INVENTIONS

Invention/ discovery An invention is… something that has never been made before. (Cambridge English Dictionary) a machine, tool, or system that someone has made, designed or thought of for the first time. (Macmillan Dictionary) A discovery is… the act of finding or learning something for the first time.

Famous inventors Alexander Graham Bell Thomas Alva Edison Henry Ford Orville and Wilbur Wright Eli Whitney Telephone Light bulb and phonograph (the first machine to record and play back sounds), and many others Assembly line and the Model T (the first popular car to be sold to many people) Airplane Cotton gin

Guess the invention! Dr. James Naismith, a physical education professor and educator from Massachusetts, was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day, in early December 1891. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long winter. He came up with some basic rules and he invented a new game. The new game incorporated rules from a children's game called ‘’Duck on a Rock’’. The rules of the game have changed considerably throughout its long history. It was originally played with a soccer ball. Passing the ball was the primary means of ball movement. Dribbling only became a major part of the game around the 1950s as manufacturing improved the ball shape. The peach baskets were used until 1906 when they were finally replaced by metal hoops with backboards. The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany on January 20, 1892, with nine players. When winter weather got too icy to play football, teams were taken indoors, and it was convenient to have them split in half and play the game with five on each side. By 1897–1898 teams of five became standard. BASKETBALL

Guess the invention! The original design still in use today was patented on January 28, 1958. The ….. Group started in the carpentry workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen. Ole began making wooden toys in 1932. Ole found a company which derived its name from the Danish phrase, which means “play well.“ At first, the toys were not very popular, because customers still preferred wooden toys. The company began making its famous plastic interlocking blocks in 1949. However, over time they became very popular because kids used these blocks in an endless number of combinations to create different toys. The popularity of the toy has grown so much over the years that these toys can be found in all parts of popular culture and even in schools as educational toys. In 1998, they were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. LEGO

Guess the invention! A German physicist Wilhelm Conrad stumbled on it on November 8, 1895, by accident. He named it in such a way because they were unknown to him. Some languages use the term named after its inventor. The inventor received the first Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery. The inventor was investigating cathode rays from a Crookes tube which he had wrapped in black cardboard so that the visible light from the tube would not interfere, using a fluorescent screen painted with barium platinocyanide. The inventor noticed a faint green glow from the screen, about 1 meter away. The inventor realized some invisible rays coming from the tube were passing through the cardboard to make the screen glow. He found they could also pass through books and papers on his desk. He threw himself into investigating these unknown rays systematically. He discovered their medical use when he made a picture of his wife's hand on a photographic plate formed due to this invention. X-RAY

Guess the invention! Its original name was different. Baby boomers adopted the name we use today. A Bavarian-born merchant, came to San Francisco in 1853 at the age of 24, and opened his own shop. One of his customers was Jacob Davis. One day the wife of a local laborer asked Jacob to make it for her husband that wouldn’t fall apart. In 1873, these two visionary immigrants made it. They came up with the idea to put metal rivets at points of strain, like pocket corners and the base of the button fly. This riveted apparel was an instant hit. Jacob quickly decided to take out a patent on the process. He needed a business partner to help get the project rolling. They made it out of denim — the traditional fabric for men’s workwear. They were called “waist overalls” or “overalls” until 1960. BLUE JEANS

Discussion How useful are these inventions? Think of an invention you consider very important for mankind! Which invention has really changed the way people live? First, think of the invention, then describe it using the following: the name of the invention, the name of the inventor, the date or year when it was invented, some facts about how it was invented, a description what it does. How does this invention help people? How do you think this invention changed the way people live? Are all inventions created for the wellbeing of mankind? Explain!

What are these used for?

And these?

Inventions for the future Think of an invention from the area of communication/ transportation/ medicine/ sport/ games or household appliances which could be rather useful! Describe the invention and explain what it will be used for!