Inventions that Shook the World

The first decade of the 1900s ushers in crucial inventions that will help shape the rest of the century. Communication gets a boost as a voice is transmitted wirelessly by radio for the first time. The vacuum cleaner stops rugs and carpets from taking a beating, and two brothers, the Wright, apply their skills as bicycle mechanics to build and fly the world's first airplane.

Saving lives and taking lives are the hallmarks of the inventions of the 1910s. From charcoal to lightly browned, the quest for perfect toast is finally realized. And, the Tommy Gun unleashes the fearsome power of the machine gun.

Mobsters, jazz, and turbulent economic times mark the 1920s. Silent film makes the transition to the talkies as sound comes to the silver screen. Criminals find that there's one less place to hide with the invention of the lie detector. And, the Space Age is launched when a rocketeer who refuses to give up finally unlocks the secret of liquid fuel.

Though overshadowed by the Great Depression, there is no shortage of ingenuity in the 1930s. The two-way radio gets miniaturized, and the world's first portable walkie-talkie goes on the air. The electric guitar changes popular music forever, and commuters become a cash cow for cities when the parking meter is introduced.

War is the driving force behind much of the innovation in the 1940s. The microwave is born after a self-taught inventor realizes that military equipment is responsible for melting a chocolate bar in his pocket. And, a sailor returns home and hits pay dirt with an invention that finally brings cats in from the cold: kitty litter.

The 1950s heralds the end of vacuum tubes and the rise of mobile technologies when two Japanese inventors shrink cabinet-size radios down to something small enough to fit in your pocket. And, the space race officially begins when the Soviet Union launches a satellite they call Sputnik.

The 1960s is a decade of both cultural and technological change. Home entertainment goes from the kitchen table to the TV screen when the video game console is unveiled. And, the United States finally wins the decade-long space race, taking a giant step for mankind by landing astronauts on the moon.

The cell phone moves from the car console to the hand when an engineer is inspired by a science fiction series. The hybrid car is reborn as an answer to the concerns over fossil fuels and pollution thanks to a tenacious inventor and the Environmental Protection Agency. The invention of the digital camera is kept in the darkroom for 20 years.

The 1980s launch an unprecedented technological age that will continue into the next century. DNA profiling begins changing crime scene investigations for all time. Network computing gets a giant boost around the world with the advent of the Internet. And, the MIR space station kicks off a new age of space science.

A new telescope named Hubble lets us see even further into the universe, revealing more of its majesty and mysteries. A young software engineer's wife gives birth to his daughter while he develops the camera phone in the waiting room. Pathfinder safely bounces to a stop on Mars thanks to an airbag system that puts cars airbag system to shame.