Inventions are unique ideas, devices, processes, discoveries or conventions. In many instances, inventions have changed humanity for generations. There are many inventions crucial to human history.

1. In ancient China during the 9th century, Chinese alchemists searched for immortality. However, the chemical result was gunpowder. Eventually, gunpowder became a core ingredient in fireworks. From the study of fireworks, gunpowder is the inspiration for rocketry. Gunpowder, which is no longer used in modern military applications, was the source of explosives.
2. Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press is crucial for increasing the literacy rate of European people from the 15th century forward. The main application for the printing press was to print Bibles in native languages. Classic authors, such as H.G. Wells, owe their fame to the printing press. Literature could not survive without printing technology. Today, computerized printing presses manufacture various documents, but Gutenberg’s printing press is the inspiration.
3. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for the telephone. Including Bell, there are others involved in the development of the telephone. Since 1876, the telephone was revolutionary due to sound transmission over wires. Written letters were downgraded to delayed messages since the telephone provided the medium for instant communication. Today’s cellular phones draw their origin from the landline telephone.
4. The original inventor of the light bulb is Englishman Joseph Swan. However, American inventor, Thomas Edison, improved the electric light bulb and was granted a patent in 1879. With light bulbs and electricity, people no longer needed to use gas lamps at night. Today, the incandescent light bulb is the inspiration for energy-efficient bulbs.
5. Television was revolutionary in visually displaying information broadcasting over the air in the first half of the twentieth century. Philo Farnsworth invented the first publicly demonstrated television in 1927. Due to television, the home entertainment industry developed since the 1970′s initially with video cassettes, then laserdiscs, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. The video game industry owes its existence to television.
6. Jets date back to the early 20th century. There are various inventors and innovators in the development of jets. With jets, the aviation industry expanded due to achieving faster speeds and longer flight times. Thus, flight destinations increased over time. In air forces, jet technology developed quick strike forces with fighter jets capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound, or Mach 1.
7. Personal computers date back to the 1970′s. Several companies improved the personal computer since the then. Because of personal computers, people can complete tasks efficiently. In combination with software, hardware and the internet, the personal computer is the access point to information. Hence, the personal computer is the symbol of the Information Age.
8. Sir Tim Berners-Lee first proposed the World Wide Web in 1990. While the internet was revolutionary as a delivery of communication, the World Wide Web is the visual symbol of the internet. The World Wide Web is the reason for the existence of various websites.