The Age of Invention
The machines, signals and ideas that rebuilt everyday life.
1846
1846 · Medicine & Health
Ether Day: The Demonstration That Changed Surgery
October 16, 18461861
1861 · Technology
A Telegraph Line Connects the American Coasts
October 24, 18611879
1879 · Technology
Edison Publicly Demonstrates Electric Lighting at Menlo Park
December 31, 18791883
1883 · History
North American Railroads Adopt Standard Time Zones
November 18, 18831889
1889 · History
A Coin-Operated Phonograph Debuts in San Francisco
November 23, 18891895
1895 · History
George Selden Receives a Patent for a Road Engine
November 5, 18951895
1895 · History
Röntgen Observes X-Rays
November 8, 18951895
1895 · History
The Lumière Cinématographe Is Shown to a Paying Paris Audience
December 28, 18951901
1901 · History
Marconi Reports Receiving a Transatlantic Radio Signal
December 12, 19011903
1903 · History
The Wright Brothers Make Their First Powered Flights
December 17, 19031913
1913 · History
The First New York World Crossword Appears
December 21, 19131922
1922 · History
The BBC Begins Daily Radio Broadcasting
November 14, 1922
1924 · Science
The First Flight Around the World Returns to Seattle
September 28, 19241931
1931 · History
Thomas Edison Dies at Glenmont
October 18, 19311932
1932 · History
Radio City Music Hall Opens
December 27, 19321947
1947 · History
Meet the Press Begins Its Television Run
November 6, 19471947
1947 · History
Bell Laboratories Demonstrates the Transistor
December 23, 19471963
1963 · History
Doctor Who Begins on BBC Television
November 23, 1963
1968 · History
Apollo 7 Broadcasts Live Television From Earth Orbit
October 14, 19681968
1968 · History
Douglas Engelbart Demonstrates Interactive Computing
December 9, 19681968
1968 · History
The Tu-144 Makes Its First Flight
December 31, 19681969
1969 · History
LO: The First ARPANET Host-to-Host Message
October 29, 19691969
1969 · History
Sesame Street Makes Its Television Debut
November 10, 19691971
1971 · History
Intel Advertises the 4004 Microprocessor
November 15, 19711972
1972 · History
Atari Releases Pong
November 29, 19721982
1982 · History
The Jarvik-7 Artificial Heart Is Implanted
December 2, 19821983
1983 · History
Microsoft Announces Windows
November 10, 19831985
1985 · History
Windows 1.0 Reaches Customers
November 20, 19851990
1990 · History
A Proposal Sets Out the World Wide Web Project
November 12, 19901992
1992 · History
The First SMS Text Message Is Sent
December 3, 19922001
2001 · History
Apple Introduces the First iPod
October 23, 20011794
1794 · Technology
Eli Whitney receives a cotton gin patent
March 14, 17941807
1807 · Technology
The Niépce brothers receive a patent for the Pyréolophore
July 20, 18071829
1829 · Technology
Cyrill Demian receives a patent for an accordion
May 23, 18291840
1840 · Technology
Samuel Morse receives an electric telegraph patent
June 20, 18401868
1868 · Technology
Sholes and collaborators receive a typewriter patent
June 23, 18681873
1873 · Technology
Davis and Strauss patent riveted work clothing
May 20, 18731878
1878 · Technology
Thomas Edison receives a phonograph patent
February 19, 18781885
1885 · Technology
Japan grants its first patent under the new system
August 14, 18851886
1886 · Technology
Karl Benz files his motor-car patent
January 29, 18861891
1891 · History
Edison’s laboratory demonstrates a prototype Kinetoscope
May 20, 18911942
1942 · History
Lamarr and Antheil receive a frequency-hopping patent
August 11, 19421948
1948 · History
Candid Camera moves to television
August 10, 19481950
1950 · History
Radio Free Europe begins broadcasting
July 4, 19501951
1951 · History
Shockley announces the junction transistor
July 4, 19511955
1955 · History
Lux Radio Theatre broadcasts its final episode
June 7, 19551960
1960 · History
Schawlow and Townes receive an optical maser patent
March 22, 19601964
1964 · History
The Addams Family reaches American television
September 18, 19641984
1984 · History