We live in the world technological revolution, cyber civilization. The discovery, invention, ideas are the elements, without which the modern world would not exist. Here’s a look at some discoveries that have changed the world. It’s impossible to rank their importance, so they’re listed in the order they were discovered.
The Copernican System
![Copernican system [Credit: Photos.com/Thinkstock]](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/KaoiUjUtckPTS2FTQpPMs7uzVexFWdCFnm590gX8ExOyDcZZMDWiDeKqi6rFmo2Zlrz-ykzCedQBZ2wa3LH7wL7-mNLid16FaZas4tzt4QcWsn7-5VkU-6UASG8FecBoHJt4frM9vIM5Qcc8Gw)
Copernican system, model of the solar system centred on the Sun, with Earth and other planets moving around it, was formulated by Nicolaus Copernicus, and published by him in 1543. The Copernican system gave a truer picture than the older Ptolemaic system, which was geocentric, centred on the Earth. It correctly described the Sun as having a central position relative to the Earth and other planets.
Gravity
The discovery of gravity has become an important stimulus for the intellectual development of humanity. The reason is that in the days before the discovery of this phenomenon people had believed that what is visible in the sky - stars, planets, the sun, the moon - is governed by completely different rules than the objects of our environment. Newton showed that the same basic law applies to both the fall and the severity of the bodies, as well as the motion of planets and comets. It was a real breakthrough in science and philosophy – we look at the universe as a whole.
Electricity
The existence of electricity was already known in ancient times, however, only in terms of the ability to attract small wooden objects by rubbed amber.
If electricity makes life easier for us, you can thank Michael Faraday. He discovered electromagnetic induction (Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction) and self-induction, then constructed the first electric generator, the forerunner of the huge generators that produce our electricity, and the electric motor.
Evolution
Charles Darwin, a British naturalist, published a book titled "The Origin of Species" in 1859. The impact on science, and then the whole of Western culture, was huge.
Darwin argued that all life is the result of natural forces completely devoid of purpose, the product of time and chance cases, and the process, which he called "natural selection."
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist, proved the existence of microbes. He worked on the infectivity of fowl cholera, anthrax and swine erysipelas. He confirmed that the only effective prophylactic procedure against infectious diseases would be protective vaccination.
Penicillin
In 1928, Fleming, growing bacteria in his laboratory, accidentally discovered penicillin. But only 10 years later, along with Howard Walter Florey and Ernst Boris Chain he isolated the active substance and a year later antibiotics started to be produced. In 1945 they were awarded the Nobel Prize. Previously, infectious diseases were the cause of death and severe complications of hundreds of millions of people. The introduction of antibiotics revolutionized the treatment.
DNA
James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953 made a breakthrough discovery of the molecular structure of DNA. Our genes are made of DNA which determines, for example, our hair and eyes color. The discovery of DNA structure is also used in other fields, from paleontology to the criminology.
X-Rays
Wilhelm Roentgen, a German physicist, discovered X-rays in 1895. Just two months later, this radiation was used in medicine. X-rays go right through some substances, like flesh or wood, but are stopped by others, such as bones and lead. This allows them to be used to see broken bones or explosives inside suitcases, what makes them useful for doctors and security officers. Roentgen was awarded the first-ever Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.
Comments
It seems funny that nowadays we struggle with invention of new apps for phone and this is our problem but in comparison to such great inventions this apps doesn't matter at all. But personally I know so many people that are willing to say that the biggest invention for them is Facebook.
I hope that there will be more and more brave people willing to make theirs dream come true and we will invent more and more medicines, objects and maybe time machine or so ever.
Btw, have you ever been in Toruń? It is Copernicus city. I really like to be there and I recommend it all of you. It is friendly city. Warsaw has its own Copernicus Science Center and Toruń has his own Copernicus Planetarium.
You show us people from whole world who has contributed to evolution. Many Polish people have affected evolution and revolution of humanity, for example: Maria Skłodowska- Curie, Romer, Łukasiewicz, Staszic, and many more.
Undeniable truth is that on these theories based the whole science.
I wonder that people will discover something breakthrough in the near future. A great place to learn about this kind of thing is the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw. It's large fun for children and adults :)
Everyday life without eg. electricity would look completely different. Moreover medicine wouldn’t be on this level. Nowadays doctors know how to treat the disease, that once people died. Many inventions are so obvious to people now. We can’t work, cook without it. It is simple.
Also, it's pretty amazing how nomenclature changed as science evolved; centuries ago everyone doing any thinking/experimenting was called the universal title of 'philosopher'.
Also, it's pretty amazing how nomenclature changed as science evolved; centuries ago everyone doing any thinking/experimenting was called the universal title of 'philosopher'.
A good list nonetheless :)
So that's nice of them that they don't spread more ingorance in this case and we don't have the problem they do in the States.
The other great discovery was Anatomy. It is the field of anatomy that today helps medical professionals all over the world to understand and treat the human body. Diagnosis or treatment of various conditions would have been nearly impossible if the mankind had no knowledge of the anatomy.
And of course Electricity. Michael Faraday made two big discoveries that changed our lives. In 1821, he discovered that when a wire carrying an electric current is placed next to a single magnetic pole, the wire will rotate. This led to the development of the electric motor. Ten years later, he became the first person to produce an electric current by moving a wire through a magnetic field. Faraday's experiment created the first generator, the forerunner of the huge generators that produce our electricity.