The remarkable device was forgotten and never used properly until 1577, when the steam engine was ‘re-invented’ by the philosopher, astronomer and engineer, Taqu al-Din.Ģ. The replica of Heron’s machine could rotate at 1,500 rounds per minute with a very low pressure of 1.8 pounds per square inch. The steam was created by boiling water under the sphere – the boiler was connected to the rotating sphere through a pair of pipes that at the same time served as pivots for the sphere. The rotation force sped up the sphere up to the point where the resistance from traction and air brought it to a stable rotation speed. Nozzles opposite each other would expel steam and both of the nozzles would generate a combined thrust resulting in torque, causing the sphere to spin around its axis. The aeolipile consisted of a sphere positioned in such a way that it could rotate around its axis. His steam powered device was called the aeolipile, named after Aiolos, God of the winds. Heron Alexandrinus, otherwise known as the Hero of Alexandria, was a 1 st century Greek mathematician and engineer who is known as the first inventor of the steam engine. The ancient invention of the steam engine by the Hero of Alexandria Here we feature ten of the best examples of ancient technology and inventions that demonstrate the ingenuity of our ancient ancestors.ġ. However, many ancient inventions were forgotten, lost to the pages of history, only to be re-invented millennia later. These advances stimulated societies to adopt new ways of living and governance, as well as new ways of understanding their world. They were the result of incredible advances in engineering and innovation as new, powerful civilizations emerged and came to dominate the ancient world. Hence the name, pasteurize.Dating back thousands of years are numerous examples of ancient technology that leave us awe-struck at the knowledge and wisdom held by people of our past. He also came up with the process of pasteurization to prevent bacteria growth in foods. He used the rabies vaccine in the late 1880s to successfully vaccinate a boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog. I totally saved it lol All my friends kept asking who she was!įrench chemist Louis Pasteur created the first vaccinations in the 1800s for rabies and anthrax. This website has some great information on her.īy the way, a few months ago when it was International Women’s Day, I was WAY too excited snapchat (add me with username alexisroch) had a filter for Marie Curie. She ultimately died of radium exposure, but what an impact she made on the world. She and her husband, Pierre, worked together to discover unknown elements polonium and radium. One of my favorite women chemists is Marie Curie, one of the chemists responsible for discovering radioactivity. A few years later, his wife discovered how well it worked for a cleanser from things like poison ivy! He originally created it to remove radioactive dust from skin.
If you have a bad case of poison ivy, this gives the best relief. Tecnu is used to treat poison ivy and bug bites. This product has saved our lives more times than I can count. Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer, a German chemist, first synthesized indigo in the 1860s which is used to dye blue jeans. In 1821, more scientists identified caffeine including French chemist Pierre Jean Robiquet. While he didn’t invent it, German chemist Ferdinand Runge was the first to isolate caffeine in 1819. This didn’t necessarily change the world, but it sure did change the world of coffee : ) In 1941, the first Chemex was made by a German chemist/inventor named Peter Schlumbohm. It was invented, well discovered, by French chemist Louis Jacques Thénard in 1818. If you own our book, this is a fact you know too. Then I learned a chemist invented cocoa powder!ĭutch chemist Coenraad Johannes van Houten created dutched process cocoa powder by removing the cocoa butter and adding alkaline salts. When I had to choose a topic for my senior research project in college, I chose chocolate because the chemistry was fascinating and highly intricate. I am starting with this one because it is by far one of the coolest chemistry inventions. These are my favorite things invented by chemists: What I find really fascinating is many of these inventions were by pure accident or even intended for something else. Obviously, I am partial to chemists because I am one too, but they have truly shaped the world with their inventions, ideas, and products. These help support this website.Įach day, you probably use multiple things invented by a chemist you might not even realize.