Some of the greatest men of all time are the founders modern civilization in which humanity now lives. Thanks to brilliant minds modern man has at his disposal devices and technologies that bring maximum comfort to his life.
Let's get to know these famous people. Who are the most famous inventors?
10.
Opens a list of the greatest scientists and inventors. His invention is considered to be an aerodynamic machine, with the help of which meteorological instruments were lifted into the air. Lomonosov is also credited with creating the prototype of a modern aircraft. In addition, he is one of the greatest physicists and chemists of his time. The scientist's interests and activities were varied and extensive. He was interested in astronomy, geography, geology, history, philology and other sciences.
9.
Humanity owes the creation of radio and radio technology to such a great mind as. The Russian inventor took part in the creation of the first radio workshop. For his services to the Fatherland in the development of science, he was awarded many awards. In 1898, he received a prestigious award from the Imperial Russian Technical Society "for a receiver for electrical oscillations and instruments for telegraphing at a distance without wires." In addition, Popov was engaged in teaching activities. Among the subjects he taught were physics, electrical engineering and mathematics.
8.
Self-taught Russian scientist Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky refers to the most famous inventors of the USSR. It is he who is considered the founder of theoretical cosmonautics and aerodynamics. Tsiolkovsky is the inventor of the wind tunnel. At the end of the 19th century, he managed to create the design of an airplane with a metal frame, but he was able to build the device only two decades later. In addition, Tsiolkovsky was creative person, who created a number of works of art.
7.
Included in the list of the most known to the world inventors, writers and politicians. Among all the discoveries of this brilliant man, one can highlight the creation of a lightning rod, Franklin furnace, glass harmonica, etc. His contribution to medicine is the invention of a flexible urinary catheter. None of Franklin's discoveries were ever patented by him. The scientist was of the opinion that any of the inventions should be open free of charge.
6.
He is one of the greatest minds of all mankind. His contribution to science can hardly be overestimated. First of all, Archimedes is known as a brilliant mathematician. Among his practical inventions are siege weapons, as well as mirrors capable of setting fire to material by focusing sun rays. The latter invention was used to set fire to sails on Roman ships. In addition, the mathematician made his contribution to the development of mechanics. He was one of the first to demonstrate complete theory leverage in practice. His invention, which is called the Archimedes screw, is still relevant today. Using this device, water can be transferred from low-lying reservoirs to irrigation canals.
5.
He is one of the most famous scientific minds in the USA. The inventor was able to obtain more than six hundred patents throughout his life. The scientist contributed to the development of industrial robots, automated warehouses and wireless radiotelephones. He created a fax machine, a video recorder and even a video camera. The magnetic tape cassette is also his invention. Lemelson was considered one of the most famous figures of his time. He was an active champion of the rights of independent scientists, which is why he was disliked by patent offices and many commercial companies. Lemelson was a true workaholic who worked 14 hours a day. Almost every night, the scientist got up several times to write down his next brilliant idea in a notebook, and in the morning he could demonstrate new projects for his future inventions.
4.
Unrecognized during his lifetime as a great scientist, today he is one of the ten most famous inventors. He made a huge contribution to the creation of equipment that runs on alternating current. In addition, thanks to Tesla, multiphase systems, synchronous generators, etc. appeared. His discoveries marked the beginning of the second industrial revolution. The inventor's contributions to science are related to the fundamentals of robotics, remote control and computer science. Nikola Tesla is the owner of more than a hundred patents. Only his descendants could appreciate his achievements in the world of inventions.
3.
He is one of the most popular scientists who has made a huge contribution to the development of humanity. One of the great minds was able to create the telephone as a result of his work with deaf patients. The audiometer is also Bell's brainchild. In addition, he owns such human creations as a metal detector and one of the first airplanes. Subsequently, the inventor created an institute named after. Volta, where improvements were made to telephony, electrical communications and the phonograph. The institute was opened with the proceeds from the creation of a telephone company. He also created the National Geographic Foundation.
2.
He is one of the greatest minds of all time and one of the most famous inventors. Edison is the holder of more than 1,000 patents in the United States alone and about 3,000 worldwide! It is he who is credited with such achievements in the world of inventions as the improvement of the telegraph, telephone and film equipment. He is considered one of the first to invent a successful version of the incandescent lamp. He owns such an invention as the phonograph. In the 28th year of the last century, the great scientist was awarded one of the most prestigious awards - the Congressional Gold Medal. Edison worked 17 hours a day. It was hard work and perseverance that helped him achieve such success.
