Inventions In The Last 100 Years

Wipers: The Unsung Heroes That Keep Your Headlights Shining Bright Remember those dark, rainy drives where visibility dropped to near zero? We’ve all been there. The windshield wipers do their heroic duty on the glass, but what about your headlights? If they’re caked in mud, grime, or snow, you’re essentially driving blind. Enter the often-overlooked, […]

The Sky Car Revolution: How a Wing Gave Railcars a Lift (Literally!) Picture this: It’s December 1963. Forget the mundane commute, because the future of rail travel is already taking flight – or rather, lifting off the ground. Japanese innovators were cooking up something wild, a railcar that didn’t just roll; it practically surfed on […]

The Pocket-Sized Revolution: Tiny TVs with Big Ambitions Imagine this: It’s December 1963. The world is abuzz with the marvels of the space age, but for entertainment, you’re pretty much tethered to your living room. Then, like a bolt from the blue, a new gadget emerges that flips the script. You’ve got to see this […]

Tiny Screws That Remember Heat: A 1960s Engineering Marvel December 1963. Imagine a world on the cusp of significant technological leaps, where every millimeter of innovation mattered. The automotive industry, in particular, was pushing the boundaries of engine performance. Engineers grappled with a fundamental challenge: understanding precisely how hot their complex machinery was getting under […]

The Little Car That Could (And Did!) Imagine a world where parking spaces are mythical creatures and fuel prices make you weep. Back in July 1963, a time before sprawling SUVs and hybrid dreams, engineers in England faced these very challenges. They didn’t invent a spaceship; they created something far more grounded, yet equally astonishing: […]

April 1963…Phones that dial a spoken number, typewriters that print out whatever you say to them, underwater ears that identify a hostile submarine – these are just a few of the uses foreseen for a new signal-recognizing “brain.”In a recent demonstration of its talents, an engineer talked into a microphone connected to a tabletop version […]

Steel You Can See Through: A Glimpse into the Future, Born in 1963 Imagine a world where your food packaging not only protects but also reveals. Picture glancing at a can and knowing exactly what’s inside, no labels required. Sounds like science fiction, right? Well, back in October 1963, U.S. Steel scientists weren’t just dreaming; […]

Defying Gravity: The Radical Idea That Almost Revolutionized Flight What if I told you that the secret to stabilizing a supersonic jet wasn’t in complex electronics or advanced aerodynamics, but in a design that sounds like it came straight out of a science fiction novel? Imagine a plane whose very wings spin to keep it […]

November 1963…To replace the large number of floodlights usually needed to illuminate a wide area, this recent patent would mount a single high-powered light on a revolving, motor-driven yoke. Although the beam would light only a portion of the area at a time, by rotating fast it would give the effect of complete coverage.

Rock and Roll While You Stroll: The Portable Revolution That Let You Take the Music Anywhere Imagine this: It’s May 1963. The airwaves are crackling with the energy of the British Invasion, and sock hops are in full swing. But what if you wanted to take that infectious beat with you, beyond the confines of […]

May 1963…Rails brace moving cargo. Slotted rails and telescoping, spring-loaded poles, according to this recent patent, might speed cargo handling, reduce in-transit damage and lessen the need for placing items in crates.The rails would be fastened to the roof, floor, and sides of the truck or freight car. Snapping pole ends into holes would keep […]

Projector Turns Words Into Pictures: A Blast from the Past, A Glimpse of the Future Picture this: July 1963. The air is buzzing with innovation, and a detective named Peter Smith is about to do something brilliant. He’s invented a projector that doesn’t just show slides – it crafts a visual story from words. Forget […]

Prints Without Setting Type: A Printing Revolution! Imagine a world where printing isn’t a slow, laborious process involving messy ink and painstakingly arranged letters. A world where you can churn out vibrant, professional-looking show cards at lightning speed, with zero technical skill required. Sound like science fiction? It wasn’t. This was the promise of a […]

November 1963…A new mortar containing plastic lets builders bond bricks together into panels that can be lifted into place in any weather. Panels were braced in steel frames 4 by 5 to 4 by 14 feet, raised to the roof of an eight-story Denver building, and welded to become penthouse walls.The extra-strength mortar was made […]

Discover the ingenious plug-in heated vest from 1963 that used your car’s dashboard power to keep riders warm on motorcycles, boats, and open cars.

Explore how 1963 naval innovation in helicopter landing platforms offers timeless lessons for building robust, modern tech platforms. Boost your strategy!

