Buzz
It’s easy to assume that modern life is worlds apart from the 1800s, but even with today’s communication advancements, many of our daily comforts trace back to inventions from that era. The Victorian period, in particular, saw the rise of more modern conveniences than you might realize.
The 1800s were a time of relentless curiosity and innovation, with people constantly striving to expand their understanding and enhance society. While not every invention was flawless, many proved so useful that we still rely on them today. Here are ten of those groundbreaking ideas.
10. Concrete
While cement may seem like a modern construction material, its origins go back centuries, even to the time of the pyramids, where an early form of concrete was mixed to create mortar. The ancient Romans also utilized a similar substance when constructing the Colosseum.
The concrete industry truly exploded with the invention of Portland Cement in 1824. This material became the cornerstone of modern concrete, mixed with sand and gravel to create a durable yet flexible substance. Joseph Aspdin, an English bricklayer, developed the first Portland cement by heating powdered limestone and clay in his kitchen stove, producing a powder that could be combined with water.
Concrete’s easy transportability (compared to large rocks), incredible strength, and ability to be poured into difficult-to-access areas made it a revolutionary material. During the Victorian era, concrete was primarily used for road construction and heavy industries, although it was also occasionally employed in building houses.
9. Chocolate
Although cacao has been cherished in the Americas for thousands of years, chocolate as we recognize it today came into being during the 19th century. Some progress was made by Coenraad Johannes van Houten in 1828 when he invented the cocoa press, capable of extracting cocoa butter from roasted beans. However, it wasn’t until 1847 that Joseph Fry crafted the first solid, edible chocolate bar using cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and sugar.
He enhanced the recipe by adding more cocoa butter to the pressed beans, which allowed the chocolate to harden into a convenient bar shape. This process was further refined in 1875 when Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé introduced condensed milk, creating the first milk chocolate bar. Chocolate has since become one of the world’s most successful products, contributing to the growth of various industries, including the diet industry.
8. Flushing Toilets
While we’ve always had some form of toilet, some of these early versions were surprisingly advanced. For example, the Indus Valley Civilization in Bronze Age Asia had a sophisticated sewage system beneath the streets, where toilets were connected to water-filled drains. Similar systems were discovered during excavations of the Minoan civilization in Crete.
The modern flushing toilet design we use today was developed during the Victorian era. In 1775, Alexander Cumming patented the s-bend toilet, which trapped unpleasant smells below a water-filled airlock in the pipes. Although his invention went mostly unnoticed at the time, it gained significance in the 1800s, particularly after the Great Stink of 1858, when a foul sewage odor overwhelmed London and led to the closure of Parliament.
The combination of the cistern toilet and the s-bend waste system proved to be a success, and savvy entrepreneurs like Thomas Crapper (who did not invent the toilet, despite the myth) quickly began marketing the new water closets to those who could afford them. This was accompanied by the invention of toilet paper in the US in 1857. By 1892, coin-operated locks for public toilets were introduced. It seems there’s always a way to profit.
7. Pasteurization
In 1856, Louis Pasteur was asked by an alcohol manufacturer to investigate why their alcohol was souring. At that time, fermentation was thought to be a purely chemical process, but Pasteur discovered that yeast was a living organism. His research ultimately led to his development of the germ theory of fermentation.
Pasteur discovered that heating substances at a specific temperature for a set duration could eliminate microbes, which led him to focus on preserving wine and canned foods. He identified the exact temperature and time needed to kill off harmful microorganisms. This method, which he patented, became known as pasteurization.
It wasn’t until the late 1800s that pasteurization was applied to milk. Milk was recognized as a common carrier of tuberculosis (TB), and the incidence of TB drastically decreased after pasteurization was introduced. Milk was heated to 72 degrees Celsius (161 °F) for 15 to 20 seconds to make it safe. While selling unpasteurized milk is illegal in many countries, some farmers still drink raw milk on their farms, giving rise to yet another invention: the stomach pump.
6. The Mail
Though the traditional postal system has seen a decline, it remains an incredibly efficient method for moving millions of pieces of mail across the globe each day.
Before the modern mail system was established, postage was not based on the weight of a letter but rather the distance it traveled and the number of sheets it contained. The recipient was responsible for the cost, which meant many letters, especially bills, went undelivered.
The Uniform Penny Post was introduced in England in 1840, with the iconic Penny Black stamp being the world’s first-ever adhesive postage stamp. This revolutionized mail delivery, doubling the number of letters sent and, more importantly, delivered, overnight. In 1839, around 76 million letters were sent, but by 1840, this number soared to 169 million, and by the time Queen Victoria passed away in 1901, over two billion letters and postcards were being sent annually.
