Inventions Category
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…
Television
Two Scotsmen played significant roles in the invention of the television, albeit in opposite directions. The route…
Radar
Radar stands for ‘Radio Detection and Ranging’ and there were two Scottish physicists who had key roles…
Big Ben
‘Big Ben’ is the nickname given to the hour bell in the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses…
Wave energy
The British Isles are surrounded by the natural resource of the sea, making the possibility of producing…
The flushing toilet
Sir John Harington invented the flushing toilet for his own manor house in Somerset and his godmother,…
The mackintosh (mac)
A ‘mac’ is a generic name for a waterproof coat, shortened from ‘mackintosh’. In the early 19th…
Concorde
The concept of a supersonic aeroplane was first discussed in Britain in the late 1950s. By 2003,…