Good Day Steemians and fellow Straylians!
Our beautiful country Australia which is a continent-nation is known for many things, such as Koalas, Kangaroos and Summer in December, but it is less publicized that people from Down Under created some of the most vital inventions of all time. So here I'm going to mention 13 of the many Aussie inventions that've become staples in our daily lives:
The Refrigerator
James Harrison produced the world's first ice making machine and a refrigerator with a vapour compression system in 1856.
Penicillin
Howard Florey, a scientist from Adelaide developed Penicillin in 1939-the world's first anti-biotic.
Google Maps
In 2003 Australian brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen invented a mapping program at their technology company in Sydney. A year later, it was acquired by Google and the program was transformed into a web application used by millions everyday.
Wi-Fi
Today, most of us can't stay a day without their Wi-Fi powered devices, but astronomer and Electrical Engineer "John O'Sullivan" was once laughed at for his idea of making wireless LAN. O'Sullivan developed his idea for Wi-Fi from radio astronomy, a failed experiment to detect exploding mini black holes which eventually became the network that powers our computers, smartphones and tablets.
Black Box Flight Recorders
The "Black Box" is an important piece of evidence in plane crashes. It was invented by chemist Dave Warren. He was inspired after the death of his father in a flight crash in 1934, to create a device that could record the final moments in the cockpit as well as data from flight instruments.
Hills Clothes Hoist
The simple clothes drying solution for freshly laundered clothes was invented by Lance Hill in 1954 for his wife, who wanted an alternative to clotheslines. Hill hoists are still popular in Australia and New Zealand.
Cochlear Implants
The "bionic ear" as we call it today, was invented by Dr Graeme Clark after being inspired by a trip to the beach where he pushed a blade of grass into a seashell that resembled the inner ear. He developed the technology by stimulating the cochlea, which facilitates hearing. The FDA approved his invention in 1985.
Dual-Flush toilets
Bruce Thompson developed the dual-flush toilet as a water saving device in arid Australia. It works with two buttons, one that executes a full water flush for solid waste and another that executes a half water flush for liquid waste.
Mountbatten Braillers
It is a portable, electric version of the original Braille typewriter. It was developed after British statesman Lord Louis Mountbatten wrote in his will of the need for a modern, low cost, portable brailler.
Super Sopper Rollers
Gordon Withnall invented the giant vehicle mop in 1974 after his friends challenged him to create something that could soak up the water from their rained-out golf course. These days, super rollers are used to maintain a multitude of sports fields, including cricket, football, hockey, horseracing etc.
UltraSound
The Commonwealth Acoustic Laboratories in Sydney developed a technology that'd allow for the examination of unborn babies without using X-Rays. It was commercialised in 1976 as the Ultrasound.
Disposable Syringes
Disposable Syringes were developed by Australian toymaker Charles Rothauser. The company was using plastic to manufacture dolls, so he used his process to create polyethylene molds for syringes and later used polypropylene.
Plastic Banknotes
The Reserve Bank of Australia sought out government scientists to develop a banknote that could not be counterfeited. So they developed a polymer note with a transparent panel and hologram embedded in the note. The currency was released in 1988, is not only virtually counterfeit proof, it is also waterproof and lasts four times longer than the conventional money.
Image Credits: The above websites listed in the Sources as well as Google (Labelled for re-use)
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