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Beat You To It: 17 'Recent' Inventions That Are Older Than People Realize

Drones are older than sliced bread.

By Carly Tennes

Published 6 months ago in Wow

While it may seem like 3D printers, electric cars, and Altoids are all things of the recent past, the stories behind these innovations are decades, if not centuries long. Just ask our parents, grandparents, and in some cases, great-grandparents who saw drones in warfare ran over linoleum floors and lit up a cigarette without a match. 


From fax machines to vaccines, here are 17 'modern' inventions that afre way older than you think. 

  • 1

    UAVs (or Drones)

    The first UAV was used in battle in 1849.

    UAVs (or Drones)

  • 2

    The Fax Machine

    “The fact that the fax machine was invented in [the mid 1800s], Lincoln died in 1865, and samurai’s were still around in 1868, meant that Abraham Lincoln could have sent a fax to a Samurai.”

    The Fax Machine

  • 3

    The Calculator ... Kind Of

    “The abacus could fairly be considered a calculator and was in use a couple thousand years BCE.”

    The Calculator ... Kind Of

  • 4

    The Electric Motor

    “The electric motor was first invented in 1832.”

    The Electric Motor

  • 5

    Vending Machines

    The first modern vending machines date back to the early 1800s in London.

    Vending Machines

  • 6

    Running Water

    “Running water. Go back to 1850 and it didn't exist. There were outhouses or if you lived in a major city such as New York, you used a chamber pot and just threw your urine and feces out the window to fall into the streets below. But go back 2,000 years and the Ancient Romans had running water. Clearly it was invented long ago but for some reason we lost that technology until the late 1800’s.”

    Running Water

  • 7

    Electric Street Lights

    “The first electric street lights were installed in [1880]”

    Electric Street Lights

  • 8

    Vaccines

    The first vaccine was given in 1796, after Dr. Edward Jenner discovered that people who became sick with cowpox developed an immunity to smallpox.

    Vaccines

  • 9

    Linoleum

    Linoleum was first created in [1860], and was a very common flooring during Victorian [and] Edwardian periods.

    Linoleum

  • 10

    The 3D Printer

    The first 3D printer dates back to 1981

    The 3D Printer

  • 11

    The Microwave

    The Microwave was patented in 1945.

    The Microwave

  • 12

    Contact Lenses

    “Da Vinci invented the contact lens in the 16th century. Obviously not the modern version of it, but he laid the groundwork to correct people's vision through a lens.”

     Contact Lenses

  • 13

    Altoids

    “A random small one: Altoids. They were invented three years before the U.S. became a recognized country, in 1780.”

    Altoids

  • 14

    The Pythagorean Theorem

    The Pythagorean Theorem dates back to the days of ancient Babylon circa 1900 B.C.E.

    The Pythagorean Theorem

  • 15

    Braking Systems

    Ancient Roman carts employed brakes, bearings and elastic suspensions.

    Braking Systems

  • 16

    The Electric Car

    The first electric car was invented in Germany in 1888

    The Electric Car

  • 17

    The Cigarette Lighter

    The cigarette lighter predates the match. The lighter was invented in 1823, whereas the match was invented three years later in 1826.

    The Cigarette Lighter

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