technology timeline

First Thermometer

1600

Galileo Galilei designs a basic thermometer.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermometer

First practical telescope

1609

Galileo Galilei builds a practical telescope and makes new astronomical discoveries.

Binary number system is created

1703

Gottfried Leibniz pioneers the binary number system now used in virtually all computers.

First mechanical speaking machine

1769

Wolfgang von Kempelen develops a mechanical speaking machine: the world's first speech synthesizer.

First battery is made

1800

Italian Alessandro Volta makes the first battery (known as a Voltaic pile). http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/when-was-the-first-battery-invented.htm

First paper making machine

1803

Henry and Sealy Fourdrinier develop the paper making machine.

First modern photograph

1827

Joseph Niepce makes the first modern photograph.

Printing photos

1830

William Henry Fox Talbot develops a way of making and printing photographs using reverse images called negatives.

First fax machine

1840

Scotsman Alexander Bain invents a primitive fax machine based on chemical technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fax

Fire extinguisher

1860

Fire extinguishers are invented. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher

Modern typewriter and key board

1868

Christopher Latham Sholes invents the modern typewriter and QWERTY keyboard.

Phonograph is invented

1877

Thomas Edison invents his sound-recording machine or phonograph—a forerunner of the record player and CD player.

First dishwasher

1886

Josephine Cochran invents the dishwasher.

First movie projector

1890

French brothers Joseph and Louis Lumiere invent movie projectors and open the first movie theater. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_projector

First X ray

1895

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X rays.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiGvcbJy7HWAhUExYMKHXoxBtEQFggxMAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nde-ed.org%2FEducationResources%2FCommunityCollege%2FRadiography%2FIntroduction%2Fhistory.htm&usg=AFQjCNFXi2uQlnFF61UkTAizMIHhm9lqvg

Electric vacuum cleaner

1901

The first electric vacuum cleaner is developed.

First air conditioner

1906

Willis Carrier pioneers the air conditioner. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_conditioning

Clothing washer

1907

Alva Fisher invents the electric clothes washer.

Mechanical television

1920

John Logie Baird develops mechanical television.

Modern electronic television

1920

Philo T. Farnsworth invents modern electronic television.

Polygraph is invented

1921

John Larson develops the polygraph ("lie detector") machine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygraph

First refrigerator

1928

The electric refrigerator is invented. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator

Colored television

1930

Peter Goldmark pioneers color television. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_television

First iPhone

2007

Apple introduces a touchscreen cellphone called the iPhone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_(1st_generation)

First iPad

2010

Apple releases its touchscreen tablet computer, the iPad. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad_(1st_generation)