Page 290 - Inventions - A Visual Encyclopedia (DK - Smithsonian)

Ingenious inventors

The background to how inventors came up with their ingenious ideas

is often fascinating and unexpected. Here are the stories of some very
well-known inventors, alongside others whose names are less

familiar—though you may well know their inventions!

REFERENCE ANDERSON, MARY BERNERS-LEE, TIM the Dyna-Tac, a small handheld

device on which Cooper and his
(1866–1953)
(1955–)
team had worked. Cooper’s other
In 1903, a snowy journey on a
Berners-Lee is recognized as the
streetcar (tram) inspired American
controlled traffic light system and
The British software engineer and
inventor Anderson to sketch out inventor of the World Wide Web. inventions include the first radio-
an idea for a windshield wiper. At computer scientist first came up with handheld police radios.
the time, drivers had to lean out the idea of people around the world
of the window and clear their sharing information in 1980, and by
windshields by hand. Her device, 1989 he had developed the global DA VINCI, LEONARDO
made from wood with rubber information system, or Web. As (1452–1519)
blades, was controlled by a handle director of the Web standards agency, The Italian painter and sculptor is
inside the vehicle. Anderson never the World Wide Web Foundation, best known for his paintings “Mona
found a backer for her invention, Berners-Lee says: “It has taken all of Lisa” and “The Last Supper.” But he
but in later decades others copied us to build the Web we have, and also had a passionate interest in
the idea and wipers became a now it is up to all of us to build science, architecture, mathematics,
standard feature on most vehicles. the Web we want—for everyone.” engineering, and human anatomy,
filling notebooks with sketches of
inventions way ahead of the times.
BABBAGE, CHARLES BRUNEL, ISAMBARD He wrote most of his accompanying
(1791–1871) KINGDOM (1806–1859) notes backward, in mirror writing.
This English mathematician and Brunel is credited as one of the most A flying machine, armored vehicle,
mechanical engineer is often called significant Britons of all time for his helicopter, parachute, and SCUBA
the “father of the computer.” Babbage contribution to civil and mechanical gear are among his many designs.
worked on various prototypes of his engineering. The network of tracks
mathematical machines, including and bridges he built for the Great
the Difference Engine of 1821, used Western Railway and pioneering work FLEMING, SANDFORD
for compiling mathematical tables, on steamships such as the SS Great (1827–1915)
and later, the Analytical Engine, Britain, launched in 1843 (see p.106), In 1876, the Scottish Canadian railway
which even had a form of memory. are testament to his genius. engineer was traveling through
His machines were not completed Ireland when he missed his train.
in his lifetime, but The timetable, or Fleming’s own
his contribution COOPER, MARTIN timing, may have been wrong but
to computer (1928–) it made him consider the need for
science is never The first public demonstration of a standardized time. So, he came up
forgotten. portable cellular phone, or mobile, with the concept of worldwide
was made by the American engineer standard time. In 1879, Fleming
Martin Cooper in April 1973. At that proposed dividing the world into
time, Cooper was employed by 24 time zones and, in 1884, clocks
Motorola and the call was made on were reset in line with his ideas.

288
288

US_288-291_Whos_who.indd 288 09/03/2018 12:27