1.
Tops the list of the most famous and greatest inventors of all time. Fame came to the scientist with the invention of the first car. He was the first to design a mobile vehicle with an internal combustion engine. After this, the first automobile company appeared, which began to actively implement Karl Benz's innovations and created the first car called Mersedes Benz. The scientist received a patent for a two-stroke gasoline engine in 1878. Later he patented all the important components and systems of the future mobile transport. We cannot appreciate the contribution to the development of science and progress made by Benz. Thanks to this man, billions of people move freely around the world on a four-wheeled structure. By the way, the first car had only three wheels.
The most famous inventors.
One can argue for a long time about who is the greatest inventor in the history of mankind. Many people claim this title without actually inventing anything of their own, but only by improving the inventions of others. Including such persons on the list of the very best would be incorrect.
Let's try to abstract from personal biases and create a truly objective list. For those who got into it, there was no need to create a significant number of discoveries. After all, there are inventors who have thousands of patents, but they are all related to minor variations of the same device or are concentrated in one narrow area.
We tried to select those representatives of science whose inventions turned out to be the most significant, having the maximum impact on society. At the same time, scientists’ thoughts were often ahead of technical capabilities of its time.
Archimedes. Why was the ancient Greek scientist in first place? First of all, because he is considered one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, having come close to calculating the number "Pi". Today, all schoolchildren and students study and use the discoveries of this Greek every day. Archimedes also became famous for inventing many useful machines. These included siege weapons and mirrors that set fire to the sails of Roman ships by focusing the sun's rays. Archimedes was the first theorist of mechanics. For example, he outlined the complete theory of leverage, applying it in practice. The scientist also developed an Archimedes screw (auger), with the help of which water is bailed out to this day. The primacy of this inventor is deserved - after all, all this was discovered more than two thousand years ago, when there were neither computers nor technologies available to inventors today. Archimedes may have studied in the libraries of Alexandria, but much of his knowledge was self-acquired.
Nikola Tesla. IN Lately There has been a surge of interest in this scientist, who was little known during his lifetime and died practically in oblivion. The Serbian, who was something of a recluse and mad scientist, can be considered today as the most responsible for the advent of commercial electricity on the planet. Although Tesla's fame is associated with his work in the field of electromagnetism, he holds patents and theoretical works that formed the basis of modern alternating current and electrical systems, including multiphase systems. It was this part of the scientist’s discoveries that ushered in the second industrial revolution. Tesla is associated with the fundamentals of robotics, laid the foundations for remote control, radar and computer science, and his works relate to ballistics, nuclear and theoretical physics. Some believe that the scientist was even able to discover antigravity and teleportation, but this, of course, remains unproven. In any case, Tesla, with his 111 patents, remains one of the best and most innovative minds in history, recognized only by his descendants.
Thomas Edison. Many will be surprised that the most prolific inventor in modern history, which owns more than a thousand patents, is not in first place. We know Edison as the inventor of the electric light bulb, the phonograph, and the kinetoscope (a device for displaying moving pictures). The inventor electrified all of New York, and he's not the first on our list? No one denies Edison's talents, but many of his famous discoveries were developed by other organizations or engineers working for him. As a result, Thomas was responsible for the work of an entire team of researchers, but he still cannot be called the main inventor. However, Edison had the unpleasant ability to violate agreements by not paying employees, but was it possible to be perfect at that time? Although the inventor was not personally responsible for everything that came out of his Menlo Park laboratory, he was undoubtedly a master of R@D and oversaw the creation and production of many greatest discoveries nineteenth century. Edison himself was distinguished by extreme efficiency and determination; right into his old age he worked 16-19 hours a day. The inventor himself noted that he sought to discover only what could subsequently have commercial benefits.
Alexander Graham Bell. It would seem that only the invention of the telephone brought fame to this man. However, if you look at all the achievements of this man over the 75 years of his life, his place on our list will become clear. Bell himself invented the telephone as a result of his work with deaf people. However, few people know that Alexander also invented devices for identifying people with poor hearing (an audiometer), for finding treasures (a modern metal detector), a hydrofoil boat, and even one of the first airplanes. With funds received from the creation of the telephone company, Bell created the Volta Institute, in which inventors improved telephony, the phonograph and electrical communications. We can also thank Mr. Bell for creating the National Geographic Foundation in 1888.
