6 inventors are famous for things they never invented

In today's world, inventors are the ones who receive a lot of respect. They may be the authors of a useful application, or have worked on an interesting technology solution to overcome a common problem.

This admiration actually took place throughout the history of mankind. Rarely have any achievements in our history been as dramatic as the invention of something that changed the world.

However, those inventions also entailed many scandals. A new product idea or idea sometimes goes along with heated debate to determine who is actually the one who put it out. And history has many times mistakenly recorded some famous inventors for inventions that belong to others. Let's explore the true stories behind the legacy of some of those famous inventors.

Thomas Edison and the light bulb

The name "Edison" seems to be synonymous with "Light Bulbs" - especially after the retro-style light bulbs called "Edison Bulbs" have suddenly become a global trend. However, Thomas Edison was not the inventor of the light bulb.

Edison was credited with inventing the light bulb because he patented the light bulb patent in 1879 and helped perfect it into a commercial product. However, the first light bulb was invented in 1840 by Warren de la Rue, an English scientist.

De la Rue uses a platinum thread in its light bulb, making it too expensive for everyday use. Then, in 1860, an English chemist named Joseph Swan developed a light bulb with a hair made from carbonized paper. This change made the lamp much cheaper, and Swan filed a patent for a new design in 1878. However, his design was still not the most practical design. Edison continued to perfect it with a new, more efficient hair design.

After some controversy over who owns the design (Edison even sued Swan once), the duo teamed up to start the electric light company Edison and Swan. However, Swan's history was largely forgotten, and Edison was eventually credited with inventing the light bulb.

Galileo Galilei and the Telescope

A Dutch eyeglasses manufacturer registered its first telescope patent in 1608.

Galileo Galilei, the world famous astronomer, sometimes called the "father of modern science" , is credited as the inventor of the telescope. However, a Dutch eyewear manufacturer named Hans Lippershey registered the first telescope patent in 1608. This invention may not be his, but Lippershey was the first to apply for the patent. for this design.

Nevertheless, Galileo still achieved some impressive achievements: he heard about the Dutch telescope in 1609 and quickly designed his own glasses without actually seeing the original design. . He also improved that design, making his glasses stronger than the original. In addition, he came up with the idea to use telescopes to see objects in space instead of just looking at objects from a distance on Earth. He did not invent the telescope, but simply turned it into a better product.

Albert Einstein and Equation show the equivalence between mass and energy

Although Einstein certainly deserves recognition for his revolutionary contributions to the field of physics, he was not the inventor of his most famous formula: E = mc ^ 2. The equation showing the equivalence between mass and energy actually comes from previous scientists.

According to one historian, Italian industrialist Olinto De Pretto published this formula in 1903 (Einstein published it in 1905). However, another scientist, JJ Thompson, discovered a similar equation even earlier: m = (4/3) E / c ^ 2. And yet, another scientist, Henri Poincaré, published his equation, m = E / c ^ 2 just a few months before Einstein's revolutionary research appeared.

Of course, Einstein never stole anyone's idea - it was perfectly normal for scientists to develop the results of their predecessors. And none of these scientists has come close to Einstein's theory of relativity - which makes the equation meaningful. Anyway, they still deserve to be recognized for helping find one of the most important equations in the history of human science.

Alexander Graham Bell and the telephone

Bell did not invent a telephone.

Bell never invented the telephone, his most famous invention! People simply remember him when recalling the origin of the phone, because he was the first to successfully register a patent for its design.

An immigrant from Italy named Antonio Meucci gave the original idea of a telegraph could "speak" . He turned the idea into reality in 1849, and by 1871 he was ready to announce this invention to the world. However, personal difficulties prevented him from pursuing the design to the end.

Bell tweaked the design, turned it into a working phone and patented it in 1876. At that time, a professor named Elisha Gray was developing something similar. Gray sent his lawyer to the patent office the same day Bell sent his lawyer.

Some stories tell that Gray's lawyer filed the papers first, but Bell's lawyer found a way to persuade the patent office to register the patent for Bell. Whatever actually happened at the patent office that day, Bell finally went down in history as the inventor of the telephone.

Alexander Fleming and the drug Penicillin

Everyone loves interesting stories revolving around scientific discoveries, though they often have more fiction than reality. The story goes that Fleming, a Scottish bacteriologist, one morning walked into the lab and found that a piece of mold killed some bacteria on a lab dish. His mind suddenly brightening, he realized that this could be a valuable medical application to combat bacterial diseases.

However, the truth is that Fleming's colleagues - Howard Florey and Ernst Chain - were the ones who turned his discovery, penicillin, into a breakthrough in the field of medicine. Fleming did not really believe in its medical applications. A French medical student named Ernest Duchesne discovered the medical properties of mold decades before Fleming realized it.

In fact, ancient cultures seem to have known some types of molds have antibacterial properties for thousands of years. But Duchesne's research on a mold called Penicillium glaucum has brought this knowledge into modern times. He discovered that this mold could save guinea pigs from bacterial diseases.

Duchesne's mold was not like the mold that was later used to produce penicillin, so the antibiotic he discovered was not as strong as Fleming's. Still, he deserves credit for being the first modern-day researcher to harness the antibacterial power of mold.

The Wright brothers and first flight

A man named Gustave Whitehead made his first flight in 1901, two years before the Wright brothers.

Orville and Wilbur Wright are widely known as the inventors of the aircraft. However, lawmakers in Connecticut insisted a man named Gustave Whitehead made his first flight in 1901, two years before the Wright brothers took off.

However, many people do not think that there is enough convincing evidence to prove that Whitehead was the first person to fly. Richard Pearse of New Zealand made his first flight a year later, 1902, and was more widely recognized for this achievement. Pearse, despite flying after Whitehead, still defeated the Wrights brothers a year.

Still, Pearce preferred privacy over publicity, so the glory and fortunes of the first flight ultimately belonged to the Wright brothers. They certainly did a lot to become the pioneers in the aviation industry, but they were not the first to take off.

The question of who invented what is always a difficult question, because almost all inventions are based on previous efforts to succeed. It is always said that nothing is natural. The stories of the origin of the aforementioned inventions show that many people deserve to be credited - and the truth is, most inventions in the world are the product of not one single person.