Thomas A. Edison stands next to his American Barker electric car, circa 1895.

Animatronic pirate figures with realistic looking heads and robotic bodies lean over to be seen by visitors to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride

Condom made from sheep intestine, c. 1800.

Josephine Garis Cochran as a young woman (left), a patent for Cochran's washing machine invention (right).

Inventions from the telephone to the Model T and the computer have defined human history, and inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell have transformed our society.

Inventions & Science

Learn about great inventors like Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, the Wright brothers, Alexander Graham Bell and Nikola Tesla, and inventions like the cotton gin, the automobile and the internet.

Inventions and Science: Ideas and Inventors | HISTORY

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Inventions &amp; Science

HISTORY

Sarah Pruitt is a writer and editor based in seacoast New Hampshire. She has been a frequent contributor to History.com since 2005, and is the author of Breaking History: Vanished! (Lyons Press, 2017), which chronicles some of history's most famous disappearances.

Sarah Pruitt

<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__msbeckylittle.tumblr.com_&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=bHpC9irXhivtSwyVyKc43lLt4-cAwmmH7TeQLPqTb5E&amp;r=DnM91hJ18gcNL3QDGSFbaxqDKqUNYha-dXU1EFEqguU&amp;m=G-7sCRahZ4NeqUBMRIzpVYF_SWJZdHf6oZ3GZnosXWc&amp;s=zmyoc9Pijw9wmJOCBZEXDORhhj0TxUZKXRRMCwVGaTI&amp;e=">Becky Little</a> is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. Follow her on <a title="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbsky.app%2Fprofile%2Fmsbeckylittle.bsky.social&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAmanda.Onion%40aegm.com%7C2663a56e98de478ecc4108dd65759161%7Cf7288ab1d50847bab3347331cff3374c%7C1%7C0%7C638778277802339990%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=6PAUrlZQy2qoyw95FxhBFEbAAeD6eFd4YU65oI9SW98%3D&amp;reserved=0" href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbsky.app%2Fprofile%2Fmsbeckylittle.bsky.social&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAmanda.Onion%40aegm.com%7C2663a56e98de478ecc4108dd65759161%7Cf7288ab1d50847bab3347331cff3374c%7C1%7C0%7C638778277802339990%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=6PAUrlZQy2qoyw95FxhBFEbAAeD6eFd4YU65oI9SW98%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-outlook-id="cfb94f9b-f0df-4c8f-91fa-a17329b660ca">Bluesky</a>.

Becky Little

Dave Roos is a journalist and podcaster based in the U.S. and Mexico. He's the co-host of <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biblical-time-machine/id1648738323__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WOj0eb3mc$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biblical-time-machine/id1648738323__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WOj0eb3mc$">Biblical Time Machine</a>, a history podcast, and a writer for the popular podcast <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WORJo2DiQ$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WORJo2DiQ$">Stuff You Should Know</a>. Learn more at <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.daveroos.com/__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WO_YrhCB4$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.daveroos.com/__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WO_YrhCB4$">daveroos.com</a>.

Dave Roos

Jessica Pearce Rotondi is the author of <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://bit.ly/InheritLegacies__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!BX8sz9I7ILilE7m4RTaQnqvKzETh3kNCTVpl2nf1yLL_dIIV2G5r7s-YyJ3x4GFxdzSEzT1Q9tIn_IVLu7mHWLOhfRRBy0w$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://bit.ly/InheritLegacies__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!BX8sz9I7ILilE7m4RTaQnqvKzETh3kNCTVpl2nf1yLL_dIIV2G5r7s-YyJ3x4GFxdzSEzT1Q9tIn_IVLu7mHWLOhfRRBy0w$">What We Inherit: A Secret War and a Family’s Search for Answers</a>. Find her at <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://bit.ly/JPRTwitter__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!BX8sz9I7ILilE7m4RTaQnqvKzETh3kNCTVpl2nf1yLL_dIIV2G5r7s-YyJ3x4GFxdzSEzT1Q9tIn_IVLu7mHWLOhdpRBiTQ$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://bit.ly/JPRTwitter__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!BX8sz9I7ILilE7m4RTaQnqvKzETh3kNCTVpl2nf1yLL_dIIV2G5r7s-YyJ3x4GFxdzSEzT1Q9tIn_IVLu7mHWLOhdpRBiTQ$">@JessicaRotondi</a> or at <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://bit.ly/WhatWeInherit__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!BX8sz9I7ILilE7m4RTaQnqvKzETh3kNCTVpl2nf1yLL_dIIV2G5r7s-YyJ3x4GFxdzSEzT1Q9tIn_IVLu7mHWLOhsaTHWD4$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://bit.ly/WhatWeInherit__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!BX8sz9I7ILilE7m4RTaQnqvKzETh3kNCTVpl2nf1yLL_dIIV2G5r7s-YyJ3x4GFxdzSEzT1Q9tIn_IVLu7mHWLOhsaTHWD4$">JessicaPearceRotondi.com</a>.

Jessica Pearce Rotondi

Lesley Kennedy is a features writer and editor living in Denver. Her work has appeared in national and regional newspapers, magazines and websites.

Lesley Kennedy

Lakshmi Gandhi

Greg Daugherty, a&nbsp;longtime magazine editor and frequent contributor to HISTORY.com, has also written on historical topics for Smithsonian, National Geographic Traveler, and other outlets.

Greg Daugherty

Elizabeth Yuko, Ph.D., is a bioethicist and journalist, as well as an adjunct professor of ethics at Fordham University. She has written for numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlantic.

Elizabeth Yuko

Listicle

From raising families to leading armies, women such as Catherine the Great, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Amanirenas, Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and countless others have played a vital role in history.

Women’s History

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

U.S. Government and Politics

In the early 20th century, America was flexing its economic and political muscle on the international stage. The era was defined by the temperance movement, Progressive-era activism, the sinking of the Titanic and World War I.

Early 20th Century U.S.

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.

Inventions & Science ‑ Stories

Who Invented the Dishwasher?

Who Really Invented Monopoly?

Who Invented the Teleprompter?

How Condoms Evolved Since Ancient Times

How Louis Braille Invented a Reading and Writing System for the Blind

8 Tech Innovations That Have Fueled Disney’s Rise

Electric Vehicles Have Been Around Since the 19th Century: Timeline

The Wright Brothers’ Sister Played a Key Role in Their Success

8 Ciphers That Shaped History

Rosalind Franklin’s Overlooked Role in the Discovery of DNA’s Structure

6 Things You Might Not Know About Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity

How Hollywood Star Hedy Lamarr Invented the Tech Behind Wi‑Fi