BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American

Subject: BS:
From: GUEST,Clogger
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 07:06 PM

There is a popular misconception that certain things were invented by our American cousins when in fact they WERE NOT!
Examples are:-
English (obviously)
Powered Flight (Wilbur and Orvile just got published more)(U.K.)
The Atom Bomb (Not so sure I am proud of this one)(Joint allied)

O.K. In the spirit of fair play (I am English after all) we can have inventions that ARE american but are thought not to be.Just be sure to tell us where they were invented.....Have fun!

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: bobad
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 07:13 PM

Canadian Inventions
Only a small percentage of the great inventions invented by Canadian inventors are listed below.

5 Pin Bowling ...a truly Canadian sport invented by T.E. Ryan of Toronto in 1909

Able Walker ...the walker was patented by Norm Rolston in 1986

Access Bar ...patented food bar designed to help burn fat by Dr Larry Wang

Air-Conditioned Railway Coach ...invented by Henry Ruttan in 1858

Abdominizer ...the infomercial exercise darling invented by Dennis Colonello in 1984

AC Radio Tube ..invented by Edward Samuels Rogers in 1925

Acetylene ...Thomas L. Wilson invented the production process in 1892

Acetylene Buoy ...invented by Thomas L. Wilson in 1904

Agrifoam Crop Cold Protector ...co-invented in 1967 by D. Siminovitch & J. W. Butler

Analytical Plotter ...a 3d map making system invented by Uno Vilho Helava in 1957

Andromonon ...a 3 wheeled vehicle invented in 1851 by Thomas Turnbull

Anti-Gravity Suit ...invented by Wilbur Rounding Franks in 1941, a suit for high altitude jet pilots

Automatic Foghorn ...the first steam foghorn was invented by Robert Foulis in 1859

Automatic Machinery Lubricator ...one of the many inventions invented by Elijah McCoy, the "Real McCoy"

Automatic Postal Sorter ...in 1957, Maurice Levy invented a postal sorter that could handle 200,000 letters an hour

Basketball ...invented by James Naismith in 1891

Bone Marrow Compatibility Test ...invented by Barbara Bain in 1960

Bromine ...a process to extract was invented by Herbert Henry Dow in 1890

Calcium Carbide ...in 1892, Thomas Leopold Willson invented a process for Calcium Carbide

Canada Dry Ginger Ale ...invented in 1907 by John A. McLaughlin

Chocolate Nut Bar ...Arthur Ganong made the first nickel bar in 1910

Computerized Braille ...invented by Roland Galarneau in 1972

Creed Telegraph System ..in 1900, Fredrick Creed invented a way to convert Morse Code to text

Compound Steam Engine ...invented by Benjamin Franklin Tibbetts in 1842

CPR Mannequin ...invented by Dianne Croteau in 1989.

Electric Car Heater ...Thomas Ahearn invented the first electric car heater in 1890

Electric Cooking Range ...Thomas Ahearn invented the first in 1882

Electric Light Bulb ...Henry Woodward invented the electric light bulb in 1874 and sold the patent to Thomas Edison

Electron Microscope ...Eli Franklin Burton, Cecil Hall, James Hillier, Albert Prebus co-invented the electron microscope in 1937

Electric Organ ...Morse Robb of Belleville, Ontario, patented the world's first electric organ in 1928

Electric Streetcar - Invented by John Joseph Wright in 1883

Fathometer ...An early form of sonar invented by Reginald A. Fessenden in 1919

Film Colourization ...invented by Wilson Markle in 1983

Garbage Bag ...(polyethylene) invented by Harry Wasylyk in 1950

Goalie Mask ...invented by Jaques Plante in 1960

Gramophone ...co-invented by Alexander Graham Bell & Emile Berliner in 1889

Green Ink ...currency or greenbacks ink invented by Thomas Sterry Hunt in 1862

Half-tone Engraving ...co-invented by Georges Edouard Desbarats & William Augustus Leggo in 1869

