THE 50 MOST FAMOUS INVENTORS IN HISTORY - TECHNOLOGY - 2025

If we think of famous inventors, the normal thing is that people like Newton, Edison or Franklin come to mind. However, it should be noted that at this time you would not be reading this page had it not been for the inventions of geniuses such as Charles Babbage, Alan Turing or Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, whose work represented the basis of modern computer systems and the internet..

Inventors are individuals who have developed a process or product for the first time. Inventors have long made our world richer and better through their scientific observations, studies, and research.

What would the world be without Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most prolific inventors in history? Today we cannot imagine a world without lighting by electrical energy. Humanity today is so dependent on technology to communicate, largely thanks to the invention of devices like the telephone.

Some drugs may have been discovered by accident, but there is no denying the fact that they revolutionized the world of medicine. Read on to learn more about the inventors who changed the course of history.

You may also be interested in this list of the most important scientists.

Top 50 most important inventors in history

Archimedes (287 - 212 BC)

Archimedes an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor. Among other things, he determined the value of Pi and developed the Archimedean screw that served to lift water in mines or wells.

Cai Lun (50 - 121)

Chinese inventor of paper, he was a political administrator who developed the paper-making process. It consisted of the use of compacted vegetable fibers suspended in water, which were subsequently dried.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)

Italian artist, scientist and mathematician. He invented a large number of machines and drew plans for devices that could be completed centuries later. Among them were parachutes, tanks, flying machines and drawbridges.

Galileo (1564 - 1642)

Italian scientist, Galileo developed a powerful telescope that served to confirm revolutionary theories about the origin and nature of our world. He also developed an improved compass.

Isaac Newton (1642 - 1726)

Of English origin, Newton invented the reflective telescope, which greatly increased the capacity of the telescopes of the era and reduced optical distortion.

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

French mathematician, Blaise Pascal's scientific contributions include the development of the theory of statistical probability as well as Pascal's Law or the principle of pressure transmission in fluids. Created a mechanical calculator

Thomas Savery (1650 - 1715)

English inventor, he patented one of the first steam engines that was used to pump water from mines. It served as the basis for the further development of the modern steam engine.

Thomas Newcomen (1664-1729)

Based on Savery's initial design, Thomas Newcomen created the first practical version of the steam engine to pump water. It used atmospheric pressure, which was safer and more effective in extracting the water from the mines.

Jethro Tull (1674 - 1741)

English agricultural entrepreneur, Tull invented the seeder and the horse-powered plow. His creations markedly increased agricultural efficiency and crop production. It served as a bridge for the industrial revolution.

Abraham Darby (1678-1717)

English colonizer, inventor and businessman, Darby developed a process to make large amounts of iron from the mineral coca. Its creation was a fundamental raw material in the industrial revolution.

John Harrison (1693-1776)

English carpenter and watchmaker, invented a device to measure longitude at sea. Its creation made it possible to improve the safety of sailors.

Benjamin Franklin (1705 - 1790)

Benjamin Franklin was an American scientist who discovered electricity and invented the Franklin stove, the lightning rod, and bifocals. He was also a state figure and one of the founding fathers of the United States.

James Watt (1736 - 1819)

Scottish inventor of the steam engine used in trains. By creating a separate condensing chamber, he managed to tremendously improve the efficiency of the steam, expanding its uses beyond pumping water.

Alessandro Volta (1745 - 1827)

Alessandro volta

Italian physicist, he is considered the inventor of the battery, having created the first electrochemical battery using zinc, copper and an electrolyte.

Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943)

Serbian physicist, invented fluorescent light, Tesla coal, induction motor, three-phase electricity, and alternating current.

Michael Faraday (1791 - 1867)

English scientist, helped to convert electricity into a form that could be easily usable. He discovered benzene and created a primitive shape of a bunsen burner.

William Cullen (1710 - 1790)

Scottish physicist and chemist, he is credited with the invention of artificial refrigeration.

John Wilkinson (1728 - 1808)

English industrialist, he developed the manufacture and use of wrought iron. Its iron-based precision cylinders were essential for steam engines.

Sir Richard Arkwright (1732 - 1792)

English businessman, father of the industrial revolution. He was the creator of the industrial loom, which was used in the mass production of textiles.

Sir Humphrey Davy (1778 - 1829): English inventor, creator of the Davy lamp. Its lamp could be used by miners in areas where methane gas existed, since its design prevented the flame from escaping from the chamber.

Charles Babbage (1791 - 1871): English mathematician and inventor, he created the first mechanical computer that served as a prototype for future computers. He is considered, for this reason, as the father of computing, despite not having completed a functional model during his life.

Samuel Morse (1791 - 1872): American inventor who used Jackson's principles of electromagnetism to develop the telegraph cable. He also invented the Morse code, a tone communication system used in the telegraph.

William Henry Fox Talbot (1800 - 1877): pioneer of photography in Victorian England, he created the first negative that allowed several prints to be made. He is known for having created the calotype process, using silver nitrate for taking pictures.

Louis Braille (1809 - 1852): French inventor, Braille was left blind after an accident in his childhood. He developed the Braille reading system for the blind. He also developed a Braille system for reading musical scores.

Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1812 - 1878): Born in Scotland, he was the inventor of the pedal bicycle. His invention allowed the use of a rear wheel to drive the bicycle using a chain, giving rise to the bicycle design that we use today.

James Clerk Maxwell (1831 - 1879): Scottish physicist and inventor, created the first process to produce color photographs. He is also considered one of the greatest physicists of the millennium.

Karl Benz (1844 - 1929) - German inventor and businessman, developed the petroleum fuel powered automobile. He received his first patent for the petroleum-based internal combustion engine, which enabled the creation of the modern automobile. It also became a successful vehicle manufacturer.

Thomas Alva Edison (1847 - 1931): American inventor who filed more than 1,000 patents. He developed and innovated a wide range of products, from the electric light bulb to the phonograph, passing through the moving image camera. Without a doubt one of the most important inventors of all time.

Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922): Scottish scientist considered the inventor of the first telephone for practical use. He also worked in telecommunications, aeronautics and hydrodynamics.

Rudolf Diesel (1858 - 1913): German inventor of the diesel engine. He sought to build an engine that had much higher efficiency, which led him to develop the internal combustion engine that used the fuel today called in his name.

Edward Michelin (1859-1940): French inventor of the pneumatic tire. Based on the development made by John Dunlop in 1887, Michelin improved on the original design and developed its own version in 1889.

Marie Curie (1867 - 1934): Born in Poland, this Polish scientist was a chemist and a physicist. She discovered radium, which led to the development of radiation and X-rays.

The Wright Brothers (1871 - 1948): American inventors who successfully completed the design, construction, and flight of the first airplane in 1903.

Alberto Santos Dumond (1873 - 1932): Brazilian inventor, pioneer of modern aviation, invented the airplane and the airship. He became the first person to successfully combine internal combustion engines and hot air balloons.

Alexander Fleming (1881 - 1955): Scottish scientist who discovered the antibiotic penicillin by accident from the strain of mold called Penicillium notatum in 1928.

Johannes Gutenberg (1398 - 1468): famous German inventor, creator of the movable character printing press. His invention was the basis for later printing devices and was instrumental in the development of the written press and publishing industry.

Alfred Nobel (1833 - 1896): Swedish-born scientist and inventor, engineer, and industrialist who obtained more than 355 patents during his lifetime. He is considered the inventor of explosive dynamite used in mining and construction, produced by mixing nitroglycerin and other absorbent materials.

John Logie Baird (1888 - 1946): Scottish scientist, he is considered the creator of television and the first recording device in history.

Enrico Fermi (1901 - 1954): Italian scientist who developed the nuclear reactor. Fermi made important discoveries in induced radioactivity and is considered the creator of the modern nuclear industry.

Guglielmo Marconi (1874 - 1937): Italian engineer and inventor, he managed to demonstrate the operation of telegraphic communication and radio signals from a distance. Winner of the Nobel Prize, his inventions served as the basis for the development of telecommunications today.

Robert Oppenheimer (1904 - 1967): born in the United States, this scientist was the creator of the atomic bomb. He was in charge of the Manhattan project, which culminated in the creation of the weapon of mass destruction that was detonated in Japan years later. Later in life, he campaigned against the use of his own invention.

Alan Turing (1912 - 1954): 20th century English mathematician, pioneer of computer science. He developed the Turing machine, capable of automating processes. It could be adapted to simulate the logic of any computational algorithm.

Robert Noyce (1927 - 1990): North American electrical engineer who together with Jack Kilby invented the microchip or integrated circuit. He applied for a patent in 1959. The microchip gave rise to the development of the computer revolution that continues to this day.

James Dyson (1947) - British businessman who developed a vacuum cleaner that did not require a bag and instead used a double cyclone action. His company, Dyson, has also created revolutionary hand dryers.

Erno Rubik (1944): famous Hungarian inventor, creator of the Rubik's cube, the most popular toy in history and a classic of the 80s culture. His first version was crafted as a challenge for his students while he was a math teacher.

Tim Berners-Lee (1955): British computer scientist, Berners-Lee is considered the inventor of the World Wide Web, which allows the internet to present sites visible through browsers. He developed the HTTP protocol and helped make the network of networks available to everyone.

Thomas Adams (1818 - 1905) - American scientist and inventor considered the founder of the chewing gum industry. He conceived his creation while working as secretary to the Mexican leader Antonio López de Santa Anna, who used to chew a natural gum called chicle.

George Eastman (1854 - 1932): American scientist and inventor, Eastman created and patented the first photographic roll and the camera that used it, called Kodak. Its creation allowed ordinary people to take pictures as a hobby.

Shiva Ayyadurai (1963): American inventor of Indian origin, he is considered the inventor of electronic mail. At age 14 he created a computer program that allowed the exchange of messages within a network. He called it “EMAIL” and applied for a patent which he finally received in 1982.

Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011): American entrepreneur and developer, Jobs contributed to the personal computing revolution with devices such as the Mac computer, the iPod, and the iPhone. He is considered the inventor of a new generation of portable personal computing devices.