Discover how a tiny 1963 ‘pin head’ detector revolutionized space communication, enabling long-distance signals and paving the way for modern tech.

Discover how a Para-Anchor (underwater parachute) can stabilize your boat, prevent drift, and save the day during engine failure or rough seas. Essential gear for every boater.

July 1963…One-man electronic garage parks cars by pushbutton.Theater-goers in New York’s Times Square have something new to talk about: a garage that can park or unpark 27 cars in 10 minutes with only one attendant on duty. It’s all done by pushing a button and it works this way:Drive up in your car onto a […]

July 1963… New boat can either fly or sail. Towed by a powerboat, this craft takes to the air under its flex-wing sail. On its own with the wing tilted to catch the breeze, it sails like a catamaran. A plane type stick controls the wing in flight; rudder pedals steer the boat on the […]

December 1963…How do they take those movies of skiers winding down the slopes? Professional photographer Red Allin does it this way. He attaches his camera to his helmet (for a total weight of 18 pounds) and takes his pictures while skiing with his subjects.He is shown at Mount Snow, Vt., while shooting a ski-safety film […]

May 1963…Light up and listen to your favorite music with this miniature radio-lighter combination, only slightly larger than an ordinary lighter it contains a two-transistor radio with built-in antenna and battery.The radio comes on when you plug in the earphone. The standard mercury cell battery makes the device last for about two-hundred hours. In modern […]

Back in 1963 a laser cutting wood was one of the latest innovations. The University of Michigan had developed a tool to cut through maple and other hardwoods.At the time cutting wood with beams of light was thought to be almost science fiction, in fact, it was described as similar to a disintegrating ray gun […]

October 1963…The latest thing to hit the jukebox-set at taverns and bowling alleys is movies: three minutes of sound film for a quarter. The screen looks like any 21-inch television set; the console under it resembles an ordinary jukebox with individual panels listing forty titles and a slot for your coin. You make your selection […]

December 1963…In water sometimes no deeper than three inches, this 42-foot boat will cruise at 25 m.p.h. with 55 people aboard.Propelled by two Berkeley jet pumps powered by a pair of 409 Crusader engines, it makes daily runs down the Colorado below Moab, Utah, where the water is too shallow in places for prop-drive boats.It’s […]

Picture this: it’s June 1963. The world is on the cusp of massive technological change, and even the hallowed greens of golf aren’t immune. Forget …

A Modern Small Wheeled Bike (Photo Credit owenfinn16)   The small wheel bike was invented by British designer Dr. Alex Moulton back in 1963. At the time it was thought to be one of the biggest bicycle design changes in over seventy years. The bicycle had sixteen-inch wheels and an ultra-rigid frame of oval tubing. Many […]

[A Structural Feat with an Innovative Heart](#a-structural-feat-with-an-innovative-heart)

Discover how a German inventor tackled the tedium of phone dialing with an ingenious robot, sparking a conversation about human-centered innovation.

Imagine a gas pump that comes to you! Explore this innovative concept, its potential, and what it means for the future of convenience.

Discover the ingenious 1963 patent that used foam to lift sunken ships, a concept still relevant for innovation today.

December 1963… Tiny hydrofoil wings attached to these skis enable the skier to bank, dip, climb, and glide at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. The foils start lifting at eight miles per hour, ride two feet above the water. CosmoDynamics Inc., Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts, developed Dynaflite hydrofoils. Under the skis are a […]

There are several speculations as to the inventor of the hearing aid. Hearing aids have been around since time immemorial and perhaps it is easier to find out who the inventor of the modern hearing aid is. Hearing aids have a long history, ever since the prehistoric times. It is believed and rightly so that […]

Not many people understand much about the invention of video games or the history of video games even though many people across the globe love playing them on a regular basis. Those who grew up in the late 1970s and 1980s will have had the opportunity to play many, varied video games and also will […]

The invention of coca-cola can be attributed to a struggling pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia named John S. Pemberton; he concocted the first batch coca-cola syrup back in May 1886 in a three-legged iron pot in his back yard. Two of the ingredients for coca-cola at the time were dried coca leaves of a South American […]

The invention of cable television in the late 1940s has radically changed the way that the world communicated. Not only did it provide a source for entertainment and news, it disseminated an ideal of a middle-class world that to many people, was just a dream; a depiction of normal life portrayed on the screen. Being […]

The steam engine inventor was James Watt who issued a patent for his invention in 1769. James Watt was born in Scotland in the little town of Greenock on the banks of the Clyde in 1736. At the age of sixteen, he had a short 2-year apprenticeship working for a mechanic/mathematical instrument specialist. After his […]

