starter motor, once said: "Believe and act as if it was impossible
to fail." Throughout history, believing that anything is possible
has fuelled mankind's ingenuity and drive to solve problems. Generate
looks at how innovation has brought ideas to life and build our world.
ARTICLE
The mother of invention
As with the digital revolution most innovations are the result of a scientific legacy. In other words, tapping into existing knowledge to find new applications for technology that not only solves a problem but may also change the way business is conducted, creating new opportunities for growth and development along the way.
Our continual desire for improvement was probably best summed-up by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato who famously said that necessity was “the mother of invention”. Since the dawn of our existence we humans have constantly strived to find better ways of meeting our basic needs of a roof over our heads, keeping warm or cool, having access to a ready supply of food and water, staying healthy, communicating and getting around. Added to this is our natural curiosity as to why and how things work.
Occasionally we invent things by accident, which was certainly the case with that modern kitchen essential, the microwave oven. American engineer Percy Spencer was helping a British team to develop radar when he discovered that the chocolate bar in his pocket had melted after he’d walked past a magnetron. Similarly Georges de Mastral, a Swiss engineer, hit on the idea for Velcro when burrs from the Burdock plant got stuck in his dog’s fur.
So what is the greatest invention of all time? Because innovation has touched virtually all walks of life, there is a seemingly endless list of contenders. Some might argue the case for the car, the jet engine, railways, the telephone, antibiotics or even the clock. And most of these would not be possible without the wheel, which many would consider to be the world’s most important mechanical invention.
flexible form of energy,
providing heat and light,
powering innumerable
labor-saving gadgets
and, most importantly,
supporting mass
production on a
GLOBAL scale.
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Cool Innovator
The 20th century American inventor Charles F Kettering held 140 patents and his house in Ohio was believed to be the first in the US to have electric air conditioning.
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Bionic woman
Former concert pianist Maria Antonia Iglesias, who lost her fingers after developing pneumococcal septic shock, is the first person to be fitted with bionic digits. The fingers are covered in robotic skin and are controlled by myoelectric sensors that
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Age of invention
A closer look at the list of the 100 greatest inventions of the 20th century, compiled by a patent expert at the British Library, suggests that bright ideas generally occur to people in their 30s.
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Clinging on
In 1996 a plane took off from Las Vegas with a Post-it note clinging to its nose. And it was still there when the plane landed in Minneapolis, having survived speeds of 804 kilometers per hour and temperatures of -13°C.
Let there be light
Electricity is the undisputed power behind modern industrial society. Since it was discovered in the mid-19th century, mankind has increasingly found new ways of using it to improve the quality of life.
One of the leading lights in the development of electrical technology was British chemist and physicist Michael Faraday. His studies on electromagnetic rotation in 1821 formed the basis for the electric motor. Then in 1831, Faraday made the crucial discovery of electromagnetic induction, unlocking the door to the practical application of electricity.
But the electrical innovation that has had most effect on people’s everyday lives came from the other side of the Atlantic. The incandescent light bulb, invented by Thomas Edison in 1879, was one of the first electrical applications to be made widely available to the public. As well as being safer than candles or gas lights, electric lighting was also much brighter, lighting up the night and transforming both our working and social lives.
Electricity is still the most flexible form of energy, providing heat and light, powering innumerable labor-saving gadgets and, most importantly, supporting mass production on a global scale. Food processing, refrigeration, air conditioning, the wholesale manufacture of life-saving drugs are just some of the many innovations made possible through electricity.
Understanding the body
The London Science Museum’s poll of the best innovations that changed the future, mentioned earlier, revealed that the way we see, treat and understand our bodies is considered a priority by many.
Being able to see inside the body revolutionized the way diseases and injuries were detected. X-rays were discovered by German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen in the 19th century. Pierre and Marie Curie built on his work and helped develop the use of x-rays in surgery – during World War I Marie Curie was involved in installing x-ray machines in ambulances which she also drove to the front lines.
For centuries medical pioneers had been searching for and identifying treatments for killer diseases and chronic conditions but the discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming is frequently hailed as the most important. Fleming was actually studying influenza when he noticed that a mold had accidentally developed on a culture dish and was killing the staphylococci germ it contained. Penicillin and other antibiotics have transformed the treatment of disease and saved countless lives. 
PHOTOGRAPHY: Gareth Sambidge
STYLING: Sabrina Jard
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