Ancient Greece
18th century
19th century
20th century
100
This rotating device, named after its inventor, was used to transport liquids or solids up a vertical shaft.
What is Archimedes screw?
100
Daniel Fahrenheit invented this device in 1709; many variations give measurements in the unit named after him.
What is the thermometer?
100
This invention, while patented by Thomas Edison, may not have actually been invented by him.
What is the lightbulb?
100
In 1990, Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented this medium that allows people to share information without any physical contact.
What is the World Wide Web?
200
The Romans used this device, originally invented by the Greeks, that measures distance traveled to accurately build their roads.
What is an odometer?
200
This inventor, who was also a founding father, is credited with the discovery of numerous inventions, including bifocals and the glass harmonica.
Who is Benjamin Franklin?
200
This scientist patented the first telephone, but his work built on that of many others before him.
Who is Alexander Graham Bell?
200
The Soviet Union launched this satellite, which was the first artificial satellite ever created, in the midst of the Cold War.
What is Sputnik 1?
300
These simple machines, which come in three "classes", were put to use in ancient Greece, and are mentioned in a famous quote by Archimedes.
What are levers?
300
This term for a process discovered by Martinus van Marum refers to the usage of electricity in order to catalyze a reaction. The most widely known example of this process is the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen.
What is electrolysis?
300
This man, the "father of genetics", performed experiments on pea plants before publishing his conclusions regarding heredity.
Who is Gregor Mendel?
300
In 1978, this system that allows you to identify where you are using satellites became available to the public.
What is GPS?
400
These objects invented by the Ancient Greeks are used on ships in order to prevent navigation instruments from being affected by the movement of the ship; they are also commonly used in cupholders.
What is a gimbal?
400
The first successful vaccine in history was developed by Edward Jenner as a response to this disease, which was officially eradicated in 1980.
What is smallpox?
400
This explosive, commonly used in mining operations, was discovered by a famous Swedish chemist after whom some of the most prestigious awards in science are named.
What is dynamite?
400
Ernst Ruska invented this device, which allows scientists to observe samples at the microscopic scale at high resolutions by shooting a beam of charged particles at the sample.
What is an electron microscope?
500
This Greek mathematician's namesake branch of mathematics is built off of a set of axioms he proposed in his most famous work, the Elements.
Who is Euclid?
500
This famous scientist, after whom the SI unit of power is named, discovered a more efficient steam engine in the late 1700s.
Who is James Watt?
500
This invention, created by Alessandro Volta, built on the observations of Luigi Galvani and was a precursor for the modern battery.
What is the voltaic pile?
500
This device, invented by Charles Thomas Rees Wilson, detects charged particles in a closed container containing a vapor (giving it its name).
What is a cloud chamber?