George Westinghouse. Although Edison contributed the most to his inventions, it is difficult to argue that Westinghouse's financial contributions were almost as great. George's inventions were based on an electrical system that basically used alternating current (this was the result of the work of Nikola Tesla). Ultimately, this approach prevailed over Edison's insistence on direct current and marked the beginning of the modern power grid. But Westinghouse was quite versatile - he was able to surpass Edison by inventing not only an alternating current power system, but also an air brake for railway. This discovery significantly improved safety in this type of transport. Like Edison, George also experimented with creating a perpetual motion machine. Such work can hardly be called serious, if only because this machine would violate the laws of physics, but the inventor cannot be blamed for an unsuccessful attempt. The prolific engineer eventually received 361 patents for his inventions.
Jerome "Jerry" Hal Lemelson. How, have you never heard of such a person? But he was one of the most prolific inventors in history, collecting as many as 605 patents. What did he invent? Lemelson is credited with creating automated warehouses, industrial robots, cordless telephones, fax machines, video cameras, VCRs, and magnetic tape cassettes like those used in the Sony Walkman. But Jerome's inventions also relate to medical instrumentation, cancer detection and treatment, diamond coating technology, consumer electronics and television. Lemelson became the most famous of his time, but was a strong advocate for the rights of independent inventors. This made him a controversial figure, large companies and patent offices disliked him, but Jerome was a true champion among a community of independent craftsmen like himself.
Heron of Alexandria. If this man had understood what he had invented, and even had the opportunity to make the appropriate tools and materials, then the industrial revolution could have begun not in 1750, but in 50! Alas, Heron thought that he had invented another toy, and was there a need in those days to use steam engines if there was no shortage of slaves around? Heron is considered one of the finest minds in the Roman Empire and is credited with creating such useful things as the pump, the first syringe, a fountain that could operate with hydrostatic energy, a wind-powered organ, and even the first coin-operated machine. Heron developed a device for measuring the length of roads (the first taximeter), automatic doors and the first programmable devices. Moreover, his discoveries were created in the pre-industrial era, he eventually became someone like the Thomas Edison of antiquity. It is a pity that Heron, like Leonardo da Vinci, could not develop his inventions more seriously and develop their ideas further. Then we might live in a completely different world.
Benjamin Franklin. "Seriously?" - many will ask. Yes, absolutely! Few people know that among Franklin's varied skills (he was a polymath, author and novelist, satirist, political scientist, scientist, civic activist, diplomat and statesman) was a passion for invention. Among Benjamin's many discoveries were the lightning rod, which saved countless homes and lives from lightning strikes and subsequent fires, the glass harmonica (not to be confused with the metal one), the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses, and even a flexible urinary catheter. The scientist himself never patented any of his discoveries, so his inventions have many similarities with others, which led to the belittlement creativity Franklin himself. In his autobiography, he wrote: “Just as we enjoy the benefits bestowed upon us by the inventions of others, we should rejoice in the opportunity to serve others in the same way. Any invention of ours should be open and free of charge.” This noble approach makes Franklin a worthy representative of our ten.
Edwin Land. Connecticut physicist and inventor Edwin Land may not have invented photography, but he did invent and perfect almost everything else related to it. Already in his first year of study at Harvard in 1926, the young man developed a new type of polarizer, combining crystals into a plastic sheet, calling it “Polaroid.”
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Later, joining other young scientists, he developed the polarization principle of filters, optical devices and video recording processes, founding the Polaroid company based on his discoveries. Edwin holds at least 535 US patents, and Land is believed to be best known for his invention of the fully autonomous camera. This made it possible to watch the footage on the spot, rather than having to wait a long time for the film to be developed.
