Flash Memory, CD-ROM, Cellular Phone, The World Wide Web

 Fujio Masouka was born in Japan in 1943. He worked with metal oxide semiconductor memory. He invented a more improved EEPROM he called "flash" memory in 1981. Flash: solid-state memory that can be quickly erased and written to. It changed electronics. It enables cell phones.

The 8-track player was made in the 1960s. Audiocassette emerged as dominant in the 1980s. The VCR was developed in 1977. The laserdisc was made in 1978. Sony and Philips partnered in 1979 on the standard CD format. They developed the CD-ROM format in 1985. It made Netflix possible. It transformed console gaming.

Carphones appeared in the 1940s. Bell Labs developed cellular concept beginning in 1947. It took 20 years for tech to develop. Martin Cooper led cell phone development at Motorola. The Cellphone was invented in 1973 and connects users to the landline network through radio. It is also good in case of an emergency.

Tim Berners-Lee was born in England in 1955. His degree was in physics. He worked in telecom industry. He joined CFRN in 1980. Scientist difficulty sharing files. He invented the World Wide Web in 1990-1991. The WWW stores info. The first web site explained how to use it. Internet consortium formed in 1994. It was purchased from America Online. Shopping is now online. Business is transformed.

TCP/IP Internet Protocol Suite (The Internet), Graphical User Interface, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates

 The TCP/IP was invented in 1974. DARPA applied TCP/IP to ARPANET. Stanford and London communicated in 1977. A lot of companies adopted it. The TCP/IP gives us the internet, and it also has a huge database of knowledge. Now, all different kinds of devices can be connected.

Sutherland, from ARPANET, developed the sketchpad. Engelbert invented the mouse in the 1960s. Xerox opened PARC in 1973. The GUI was invented at PARC in 1973. It also allows people to use te computer more easily. Xerox's Alto was too expensive. It was $9,995. Windows helped bring about the internet.

Steve Jobs was born in 1955. He got his parents to move because of bullies. He met Steve Wozniak at his new school in Cupertino. He went to work for Atari. He co-founded Apple Computer in 1976. Jobs left, then returned to apple and launched iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Developed Pixar into a major movie production company. The iPod changed the music industry. He died in 2011 (which is the year I was born).

Bill Gates was born in 1955. He had a younger and older sister. He wrote a program that put him in the class with all the pretty girls. He went to Harvard and met Steve Ballmer. He read about Altair in 1975. He founded Microsoft in 1976. He married his wife, Milinda, in 1994.

Unix, Microprocessor, Video Game Console, VHS and VCR

 Ken Thompson was born in New Orleans in 1943. Dennis Ritch was born in New York in 1941. They were the last of Bell Labs engineers to leave Multics. Thompson wanted to keep playing his computer that he made. They invented the Unix in 1969, designed for multiple users and security. Bell Labs used Unix at work. Unix also powers MacOS.

Robert Noyce founder of Intel. Busicom asked Intel to build a processor for their calculator in 1969. Created the first microprocessor, the 4004, in 1971. Microprocessor: processing and control. The Control unit, driven by crystal clock, manage the operation. The apple computer was founded in 1976.

Ralph Baer was born in Germany in 1922. In 1943 he was drafted into World War II because of his skills. He climbed the electronics industry. Began working on TV projects for the military in 1950. He came up with an idea for a TV game in 1966. Magnavox Odyssey was released in 1972. It sold pretty well. Pong appeared in 1972. It is also a great game to play.

The VCR was released to the commercial industry in 1956. Betamax could only record one-hour movies. Sony developed Betamax. JVC developed VHS. The VHS playing VCR was released in the US in 1977. Tape heads transfer information from tape to screen. It also became cheaper to record home movies. The VHS was replaced by the DVD. It led to the development of DVDs, Bluray, and also Netflix.

Polio Vaccine, Intermodal Container, Integrated Circuit, Lasers

 Polio is a deadly virus. Some people get paralyzed by it. Ancient people were aware of it. Rosevelt contracted it once. Jonas Salk was born in New York City in 1914. He became a medical researcher. He learned about viruses under other doctors. He invented the polio vaccine in 1955. It stops you from contracting polio. He became world-famous. 9 million doses were preordered.

Malcolm McLean was born in North Carolina in 1913. He wanted to ship trucks by boat. He launched the intermodal container ship in 1956. The cost of shipping fell because of it. He expanded his business. It gave rise to just in time. It really helped us in life.

Noyce and Kilby invented the integrated circuit in 1959. The integrated circuit is just a flat chip packed full of transistors. It has high performance and low cost. It sent men to the moon. It allowed astronauts to control the spaceships. US Air Force and Navy used it in warfare.

