Inventor facts for kids
An inventor is a super creative person who comes up with brand new inventions! These inventions are usually devices that do something useful. They can be electrical or mechanical machines. Sometimes, an inventor also creates new ideas or ways of doing things. If an inventor creates something truly new, they can get a special document called a patent. This patent protects their invention.
Many inventors don't just create something from scratch. They often make clever improvements to older inventions. Think about clocks, for example! The very first clocks were sundials that used the sun's shadow. Later, people invented clocks that used water, then pendulums. Today, most clocks are electronic. Many machines, like vehicles, are actually made up of lots of different inventions working together!
Famous Inventors
Here are some of the most famous inventors who changed the world:
- Nikola Tesla invented the alternating current motor, which helps power our homes, and the amazing Tesla coil.
- Michael Faraday was a scientist who discovered electromagnetic induction. He also invented the electric motor and helped us understand electromagnetism.
- Thomas Edison was a very busy inventor! He created the phonograph (for playing music) and held over 1,000 patents.
- John Kemp Starley made many important improvements to bicycles, making them much better to ride.
- Karl Drais invented the "Laufmaschine" (running machine), which was the very first bicycle!
- Guglielmo Marconi (1874 – 1937) was a pioneer in radio communication, helping us send messages through the air.
- Alessandro Volta invented the first battery, which gives power to many devices.
- Gottlieb Daimler invented the first successful four-wheel car.
- Karl Benz also invented a very successful car, which was one of the first to use gasoline.
- George Stephenson (1803 – 1859) made big improvements to the locomotive, making trains faster and more powerful.
- James Watt invented a much better steam engine, which powered factories and trains.
- Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot invented the very first car, which was powered by a steam engine.
- Nicolaus Otto invented the first working internal-combustion engine, which is used in most cars today.
- Richard Trevithick invented the locomotive, which was a steam-powered train engine.
- Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine, another important type of engine.
Famous Female Inventors
Many amazing women have also invented things that make our lives easier:
- Marion Donovan created a reusable, waterproof diaper cover. This led to the invention of the disposable paper diaper we use today.
- Ruth Graves Wakefield pioneered the very first chocolate chip cookie recipe – yum!
- Mary Anderson invented what we now call the windshield wiper for cars.
- Margaret A. Wilcox invented the car heater, keeping us warm on cold drives.
- Eldorado Jones designed an airplane muffler in 1919, making planes quieter.
- Sarah Mather patented the first underwater telescope, letting us see under the sea.
- Annie Turnbo Malone developed her own line of hair products for African-American women.
- Margaret E. Knight invented machines that could produce flat-bottom paper bags, making shopping easier.
- Josephine Cochrane invented the first successful hand-powered dishwasher, saving people a lot of time.
- Sarah Boone made important improvements to the ironing board, making clothes smoother.
- Alice H. Parker designed the first gas furnace that used natural gas to heat homes.
- Bette Nesmith Graham invented correction fluid, which helps fix mistakes on paper.
- Ruth R. Benerito invented "wash-and-wear" cotton fabrics. This made clothes more wrinkle-free and durable.
- Virginia Apgar invented the Apgar score, a quick test used to check the health of newborn babies.
Images for kids
-
'BUILD YOUR OWN TELEVISION RECEIVER.' Science and Invention magazine cover, November 1928
-
Alessandro Volta with the first electrical battery. Volta is recognized as an influential inventor.
-
Thomas Edison with phonograph. Edison was one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name.
-
A rare 1884 photo showing the experimental recording of voice patterns by a photographic process at the Alexander Graham Bell Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Many of their experimental designs panned out in failure.
-
Eric M. C. Tigerstedt (1887–1925) was known as a pioneer of sound-on-film technology. Tigerstedt in 1915.
-
Railways — probably the most important invention in land transport. (Railway station in Bratislava, Slovakia)
-
U.S. patent
_i009.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Invento para niños