Leonardo da Vinci. Many will find it strange that one of the greatest minds of the Renaissance took only tenth place in our ranking. However, the reason lies not in himself, but in the time in which he lived. The technology of Leonardo's era simply couldn't implement most of his ideas, so technically he didn't invent much at all. The scientist was more of a futurist who came up with various innovations faster than the mechanics of the time could bring them to life. And Da Vinci’s interests were so broad that he usually did not delve into any one of his ideas, leaving only a general description and a few sketches. Although the Italian foresaw the advent of such things as gliders, tanks, and submarines, he did not foresee the advent of such future great inventions as electricity, the telephone, and photography. Among the scientist’s creations are a catapult, a robot, a searchlight and a parachute. Leonardo da Vinci was undoubtedly a great mind. If he had been able to concentrate on one idea long enough to bring it to fruition, we would undoubtedly call him the greatest inventor in history.
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12 most important and significant human inventions
The history of inventions includes everything that has been created by man over thousands of years of existence, but we want to highlight the most important inventions of mankind. Along with human physiology, his intellect has also evolved. Of course, from the huge number and variety of human inventions it is very difficult to choose the most important and necessary ones, but we still compiled our rating of the 12 most important inventions in the history of mankind.
12 Gunpowder and Firearms
There are numerous strong opinions that gunpowder was invented in China. Its appearance led to the invention of fireworks and early firearms. Since the beginning of time, people have divided up territories and defended them, and to do this they have always needed some kind of weapon. First there were sticks, then axes, then bows, and after the advent of gunpowder, firearms. Now many types of weapons have been created for military purposes, from simple pistols to the latest intercontinental missiles that are launched from a submarine. In addition to the army, weapons are also used by civilians both for their own protection and protection of anything, and for hunting.
11 Car
It is difficult to imagine the modern world without cars. People drive them to work, to the countryside, on vacation, for groceries, to the cinema and restaurants. Different types Cars are used to deliver goods, build structures, and for many other purposes. The first cars resembled carriages without horses and did not move at very high speed. Now there are both simple cars for the middle class and luxury cars that cost as much as a house, accelerating up to 300 kilometers per hour. Modern world It’s simply impossible to imagine without a car.
10 Internet
Humanity has been working toward the creation of the Internet for many years, inventing new and new means of communication. Just 20 years ago, just over 100,000 people had the Internet, but now it is available in almost all more or less large populated areas. Through the Internet you can communicate both by letter and visually, you can find almost any information on the Internet, you can work through the Internet, order products, things and services. The Internet is a window to the world through which you can not only receive information, communicate and play, but also earn money, make purchases and read this site. 😉
9 Mobile phone
Just 15 years ago, in order to communicate with someone at a distance, you had to go home and call a landline phone or look for the nearest telephone booth and coins or tokens for the call. If you were on the street and you urgently needed to call an ambulance or firefighters, you had to shout in the hope that someone from the nearby houses would hear and call the right person, or quickly run and look for a phone to call. Even children always had to go around to friends and personally find out whether they would go for a walk or not, since many did not even have a telephone at home. Now you can call anywhere from almost anywhere. A mobile phone means freedom to communicate wherever you are.
8 Computer
The computer today has replaced for many such items as a TV, video or DVD player, telephone, books and even a ballpoint pen. Nowadays, using a computer, you can write books, communicate with people, watch films, listen to music, and find the information you need. What am I telling you, you know everything yourself! In addition to domestic use, computers are used for various research and development, facilitating and improving the operation of many enterprises and mechanisms. The modern world is simply impossible to imagine without computers.
7 Cinema
The invention of cinema was the beginning of the cinema and television we have today. The first motion pictures were in black and white and without sound, appearing just a few decades after photography. Today cinema is an incredible spectacle. Thanks to hundreds of people working on it, computer graphics, sets, makeup and many other techniques and technologies, cinema can now look like a fairy tale. Television, portable video cameras, surveillance cameras and in general everything related to video exists thanks to the invention of cinema.
6 Telephone
A simple landline telephone is higher than a mobile phone in our rating because for the time when the telephone was invented, it was a huge breakthrough. Before the telephone, communication was possible only by letters by mail, telegraph or carrier pigeons. 🙂 Thanks to the telephone, people no longer had to wait several weeks for a response to a letter; they no longer had to travel or go somewhere to say or find out something. Creating a telephone not only saved time, but also energy.
5 Light bulb
Before the invention of the electric light bulb, people sat in the dark in the evenings or lit candles, oil lamps or some kind of torches, just like in ancient times. The invention of the light bulb made it possible to get rid of the danger posed by lighting “devices” that used fire. Thanks to the electric light bulb, the rooms began to be illuminated well and evenly. Now we understand what great importance has a light bulb only when our electricity is cut off.
