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During the Victorian era, the spread of education and wealth encouraged innovation and experimentation, resulting in advancements in transportation, communication, and medicine. Victorian-era technologies and discoveries dramatically altered the way we live. This was the era of Charles Darwin, Louis Pasteur, Jules Verne, and many other brilliant intellectuals.
See the fact file below for more information on Victorian Inventions, or you can download our 31-page Victorian Inventions worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
VICTORIAN INVENTIONS
Railway Network
- London Euston was the city’s first train station. It linked London and Birmingham. The trains also ran throughout England and Wales.
- In Victorian times, the railway was the primary mode of transportation for both goods and people. It was also beneficial to the Industrial Revolution.
Photographic Camera
- Nicéphore Niépce took the first image (albeit only partially successfully) in 1816. He did this with a homemade little camera.
- It was a start, but it needed to be flawless. Niépce experimented with photography until his death in 1833, when his companion, Louis Daguerre, carried on his work.
- Daguerre eventually developed the first viable photography method and camera, known as a Daguerreotype.
- This was produced in 1838 and first displayed to the public in 1839.
- He constructed them from silver-plated copper sheets that he made light-sensitive with fumes.
- The copper would next be subjected to intense illumination.
- The daguerreotype was the first type of photograph that could be marketed because it lasted so long.
- Daguerreotypes were excellent, but they were stiff and heavy. You had to keep the photos in a case since they could shatter.
Pillar Post Boxes
- A pillar post box is a tall post box on the street. It is a location where people can deposit their outgoing mail.
- Guernsey had the first pillar post boxes installed in 1852.
- Green was the color of early Victorian post boxes. They installed the first red post boxes in London in 1874, and it took over ten years to re-paint the remaining post boxes.
Sewing Machine
- At least one hand-operated mechanical device designed to do this was created in 1830 by Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier, years before Queen Victoria’s ascent to the throne in 1837.
- To mention a few, Britain manufactured hand-operated mechanical sewing machines: William Thomas (1845), Charles Tiot Judkins (1852), and Edward Joseph Hughes (1852).
- As hand-operated sewing machines became accessible, they were greatly sought after, both at home and in factories. Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter had one as well.
- Mr. Isaac Merrit Singer of the United States of America invented and commercialized the most successful hand-operated sewing machine.
- His practical and efficient technology, created by mass-production processes, also pioneered a hire-purchase scheme to acquire machines on credit in easily payable installments.
- Mr. Singer was the world’s largest manufacturer of sewing machines in 1860, eventually expanding to include Britain once his Glasgow facility opened in 1867. He designed an electric sewing machine in 1889.
Rubber Tires
- Robert William Thomson, a Scottish inventor, patented the pneumatic tire, or “the aerial wheel,” in 1845, but it wasn’t until 43 years later that he fitted them on his child’s tricycle.
- John Boyd Dunlop reinvented the pneumatic tire for bicycles and automobiles in 1888. The company still manufactures rubber tires today!
Flushing Toilets
- With the construction of sewers in the United Kingdom beginning in 1858, cholera deaths began to fall.
- In 1851, at the Great Exhibition in London, George Jennings designed a flushing toilet to flush waste into sewers.
- They were popular once Thomas Crapper improved the flushing mechanism.
- Thomas Crapper invented and patented several toilet advancements, but not the contemporary toilet; he was the first to exhibit his work in a shop showroom.
- For those who could afford them, his creations and those of others, such as Thomas Twyford, Edward Johns, and Henry Doulton, grew in favor.
Telephones
- Telecommunication cables were also established through undersea cable at Osborne in 1852, allowing Queen Victoria and the American president, James Buchanan, to send the first electronic message across the Atlantic on July 16, 1858.
- Alexander Graham Bell invented the electric telephone in 1876 while researching hearing loss.
- On March 10, 1876, Bell and his helper, Thomas Watson, achieved the first successful transmission of audible speech. “Mr.?” Bell inquired. “Watson, come here; I need to see you,” he said, and Watson listened.
- Bell patented the device under the Bell Telephone Company a year later.
- It made it feasible to speak with people far apart and converse with one another. This allowed people to communicate with friends and family thousands of miles apart.
