The discovery of Teflon, a polymer chemically known as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), was sheer coincidence, and yet a revolutionary one. The man behind the discovery was an American chemist named Dr Roy J. Plunkett (1910–1994), who was then working for DuPont, an American chemical company. In the year 1938, Dr Plunkett was conducting a coolant gas…
The construction workers’ hats were invented by E.W. Bullard, who was inspired by the steel helmets he wore during World War I. He devised what is now known as ‘hard hats’. They were called so because they were made by steaming canvas and glue to make a hard material, which were then fashioned into hats….
Tea (Camellia sinensis) is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Tea originated in China, and the modern form of tea taken with milk was developed by the British in India. The British started tea plantations in Assam and Darjeeling in the nineteenth century. Today, India is the second largest tea producer in…
A water-powered car is one of the most attempted inventions in the world.Even though hydrogen is regarded as one of the most efficient alternative fuels, the expense that goes behind producing it is excessively high. As a result, there has always been a need for economic alternative fuels – a need that helped in discovering…
Ada Lovelace, the English mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron, was chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage’s analytical machine, or the computer. She worked on the engine with notes of her own, which are recognized today as the world’s first computer programme.
John Harvey Kellogg (1852–1943) was an American physician who worked to develop a healthy diet. Kellogg and his brother Will Keith Kellogg invented several food items from grains. These eatables were rolled and made into sheets of dough, which were cooked. One day they accidentally left the cereals exposed for a longer period of time,…
