In a society where new concepts and ideas are being created at an exponential rate, it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment someone has created something so incredible that it changes the world. The Internet? Facebook? What about historical ideas and innovations? We all have our favorite answers, but let’s explore a few of these groundbreaking ideas in more depth.
In this post, we’ll cover a few examples of these revolutionary ideas and the individuals who came up with them.
The enlightenment
The idea that every human being has the potential to progress and improve propelled the ideals of the enlightenment—especially by Thomas Jefferson, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Locke.
The US Constitution
The US republic is based on 27 important constitutional principles that were put into action in 1787. They specified what the US government could and couldn’t do, and set out limits on its powers. These laws don’t only apply to today’s government; they still affect it today. For example, we all know that slavery was illegal in America from 1865 (and even after then if you were a slave in a free state). The same thing happened with alcohol prohibition in 1920-1933.
Industrial revolution
The industrial revolution would have been impossible without individuals like James Watt, who developed the first efficient steam engine, as well as individuals like Eli Whitney and his cotton gin. The UK led the world in steel production due to Henry Bessemer’s innovation in 1856 when he developed a method of producing cheaper steel. By understanding the UK steel industry, you can gain an insight into how Britain dominated world markets throughout the end of the 19th Century and most of the 20th Century.
These tools made mass production of products possible, which changed the world completely.
Information age
The internet is a prime example of how technology has changed the lives of many people and changed industries all over the world. While it’s impossible to credit the invention of the internet to a single person, names such as Bob Kahn, Vint Cerf, and Tim Berners Lee were all highly influential in developing the internet as we know it today.
Social media
While we’re on the topic of technology, it’s impossible not to mention social media in this discussion. It’s an integral part of our modern society and culture. Social media has completely changed the way people communicate with one another. Facebook, in particular, is one of the largest social networks in the world. It’s a place where people instantly connect with family and friends all over the globe.
The smartphone
The mobile phone industry has always had its ups and downs, but recent years have been particularly interesting. Smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy have brought us new ways to communicate via text messages and videos, as well as allowing us to take pictures on the go and pay for our things using credit cards from our phones. This is just one example of how smartphones have changed our lives for the better.
The rate of innovation continues to accelerate. Where will the next world-changing innovation come from? Only time will tell.
