5 Ordinary Inventions that Shaped the World


Human inventions and technologies have shaped civilizations and transformed life on earth. From the invention of the wheel to the development of Spaceship several inventions are revolutionary. Each generation brings with it a set of innovative thinkers who either intentionally or by accident end up developing certain things that change the world forever.
Inventions are not always supposed to be too grandiose. They can be as ordinary as a pen, but what matters is the impact that they leave. Here we are going to see certain ordinary inventions with an extraordinary impact.   


1. Wheel

The invention of wheel has been considered as hallmark of invention’s as it is one of the biggest blessing to humanity. From the wheel of the car to the nib of the pen, almost everything you find in your surroundings, in one way or the other is derived from the concept of the wheel. Around 3500BC an idea struck one of the wise Homo sapiens when he cut a disk from the trunk of a tree and made a hole in its center. The end product was wheel one of the greatest inventions in human history. It is hard to think how are lives would have been without wheel’s invention.
Evolution of the wheel
Evolution of the Wheel


2. Shipping Container

Before its invention shipping goods around the world for many centuries was very expensive, time taking and risky. It was very tedious job to load and unload the goods from the ships. But in 1955, an American trucking entrepreneur Malcom Mclean got an idea of containing certain amount of goods into a steel container and then loading them onto the ship. This was a revolutionary invention in global trade as it would decrease the cost of transportation and would also ensure that the goods are delivered undamaged. On April 26th, 1956 the first shipment was made in shipping containers. After its invention this idea has been adopted by many others around the globe. Sir Malcom Mclean managed to turn a seemingly impractical idea into a massive industry and was able to give a must needed boom to the global trade.

Malcom Mclean inventor of the shipping container
Malcom Mclean

3. Solar PV

Before its invention shipping goods around the world for many centuries was very expensive, time taking and risky. It was very tedious job to load and unload the goods from the ships. But in 1955, an American trucking entrepreneur Malcom Mclean got an idea of containing certain amount of goods into a steel container and then loading them onto the ship. This was a revolutionary invention in global trade as it would decrease the
cost of transportation and would also ensure that the goods are delivered undamaged. On April 26th, 1956 the first shipment was made in shipping containers. After its invention this idea has been adopted by many others around the globe. Sir Malcom Mclean managed to turn a seemingly impractical idea into a massive industry and was able to give a must needed boom to the global trade.

Solar panel
Solar panel

4. Conveyor Belt

Unlike other inventions there is no fixed date when conveyor belts were invented. Primitive conveyor belts were used since 19th century. In 1925, Richard Sutcliffe invented the first conveyor belt and installed in coal mines. In 1913, Henry Ford introduced the concept of conveyor belt assembly lines at Ford Motor Company’s Highland Park, Michigan factory. Its invention has brought a major turnaround in manufacturing sector as it speeds up the process and ensures greater production rates.

Conveyor belt installed in mine
Conveyor belt installed in a mine

5. Battery

Batteries are so ubiquitous, yet they are they are almost invisible to us. It is a remarkable invention with a long history and an exciting future. The first battery was invented by Alessandro Volta in 1800. The lead acid battery was invented in 1859 and is one of the oldest examples of rechargeable battery. In 1980 the American physicist Professor John Goodenough invented the Lithium-ion batteries. The lithium-ion batteries because of its long battery life and self-charging property is considered as excellent alternative for the other older versions of the batteries.

Early electric battery
Early electric battery

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