Yeah, yeah. I know some of you will think I should save this for the weekend — when the truly dedicated DU fans log in from home. But, these are achievements that have affected all our lives whether or not we reflect about them. Here’s the list in order of importance. Click the link for a little more detail:
No. 1 – The Periodic Table of Elements in 1864.
No. 2 – Fe Smelting Around 3500 B.C..
No. 3 – Transistor In 1948.
No. 4 – Invention of Glass Approximately 2200 B.C..
No. 5 – Optical Microscopy In 1668.
No. 6 – Modern Concrete In 1755.
No. 7 – Crucible Steel Making Around 300 B.C..
No. 8 – Cu Extraction and Casting Approximately 5000 B.C..
No. 9 – X-ray Diffraction In 1912.
No. 10 – Bessemer Process In 1856.
Feel free to add your own suggestions.
And I thought boner pills would be in that list 😉
The Atomic Bomb in 1945
The Laser.
Language – spoken and written.
Fermentation of sugars into alcohol. Mmmm.
Snore.
It’s hard to believe that “plastics” were left off the list. According to the quote in the “Graduate” that’s where the future is.
To a point I agree with #2, in that looking to the future, fissionable materials may play a greater role as nuclear power gets a second look as a way to reduce “greenhouse emissions” (though the global warming ‘crisis’ still has a lot of questionable science behind it, it would be great to still work on cutting down these emissions when practcal).
The next big material science breakthrough that I am hoping to see soon, will be finding materials which can store energy (preferably electrical over chemical) in a high density form factor. This could allow the next generation of miniaturization of devices, as well as the practical development of electric cars.
#3 – Laser, yeah but
Sharks with frickin Laser Beams on their heads, is better
The Romans invented concrete
1839 Vulcanization (Charles Goodyear)
1958 – Integrated circuit Kilby, Noyce)
1971 – Microprocessor invented Intel 4004, (Hoff)
These should fall in there somewhere….
“No. 4 Invention of Glass Approximately 2200 B.C., northwestern Iranians invent glass. This becomes the second greatest nonmetallic engineering material (following ceramics).”
Wouldn’t this mean that ceramics should be on the list? Oh, I just realized the voting was done in FL. Nevermind.
The invention of paper c 104 BC:
http://www.wipapercouncil.org/invention.htm
Methods of information processing and storage seem to never get the attention they deserve on lists like this. Inventions don’t do much good if they aren’t recorded and so are lost.
And I still get a database error when I try to log on to cage match!
4 has it.
As for recent material breakthroughs, Cree has managed to grow 4-inch Silicon Carbide ingots, f*cking unbelievable tech considering that it sublimates, so they have to grow the crystal in a gas medium. We’ll have a MOSFET made of the stuff by next year, and high-voltage electronics will never be the same again.
It’s It, circa 1965.
In no order,
The cathode ray tube (allowed real time read outs and observations)
The storage battery (permitted discoveries of electricity)
Nuclear fission (power of the atom)
Nylon (first synthetic material)
What about ,what we the masses don’t know about.? Anti-gravity , water powered combustion engines, faster than light travel etc.
play-doe
silly putty
Nerf
Floam
Goo
Jaw-Breakers
Nerds
–“That’s azz-wip-ee!”
Highly purified silicon, sometime in the 1950s, which led to integrated circuits and the Intel 8008.
Oh yes, Silly Putty, developed in WWII.
14,
Baekelite was the first plastic, and the leyden jar preceded batteries and formed the backbone of first-gen electrical research.
(/nitpick)
The printing press.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press
Heh – I didn’t even realize Bakelite was a plastic. Thought it was more likely a ceramic since it doesn’t melt easily. But Wikipedia tells me the American Chem. Soc. made it a National Historical Chemical Landmark.
I didn’t know they had those, either. Where do they put the marker?
Sheesh…
Many of you have suggested chemical inventions, devices, and other stuff. Look at the list again, it’s about Material Sciences…
One of a the devices you missed was the Wonder-bra.
Magnets – past to present
also – optical technology
The wheel… 2000 BC.
#8 the Roman formula for concrete, as I understand it, was actually lost. Even though there are examples of it everywhere nobody has been able to reverse engineer the formula. At least te last time I looked.
And I also think the friggin’ wheel should b on the list as well as use of fire.
Let’s add this one too: blogging software!!!
Actually from what I know the first plastic was NOT Bakelite. It was the first plastic made from synthetic plymer. I think this wikipedia entry is correct:
nitpick2 oneupsmanship club member
Microfiber.
29,
Ver use a REAL cotton rag, or towel??
28,
I consider synthetic plastics when I think of the genre, natural plastics are just another kind of harvested material to me.