Heart Pacemaker ...invented by Dr. John A. Hopps in 1950

Hydrofoil Boats ...co-invented by Alexander Graham Bell, & Casey Baldwin in 1908

IMax Movie System ...co-invented in 1968 by Grahame Ferguson, Roman Kroitor and Robert Kerr

Instant Mashed Potatoes ...dehydrated potato flakes were invented by Edward A. Asselbergs, in 1962

Insulin Process ...Fredrick Banting, J. J. Macleod, Charles Best and Collip invented the process for insulin in 1922

JAVA ...a programming language invented by James Gosling in 1994

Jetliner ...the first jetliner was designed by James Floyd in 1949

Jolly Jumper ...a baby's delight invented by Olivia Poole in 1959

Kerosene ...invented by Doctor Abraham Gesner in 1846

Lawn Sprinkler ...another invention made by the Real McCoy

Light Bulb Leads ..leads made of nickel & iron alloy were invented by Reginald A. Fessenden in 1892

Marquis Wheat ...invented by Sir Charles E. Saunders in 1908

Mcintosh Apple ...invented by John McIntosh in 1796

Music Synthesizer ...invented by Hugh Le Caine in 1945

Newsprint ...invented by Charles Fenerty in 1838

Odometer ...invented by Samuel McKeen in 1854

Paint Roller ...invented by Norman Breakey of Toronto in 1940

Plexiglas ...(Polymerized Methyl Methacrylate) invented by William Chalmers in 1931

Polypump Liquid Dispenser ...Harold Humphrey made pumpable liquid hand soap possible in 1972

Portable Film Developing System ...invented by Arthur Williams McCurdy in 1890, but he foolishly sold the patent to George Eastman in 1903

Potato Digger ...invented by Alexander Anderson in 1856

Process to Extract Helium from Natural Gas ...invented by Sir John Cunningham McLennan in 1915

Prosthetic Hand ...an electric prosthetic invented by Helmut Lucas in 1971

Quartz Clock ...Warren Marrison developed the first quartz clock

R-Theta Navigation System ...invented by J.E.G. Wright in 1958

Radio-Transmitted Voice ...invented by Reginald A. Fessenden in 1904

Railway Car Brake ...invented by George B. Dorey in 1913

Railway Sleeper Car ...invented by Samuel Sharp in 1857

Robertson Screw ...invented by Peter L. Robertson in 1908

Rotary Blow Molding Machine ...this plastic bottle maker was invented by Gustave C�t� in 1966

Rotary Railroad Snowplow ...invented by J.E. Elliott in 1869

Rubber Shoe Heels ...Elijah McCoy patented an important iimprovement to rubber heels in 1879

Safety Paint ...a high reflectivity paint invented by Neil Harpham in 1974

Screw Propeller ...a ship's propeller invented by John Patch in 1833

Silicon Chip Blood Analyzer ...invented by Imants Lauks in 1986

SlickLicker ...made for cleaning oil spills, patented by Richard Sewell in 1970

Snowblower ...invented by Arthur Sicard in 1925

Snowmobile ...invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier in 1922

Standard Time ...invented by Sir Sanford Fleming in 1878

Stereo-orthography Map Making System ...invented by T.J. Blachut, Stanley Collins in 1965

Superphosphate Fertilizer ...invented by Thomas L. Wilson in 1896

Synthetic Sucrose ...invented by Dr. Raymond Lemieux in 1953

Television ...Reginald A. Fessenden patented a television system in 1927

Television Camera ...invented by F. C. P. Henroteau in 1934

Telephone ..invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876

Telephone Handset ...invented by Cyril Duquet in 1878

Tone-to-Pulse Converter ...invented by Michael Cowpland in 1974

Trivial Pursuit ...invented on December 15, 1979 by Chris Haney and Scott Abbott

Tuck-Away-Handle Beer Carton ...invented by Steve Pasjac in 1957

Undersea Telegraph Cable ...invented by Fredrick Newton Gisborne in 1857

UV-degradable Plastics ...invented by Dr. James Guillet in 1971

Variable Pitch Aircraft Propeller ...invented by Walter Rupert Turnbull in 1922

Walkie-Talkie ...invented by Donald L. Hings in 1942

Wireless Radio ...invented by Reginald A. Fessenden in 1900

Wirephoto ...Edward Samuels Rogers invented the first in 1925

Zipper ...invented by Gideon Sundback in 1913

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: robomatic
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 07:25 PM

