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Pascal's Calculator
Pascal considered adding whole numbers to be such a chore that he created a calculator to do it for him. It can add up to 6 digit numbers and rids him of the chore of addition. This is significant as it had a butterfly effect throughout history. By making this calculator, he inspired Leibniz to push the envelope on what a machine could calculate. To me personally, I value this invention not just because it caused a chain reaction, but because of how calculators shape our world today. -
Volta's Battery
Before Volta's battery, the world was rubbing amber to produce electricity. After Volta's battery was invented, we were creating an electrical charge 1,000 times that of amber. I reference this event in particular because this was the spark for computer science, electrical engineering, and just about everything around us in the modern world. Volta even got respect from Napoleon himself for his innovations and was honored numerous times Link text -
The Early Telephone
Bell and Thomas A found a way to transmit human speech electronically and soon their invention found the way into everybody's homes, pockets, and more. This invention had a drastic impact on the modern world. Imagine today how many lives would be lost without being able to dial 911. Robert Hooke is still noteworthy for his acoustic string phone as this was the spark for all the advances in the telephone as we know it today. Link text -
Punch Card Machine
Herman Hollerith is attributed for making the most successful tabulating machine. His system worked off of punch cards and had a profound impact on the census. Punch cards were easier to organize and prevented human error common in manually computing and tallying figures. To me, this invention is larger than life. Punch cards not only became an early way to program, but also the system was adopted for railroads accounting operations, retail, cost accounting in the steel industry, and many more. -
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerial Integrator And Computer)
When people think back to what computers used to look like, there is no doubt they think of the ENIAC. This gigantic machine not only helped us in WII, but also was reported as being 2,4000 times faster than a person at a desk with a calculator. On top of this, this machine had a lot of features similar to a modern computer with electronic inner components and how it was possible, yet tedious, to program. The ENIAC gave us a deeper understanding of computers and shaped modern computers.