4 Antibiotics
Before the invention of antibiotics, some diseases that are now treated at home could kill a person. The development and production of antibiotics began actively in late XIX century. The invention of antibiotics has helped people overcome many diseases that were previously considered incurable. Back in the 30s of the 20th century, dysentery claimed tens of thousands of lives every year. There was also no cure for pneumonia, sepsis, or typhoid. Man could not defeat the pneumonic plague; it always led to death. With the invention of antibiotics, many serious diseases have become less of a threat to us.
3 Wheel
At first glance, you cannot say that the wheel is a very important invention, but thanks to this particular device, many other inventions such as a car or a train were created. The wheel significantly reduces the energy required to move the load. Thanks to the invention of the wheel, not only transport was improved. Man began building roads, and the first bridges appeared. Everything from shopping carts to airplanes moves thanks to the wheel. Even elevators and mills work thanks to the wheel. If you think about it a little, you can understand the full scale of the use of this simple ancient invention and all its importance.
2 Writing
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Ancient writings found in Egyptian and Mexican pyramids provide insight into the way of life of ancient civilizations. Nowadays we need writing for almost everything. Working in the office, relaxing with an interesting book, having fun on the computer, learning - all this is possible thanks to writing.
1 Language
The first place is occupied by the most ancient and frequently used method of transmitting information. Without language there would be nothing. People simply could not understand each other, as it was many thousands of years ago, when humanity was still in the first stages of its development. Today there are thousands of languages with dozens of dialects in each. Most of them are no longer used; many are used in distant corners of the world by various tribes. Thanks to language we understand each other, thanks to it we develop as a civilization and thanks to it you can learn about the 12 most important inventions of man! 😉
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I wonder if you asked the question “which inventor is the most famous,” who would you consider to be the most famous? After all, the history of mankind knows many geniuses who distinguished themselves by extraordinary discoveries and achievements in the field of science and the creation of clever devices that make our lives easier. The names of Einstein come to mind,
Newton, Tesla. However, without diminishing the merits and contributions of these minds, they still worked more to comprehend physical laws the surrounding world and fundamental properties Universe. When we talk about which inventor is the most famous, we, as a rule, mean those who created devices that are banal today, but revolutionary for their time, designed to serve us in our Everyday life. For example, an electric light bulb, a ballpoint pen, a door lock mechanism and many other little things without which we can no longer imagine our lives. Of course, it is difficult to answer unequivocally which inventor is the most famous in the history of creating technological innovations. However, we will highlight the most sonorous names.
The first of the most famous
And, perhaps, he is famous not only for his inventions. Paradoxically, not even so much by them. Everyone knows Leonardo da Vinci as a brilliant painter, author of the Mona Lisa and Madonna, sculptor and thinker. However, not everyone knows Leonardo the inventor. But he owned the most primitive mechanical designs of the first tank,
a bicycle, a parachute and even a robot. The latter was a mechanism imprisoned in a knight's armor and forcing the armor to independently perform the movements inherent in a person. Unfortunately or fortunately, most of his developments were significantly ahead of their time, and therefore did not bring much practical benefit during the scientist’s lifetime.
Thomas Alva Edison
Probably this American is the most famous inventor in modern times. 100 or more useful gadgets that are in demand among the general public says a lot. The main time of his activity falls on the second half of XIX century. Keeping pace with the developments of theoretical physicists who laid the foundations at that time, for example, thermodynamics, Thomas Edison patented a phonograph, a kinescope, a carbon incandescent lamp, and a telephone microphone. And this is only a part of his famous inventions.
And in the Slavic world, which inventor is the most famous?
The name of Ivan Petrovich Kulibin is probably known to every one of our compatriots. Coming from a bourgeois family, he was already in teenage years showed extraordinary abilities to mechanics. And throughout his life he created innovative for Russia mid-17th century century navigational instruments, water-powered engines, with an alarm clock that played different melodies.
Of course, this pantheon cannot be limited to these three individuals, despite all the power of their creativity and design abilities. The names of Henry Ford, Mikhail Kalashnikov, Rudolf Diesel, Jacques Cousteau and many, many others are widely known throughout the world.
