Inventions and discoveries is a part of static GK and it plays an important role in different Government exams. In general awareness section, list of inventions and discoveries is an important topic.
In different exams such as SSC, RRB, Bank, PSC etc. questions are asked and you must be prepared yourself from this section.
Aspirants who are willing to start your preparation for competitive exams must focus on static GK as you can easily score high within very less time.
Here, we will provide you important inventions and discoveries, name of the inventor and also year of inventions. At the end of this article, we have discussed some sample questions related to this topic.
List of inventions and discoveries
| Invention/Discoveries | Year | Inventor | Country |
| Adding Machine | 1642 | Pascal | France |
| Aeroplane | 1903 | Orville & Wilbur Wright | USA |
| Automatic Calculator | 1623 | Wilhelm Schickard | Germany |
| Air Brake | 1872 | George Westinghouse | US |
| Air Conditioner | 1914 | Willis Carrier | USA |
| Air Pump | 1650 | Otto von Guericke | Germany |
| Airship (jet engine) | 1939 | Ohain | Germany |
| Airship (Non-rigid) | 1852 | Henri Giffard | France |
| Airship (rigid) | 1900 | G. Ferdinand Von Zeppelin | Germany |
| Anemometer | 1450 | Leon Battista Alberti | Italy |
| Automatic gearbox | – | Hermann Fottinger | Germany |
| Animation | 1892 | Emile Reynaud | France |
| Automobile | 1886 | Daimler | Germany |
| Atom Bomb | 1945 | Julius Robert Oppenheimer | USA |
| Adhesive tape | 1923 | Richard G. Drew | USA |
| Aspirin | 1899 | Dr. Felix Hoffman | Germany |
| Antiseptic Surgery | 1865 | Lord Joseph Lister | British |
| Arc Lamp | 1879 | C. F. Brush | Ohio, USA |
| Astronomical Telescope | 1608 | Hans Lippershey | Netherlands |
| Argon | 1894 | William Ramsay & Baron Ray Leigh | UK |
| AC motor and transformer, vacuum tube amplifier, Tesla coil, X-Ray technology | 1880s | Nikola Tesla | USA |
| Barometer | 1643 | Evangelista Torricelli | Italy |
| Bacteria | 1665 | Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek | Netherlands |
| Bifocal Lens | 1784 | Benjamin Franklin | USA |
| Braille | 1829 | Louis Braille | France |
| Bullet | 1849 | Claude Minie | France |
| Barbed Wire | 1873 | Joseph F. Glidden | USA |
| Ball Point Pen | 1888 | John Loud | USA |
| Bicycle Tyres | 1888 | John Boyd Dunlop | Scotland |
| Bakelite | 1907 | H. Backcland | Belgium /US |
| Band Aid | 1920 | Earle Dickson | USA |
| Bicycle | 1839 | Kirkpatrick Macmillan | Britain |
| Blood Group | 1900 | Karl Lansdsteiner | Austria |
| Battery (Electric) | 1800 | Alessandro Volta | Italy |
| Bleaching Powder | 1798 | Tennant | Britain |
| Burglar Alarm | 1858 | Edwin T Holmes | USA |
| Blood Circulation | 1628 | William Hervey | UK |
| Balloon | 1783 | Jacques and Joseph Montgolfier | France |
| Beri – Beri | 1897 | Christiaan Eijkman | Netherlands |
| Biogenetic Principle | 1860s | Ernst Haeckel | Germany |
| Camera (Kodak) | 1888 | Walker Eastman | USA |
| Cine Camera | 1889 | Wm. Friese-Greene | Britain |
| Clarinet | 1690 | Johann Christoph Denner | Germany |