The invention of the laser was a team effort at bell labs. Charles Townes was born in South Carolina in 1915. He invented the maser in 1953. He patented the laser in 1958. The light of a laser is coherent electrons give us the energy to move closer to nuclear. The bean contains high focused energy. The laser also measures distances to the moon. Lasers also have medical uses too. I think the laser is very helpful to human history.

Electron Microscope, FM Radio, Nuclear Fission, Transistor

 Ernst Ruska built the electron microscope in 1933. Electrons have very, very tiny wavelengths. Saples must be viewed in a vacuum. He went to work for Siemens. He learned how viruses behave. They may be useful in gene therapy in the future. Ernst Ruska was born on December 25, 2906 in Heidelberg. He was born on Christmas day!

Edwin Armstrong was born in Manhattan, New York in 1890. He became interested in radio technology while he was in college. He invented the "Super Regenative" Reciever in 1922. The FM radio was patented in 1933. FM radio is less sensitive to interference. Public demonstration helped display benefits. FM gained widespread popularity in the 1960s. FM radio changed music.

Leo Szilard was born in Hungary in 1898. He demonstrated fission in 1939. The first atomic bomb was demonstrated in 1945. The Americans dropped an atomic bomb on Japan to end World War II. Hand made nuclear reactions are more controlled. It uses neutrons to produce a chain reaction. Nuclear power supplied 20% of the US electricity in 2015.

Inventors began looking for ways to replace the vacuum tube. The transistor was invented in 1947 by two American physicists John Bardeen and Walter Brattain. The Transistor was picked by a contest. It's a mini, solid-state tried tube. The transistor radios appeared by 1955. The transistor altered the course of history.

Crystal Oscillator, George Washington Carver, Yagi Uda Antenna

 Alexander Nicholas invented the first oscillator in 1917 in Bell Labs. Solid materials can produce electricity when squeezed. Also, it works in reverse. It is used in a lot of radio stations, one by 1920. They made their way into clocks. Wristwatch appeared in 1969. It gave rise to "clock wars" in the 1990s.

George Washington Carver was born in the 1860s. He became a Christian as a boy and learned to give back to others. He earned a college education. He went to work for Booker T. Washington. Mostly known for his farming techniques. He promoted peanut recipes and became known as the "Peanut Man". Became famous for work with peanuts. He died at age 80.

Hidetugu Yagi researched radio waves. He invented the Yagi Uda antenna in 1926. Yagi Uda increases directivity. He published an English article in 1928. Used extensively during WWII. Still popular antennas. Helped increase TV use. Led to able TV. 

People used to die of infection. Soilders in wars mostly died from infection. Alexander Fleming was born in Scotland in 1881. He studied under a vaccine professor. He saw hundreds of soldiers die during World War 1. He studied bacteria for the next 14 years. He invented Penicillin in 1929. It is grown in large tanks. 13 years would pass until the first patient was saved. Hard to grow, exited body quickly. We don't have to worry about infections today. Must be careful not to over use it.

Safety Razor, Airplane, Vacuum Tube, The Model T

King Camp Gillette was born in Wisconson in 1855. He lived through the great Chicago fire. He worked as a cork salesman. He invented the Saftey Razor in 1901. Safetly razors cleanly and safely shave skin. It uses a protective guard to prevent skin injuries. It was successful because of low prices. Today it is really useful.

The Wright brothers were born by 1878. They opened a bicycle shop. The brothers were focused on the an aircraft control system. They took experience from making bikes. Balance was the key. so they studied birds. They started with gliders at Kill Devil Hills. A thousand gliders were made in 1902. They invented the airplane in 1903 at Kitty Hawk. Airplanes are powered crafts. They carry cargo and passengers far distances and changed warfare. 

John Fleming was born in England in 1849. He wanted to be an engineer at age 11. He studied under Maxwell and worked in Edison's company and then under Marconi. He invented the Vaccum tube in 1904 and published a paper in 1905. The vacuum tube was an important advancement, and it improved radios and computers and stuff and led to the personal computer. 

Henry Ford was born in Michigan in 1863. He got married in 1888 when he was 25. He built a quadricycle in 1896. Ford's race car in 1902 promoted his brand. Ford invented the Modle T in 1908. It gave families freedom. It succeded because of low prices. One new car was made about every three minutes. The car's price dropped from $825 to $260 in 16 years. It changed the world.

Diesel Engine, Mousetrap, Radio, Semi-Automatic Shotgun

 Rudolph Diesel was born in France in 1858. He went into engineering school when he was 14. He began experimenting with ammonia engines. He invented the Diesel engine based on the Carnot cycle in 1843. The diesel engine doesn't use a spark to ignite. It uses hot compressed air. He built a 23 horsepower engine in 1896. Germans built diesel powered U-bots in 1912. It is used for heavy construction machinery.

