The History of Invention
This paper will be written in three parts. First, the paper discusses invention and what it entails. Next, a discussion of a broad overview of the various ages of invention precedes a list of notable inventors and their inventions.
Defining Invention and Related Terms
The History Channel's website, history.com, provides an encyclopedia definition of invention. According to the site, invention is the "process of producing new devices, objects, ideas or procedures in accomplishing human objectives in ways that were formerly difficult or impossible." Inventions generally come after a discovery, either one that is accidental or one that is sought. Common parlance dictates that invention designation belongs to new devices or materials. However, the true definition of invention also encompasses the creation of new procedures. Anything human-created qualifies as an invention if it is both new and unique.
To apply these ideas in a concrete manner, an example of an accidental discovery would be Alexander Fleming's discovery that a mold kills the staphylococcus bacteria, a discovery that eventually lead to the creation of the antibiotic penicillin. An example of a discovery that is sought would be the continuing searches for additional petroleum reserves.
3M's invention of scotch tape serves as an example of an invention. Until the invention of the scotch tape dispenser, scotch tape did not enjoy a high level of popularity. Another notable 3M invention includes post-it notes, invented when the adhesive discovery created an adhesive only strong enough to bond small pieces of paper to other surfaces on a temporary basis. Teflon, invented by DuPont, is an artificial polymer used to coat pots and pans, thus giving them a nonstick surface.
Inventors create new processes, devices, and materials. This class of people spans and includes artists who create new styles of music, painting, or drawing. Also included are writers who utilize literary devices in new ways or styles, philosophers who can create new schools of thought, administrators who design new bureaucratic systems or procedures, scientists who discover new principles and then apply them to create new tools or ideas, engineers who create and design new cars, concepts, and toys, and breeders who create a new type of produce, such as the Texas 1015 onion. Even children can be inventors, like the little girl who created a new tool to microwave bacon and drain the fat.
Certain inventions are legally recognized and afford some with intellectual property rights. In the United States, patents are used to protect new/useful art, machine, manufacture, or material. Patents are also used to protect improvements on those already existing. Copyrights are used to protect any written material, music, painting, sculpture, or photographs. In many cases, a slight alteration or improvement can provide the legal justification for the issue of a new patent or copyright to the one responsible for the alteration or improvement. Patent and copyright laws are inapplicable to processes and ideas without clear cut characteristics.
Inventions Through The Ages
Historically, human development and evolution encompass four ages: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Machine Age. The first three stages occurred during prehistoric times, and each will be discussed in turn.
Stone Age - This period was a time when humans invented and utilized stone tools. These were rudimentary, but were helpful in offering humans protection from attackers and eased the hunting/gathering lifestyle, enabling humans to establish dominance.
Bronze Age - The most advanced tools of the time were bronze tools. The Bronze Age started when humans learned that smelting iron and tin, and then creating the alloy and casting the metal to make tools.
Iron Age - Harder than bronze, iron enabled humans to make even stronger tools. The Iron Age takes place in human history when iron was the most sophisticated form of metalworking. Iron tools provided a comparative advantage over bronze tools in that iron has a high melting point, were harder, and iron ore was abundant.
Machine Age - The industrial revolution signaled the end of the Iron Age and the beginning of the current Machine Age. Important inventions of this time include the incorporation of fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum for energy. Also, metallurgical processes were improved and alloys such as steel were invented. Inventions of this time included developing a way to capture and distribute electricity and electronics, making a cotton gin, and creating an internal combustion engine.
Notable Inventions and Inventors:
- Alexander Graham Bell - telephone
- Guttenberg - Printing press
- Benjamin Franklin - Bifocal lenses
- Henry Ford - assembly line
- Lewis Ranieri - Mortgaged backed bonds/securities
- Galileo - Water Thermometer
- Blaise Pascal - Adding Machine
- Thomas Newcomen - Steam Engine
- Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit - Mercury Thermometer
- James Watt - Steam Engine with separate condenser
- Nicolas Joseph Cugnot - Automobile
- Eli Whitney - Cotton Gin