This thread looks like a setup but:

Controlled powered flight is properly attributed to the Wright Brothers of Ohio. Got nothin' to do with who published more.

I never heard that nuclear power and weaponry was ever attributed to a single nation, but manufacture, production and use of nuclear reactors and weaponry first occurred in the US.

In the above list on first perusal I can only wonder at the attribution of Wireless radio to other than Tesla, Marconi, Armstrong and that other guy who got the patent.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Peace
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 07:55 PM

Hell, bobad, Superman's gotta count fer somethin', don't he?

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: gnu
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 08:03 PM

Invention does not equal practical application or patent.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: bobad
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 08:10 PM

Yer right Peace and as a matter of further interest re. Superman, one of the early writers for both Batman and Superman, a man by the name of Alvin Schwartz, lives in a small town near to me, I have met and spoken with him a few times, a delightful man, who also wrote what is considered to be the first existential novel "The Blowtop" in 1948.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 08:31 PM

MUDCAT was invented in America.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Rapparee
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 08:34 PM

Actually, no one person can be said to have "invented" anything.

"If I have seen further it is because I stood on the backs of giants," some Englishman or another said.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 09:17 PM

Who invented the Martini?

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Peace
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 09:21 PM

Newton?

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: GUEST,Big Al
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 09:31 PM

I invented the internet.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: bobad
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 09:38 PM

Nah Peace, didn't he invent the Fig Newton ?

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Peace
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 09:52 PM

Oh, yeah. So, who invented the marshmallow?

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: bobad
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 10:01 PM

The Egyptians

Marshmallow candy was first made by ancient Egyptians over three thousand years ago. The Egyptians made candy from the root of the marshmallow plant (Althea officinalis), a plant that grows in marshes. Today's marshmallows do not contain any mallow root - gelatin is substituted for the sweet, sticky root.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/indexm.shtml

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: GUEST,Marsha
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 10:02 PM

snap!bobad

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Peace
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 10:04 PM

OK, wise guy. Who invented Marsha?

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: bobad
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 10:07 PM

Got me there, maybe Marsha can shed light.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 10:11 PM

The shed light: that one I can answer. It was invented by my uncle many years ago. True, it was an adaptation of Edison's bulb, but my uncle named it "The Shed Light". When he needed to see what he was doing in the shed, he'd say, "Turn on the SHED light." Never once did he say, "Turn on the kitchen light" or turn on the livingroom light; nooooooooooooo, it was always "Turn on the shed light." FYI

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Rapparee
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 10:50 PM

I used to turn on such a light until I got shed of the job. Which was okay, because it was a pretty sheddy job anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Rapparee
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 10:52 PM

(Actually, the quote was from good ol' Izzy Newton. The giant whose back he mostly stood upon was an Eyetalian feller named Galileo.)

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Peace
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 11:14 PM

'"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death."

Albert Einstein'

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 11:31 PM

...and it matters not who invented what - the importance lies with who made the most of it.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 12:42 AM

The pen is mightier than the pencil.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Peace
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 12:44 AM

Mr Bic said that, huh?

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 01:15 AM

bobad:

Computerized Braille ...invented by Roland Galarneau in 1972

I can prove that I and two associates invented this in 1960. I've got the certificate for the award of the "Louis DeFlorez prize" of $500 (split 3 ways) for this "invention." The other two guys in the team both used this invention as the subject for their MS theses, and formed a company to produce it no later than about 1968 – in the US.