A similar postal service was launched in the United States in 1847, and soon, the rest of the world followed suit. The system became so reliable that in London, deliveries were made up to 12 times a day, and people complained if their mail took longer than a few hours to reach them. However, this inexpensive postal service also gave rise to some unwelcome innovations. During the Victorian era, junk mail, begging letters, and mail fraud were also invented.
5. The Sewing Machine
The sewing machine was the first home appliance to truly revolutionize domestic life, bringing Industrial Revolution technology into households. The earliest patent for a sewing machine dates back to 1755, but it wasn’t until Barthelemy Thimonnier’s patent in 1830 in France that a riot occurred among tailors, who feared for their jobs and destroyed the machines. Several attempts followed until Isaac Merritt Singer perfected the design and started mass production. In 1860, he sold 110,000 machines in the U.S. alone, and the basic design has remained largely unchanged.
The Singer Company became one of the first American multinational companies. Despite domestic sewing machines costing about a quarter of the average annual wage, they were selling faster than they could be made. By the time of Singer’s death in 1875, his company was generating $22 million in annual profit, an extraordinary amount for the time. This success was perhaps due to Singer’s other “great” invention—the installment payment plan, which allowed customers to pay for their machines over time.
4. The Subway
The subway, also known as the tube, underground, or metro, is a brilliant transportation system designed to efficiently move large crowds across densely populated urban areas.
Early underground rail systems initially relied on conventional steam engines. In 1866, construction began on London’s first 'tube' line, which used deep tunnels to prevent interference with building foundations and electricity to power the trains. The tube opened in 1890, charging a twopence fare for any trip along the 5-kilometer (3-mile) stretch. This sparked the rapid expansion of additional lines.
Other cities quickly followed suit. Budapest inaugurated its subway in 1896, Paris in 1900, and New York in 1904. Today, over 150 metro systems operate globally, with New York’s being the largest, boasting either 468 or 421 stations, depending on the count.
3. The X-Ray
In 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered the X-ray while experimenting with cathode ray tubes in his lab. He observed that crystals near the tube emitted light and realized the rays could pass through various materials. Further investigation revealed that the rays could penetrate human tissue but were blocked by bone.
The discovery of cathode rays piqued the interest of many scientists, leading to experiments that combined this new technology with photographic plates for medical use. Within just six months of Roentgen's breakthrough, battlefield surgeons were already using X-rays to locate bullets in injured soldiers.
The public was fascinated by this novel technology, with fairground shows offering people a chance to view their own skeletons. At the time, the side effects of the process were unknown, and it’s estimated that early machines emitted about 1,500 times more radiation than today’s models, causing radiation burns and even hair loss in some patients.
Well, they couldn’t be expected to think of everything.
2. The Radio
In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi achieved the milestone of sending the first radio signal to himself in Italy. By 1899, he had managed to transmit the first signal across the English Channel, and in 1902, he accomplished the feat of sending a message across the Atlantic.
Marconi was not alone in pioneering the field of radio. Numerous other scientists, including Nikola Tesla, were conducting research on radio waves and transmitters. A dispute arose regarding who made the discovery first, and in 1943, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Tesla.
When World War I began, radio transmission was still in its early stages. However, war often fosters innovation, and significant advancements were made in the range and quality of radio technology. Radio began to be used not only for communication, but also to relay information about the war. By the time World War II arrived, radio had become an essential tool for information dissemination, communication, and propaganda.
UNESCO reports that today, 75 percent of people in the developing world and almost everyone in the developed world have access to radio, tuning into 44,000 stations worldwide. While many stations are shifting to digital, much of the technology still relies on the innovations made by Marconi and Tesla.
1. The Pneumatic Tire
Robert William Thomson first patented the pneumatic tire in 1845 (or 1847, depending on the source), nearly forty years before John Dunlop reinvented the concept. Thomson referred to his invention as the 'aerial wheel.' At the time, however, there were few automobiles or bicycles, so the invention was deemed unnecessary and never saw mass production.
When Dunlop reinvented the pneumatic rubber tire, bicycles had become widespread, and his tires quickly began to appear on streets around the world.
By filling a rubber tube with air, the harsh, jarring ride caused by wooden wheels was greatly reduced. This process has remained largely unchanged, and the rise of the automobile industry made the pneumatic tire one of the most essential inventions worldwide.