Mice and rodents infest our houses! they spread the bubonic plauge. they carry diseases everywhere. Several mousetraps were made in the 1800s. James Keep patented a mouse trap in 1879. "Little nipper" was patented in 1898 in Britian. William C. Hooker invented the mousetrap in 1894. The mousetrap kills mice. It breaks their neck.

Marconi was born in Italy in 1874. He built his own transmitter at home. He invented the radio in 1845. Radio waves are launched from attenas. It can send multiple signals all at once. Italy was not interested at first. It gained publicity from an accident. A lot changed in just 40 years. Radio broadcasting appeared in the 1930s.

John Browning was born in Utah in 1855. He built his first rifle in 1878. He developed lever-action rifles and pump action shotguns. He invented the semi-automatic auto-5 shotgun in 1898. It is a faster and easier way to fire shotgun rounds. It was manufactured for about 100 years until 1998. He also invented the M2 machinegun. 

Coca-Cola, Induction Motor, Ballpoint Pen, Zipper

 John Pemberton was born in Georgia in 1831. He fought in the Civil War. He was addicted to morphine after a saber slash. He experimented with coca wines. He invented Coca-Cola in 1886. Coca-Cola is a sweet carbonated drink. It has caffeine in it from cola nuts. Pemberton died in August of 1888. It is sold in many different places.

Nikola Tesla was born in the Austrian Empire in 1856. He wanted to become an engineer. He went to work with Edison's company. He invented the Induction motor in 1888. It turns fans and pumps and other stuff. He introduced it to engineers and businessmen. 

the Quill pen was mainly used until the 1500s. It was made from a bird feather. John J. Loud was born in Massachusetts in 1844. He was a trained lawyer but went into banking with his father. He became interested in genealogy and church activities. He invented the ballpoint pen in 1888. It uses a small metal ball as a tip. His design worked as intended. BIC created a new pen in 1949. It was reliable and didn't leak.

Tunics were ancient popular clothing. So were cloaks. Whitcomb Dudson was born in Chigago in 1843. He was tired of buttoning his shoes. He invented the zipper in 1890. Zippers fasten two strips of clothing. They were added to bluejeans in 1947 and lead to the invention of the backpack. Millions are sold every year.

Light Switch, Skyscraper, Dishwasher, Electromagnetic Wave

 John Henry Holmes was born in England in 1857. He invented the lightswitch in 1884. Light switches make it easier to turn lights on or off. They can immediately turn lights on or off. William J. Newton turned Holmes' invention into the toggle switch. The simple but important invention, there are many different types of switches.

William Jenny was born in Massachusetts in 1832. He learned how to be an engineer in France. He fought in the Civil War for the North. He got married in 1867. They had two children. He invented the skyscraper in 1884, after a discussion with his wife. Elevators were very important to skyscrapers. A strong foundation keeps it safe during earthquakes. More are built every year.

Washing dishes by hand is hard work. The scullery room was used for washing dishes. It was made to get wet. It was hard work for restaurants to clean all those dirty dishes. Josephine Cochrane was born in Ohio in 1839. She had a sister named Irene. She got married in 1850 to a business owner. She hosted large parties on china. She wanted an easier way to clean dishes. She invented the dishwasher in 1886. It cleans dirty dishes. She sold them to her friends first. It was shown off at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1843.

Henrich Hersch was born in Germany in 1857. He studied engineering with Helm Holtz in Berlin. He proved the existence of electromagnetic waves in 1887. They can carry information. They are useful in the medical field. He didn't think they would be useful. He died at 36 years old. Others picked up his work.

Light Bulb, Cash Register, Thermostat, Steam Turbine

 The Arc lamp needed too much power. We needed lights with higher light, not low. Edison tried 3,000 different versions of the light bulb. He invented the incandescent bulb in 1874. He invented the bulb to scatter light. It lights up dark places very cheaply. It replaced gas lamps at theaters and other places. They lit up the whole city of New York in 1878.

General stores were basic to rural economies. Store owners had employees stealing from them. James Ritty was born in Ohio in 1836. He opened a saloon in 1878. Ritty had employees stealing from him too, so he invented the Cash Register. It changed the American selling force.

Drebbel invented an early thermostat in the 1660s. Warren Johnson was born in Vermont in 1847. He became a science professor when he was 34. He invented the Thermostat in 1833. A multi-zone thermostat was developed in 1845. Used with air conditioning systems. Development of hot water heaters.

Charles Parsons was born in England in 1854. He assisted his father in astronomical work. Then he moved into electric machinery in 1884. He invented the Steam Turbine in 1884. The steam turbine converted heat into rotation. It makes bulk power production cheap. Westinghouse became very very interested and so did even companies in Britain. 

It was very interesting learning about these inventions. I liked why and how they were invented. I especially liked learning about the cash register.