Here are the ten best electricity-based inventions:
Generator
Light
Motor
Radio
Gramophone
Microphone
Fridge
Telephone
Television
Computer
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Ruminations on the semiconductor industry from David Manners
That list looks a bit arbitrary to me.
Weren't microphone and telephone developed at the same time?
Fridges do not work on a principle that involved electricity directly.
The first gramophones were perpetuated manually, no electricity involved.
Light? well...
No electronic devices in there?
Well, thanks Anonymous. To your points:
1. Edison did one and Bell the other. Doesn't make one less signficant than the other. 2.There's all sorts of refrigeration techniques but the one most used is electricity-based.
3 OK but they achieved their full potential when they became electric-powered.
4. Tricky turning a light-bulb on without a current
Re the fridge: one of my early memories from a childhood in the 1950's is of a large second hand fridge my father acquired that was gas powered. As a child I could not understand how such a heat source resulted in production of ice lollies.
Yes indeed, Andrew, Back in the 1970s I lived on Exmoor and the electricity came from a generator. As that's a fluky sort of thing we had a gas fridge. It seemed to keep the beers cool OK.
Picking the worst electricity-based invention is easier and -hopefully- less controversial : the electric chair.
Gosh Yes. That's a bit dark but you're right
If you are going to list the microphone, shouldn't you also include its couterpart the loudspeaker? After all, the radio, gramophone and telephone all rely on it (and the television would be less interesting too).
Yes, I should have done. It's tricky to leave something like that out of a 'ten best' list but you have to, sometimes
And let's not forget the lightening conductor running up the side of the buildings that housed those inventors... ;-)
Humphrey Davy made the first electric light in 1800, which was then developed further by Swan and others, until Edison finally Patented it 1879. The invention of the telephone is even more convoluted. As usual, an original idea is stolen and developed further by those with money, power and influence, and history is written by the winner.
Nice one Ivor
David, The question, I think, could be: How much importance do you attach to commercial exploitation? After all, (according to my researches on Wikipedia) 'patent' comes from a word meaning to reveal therefore those who patent an invention do a public service by revealing not only what they've done but how they've done it. So the common stock of knowledge is always increased by a patentor but not, necessarily, by a laboratory researcher.
Yes, I should have done. It's tricky to leave something like that out of a 'ten best' list but you have to, sometimes