The computer. English mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage (1791-1871) is widely recognised as the inspiration behind present-day computers. Based on his Analytical Engine, computers were first patented in 1946.
The internet. The internet began life in 1973 as ARPANET – the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network developed by the US Department of Defense.
The microwave oven. Patented in 1947, the microwave oven came about when American physicist Percy Spencer (1894-1970) realised microwaves were melting a chocolate bar in his pocket.
Penicillin. Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 when he saw that bacteria in a Petri dish had become infected with a mould that killed the microbes.
X-rays. In 1895, German physics professor Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923) detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength we now know as X-rays.
The printing press. German inventor Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press sometime in the mid-1400s.
Velcro. Velcro revolutionised clothing and was invented in the 1940s when Swiss engineer George de Mestral developed a fabric with tiny loops and hooks that stick when pressed together.
The oral contraceptive. The first birth control pill available commercially was made by American chemist Frank Colton in 1960.
The airplane. American brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright are largely credited with making the first successful plane, in 1903.
The bagless vacuum cleaner. James Dyson set up his own company to launch his invention of the bagless vacuum cleaner, based on the principle of cyclonic separation. The machine was patented in 1986.