Our world today is so much
better thanks to science and
math. The following is a
summarized list of science and
math related invention. Click on
the links to learn more about the
history.
Abacus
The first abacus is thought to
have originated over four
thousand years ago in Babylon, a
state of ancient Mesopotamia.
The Greek abacus dates back to
the 5th century BC and a marble
abacus dating back to 300 BC
was found on the Greek island of
Salamis in 1846 AD, the oldest
known example. The abacus is
still a teaching aid in schools
worldwide.
Algebra
A Persian mathematician called Al
Khwarizmi (780-850 AD) invented
algebra
. He wrote a book called The
Compendious Book on Calculation
by Completion and Balancing
around 830 AD, which is
considered to be the foundation
of modern algebra. Al Khwarizmi
successfully sold some of his
work to Roman travelers and
conquerors, aiding there
knowledge of mathematics.
Calculus
Sir Isaac Newton is considered to
be the first Father of Calculus. A
German mathematician called
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz is also
credited with important work on
calculus. Their work grew from
the Egyptian Moscow papyrus (c.
1820 BC), a 14th century Indian
mathematician called Madhava
of Sangamagrama and
Bonaventura Cavalieri, an Italian
mathematician who lived from
1598 to 1647.
Calendar
No single inventor lays claim to
the calendar. A lunar calendar
was used by the Ancient
Babylonians, Jews, Greeks and
Chinese. The closest inventor of
the modern calendar could be
Caesar, who decided that a year
would begin on January 1st
instead of in March. In 1582, the
rest of the world adopted this
system which is known as the
Gregorian calendar named after
Pope Gregory XIII.
Dynamite
A Swedish scientist called Alfred
Bernhard Nobel invented
dynamite
which he patented in 1867. He set
aside the majority of his estate
to establish the famous Nobel
Prizes. The recipe for dynamite
consists of three parts nitro-
glycerine, one part
diatomaceous earth and a small
admixture of sodium carbonate;
not recommended to try at
home!
Fireworks
A Chinese monk called Li Tian
invented fireworks. He created
exploding firecrackers made
from bamboo shoots filled with
gunpowder, and were used to
keep away evil spirits about
2,000 years ago. The Chinese
people still celebrate the
invention of fireworks each year
on April 18th.
Geometry
Geometry was a nameless
mathematical system before
3000 BC. However, Euclid of
Alexandria wrote the book called
“Elements” about 300 BC, which
became the foundation for our
modern day geometry
with its fundamental geometric
principles. For this reason he’s
often referred to as the Father
of Geometry.
Glass
Naturally occurring glass,
especially the volcanic glass
known as obsidian, has been
used since the Stone Age.
Archaeological evidence shows
that the art of glass making
started around 3500 BC in
Mesopotamia
. The Romans first used glass for
architectural uses and the glass
industry began to thrive in
around 1000 AD.
Gunpowder
Gunpowder is believed to have
been invented in 9th century
China, although the earliest
record of a written formula
appears in the 11th century
Song Dynasty text, Wujing
Zongyao. Gunpowder is a mixture
of charcoal, sulfur and
potassium nitrate (saltpetre)
and is used as a propellant in
firearms and as a composition in
fireworks.
Laser
An American physicist called
Gordon Gould created the first
optical laser in 1958, but as he
was not awarded a patent until
1977, Theodore Maiman often
gets the credit. Maiman’s first
optical laser beam shone ruby
red in 1960; he was another
American.
Microscope
The Ancient Romans take credit
for the initial idea for the
microscope. They discovered a
method of using a lens to make
objects appear different sizes.
Dutch father and son Hans and
Zacharias Janssen were the
first creators of a compound
microscope
in 1590.
Number Zero
The first recorded use of zero
was documented in the 3rd
century BC by the Babylonians.
Brahmagupta (597–668 AD), an
Indian mathematician and
astronomer, was the first to
explicitly define the number zero
and show how to use it. No new
numbers have been created
since!
Numbers
Fossils found that were over
30,000 years old show that tally
systems were used, the
beginnings of numbers. Ancient
Egyptians, Chinese and Mayans
all had number systems. A stone
carving from the Karnak temple
complex in Egypt dating from
around 1500 BC depicts 276 as 2
hundreds, 7 tens and 6 ones. It is
now at the Louvre in Paris.
Plastic
Alexander Parkes, an English
metallurgist and inventor,
invented plastic and patented it
in 1856. He called it Parkesine,
but unfortunately his Parkesine
Company ceased trading in 1868.
His product was unveiled at the
1862 Great International
Exhibition in London which
included 28,000 exhibitors from
36 countries.
Telescope
Hans Lippershey created the
telescopic lens and the first
usable telescope in 1608. Several
years later, Galileo Galilei, an
Italian physicist, mathematician,
astronomer and philosopher,
invented a more technologically
advanced scope and published
his initial telescopic astronomical
observations in March 1610.
Transistor
The first transistor was
developed in 1947 by a team of
scientists at the AT&T Bell
telephone laboratories in New
Jersey. The term transistor was
penned by engineer John R.
Pierce as a merger of the term
transfer resistor. They were
awarded with a Nobel Prize for
their contribution to the world of
Physics.
X-Ray
German physicist Wilhelm Conrad
Roentgen is responsible for
having created the first X-ray on
November 8th, 1895
. It earned him the first Nobel
Prize in Physics in 1901. American
physicist William Coolidge
developed the X-ray tube in 1913,
which gave a more intense
visualization of deep-seated
anatomy.

Of all the numbers, 'zero' was invented last.