protected, leading to their unprecedented political and economic emancipation.

DNA
On February 28, 1953, the British scientist Francis Crick told his friends in the Cambridge Eagle pub: "I have discovered the secret of life!" Crick and American James Watson discovered that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a carrier of heredity.
Uncovering the genetic code of humans, animals and plants has increased resistance to disease and improved food quality. In the coming decades, humanity is expected to acquire the possibility of gene therapy for cancer, heart disease, hemophilia, diabetes and many other dangerous diseases.

Laser
This device is based on the theory of radiation stimulation formulated by Albert Einstein back in 1917. But it took 40 years before Gordon Gould, a doctoral student at New York Columbia University, turned the idea into reality. This discovery plunged Gould into a 30-year battle over patent priorities. Meanwhile, his discovery has found countless applications - from welding and medicine to computers and video.

Organ transplant
Key date - 1967, when South African physician Christian Barnard performed the world's first human heart transplant. With the development of related branches of medicine that have reduced transplant rejection, doctors have mastered the replacement of hands, intestines, skin, retina, and even testicles. Today on the agenda - transplantation of brain cells, which will cure Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and "xenotransplantation" - transplantation of animal organs to humans.

Test tube baby
Louise Brown turned 21 this year. The young Englishwoman became the first "test-tube baby" in history — raised from an egg taken from her mother's body and fertilized. This technology has given many previously childless families the hope of procreation.

Space flights
The space era began on October 4, 1957 with the launch of the first Soviet satellite. The first man in space was a citizen of the USSR Yuri Gagarin in 1961. In 1969, American astronauts landed on the lunar surface. Later, the countries of Western Europe, China and Japan made spacewalks.
Today satellites are used to establish cheap and high-quality telephone communications, television and data transmission. And also for navigation, weather forecasting and scientific data acquisition. Unmanned vehicles travel to other planets. In the near future, it is planned to create long-term habitable stations in near-earth orbit.

Internet
In 1969, the world's first dial-up data packet transfer between two remote computers was carried out in Southern California. The secret Pentagon project has become a worldwide social and cultural phenomenon thanks to the simple-to-use and intuitively transparent ideology of hyperlinks and transitions, developed in 1989 by Briton Tim Bernes-Lee, without a single central database.
Today the number of Internet users has reached 183 million; by 2003, according to some estimates, it could exceed a billion.

The list, as you can see, is quite impressive. People of the 20th century did not waste their 100 years allotted for nothing. And yet, the main discovery of the second millennium took place long before our century. The inventor of typography Johannes Gutenberg has been recognized as the man of the millennium. However, this is not the opinion of France Press, but the Sunday Times.

Gazeta.Ru

The 20th century was rich in all kinds of discoveries and inventions, which in some way improved, and in some way complicated our life. However, if you think about it, there were not many inventions that really changed this world. We have collected some of the most-very inventions, after which life will never be the same.

20th century inventions that changed the world

Aircraft

People made the first flights on lighter-than-air vehicles (aeronautics) back in the 18th century, when the first balloons filled with hot air appeared, with the help of which it was possible to fulfill the old dream of mankind - to rise into the air and soar in it. However, due to the inability to control the direction of flight, depending on the weather and low speed balloon in many ways did not suit humanity as a transport.

The first controlled flights in heavier-than-air vehicles took place at the very beginning of the 20th century, when independently the brothers Wright and Alberto Santos-Dumont experimented with lightweight gliders equipped with motors. It was these aircraft that became the prototype of passenger liners that, over the decades, connected countries and continents and allowed the world to become truly global, significantly accelerating the movement of passengers over long distances and becoming one of the most important inventions 20th century.

Antibiotics

In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered that on samples contaminated with the common green mold Penicillium , colonies of staphylocollate bacteria do not develop. It became obvious that the fungus secretes a substance that has a detrimental effect on bacterial cells. it accidental discovery, made in the 20th century, became one of the most significant in the history of medicine, since it helped to isolate first penicillin (1938), and then other antibiotic substances, with the help of which deadly bacterial diseases were cured.

