Chuck Hull invents stereolithography
Stereolithography is a form of 3D printing technology used for creating models, prototypes, patterns, and production parts in a layer by layer fashion using photopolymerization.
Inventors
Bill Bowerman invents the Waffle Trainer
The origins of the Oregon Waffle, afterwards named the Waffle Trainer, derive from Bowerman’s experiments with a simple waffle iron, the grooves of which proved to be a near perfect mold for a running shoe.
Ray Tomlinson sends the world’s first ever email, to himself
The email was sent from one computer to another computer sitting right beside it in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but it traveled via ARPANET, a network of computers that was the precursor to the Internet.
The pocket calculator is invented in Japan
The first portable calculators appeared in Japan in 1970, and were soon marketed around the world. These included the Sanyo ICC-0081 “Mini Calculator”, the Canon Pocketronic, and the Sharp QT-8B “micro Compet”.
James T. Russell invents precursor to laser discs
American inventor James T. Russell has been credited with inventing the first system to record digital information on an optical transparent foil that is lit from behind by a high-power halogen lamp.
Robert Moog invents the world’s first commercial musical synthesizer
In 1964, Moog began creating the Moog synthesizer. The synthesizer was composed of separate modules which created and shaped sounds, connected by patch cords.
Nick Holonyak, Jr. invents the first practical visible LED
n 1962, when he was 33, the scientist Nick Holonyak, Jr., created the first practical visible light-emitting diode. At GE, they called it “the magic one.”
Theodore Maiman invents the laser
Maiman’s laser led to the subsequent development of many other types of lasers. The laser was successfully fired on May 16, 1960.
Nils Bolhin of Volvo invents the three-point seatbelt
The reason the three-point seatbelt is so widely adopted is actually because Volvo opened up the patent so that any car manufacturer could use it in their design.
Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch invent the Haber-Bosch Process allowing for mass-scale production of ammonia-based fertilizer
The Haber-Bosch process, is an artificial nitrogen fixation process and is the main industrial procedure for the production of ammonia today.