TIME WARP
10 Technologies That Are Way Older Than You Think!
Published on August 10, 2024
Image: Lorenzo Herrera
In the fast-paced world of technology, it's easy to assume that all our gadgets and gizmos are creations of the digital age. However, some inventions have been around longer than you might think, standing the test of time and continuing to shape our world.
Prepare to be amazed as we unveil 10 technologies that seem to defy the boundaries of time!
Battery
Image: Brett Jordan
Date invented:c. 250 BCE
Believe it or not, the ancient Parthians might have been the first to experiment with primitive batteries, over 2,000 years ago. A set of artifacts known as the Baghdad Battery, consisting of a ceramic vessel, a tube of copper, and an iron rod, have led scientists to speculate that the three items could potentially be an early galvanic cell, likely used for electroplating or similar purposes.
Fax Machine
Image: engin akyurt
Date invented:1843
A staple of offices and workspaces everywhere, only recently replaced by cheaper and more efficient systems, the fax machine actually predates most modern office equipment by over a century. Scottish inventor Alexander Bain patented the first fax machine in 1843, allowing images and handwritten messages to be transmitted over telegraph lines.
Electric Car
Image: CHUTTERSNAP
Date invented: c. 1832
While we might have been told that electric cars are the future - and they might be! - they are certainly nothing new! The concept has a long history, dating back to the 19th century. Designs for electric motors were proposed by numerous inventors of the time, including Benjamin Franklin. In the 1830s, a Scottish inventor named Robert Anderson created one of the earliest electric carriages, powered by a set of non-rechargeable batteries.
Touchscreen
Image: Onur Binay
Date invented:1965
Before smartphones made touchscreens ubiquitous, they were a futuristic concept straight out of science fiction. However, the first finger-driven touchscreen was developed in 1965 by Eric Johnson, an engineer at the Royal Radar Establishment in Malvern, England, paving the way for modern touchscreen technology.
Self-Driving Car
Image: Bram Van Oost
Date invented:c. 1980s
The idea of cars that can drive themselves may seem like a recent innovation, but researchers have been experimenting with autonomous vehicle technology since at least the 1980s. Among these first attempts, Carnegie Mellon University's Navlab project, initiated in 1984, was one of the earliest efforts to develop autonomous cars. One of the vehicles produced under the Navlab project even managed to steer itself almost all the way from Pittsburgh to San Diego.
Computers
Image: Helena Lopes
Date invented:1945
Although strictly speaking even a humble abacus could count as a computer, modern computers - capable of performing complex tasks and calculations through electric circuits - are still fairly old, being conceived during the first half of the twentieth century. The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), completed in 1945, is often considered the world's first electronic general-purpose computer, marking the dawn of the digital age.
Central Heating
Image: Sigmund
Date invented: 5000 BCE
Did you know that central heating is almost as old as agriculture? Heating systems using underground pipes or hot air vents were found at numerous Neolithic archaeological sites. In the city of Rason (present-day North Korea), an ancient heating system called ondol was found in 5000-year-old dwellings. Later on, the Ancient Romans also pioneered central heating systems with the hypocaust, a form of underfloor heating that was extensively used in Roman baths and villas, providing luxurious warmth even in the coldest months.
Vending Machines
Image: Victoriano Izquierdo
Date invented: c. 1st century CE
I know it sounds hard to believe, but the world's first vending machine was invented by Hero of Alexandria in the 1st century CE. The machine could dispense either holy water or wine in exchange for coins. A complex lever system allowed the mechanism to be fairly similar to what we are accustomed to today. Talk about an ancient form of convenience shopping!
3D Movies
Image: Sigmund
Date invented:Early 20th century
The resurgence of 3D movies in recent years may feel like a modern trend, but the concept has been around for over a century. The first 3D film, "The Power of Love," was released in 1922, and it used red-green anaglyph glasses to create the illusion of depth on the silver screen.
Heat Rays
Image: Patrick Hendry
Date invented: c. 213 BCE
Heat rays might sound like a weapon from a sci-fi movie, but they have roots in ancient times. The first one to come up with a device that could concentrate thermal energy in a distant point was no one other than the famous Greek inventor Archimedes. His heat ray device is said to have been used to burn attacking Roman ships during the Siege of Syracuse (c. 213–212 BC). Although the exact system he devised was lost to time, modern reconstructions speculate that it must have utilized a set of mirrors or reflecting surfaces to cause fires aboard the attacking ships.
