From Sony Walkman to humble zip: The past century’s top 100 inventions that changed our lives

The Daily Mail ^ | October 8, 2013 | Ellie Zolfagharifard

[EveningStar]

From the Sony Walkman to the humble zip: The past century’s top 100 inventions that changed our lives (yet most of us take for granted)

Does it make you feel old to know that Dyson’s dustbag-free vacuum is 20 this year?

Or that the much-loved Sony Walkman and the world’s first ever laptop, the Epson HX-30, are both over 30 years old?

These are just a few of the gadgets that have made it onto the 100 gadgets of the past century that we can’t live without, with technologies ranging from humble zip to the Playstation 4.

[TexasRepublic]

My aunt said the most important innovation during her childhood was the window screen!

[Revolting cat!]

[Revolting cat!]

[dfwgator]

Is there anything it can't do?

[hole_n_one]

Itemized, thread could hit 500...........

[Jet Jaguar]

As a former resident of S.C., I would agree.

[Secret Agent Man]

yup, was just saying what they used before that. plus many rich people had special compartments and pockets in their clothes. they hid stuff on themselves all the time.

[PA Engineer]

I’ve read up on it, and nobody seems to have a clue who invented the first pocket. We can pinpoint a general time when we went from no pockets to pockets, but the inventor, probably some nameless tailor or seamstress, is lost to history.

Interesting observation and I agree. I have a fondness for pockets. I particularly like the Blackhawk Tactical Pants for all of my every day carry.

I wonder if pockets were developed based on the pace of societal growth. How recent are wallets, multi tools, cell phones, fiat coinage, Kleenex, ball point pens, pocket cameras, concealed carry, micro led flashlights and whatever else a person may carry daily.

It would be nice to have another Connections series to continue to tie inventions into the modern day.

[Squawk 8888]

I spotted one error on the list- they claim the Polaroid camera was invented in 1967. It actually hit the market in 1948.

[Squawk 8888]

[Stand Watch Listen]

Is there anything it can't do?

Excuse me!!!

Of course there IS the bigger hammer theory
;)

[IncPen]

p i n g

[SeaHawkFan]

P-38 is the greatest simple invention.

[Boogieman]

Yeah the pockets probably came about out of simple necessity, and I think that the number of pockets grows depending on how much people need to carry too. One or two pockets was probably fine when they first came out, then when pocket watches became common, you needed another little pocket to hold those. When most every man in America started smoking cigarettes, shirt front pockets to hold a pack became ubiquitous.

[EveningStar]

There are probably other errors too.

[Conservative4Ever]

Did you have the blue leather case with the headphones? High tech and good looking case too.

[Conservative4Ever]

They list the kindle fire, but not the original kindle. I still marvel that I can download a book at 3am to a device in under 30 seconds, while never having to get out of my bunny slippers.

[Conservative4Ever]

A garment was tied around the waist that had pockets. When pockets were incorporated into the construction of the garments either as patch pockets or built into the seam, don’t know.

[Fresh Wind]

Arrrrggggghhhhh!

Get it away! Vile little device, especially the metal version thereof!

Putting one of those in front of a record collector is like flashing a crucifix at Dracula.

[Fresh Wind]

Good Lord, what a terrible list.

The list would have better been titled “Past Century’s Top Products”, since many of the items there are merely logical developments based on true world-changing inventions.

Case in point:

The invention of the transistor in 1948 didn’t make the list, but the first commercially available transistor radio in 1954 did.

And they don’t even mention the invention of the integrated circuit, but they cite numerous products that depended on that invention.