Unfortunately, the emergence of antibiotics has led to some negative consequences that have also changed the world. The widespread and not always justified use of antibiotics leads to the fact that known bacteria mutate, acquiring forms that are resistant to drugs. This phenomenon poses a danger to humanity, since it complicates the treatment of bacteria infected with resistant forms and requires lengthy and expensive research to find new antibiotics.

Nuclear weapon

In August 1945, the most powerful explosions in the history of the planet were heard in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: the United States of America tested the first nuclear weapon, opening a new page in the history of means of destruction. Long years of studying radioactive materials have borne fruit, mankind has managed to split the atom and obtain an energy source with colossal destructive power. In 1949, a nuclear weapon was first tested by the Soviet Union. In the following years Great Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea joined the "nuclear club". The emergence of nuclear weapons and the very rapid increase in their number during the Cold War marked the beginning of new era- from now on, humanity could actually destroy the planet in a matter of hours, turning it into a desert unsuitable for most organisms.

However, despite all the potential danger of a new type of weapons, many researchers believe that its presence rather played a positive role in the history of the planet, since since its inception, members of the nuclear club have never waged large-scale wars among themselves. The most dangerous weapon on the planet has become a kind of insurance against military conflicts, because now "everyone will lose" in it. This factor will be the most powerful deterrent argument in all conceivable international conflicts for many years to come.

Semiconductor electronics

For a long time, vacuum lamps were one of the main components of electronic devices, the use of which significantly limited the capabilities of technology: the lamps were heated for a long time to reach operating parameters, had big size, low reliability and very high heat dissipation.

Work on the development of devices based on semiconductor elements began in the 1920s, but for a long time their use was not widespread. Even during the Second World War, when the demand for computers and radio stations was as high as ever, they were still manufactured mainly on a tube basis. The first bipolar transistor was created in 1947, and the first MOSFET, which forms the basis of all modern electronics, in 1960. Both types of transistors are based on semiconductors, which opened up almost limitless possibilities for improving electronics and microprocessors. Today almost any household appliance, even a battery-powered children's railway or a mixer, have a semiconductor-based microcircuit inside the case. And for all electronic and computing devices, from calculators to laptops, semiconductor elements form the basis of the design. The performance of elements of a modern audio player or television (not to mention smartphones or computers) is far superior to the vacuum tube computers that occupied several rooms in research laboratories half a century ago.

Spacecraft

The first spacecraft, an artificial Earth satellite, was successfully launched in 1957, about 25 years after the start of the Soviet space program. From that moment on, man began to explore not only the planet, but also the nearest outer space. 4 years later, Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut in the history of mankind, became the hero of the whole world. The human space flight and visit to the moon (first performed by US astronauts in 1969) are considered some of the most significant achievements of mankind.

In addition to the invaluable contribution to science made by the space programs of the USSR, the USA and some other countries, the launch of spacecraft forever changed many spheres of life of ordinary people. Satellite Internet, INMARSAT communication, GPS navigation, photographs Google maps, images of celestial objects from the Hubble telescope, weather forecasts - this is just a partial list of what we owe to one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century - the spacecraft launched by man.

Internet

The Internet's birthday is October 29, 1969, when the first two ARPANET nodes, located 640 km away - at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) - held a communication session. Within 4 years, thanks to the transatlantic cable, the network became international, connecting the USA, Great Britain and Norway.

Today it is difficult to overestimate the importance of the worldwide network. Today the number of regularly using the Internet reaches 2.5 billion people. Another proof that thanks to her, the world has changed beyond recognition, is the fact that today the largest companies in the world are not railway monopolies, oil giants, automakers and banks, but IT corporations like Apple, Google and Microsoft, about which another 40 years back no one heard.

What invention of the 20th century do you consider to be the most important?