Without the invention of electricity, none of us would have the power to use computers, turn on a light, or keep the food in our refrigerator from spoiling. Electricity is a wonderful part of all of our lives that we use every single day. When someone wonders about where electricity came from, the icon image […]

Invention of the radio occurred early in the twentieth century and if you are wondering which inventor invented the radio it was Guiseppe Marconi. Back in the 1890’s he referred to radio as wireless telegraphy. Because at the time this innovation was so radical in its nature Marconi could only see commercial opportunity for his […]

Paint brushes are cleaned quickly by means of a new electric whirling device. A brush is first dipped in a cleansing solvent, and then attached by its handle to the whirler, as shown in the image. When the motor is switched on, the brush whirls at high speed, paint being automatically removed by means of […]

Imagine how easy this would be to carry around the golf course! I wonder why it didn’t take off? I personally have never seen this in modern day golf. One shaft and seven detachable heads housed in a lightweight canvas kit replace a whole golf bag full of heavy clubs, in a novel plan devised […]

November 1963… Parallel mainsails on the 15-foot British boat above were designed and patented by a retired Welsh naval commander. The two masts are half the usual height and the boom are linked by a crossbar. They apply a chimney effect to create a draft; Commander Guy Bagot can keep his craft moving when others […]

Do you have three boys or three girls and only a small room for them to sleep in? Then perhaps you need this great idea that I stumbled across…A triple decker bunk bed – perfect for say a small room in your holiday home.It’s clever, space saving design prevents your children from banging their heads […]

Only Luck Can Win In New Electric Game InnovationPure chance controls an amusement device known as the “thyratron speed trap,” Recently designed by electrical engineers. The object of the game is to roll a steel ball representing an automobile, down a runway without lighting any one of three lamps. Should a player succeed, he is […]

July 1963… Abrasive gloves rub the skin off of potatoes. Wash potatoes or root vegetables with these German gloves on, and you can peel them in water running at the kitchen sink. When the spud is worked under the tap like a cake of soap, emery particles vulcanized in the rubber rub off dirt and […]

December 1963…What does it feel like in space? Engineers working on Project Apollo at Honeywell’s Aeronautical Division in Minneapolis can find out by thrusting an arm into a pressure-suit glove set in a small Plexiglas vacuum chamber and working a hand control unit. Experiencing the handicap of a pressurized space suit helps them in designing […]

July 1963… This electroluminescent belt generates its own light. Electroluminescent panels replace reflectors on a new Sam Browne traffic-safety belt. They emit flashes from a rechargeable battery at the side.

December 1963… A 227-foot tower not only supplies the historic city of Roskilde, near Copenhagen, with water but contains a restaurant on top and a swimming pool at the bottom. And Ford gets in a bit of advertising, too. The million-gallon water tank, 93 feet in diameter, is held up by eight T-shaped columns, each […]

October 1963…A safety gate mounted on the bumper of this school bus swings out hydraulically to keep children from crossing until the driver sees that all lanes are clear. Then he switches off a red light, swings the gate back, and permits them to pass by.Superior Coach Corporation, Lima, Ohio made the gate.

Photocopying is done by a machine that can make copies of paper documents and other visual images. They typically do this using a standard copying process called xerography which uses electrostatic charges on a light-sensitive photoreceptor. The photoreceptor attracts and then transfers powder toner particles onto the paper exactly representing the image being scanned. The […]

July 1963… Bugs make juice to run a radio. Now you can buy a battery that harnesses the energy of millions of harmless bacteria to produce enough electric current to run a small transistor radio. The biological fuel cells are available as a kit that makes a battery of twelve cells, delivering about forty milliamps […]

Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are also known as automated banking machines or cash machines or cash points or even the hole in the wall! ATMs are electronic telecommunication devices that are interfaced directly with the banks in order to enable banking customers to perform financial transactions such as withdrawals, deposits and balance inquiries. The customer […]

May 1963…A talking notebook… A tiny tape recorder only a little bigger than a pack of cigarettes records up to an hour on one re-useable, indexed, reel of tape.A built-in microphone in the Memocord lets you record interviews or notes without external wires. It uses one nine-volt battery and one 1.5 colt penlight cell.

Air canopy protects the tractor driver. An air curtain shields British tractor and combine-harvester operators from dust, chaff, and insects in the field, making goggles or special clothing unnecessary.A fiberglass dome over the open cab has a built-in fan that blows a sheet of encircling air through a gap at the rim. The canopy also […]