03.05.2013
No. 10. Leonardo da Vinci
Don't be surprised that this famous inventor in 10th place. The reason is this: he invented technologies that were many years ahead of the science of that time and in fact could not be implemented. Leonardo was more of a futurist who imagined various innovations, rather than a man who could actually create real things with his own hands. In addition, his interest changed quickly and none of the theories received deep study. His inventions include a submarine, a tank, and a glider.
No. 9. Edwin Land
Physicist and great inventor Edwin Land of Connecticut didn't invent photography, of course, but he did invent or improve almost everything else related to it. In the first year at Harvard University In 1926, he developed a new kind of polarizer by combining and embedding crystals in a plastic sheet, which he called Polaroid. He applied the polarizing principle to filters, optical devices and film processes and founded the Polaroid Corporation. Holder of at least 535 US patents.
No. 8. Benjamin Franklin
Seriously? Ben Franklin? Absolutely! Not many people know that among his many skills (Franklin was a renowned polymath: writer, satirist, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, public figure, statesman, diplomat), he was amazing great inventor. Among his many creations are a lightning rod that has saved countless homes from lightning fires, Armonica glass, a Franklin stove, bifocals, and even a flexible urinary catheter. Franklin did not patent his inventions, believing that innovation should be available to everyone, which is why his inventions are often forgotten.
No. 7. Heron of Alexandria
If he knew that his invention could turn the world upside down and start an industrial revolution, he would have told the whole world about it back in 50 AD. Alas, he thought that the invented steam engine was just a toy, and, besides, with slaves, why invent a steam engine for widespread use? One of the best minds of the Roman Empire developed other useful things, including a pump, a syringe, a fountain, windmill- all during the pre-industrial era. It's a pity that he didn't develop his inventions to wide application.
No. 6. Jerome "Jerry" Hal Lemelson
One of the most fruitful famous inventors of the world in history - 605 patents. What did he invent? Things like automated warehouses, industrial robots, cordless phones, fax machines, VCRs, camcorders, and magnetic drive tapes, the tapes used in Sony's Walkman players. Lemelson has also filed patents in the areas of medical devices, cancer detection and treatment, diamond coating and consumer electronics and television.
No. 5. George Westinghouse
The main invention was electrical systems that ran on alternating current (the result of Nikola Tesla's work, by the way), which eventually surpassed Edison's DC devices and paved the way for the modern power grid. But before he surpassed Edison, he invented air-based railroad brakes. And, of course, he tried to develop a perpetual motion machine. However, to no avail. 361 patents.
No. 4. Alexander Graham Bell
Everyone knows the famous inventor of telephones, but not many know that he also invented devices that help detect icebergs, as well as a modern metal detector.
No. 3. Thomas Edison
What? The most prolific and one of great inventors of the world in modern history, with over a thousand patents and not number one? Inventor of the light bulb, the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the man who literally electrified New York? Can't be! In fact, although Edison was a gifted man, many of his most famous inventions were developed by others working for him or in collaboration with him. the whole team, which makes him responsible for the development of projects, but not their main inventor.
No. 2. Nikola Tesla
The man, little known during his lifetime, was in fact responsible for the birth of commercial electricity more than anyone else. His patents and theoretical work formed the basis of modern AC electrical power systems, including the multiphase AC electrical distribution system that helped usher in the Second Industrial Revolution. He also contributed in varying degrees to the science of robotics, laid the foundation for the development of remote control, radar, and computer science, and even participated in the expansion of ballistics, nuclear physics, and theoretical physics. Some people also believe that he worked on anti-gravity, teleportation and lasers, but this has not been proven. Either way, he has 111 patents and is recognized as one of the best and most innovative minds in history.
No. 1. Archimedes of Syracuse
How did an ancient Greek scientist take first place in the top 10 The most famous and greatest inventors of the world? First, he is recognized as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. He came close to accurately calculating the value of Pi, figured out how to determine the area under the arc of a parabola, and came up with many other things that have become nightmares for schoolchildren in math classes today. He also invented a variety of machines, including siege engines and perhaps even a device that was capable of setting Roman ships on fire using a mirror, focusing sunlight on the sails. It is not unimportant that he did all this more than 2000 years ago, without the help of computers or technology available to many inventors today. Additionally, despite the fact that he trained at Alexandria (although this is not confirmed), he acquired most of his knowledge the old fashioned way - through personal experience.