You Probably Don't Know That These 9 Inventions Were From The 1970s

The 1970s see the blooming of culture and technology, which set the root for some of today’s most advanced products. In the 1970s, technology and new products were made at a record rate with some core items which you can find at school, in office, and at home.

Companies like Apple as well as IBM with their computers and data storage started to shape the pop culture. Without this decade, there would be no email or floppy disk. Here are 9 inventions that came from the 1970s.

Email

The first email was sent in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson. Tomlinson worked with Bolt Beranek to create computers’ text-based messaging using the ARPANET network with the symbol “@” to route messages.

Meanwhile, in 1978, 14-year-old Shiva Ayyadurai started working on an email system which was meant to be used by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. In 1982, he received the copyright for his software called “EMAIL.” Until now, it is still not clear who was the true inventor of the technology.

Mobile Phone

The first cell phone was invented in 1973 by Motorola. The company’s senior engineer Martin Cooper made a call to Bell Laboratories which was Motorola’s rival telecommunication company just to say that the call was made using a mobile. This phone looked nothing like the phone that you are using today as it was a lot chunkier. But it was an impressive invention for that time.

The phone called the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, had a weight of about two and a half pounds and a length of over one foot. You could call your friend for 30 minutes but it would take you 10 hours to charge the phone.

Intel 4004

In 1971, the first Intel programmable microprocessor called the Intel 4004 made its debut on the market. Its inventor was Ted Hoff, Federico Faggin, and Stanley Mazor. The Intel 4004 was the first programmable microprocessor that went commercial. The three then received US President Barack Obama’s National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Apple II

At some point, there is a great chance that you have wanted an Apple product. Or you have shown some respect for the controversial Steve Jobs or Steve Wozniak. After the Apple I, the company release the Apple II which set the company’s trajectory.

The Sony Walkman

The Walkman’s creation was such a moment for the pop culture. Before the invention of the CD player, Mp3 player or smartphone, the Sony Walkman is what you use to store all your favorite songs. In 1979, the device was officially on the market and after that, it became really popular.

The Rubik’s Cube

This is one of history’s most popular toys. A Hungarian architecture professor, Erno Rubik created the toy. The Rubik’s Cube was meant to be used by the professor to present information on spatial relationships during his lectures.

Rubik never expected the cube to become such a top-selling toy. He, in fact, viewed it as a piece of art.

The Digital Camera

The digital camera laid the foundations for all the cameras that installed in your phone today. Steven Sasson, a Kodak engineer, invented the first digital camera. However, like other things that came from this decade, the camera looked way different than today’s digital camera.

The invention was around eight pounds. It captured black and white photos that were 0.01 megapixels. It took the camera 23 seconds to take the image. Users also needed to connect the camera to a television set.

Floppy Disk

You may remember this invention if you were born in the 90s or even before. Maybe you had saved your primary school projects with it. The floppy disk was an invention of IBM which came out in 1971. The disk was used for software distribution, data transfer, and backups creating. However, it could only store 1.44MB.

LED Display Pocket Calculator

This calculator came with an advanced LED display and an integrated circuit. The calculator’s aim was to help people who work at school and easier have an easier time working with Maths. However, the first calculator was costly, with a price of $395.