8 Everyday Technologies We Can’t Live Without That Were Invented in the UK

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You may think you cannot survive without your computer, tablet or other electronic devices, but what about inventions that came before them? Since the advent of time, humans have invented numerous things and innovated to get us where we are now. Among those, a long list of everyday technologies was invented in the UK. Here are 10 everyday technologies that have made life significantly better:

8. Telephone

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A Scottish-born inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, was the first person who invented the telephone and revolutionized communication as we know it. Conversations did not need people to be co-located beside each other. The first ever telephone call was made a few days after he was awarded the patent on March 7, 1876.

7. Television

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John Logie Baird, another Scottish engineer, was the first man to televise pictures of objects in motion. The world’s first public demonstration of television was given in January 1926. In 1928, a system of colour television was developed, which formed a procedure used by NASA to fetch live colour TV images from the moon.

6. Steam Engine

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The first commercially used steam-powered device was invented by an English engineer named Thomas Savery. It is regularly referred to as the “Savery Engine”. Later, it was further improved by Thomas Newcomen and James Watt (both born in the UK) in 1712 and 1765, respectively. It revolutionized the industrial sector and made commodities cheaper and easier to be produced.

5. Reflecting Telescope

Isaac Newton, an Englishman, invented the reflecting telescope, in 1668. It was different from than refracting telescope and proved a game changer in the industry. Newton’s design proved helpful and massive instruments were developed in the following century. It was useful for studying the faintest of objects and understanding the fundamental changes in the universe.

4. Seed Drill

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Another significant technological invention in the UK was the seed drill by Jethro Tull in 1701. His invention revolutionized the way seeds were grown and made plantations more efficient. Formerly, seeds were sown by hand, by placing them in the ground individually or by scattering them on the ground. It was a significant development in the agricultural revolution.

3. The Bessemer Process

The first economical industrial process that allowed for the mass production of steel was the Bessemer Process. It was named after its discoverer – Sir Henry Bessemer, who invented it in 1856. The Bessemer Process transformed the world by making steel mass-producible and cost-effective. Because of this invention, steel became a dominant construction material.

2. The World Wide Web and the first Website:

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While working at European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN), Tim Berners-Lee (an Englishman) invented the World Wide Web. The first web browser, the first web server, and a document formatting protocol called Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) were invented by him as well. All of this sparked a global wave of collaboration, creativity and innovation never seen before.

1. The First Public Railway – 1825

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The world’s first railway to operate passenger and freight service was built in England by George Stephenson, known as Stockton & Darlington Railway. The first engine ran from Darlington to Stockton in 1825. George Stephenson is called the “Father of Railways” and thus revolutionized the transport system forever.

Conclusion:

A couple of centuries back, we could barely conceive of the technologies that exist today. The rate of change and innovations is increasing exponentially. At the forefront of these developments is the UK. In their recent forms, inventions such as Telephone, TV, Web, Steam Engines and Seed Drills are some of the pioneer ideas and technologies that we cannot imagine living without. Hence, the impact of British inventors and scientists cannot be overstated.