| Centigrade Scale | 1742 | Anders Celsius | Sweden |
| Chlorine | 1774 | Karl Wilhelm Scheele | Sweden |
| Car (Steam) | 1769 | Nicolas Cugnot | France |
| Car (Petrol) | 1888 | Karl Benz | Germany |
| Carburetor | 1876 | Gottlieb Daimler | Germany |
| Cadmium | 1817 | Friedrich Stromeyer | Germany |
| Cement (Portland) | 1824 | Joseph Aspdin | England |
| Cassette | 1969 | Sony | Japan |
| Cinema | 1894 | Nicolas & Jean Lumiere | France |
| Cash Register | 1879 | James Ritty | USA |
| Clock (Mechanical) | 1725 | I-Hsing & Liang Ling-Tsan | China |
| Clock (Pendulum) | 1656 | Christian Huygens | Netherlands |
| Celluloid | 1861 | Alexander Parkes | UK |
| Chloroform | 1831 | E. Soberran | France |
| Cellophane | 1900 | I.E. Brandenberger | Switzerland |
| Crescograph | 1920s | Jagadish Chandra Bose | India |
| Car Radio | 1929 | William Lear & Elmer Wavering | US |
| Compact Disc | 1972 | RCA | USA |
| Compact Disc Player | 1979 | Sony, Philips | Japan, Netherlands |
| Computer (Laptop) | 1987 | Sinclair | Britain |
| Computer (Mini) | 1960 | Digital Corp | USA |
| Dynamite | 1867 | Alfred B. Nobel | Sweden |
| Dynamo | 1832 | Hypolite Pixii | France |
| Diesel Engine | 1895 | Rudolf Diesel | Germany |
| Dental Plate | 1817 | Anthony A. Plantson | USA |
| Disc Brake | 1902 | Dr. F. Lanchester | England |
| Electric stove/cooker | 1896 | William S. Hadaway | England |
| Electric Iron | 1882 | H.W. Seeley | USA |
| Electroscope | 1748 | Jean Nollet | France |
| Electric Motor | 1834 | Moritz Jacobi | Russia |
| Electric Fan | 1882 | Schuyler Skaats Wheeler | USA |
| Electric Battery | 1800 | Volta | Italy |
| Electromagnet | 1824 | William Sturgeon | England |
| Elevator | 1852 | Elisha G. Otis | USA |
| Electric Motor (AC) | 1888 | Nicolas Tesla | USA |
| Electric Motor (DC) | 1873 | Zenobe Gramme | Belgium |
| Electromagnetic Induction | 1831 | Michael Faraday | UK |
| Electrons | 1897 | J.J.Thomson | UK |
| Electric Generator | 1831 | Michael Faraday | UK |
| Electric Lamp | 1879 | Thomas Alva Edison | USA |
| Electronic Calculator | 1954 | IBM | USA |
| Electric Washing Machine | 1906 | Alva J Fisher | USA |
| Electroplating | 1805 | Luigi Brugnatelli | Italy |
| Electronic Computer | 1824 | Dr Alan M Turing | Britain |
| Fountain Pen | 1884 | Lewis Edson Waterman | USA |
| Film sound | 1923 | Dr. Le de Forest | USA |
| Fluorine | 1886 | Ferdinand Frederick Henri Moissan | France |
| Film (Talking) | 1926 | Warner Bros | US |
| Gramophone | 1878 | Thomas Edison | US |
| Glider | 1853 | Sir George Calyey | UK |
| Gravity & Reflecting telescope | 1668 | Isaac Newton | England |
| Generator | 1860 | Piciontti | Italy |
| Gyrocompass | 1908 | Elmer A. Sperry | US |
| Guillotin | 1790s | Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin | France |
| Galvanometer | 1824 | Andre-Marie Ampere | France |
| Gas lighting | 1792 | William Murdoch | British |
| Gun powder | – | Roger Bacon | – |
| Hydrogen | 1766 | Henry Cavendish | France |
| Hot Air Balloon | 1783 | Josef & Etienne Montgolfier | France |
| Helium | 1868 | William Ramsay | Great Britain |
