In honour of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee the Science Museum and the Royal Academy of Engineering have selected 12 of the most significant inventions from the past 60 years. These inventions are those which have been judged to have had made the greatest difference to people’s lives during Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
The inventions chosen are for their global impact in two main categories; outstanding and high profile inventions and understated but ‘enabling’ technology.
The significant inventions chosen to display in the Science Museum for this special Jubilee exhibition are the following, in date order.
- Pilot ACE computer, 1950 (On display in Science Museum's Making the Modern World gallery)
- The Integrated Circuit, 1952-58
- Apollo programme, 1961-72 (The Apollo 10 capsule is on display in Making the Modern World gallery)
- Optical fibres, 1966
- The shipping container
- CT scanner, 1971 (an example of the first CT scanner on display in the Science Museum's Making the Modern World gallery)
- BBC Micro computer, 1981
- The mobile phone, 1983 (a Motorola StarTAC, the first clamshell phone, is on display in the Science Museum's Making the Modern World gallery)
- The World Wide Web, 1990
- GPS
- DNA Sequencing
- Millau viaduct, 2004
A good proportion of the inventions are computer orientated which I like to see. However all the inventions listed are there for their ‘impact’ which doesn’t seem to include entertainment gadgets such as music and video players, games consoles and such that we are very fond of at HEXUS. Congratulations to the humble shipping container which is used to import all our wonderful gadgets.
Why not pop along to have a look at some of these revolutionary objects? At the Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD. Open daily 10.00 to 18.00, except 24-26 December. www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
