40 inventions and discoveries: who, where, and when?
Quick answer: A table of 40 inventions with the inventor, the place and the year, plus a six-picture warm-up.
Six to start with
Name each invention from its picture, then find it in the tables. The full set is in our inventions picture quiz.
Inventions 1–10
Many inventions have several inventors; the names here are those usually credited with the first practical version.
| # | Invention | Who | Where | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paper | Cai Lun (improved) | China | about 105 AD |
| 2 | Printing press (movable type) | Johannes Gutenberg | Germany | about 1440 |
| 3 | Telescope | Hans Lipperhey (first patent) | Netherlands | 1608 |
| 4 | Barometer | Evangelista Torricelli | Italy | 1643 |
| 5 | Pendulum clock | Christiaan Huygens | Netherlands | 1656 |
| 6 | Steam engine (improved) | James Watt | Scotland | 1769 |
| 7 | Hot air balloon | Montgolfier brothers | France | 1783 |
| 8 | Vaccine (smallpox) | Edward Jenner | England | 1796 |
| 9 | Electric battery | Alessandro Volta | Italy | 1800 |
| 10 | Steam locomotive | Richard Trevithick | Wales | 1804 |
Inventions 11–20
| # | Invention | Who | Where | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Photography | Nicéphore Niépce | France | 1826 |
| 12 | Braille | Louis Braille | France | 1829 |
| 13 | Sewing machine (practical) | Elias Howe / Isaac Singer | USA | 1846–1851 |
| 14 | Telephone | Alexander Graham Bell | USA | 1876 |
| 15 | Phonograph | Thomas Edison | USA | 1877 |
| 16 | Incandescent light bulb (practical) | Thomas Edison / Joseph Swan | USA / England | 1879 |
| 17 | Automobile (petrol) | Karl Benz | Germany | 1886 |
| 18 | Radio | Guglielmo Marconi (and others) | Italy | 1895 |
| 19 | Airplane | Wright brothers | USA | 1903 |
| 20 | Television (electronic) | Philo Farnsworth | USA | 1927 |
Inventions 21–30
| # | Invention | Who | Where | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Penicillin | Alexander Fleming | Scotland | 1928 |
| 22 | Jet engine | Frank Whittle / Hans von Ohain | England / Germany | 1930s |
| 23 | Ballpoint pen | László Bíró | Hungary / Argentina | 1938 |
| 24 | Transistor | Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley | USA | 1947 |
| 25 | Microwave oven | Percy Spencer | USA | 1947 |
| 26 | Velcro | George de Mestral | Switzerland | 1955 |
| 27 | Integrated circuit | Jack Kilby / Robert Noyce | USA | 1958–1959 |
| 28 | Laser | Theodore Maiman | USA | 1960 |
| 29 | Computer mouse | Douglas Engelbart | USA | 1964 |
| 30 | Mobile phone (handheld) | Martin Cooper, Motorola | USA | 1973 |
Inventions 31–40
| # | Invention | Who | Where | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | World Wide Web | Tim Berners-Lee | Switzerland (CERN) | 1989 |
| 32 | Algebra (as a discipline) | Al-Khwarizmi | Baghdad | about 820 |
| 33 | Camera obscura (explained) | Ibn al-Haytham | Cairo | about 1021 |
| 34 | Elephant clock | Al-Jazari | Anatolia (Artuqid court) | about 1206 |
| 35 | Crankshaft | Al-Jazari | Anatolia (Artuqid court) | 1206 |
| 36 | Seismometer | Zhang Heng | China | 132 AD |
| 37 | Dynamite | Alfred Nobel | Sweden | 1867 |
| 38 | Insulin (isolated) | Banting and Best | Canada | 1921 |
| 39 | Pacemaker (implantable) | Rune Elmqvist | Sweden | 1958 |
| 40 | Aspirin | Felix Hoffmann, Bayer | Germany | 1897 |
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the telephone?
Alexander Graham Bell is usually credited, with the first patent in 1876.
Who invented algebra?
Al-Khwarizmi’s book of about 820 established it as a discipline.