| Helicopter | 1939 | Igor Sikorsky | Ukraine |
| Hovercraft | 1959 | Christopher Cockerell | England |
| Insulin | 1923 | Sir Frederick Banting | Canada |
| Jet Engine | 1937 | Sir Frank Whittle | Britain |
| Kala-azar Fever | – | Upendra Nath Brahmachari | India |
| Kaleidoscope | 1817 | David Brewster | Scotland |
| Lightning Conductor | 1752 | Benjamin Franklin | USA |
| Laser | 1960 | Theodore Maiman | USA |
| Launderette | 1934 | J F Cantrell | USA |
| Locomotive | 1804 | Richard Trevithick | UK |
| Lift (Mechanical) | 1852 | Elisha G Otis | USA |
| Light Bulb | 1854 | Heinrich Goebel | Germany |
| Loudspeaker | 1900 | Horace Short | Britain |
| Logarithms | 1590s | John Napier | Scotland |
| Laughing Gas | 1772 | Joseph Priestley | England |
| Law of Electrolysis | 1833 | Michael Faraday | England |
| Life Boat | 1790 | Henry Greathead | England |
| Machine Gun | 1861 | Richard Gaffing | US |
| Magnetic recording tape | 1928 | Fritz Pfleumer | Germany |
| Motorcycle | 1848 | Edward Butler | UK |
| Microphone | 1876 | Alexander Graham Bell | USA |
| Microscope(Compounded) | 1590 | Zacharis Janssen | Netherlands |
| Microscope (Electronic) | 1931 | Ruska Knoll | Germany |
| Milling machine & cotton gin | 1793 | Eli Whitney | USA |
| Motor Scooter | 1919 | Greville Bradshaw | England |
| Microwave Oven | 1947 | Percy LeBaron Spencer | USA |
| Movie Projector | 1893 | Thomas Edison | USA |
| Neon Lamp | 1915 | Georges Claude | France |
| Napier Bones | 1590s | John Napier | Scotland |
| Neutron | 1932 | James Chadwick | England |
| Nylon | 1935 | Wallace Hume Carothers | USA |
| Neutron Bomb | 1958 | Samuel Cohen | USA |
| Oxygen | 1775 | Antoine Laurent Lavoisier | France |
| Optical Fibre | 1955 | Narinder Kapany | Germany |
| Ozone | 1839 | Christian Schonbein | Germany |
| Origin of Species | 1859 | Charles Darwin | UK |
| Piano | 1700 | Bartolomeo Cristofori | Italy |
| Printing Press | 1440 | Johannes Gutenberg | Germany |
| Parachute | 1785 | Jean Pierre Blanchard | France |
| Polio Vaccine | 1955 | Jonas Edward Salk | USA |
| Periodic Table | 1869 | Dmitri Mendeleev | Russia |
| Penicillin | 1928 | Alexander Fleming | UK |
| Pacemaker | 1952 | Dr. Paul Zoll | USA |
| Petrol (for motor car) | 1885 | Karl Benz | Germany |
| Pocket Watch | 1510 | Peter Henlein | Germany |
| Pendulum Clock | 1657 | Christian Huygens | Netherlands |
| Photography (on metal) | 1826 | Joseph Nicephore Niepce | France |
| Photography (on paper) | 1835 | W.H Fox Talbot | England |
| Photography (on film) | 1888 | John Carbutt | USA |
| Phonograph | 1877 | Thomas Edison | USA |
| Refrigerator | 1851 | James Harrison | UK |
| Radium | 1898 | Marie & Pierre Curie | France |
| Radar | 1922 | Dr. Albert H. Taylor & Leo C. Yong | USA |
| Rubber (Vulcanized) | 1841 | Charles Goodyear | USA |
| Rocket Engin | 1926 | Robert H. Goddard | USA |
| Radio | 1894 | Gughelmo Macroni | Italy |
| Richter Scale | 1935 | Charles Richter | USA |
| Revolver | 1835 | Samuel Colt | USA |
| Rubella Vaccine | 1967 | Maurice Hillman | US |
| Ship (Turbine) | 1894 | Charles Parsons | England |