Underground Railway
- In 1863, the world’s first underground railway opened between Paddington and Farringdon in London.
- The underground began with gas-lit wooden carriages pulled by steam locomotives and quickly expanded as part of a proposal for an underground “inner circle” connecting London’s main-line stations.
Internal Combustion Engine
- French engineer Etienne Lenoir created the first internal combustion engine in 1859. This gasoline engine was equipped with an ignition mechanism and could run constantly.
- The engine replaced animal and human power, saving time and energy and significantly impacting British industry.
- It was only a short time until German inventor Nicklaus Otto created the first four-stroke engine in 1876, which relied on kerosene, diesel, and petrol instead of coal.
- With Otto’s design, Karl Benz created the world’s first automobile.
Limelight
- Limelight was a significant technological advancement. It was also significantly improved over previous lighting methods such as candlelight, oil lamps, and whale oil.
- Limelight is often powered by coal gas (or natural gas).
- A match or lighter is used to light the gas, and the flame is utilized to ignite the wick of the lamp or fixture that it illuminates.
- Sir Goldsworthy Gurney’s introduction of this new technology in London in 1807 resulted in substantially brighter nighttime hours in homes across Europe and North America.
- Only the affluent could afford these renovations at the time!
Bicycle
- The first bicycle was called the Penny Farthing. In 1859, James Starley invented a bicycle with the large front wheel (the size of a penny) and the tiny back wheel (resembling the smaller farthing).
- It was tough to ride, especially since it lacked brakes.
- The design was simplified when James Kemp Starley invented a bicycle with two smaller wheels of the same size connected and operated by a chain in 1885.
Light Bulb
- Humphrey Davy, an English chemist, demonstrated the flow of electric current through a wire in 1802 by heating it and then emitting light.
- He and others experimented for years until the 1870s when American inventor Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb and the vital energy distribution infrastructure.
- Light bulbs altered building design, the duration of the working day, and transportation and economic opportunities.
- In the 1890s, most people’s first encounter with an electric light would have been in public locations, such as a train station. Electric light bulbs would only replace candles, oil lamps, or gas mantles in their houses well into the twentieth century.
Typewriter
- Christopher Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W. Soule invented the first typewriter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1868.
- On June 23 of that year, the gadget was patented. It was made up of a keyboard with letters and numbers (though it did not have all the numbers).
- Because people could type letters instead of handwriting them, this technology made writing faster and easier.
- The QWERTY keyboard layout became the standard for typing machines when Sholes’ patent expired in 1883.
Motor Car
- Although the ‘vehicle’ had various precursors, including a steam-powered variation, the first real Motor Car was produced in 1885 by the business Benz & Cie (later to become Mercedes Benz).
- Karl Benz, the company’s owner, received a patent for his first engine in 1879, which led to the development of the first Motorwagen.
- This was built in 1885, and the innovation was patentable in 1886. Following this, a motor car promotion began, and by 1893, they had sold 25 Benz & Cie cars.
- During the Victorian era, development proceeded, and the motor car became one of the most popular modes of transportation worldwide.
Moving Pictures
- The Lumière brothers introduced motion pictures as we knew them today to Victorian audiences in 1895.
- Auguste and Louis Lumière, two French brothers, designed a portable motion-picture camera that also featured a film processing unit and a projector. It was known as the Cinématographe.
- Lumiere and his brother were the first to show photographic moving pictures projected onto a screen to a paying audience in 1895 when they showed ten 50-second films.
X-Ray
- In 1897, German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen was working with cathode ray tubes when he realized that a screen covered in black cardboard would shine when he turned on the machine. He discovered it was due to X-rays, a type of electromagnetic radiation that can penetrate solid matter.
- He put an X-ray snapshot of Albert von Kölliker’s wedding ring and bones through its paces, discovering that the beams could penetrate human flesh.
- Röntgen recognized that the X-ray could help diagnose injuries or illnesses without requiring surgery, revolutionizing modern medicine.
VICTORIAN DISCOVERIES
Discovery of Electricity
- The nineteenth century was a time of immense invention and discovery and one of the most important—and fascinating—discoveries made during that time was electricity usage.
- Although electricity was discovered in the late 18th century, it wasn’t until much later that inventors worked out how to harness its power for practical purposes.
