254The golden age of invention and discovery came in
the last two hundred years. New scientific theories
helped people invent things that changed the world.
TECHNOLOGY
1800
CE1500
CE 1280
EYEGLASSES
English scientist
Roger Bacon came
up with the idea of
using a magnifying
glass as a reading
aid. In 1301, two
Italian inventors
took it a step
further by
inventing
eyeglasses. 1455
PRINTING PRESS
Johannes Gutenberg’s
invention allowed
multiple copies of
books to be printed,
making them available
for everyone to read. 1565
PENCIL
Conrad Gesner
of Switzerland
is credited with
inventing the
pencil, but may
only have been
writing about
an existing
invention. 1608
TELESCOPE
Hans Lippershey is
generally credited
with inventing the
first telescope, but
Galileo was the
first person to use
it for astronomy. 1700s
INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
Jobs moved from farms
into factories, where
new machines greatly
increased production. 1827
MATCHES
John Walker dipped a
wooden stick in a mixture
of chemicals and the first
friction match came to light. 1868 TYPEWRITER
Christopher Scholes and
partners patented the
typewriter. The American
company Remington and
Sons took their invention
into production in 1873. 1783
HOTAIR BALLOON
The French Montgolfier
brothers invented the
first hot-air balloon,
but they promised
their father they
would not fly it. 1876
TELEPHONE
Alexander Graham Bell
holds the patent for the
telephone. He was the first
to make it successful, but
there is evidence that others,
such as Antonio Muecci,
1800 invented it first.
ELECTRICITY
The Italian scientists
Luigi Galvani and
Alessandro Volta
invented the first
device to give a
continuous flow
of electricity. 1878
LIGHTBULB
Thomas Edison and
Joseph Swan came
up with the idea of
the electric lightbulb
independently. No
need for candles
and gas lamps—
life would be much
easier for everyone. 1895 XRAY
Wilhelm Röntgen’s
discovery of X-rays
earned him the first
Nobel Prize for
Physics in 1901.Movable type
using metal
letters made
printing quick
and cheap.