Inventions Category
The pedal bicycle
James Starley (1830-81) from West Sussex was the pioneer of the modern pedal bicycle, along with his…
Boolean algebra
Boolean algebra, or logic, is named after George Boole (1815-64), a gifted mathematician and philosopher. Born in…
The typewriter
The first patent for a typewriter was granted in 1714 to Henry Mill (1683-1771) from southern England.…
Sir Tim Berners-Lee and the WWW
Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee (1955-) is responsible for helping to usher in the digital age with his…
The ‘best car in the world’
The first car designed and made by Sir Henry Royce (1863-1933) was a 2-cylinder 10HP model in…
The equals sign, =
Robert Recorde (1510-58) was born in Tenby and, astonishingly, died in debtors’ prison, but he had had…
Caxton’s printing press
Kent-born William Caxton (c.1422-91) was the first to bring the printing press to Britain and to publish…
The portable defibrillator
Born in Hillsborough, near Lisburn, Professor J. Frank Pantridge, CBE, MC (1916-2004) is regarded as a pioneer…
Sir Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was born on a farm in Lincolnshire but he was never suited to…
The bowler hat
An iconic part of the city gent’s uniform, the black bowler hat was named after nephew and…
The Catseye
The Catseye, trademark of Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd, was invented by Percy Shaw, OBE (1890-1976) who was born…
The turbojet engine
Sir Frank Whittle (1907-96) invented the turbojet engine. A brilliant mathematician and engineer, he became an RAF…