- Inventors used electricity to power equipment such as motors and lamps, but it was also employed to generate heat, leading to further discoveries about how heat works.
Discovery of Anaesthesia
- In the mid-1800s, surgeons could only offer patients opium, whiskey, or something to bite on to help them cope with the anguish of surgery.
- On October 16, 1846, dentist William Morton anesthetized a man with sulfuric ether before removing a vascular tumor from his neck.
- Morton began buying the local supply and used it on his dental patients once he was confident that the ether had helped suppress the pain.
Discovery of Christmas Cards
- In 1843, a wealthy British man named Sir Henry Cole wished to send “Happy Christmas” cards to everyone he knew.
- John Calcott Horsley, a friend of his, created the first Christmas card and sent it to him. The card depicted a typical family spending Christmas together and donating to charity.
Discovery of Antiseptic
- While now painless, operating rooms were bloody and filthy, and nearly half of the patients died from infection after the operation.
- Surgeon Joseph Lister was motivated by Louis Pasteur, a 19th-century microbiologist who thought that hidden microorganisms caused illness.
- Lister insisted on medical personnel washing their hands between patients and began cleaning his instruments and bandages with carbolic acid.
- He immediately witnessed a reduction in post-operative fatalities, and the global adoption of his ideas revolutionized surgery.
Discovery of a Prevention for Malaria
- Quinine, originally obtained from the bark of the Cinchona tree, fits between the DNA strands of some cells and stops malaria-affected cells from multiplying.
- Quinine efficiently protected British colonists in Africa from malaria, but it tasted awful. As a result, travelers blended quinine with gin to mask the flavor, accidentally developing the gin and tonic, which Schweppes commercialized in 1870.
The Radioactivity
- French physicist Henri Becquerel accidentally discovered radioactivity in 1895 when he placed unexposed photographic plates in a drawer among radiation-emitting substances. He was able to see the radiation’s influence on the images.
- Several scientists were interested in understanding how this mechanism worked and what it meant for life on Earth after Becquerel’s discovery.
- Marie and Pierre Curie also discovered radioactive materials radium and polonium.
- Ernest Rutherford conducted experiments with uranium ore (also known as pitchblende), which led him to the realization that there was a relationship between atomic weight and activity level for most radioactive materials.
- A mineral containing more than one isotope would have more than one nuclear weight – this became known as “isotopic abundance.”
Victorian Inventions Worksheets
This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Victorian Inventions across 31 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Victorian Inventions. Victorian-era technologies and discoveries dramatically altered the way we live. This was the era of Charles Darwin, Louis Pasteur, Jules Verne, and many other brilliant intellectuals.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
- Victorian Inventions Facts
- Who Am I?
- Then Vs. Now
- My Favorite Invention
- Invention Timeline
- Through the Years
- A Lasting Discovery
- Typewriting
- Christmas Cards
- My Invention
- A Film Presented By…
Frequently Asked Questions
What were some important inventions during the Victorian era?
The Victorian era, which spanned from the mid-19th to early 20th century, saw a plethora of inventions. Some important ones include the telegraph, steam engine, telephone, sewing machine, and the incandescent light bulb.
Who invented the telegraph during the Victorian era?
The telegraph was invented by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail during the Victorian era. They developed the Morse code, a system of dots and dashes used to send messages over long distances using electrical signals.
What was the significance of the steam engine in the Victorian era?
The steam engine, invented by James Watt, was a crucial invention during the Victorian era as it powered machinery and revolutionized transportation. It led to the development of steam-powered locomotives, which transformed the transportation industry and enabled faster and more efficient movement of goods and people.
Who invented the sewing machine during the Victorian era?
The sewing machine was invented by Isaac Singer during the Victorian era. His invention greatly improved the efficiency and productivity of garment production, leading to significant advancements in the textile industry and making clothing more affordable and accessible.
What was the impact of the incandescent light bulb in the Victorian era?
The incandescent light bulb, invented by Thomas Edison, had a profound impact during the Victorian era as it transformed the way people lived and worked. It provided a safe and reliable source of artificial light, replacing candles and gas lamps, and paved the way for modern electric lighting, extending working hours and improving overall quality of life.
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