Top 10 Best Inventions From Countries Outside The US

10. Birth Control Pills

Many people think that the United States is responsible for the invention of the birth control pill. While Americans were some of the first people to use birth control and accept it they were not the inventors of this. An Australian immigrant was in Mexico City and was studying human sexuality. Carl Djerassi was the first person to develop this pill but he did not have the means to test it out. Other scientists picked up on this research and this idea. By the time the birth control pill hit the market everyone thought it was an invention from the United States.

9. Sewing Machine

This invention was from the England. It was invented by Charles Fredrick Wiesenthal back in the 1750s. This sewing machine at a needed at one end and an eye to put the thread in at the other. This was the first mechanical device that has been used for sewing. While other inventors have improved on the design this was the first sewing machine to hit the world and make things easier for the average person.

8. Braille

This form is a writing system that was designed to help blind people read. There are little dots that mean different letters and words and special typewriters that will print this out. When a person puts their finger on the dot they will be able to tell what it means after being taught how to read it. This form of writing was invented in France by Louis Braille who first used the French alphabet. Later this form of writing was developed for use in many different languages.

7. Batteries

Batteries are used often in the modern world. The first battery was made by Alessandro Volta in Italy. These batteries were made with copper and zinc. They were then designed to start a charge using salt water. While the first battery was crude it still had the idea of how a battery works and was the framework for modern batteries.

6. Answering Machine

This was an invention from Valdemar Poulsen who was Danish. He built this device back in 1898 before the first phone was even invented. This device was able to record a message and play it back later on. The first digital answering machine is actually from Japan but it followed the design of this first machine.

5. Notepads

The first notepad was made in Australia by J.A Birchall. He put a strip of glue across a stack of papers and used a piece of cardboard on the back to make it sturdy. People caught onto this idea and sold the notepad to people that liked to write. Now notepads are found in homes and businesses all over the world.

4. Contact Lenses

Millions of people all over the world wear contact lenses every day. The first contact lens was made in Germany by Adolph Fick. The lenses were large measuring 21 mm and were made from blown glass. The glass was blown and a solution containing sugar was put around the lenses so that they did not irritate the eyes. While they were big and bulky they set the motion for the design of the modern contact lens so people do not have to worry about glasses.

3. DDT

This chemical was one of the most popular insecticides of all time. For a number of years it was put on crops to kill bugs and keep them away. It was not until later that people have found this chemical to be toxic. DDT was invented by Othmar Zeilder. Othmar was a German chemist that put this combination together. Later Paul Hermann Muller from Switzerland found that this mixture of chemicals was effective at killing bugs. While the combination was invented in Germany this man from Sweden got the Nobel Prize for it.

2. Compact Disc

This was one of the biggest inventions to hit the market. Cds became popular for music and the DVD is a video version of this disc. This invention was very popular in the United States but was not discovered in this country. The Dutch company Philips as well as Sony from Japan became working on the design of the compact disc. By the 1970’s the companies put their research together and made the first plastic disc. From that time technology have increase when these two companies decided to work together. Over the years people began to take an interest in the CD and is became one of the most popular forms of media storage and distribution.

1. Television

Just about every household in America has a television set. Many homes have multiple sets. This famous pastime for Americans is not from the United States. It took the effort of several scientists from all over the world to create TV. John Logie Baird from Scotland found a way to show images on a cathode ray tube with resolution back in 1925. Russian scientist Leon Theremin took this idea and made the images into interlocking lines. This was one of the first television sets and close to what people think of when they see an early TV. During the Cold War people were a little surprised and scared to know that there are something in their home that came from Russia but they kept it for entertainment anyway.

These are some of the top 10 best inventions from outside of the United States. All of these inventions are still used in modern society and make life what it is today. People do not even want to think of what life would be like without these inventions from around the world.