THE 8 MOST IMPORTANT INDIAN INVENTIONS - HISTORY - 2024

Some of the most important Indian inventions are the number 0, the decimal number system, buttons, chess, and cotton or wool fibers. India has had outstanding inventors, mathematicians, scientists and architects who have left a wonderful legacy when it comes to technological breakthroughs and discoveries.

This includes everything from the development of numerous mathematical theorems to the advancement of the textile industry. Here is a list of the most outstanding inventions of this civilization.

Main inventions of India

Zero Number Symbol "0"

Many ancient civilizations had described an element that represented the absent, from the mathematical point of view. However, the Indians were the ones who designed the oval symbol that today we attribute to the number zero.

In the middle of the year 458 after Christ, the Indian astronomer and mathematician named Aryabhata created the symbol for zero, and thanks to him this number was recognized worldwide as a proper digit.

Decimal number system

The Indian decimal system was a precursor to the Arabic number system. Its origins date back to between the 1st and 6th centuries, according to the historical record of the Bakhshali manuscript of Aryabhata

Buttons

They were originally used in the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro, in 2000 BC. The first buttons were made from shells, and had two holes in the middle.

It is worth noting that these elements were used as adornments on the garments, and not to fix their position.

Use of natural fibers, such as cotton and wool

The cultivation of cotton and jute had its heyday between 5000 and 3000 BC, in the Indus Valley, an area that included parts of eastern present-day Pakistan and northwestern India.

India was a forerunner in the art of cotton spinning, and in the development of fabrics based on natural fibers, such as the wool of Kashmir goats, for example.

Chess

This strategic board game originated in India in the middle of the 6th century, during the time of the Gupta dynasty.

The Indian King Balhait ordered an Indian Brahmin to design a game to enhance the intelligence of his people.

The meaning of the name of this game in Sanskrit, Chaturanga, represents an army of four divisions.

Rules

There are archaeological studies that confirm that the first rules were used before 1500 BC, by the civilization that lived in the Indus Valley.

These rulers were made of ivory, and had a very clear and precise inscription of the decimal subdivisions.

Shampoo

What we know today as shampoo was developed from the oil hair massages that the Nawabs of Bengal practiced on each other during the Mongol Empire in the 18th century.

Wireless communication

Marconi's predecessor in the development of wireless telegraphy was the Jagadish scientist Chandra Bose, who conducted a public demonstration of microwave transmission in Calcutta in 1895.

This Bose invention lays the technological foundations for the operating principle of mobile technology, satellite communication, television broadcasts, wireless internet connection, among other applications today.

References

1. Ancient Indian Inventions and Discoveries (2017). Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Recovered from: mocomi.com.
2. Saikia, R. (2014). Interesting Indian Inventions and Discoveries That Are Universally Accepted. New Delhi, India. Recovered from: mapsofindia.com.
3. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). List of Indian inventions and discoveries. Recovered from: en.wikipedia.org.