TOP 5 INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED MY WORLD

As a 20 – year – old, I had witnessed things that had helped me with my everyday life.

These things made my life easier, better and faster compared to the past generations. My parents

always complain when I am doing nothing, a clear evidence of their inconvenient lives before

mine. This made me wonder, why was their lives more demanding than mine? The answer in my

mind is – inventions! As time progressed, more inventions were introduced that made my world

the way it is now, and continues to change the landscape of my world. Here are the inventions

that changed my world.

1. Semiconductor devices

Invented in 1947 by Bardeen and Brattain at Bell Laboratories, USA

All the people using phones, computers, televisions and other electronic devices shall

give due credit to semiconductor devices. Devices like the transistor, capacitor and integrated

chip took electronics to a whole new level. Before the semiconductor devices, computers were as

large as a room, as the ancient computers used vacuum tubes which was costly, large and greatly

consumed electricity and produced heat. Because of the semiconductor devices, computers,

cellphones and the like are miniature, affordable and accessible. Electronic devices are easier to

reproduce and have significantly lower cost for mass production. This allowed all of us to

purchase a cellphone and use it anywhere.

This invention did not just change my world, but all of us can attest it changed our world.

Gone are the days of searching extensively at the library for just a simple assignment, difficulty

of accessing information and news. It changed my world because information is free –

information is readily available and can be accessed by anyone. This changed my world for it is
now convenient, for I can make any school task without leaving my home. It changed my world

for it made my days longer, which allowed me doing more things than just doing my

assignments and going to the library. Lastly, it changed my world because it made information a

necessity, not a privilege. Anyone can access the information needed without an explicit cost and

is relatively free. Semiconductor devices will continue to improve and with that, future

innovations that may change my world further.

2. Renewable Energy Sources

Invented in 1888 by Charles Brush in Ohio, USA (Wind Power)

The first renewable energy source was wind, which produced 12 kilowatts of power in

Ohio in 1888. After 200 years, it accounts for 24% of total power produced globally, which is

increasingly utilized by developed countries like USA, France, Germany and others. Other

sources of energy also emerged, like hydropower, geothermal, nuclear and the like. Renewable

energy sources are the closest to an unlimited energy source, a source which can be tapped by all

countries and can provide energy for generations

Hitachi High-Tech Corporation (n.d) History Of Semiconductors. Retrieved from

https://www.hitachi-hightech.com/global/products/device/semiconductor/history.html

Third Planet Windpower (n.d) History of Windpower. Retrieved from

http://www.thirdplanetwind.com/energy/history.aspx