Greatest Scientific Discoveries Essay Example

Fermi conducted an experiment in a laboratory that proved the possibility of unlocking atomic energy in a controlled manner. This was a significant achievement as it resulted in the creation of the first ever self-sustaining chain reaction with limitless benefits for mankind if monitored properly. However, Szilard, who worked alongside Fermi on CP-1, believed that this accomplishment would be remembered as a black day for humanity due to its potential to unleash incredible power if left uncontrolled. In contrast, computers have become an essential part of our daily lives today and their invention cannot be attributed to any single person similar to other recent inventions.

Charles Babbage was the man who foresaw the existence of a general-purpose computing machine in 1834. Despite his death in 1871, Lord Kelvin also suggested a similar idea five years later. However, it took many years before a machine was developed that fulfilled their goals. Manchester University's Dr Freddie Williams led a team that is believed to have produced the first true computer. This invention was commercially manufactured by Ferranti under the name Ferranti Mark 1.

America's first commercial computer, UNIVAC, was created in 1951 and utilized to forecast the result of the 1952 US Presidential election. The inception of the Internet commenced in 1969 via Arpanet, which comprised four computers and obtained funding from America's Defense Department's Research Projects Agency. Additional computer networks like AOL and Compuserve surfaced between 1975 and 1985.

In the late 1970s, Arpanet created an inter-networking system called the internet to address communication challenges across multiple networks. Arpanet's development of TCP/IP protocols facilitated effective communication between disparate networks by enabling network communication within this system.

Although security was a

concern, the Internet still grew and became a network connecting multiple networks. The number of computers connected to it increased from 50,000 to 1 million between 1988 and 1991. Despite this growth, finding information on the web was difficult due to poor organization until Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist studying in Switzerland, came up with a solution.

In 1991, the inventor introduced the world-wide-web (www) as a way to organize and link information from varying sources. The system facilitated the transfer of text, sound, images, and video clips while simplifying usability for the public. Its main function was to guide users to relevant information.

The number of Internet users has been increasing yearly since 1998 when it reached 130 million. Travel was revolutionized by Sir Frank Whittle's jet engine which enabled millions of people to accomplish something that was almost unimaginable just 70 years ago - crossing the Atlantic quickly. Although the Wright brothers were the first to create a practical airplane, Sir Frank Whittle is credited with inventing the first functional jet engine which he developed and successfully tested in the laboratory in 1937.

Airplane safety improved with the addition of a new jet engine, originally designed for military aircraft. Following the war, this invention was applied to commercial airplanes, resulting in faster travel and increased capacity for passengers on larger planes. In 1958, Boeing became the industry leader in jet-powered airliners with the introduction of their 707 model.

The invention of Whittle revolutionized transportation by enabling safe and efficient long-distance travel at high speeds, which was previously impossible. Although Igor Sikorsky is credited with inventing the modern helicopter, rotary-winged aircraft can be traced back to the 4th

Century in a book called "Pao Phu Tau". This ancient text describes a flying car that stays airborne through spinning blades. Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of an "airscrew" machine in 1480 was not realistically capable of flight. The first person to vertically ascend in a powered rotary-wing aircraft was Frenchman Paul Cornu, who achieved this feat in November 1907.

The machine soared 1.8 meters high and hovered for 20 seconds, necessitating the use of rods by ground crew to maintain its trajectory. However, upon impact with the ground, it was completely wrecked. Across the Atlantic in America, Igor Sikorsky developed his VS-300 in 1939 which originally flew while tethered to the earth. In May of 1940, Sikorsky achieved his first untethered flight and in 1941 he broke a global record by keeping the VS-300 airborne for an hour and thirty-two minutes.

In 1943, the US Navy began using the Sikorsky R4 as the world's first production helicopter. Fast forward to 1955 and there were only 250 personal computers in use globally. The reason for this is that at the time, computers were too large to fit into an average-sized room of a typical household. However, by 1980 over one million personal computers had been sold and this number skyrocketed to 30 million by the mid-1980s making them commonplace in households today.

Originally, early computers had a tendency to burn out and attract moths which caused short-circuits. This was the basis for the term "computer bug". However, with the advent of smaller transistors in the late 1950s, computer size was reduced. By the mid-1960s, microchips became the primary component of computers and replaced transistors.

The development of the microchip led

to the emergence of small computers that were suitable for use in average-sized rooms. Originally, personal computers were mainly used by enthusiasts until the release of the Altair 8800, which was considered a reasonably priced hobby computer costing nearly ?900 today. Despite its affordability, it had computing abilities equivalent to those of a $1 million computer from the 1950s. In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen created a BASIC programming language program for use on the Altair.

In 1975, Apple Computers was established by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniac with the goal of creating an affordable "home/personal computer". Their user-friendly plastic-cased computer came equipped with a keyboard, video unit, and removable floppy discs. It was priced at ?2400 in current currency. IBM followed suit by releasing their own personal computer in 1981.

Microsoft was awarded the contract to develop the operating system for the IBM personal computer, resulting in the majority of personal computers being IBM compatible and Microsoft naming their new operating system MS-DOS.