| Ship (Steam) | 1775 | J.C Perier | France |
| Safety Match | 1855 | J.E. Lundstrom | Sweden |
| Safety Lamp | 1816 | Sir Humphry Davy | England |
| Steam Engine | 1698 | Thomas Savery | UK |
| Submarine | 1776 | David Bushnell | USA |
| Steam Boat | 1786 | John Fitch | USA |
| Small Pox Vaccine | 1796 | Edward Jenner | England |
| Stethoscope | 1816 | Rene Laennec | France |
| Saxophone | 1846 | Adolphe Sax | Belgium |
| Sewing Machine | 1846 | Elias Howe | USA |
| Safety Pin | 1849 | William Hunt | US |
| Steam-Powered Airship | 1852 | Henri Giffard | France |
| Silicones | 1904 | F.S Kipping | England |
| Soft Contact lenses | 1961 | Otto Wichterle | Czech |
| Synthesizer | 1964 | Dr. Robert Arthur Moog | USA |
| Steam Engine (Piston) | 1712 | Thomas Newcomen | Britain |
| Steam Engine (Condenser) | 1765 | James Watt | Britain |
| Super Computer | 1976 | J H Van Tassel | USA |
| Telescope | 1608 | Hans Lippershey | Netherlands |
| Television | 1926 | John Logic Baird | Scotland |
| Thermometer | 1593 | Galileo | Italy |
| Tungsten | 1783 | Juan José Elhuyar Lubize & Fausto de Elhuyar | Spain |
| Telegraph | 1837 | William Cook & Charles Wheatstone | England |
| Telegraph code | 1837 | Samuel Morse | USA |
| Typewriter | 1841 | Peter Mitterhofer | Austria |
| Transformer (Induction coil) | 1842 | William Stanley .Jr | US |
| Telephone | 1874 | Graham Bell | Canada |
| Time Recorder | 1890 | Harlow Bundy | USA |
| Tractor (Caterpillar) | 1900 | Benjamin Holt | US |
| Transistors | 1948 | John Bardeen, William Shockley & Walter Brattain | US |
| Theory of Evolution | 1858 | Charles Darwin | UK |
| Valve. Radio | 1904 | Sir J.A Fleming | Britain |
| Vacuum Cleaner | 1869 | Ives McGuffey | USA |
| Vitamin A | 1913 | Elmer V. McCollum & M. Davis | USA |
| Vitamin B | 1916 | Elmer V. McCollum | US |
| Vitamin C | 1920 | Albert Szent-Györgyi & Charles Glen King | USA |
| Vitamin D | 1920 | Edward Mellanby | USA |
| Vitamin E | 1922 | Herbert McLean Evans | USA |
| Vitamin K | 1929 | Henrik Dam & Edward Adelbert Doisy | Denmark |
| Watch (Self Winding) | 1791 | Abraham-Louis Breguet | France |
| Welder (Electric Welding) | 1877 | Elisha Thompson | US |
| Windshield wipers | 1903 | Mary Anderson | USA |
| World Wide Web | 1989 | Tim Berners Lee with Robert Cailliau | Belgian |
| X-ray | 1895 | Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen | Germany |
| Xerox Machine | 1928 | Chester Carlson | US |
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Conclusion
We have provided a list of inventions/ discoveries and their inventor. Almost in every government exam questions are asked from this area. Hope it will help you to score better. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Who invented microphone?
Ans: Alexander Graham Bell invented the microphone.
Q2. What is discovered in 1920 by Edward Mellanby?
Ans: In 1920, Edward Mellanby discovered Vitamin D.
Q3. In 1842, who discovered Telephone?
Ans: In 1842, Graham Bell discovered Telephone.
Q4. Who invented Safety pin in which year?
Ans: In 1849, Walter Hunt invented the Safety pin.