(Of course it depends on what your really mean by Computerized Braille. It's best to be a bit vague in discussions of this kind.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: bobad
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 11:42 AM

JinK

I don't know from computerized braille, I just copy/pasted the list but the story's here http://ieee.ca/millennium/braille/braille_his.html
Let us know how this compares to your invention.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: GUEST,clogger
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 01:20 PM

Powerd flight was an English invention, just because a wrong factoid is continiously repeated it doesent make it correct!
If you are looking for unexpected items how about BUDWISER!!or the ROCKET ENGINE!
OK it's party time and this will affect EVERYONE so who invented the "Leap Second"? Party on down and be good to each other!

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: DMcG
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 01:27 PM

As for flights, see this American Site.
Even a site concentrating on the Wright Brothers restricts their achievement to "the first sustained, controlled powered flight"; three qualifying adjectives, at least two of which are subjective (sustained for how long, for example?)

I am reminded of a story about a newspaper that accurately claimed to be the best selling independently owned weekly newspaper in the Manchester area ...

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 03:26 PM

The apocryphal story is told that at the conclusion of a US - Russian track meet the Russians reported to their own people that "Russia received the second place medal, while the US came in next to last."

?????

John

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 03:27 PM

Rapaire the quote is actually:
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants", and whilst generally attributed to Isaac Newton, it would appear to be derivative even at that time. See On The Shoulders of giants
A part of this quote is inscribed around the milled edge of a £2 coin


CHEERS

Nigel

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Rapparee
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 04:34 PM

I don't care. My point is that everything comes about in its time because of the work that went before. Besides, I was quoting from memory, and that's not what it never was anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Bert
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 04:40 PM

Logie Baird, the father of this pervasive technology, first publicly demonstrated television on 26 January 1926, in his small laboratory in the Soho district of London

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: GUEST,sorefingers
Date: 31 Dec 05 - 10:14 PM

Not taking sides but...

Rockets invented in China.

Internal combustion invented in the Yoookay.

Computers invented by Mr Babbit - oddball and general mad inventor - Victorian England.

Transisitor invented in Japan.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Ebbie
Date: 01 Jan 06 - 03:19 AM

Sorefingers, what Babbit is that? All I find is Isaac Babbit.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 01 Jan 06 - 03:51 AM

Charles Babbage. His Differential and Analytical Engines were fully mechanical calculators capable of being programmed but I don't think there was a direct line of descent from them to the electronic computers we use today.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: DMcG
Date: 01 Jan 06 - 04:45 AM

Light Bulbs were not invented by Edison, nor did he invent sound recording and playback, though in both cases he converted them to commercially practical devices.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: GUEST,clogger
Date: 01 Jan 06 - 12:22 PM

Please! I did say Rocket ENGINE!(German)
As far as I am concerned rockets are a type of firework (Chineese)
GUNPOWDER (English)however is a totaly diferent thing!
HAPPY 2006 ... Have a good one!

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: HuwG
Date: 01 Jan 06 - 03:25 PM

In the textbooks of Stalin's Russia, just about every invention of the last 200 years was attributed to some Russian, of suitably proletarian origin and usually named "Ivanov" or "Mikhailov", in the Ural mountains or somewhere equally remote.

Of course, the proof of such inventions was the official textbooks. Any earlier textbooks which failed to mention Comrade Ivanov and his marvellous invention, were by definition "Tsarist", "Trotskyite" or merely "Revisionist", and reading them was discouraged (by a bullet in the back of the head).

The "Guardian" (UK paper) several years ago, took British and American textbooks to task for similar "Ivanovisation". Who invented radio. Gugleilmo Marconi of course. His nationality ? Well, Italian textbooks give it as Italian, but that was dismissed by the others as merely an accident of where he was born. UK texts skimmed over his birth, but emphasised that much of his work was carried out in Britain, and the Marconi Company which made commercial use of his petented invention was founded there also. US books gave his nationality as American, as he later acquired US citizenship. And so on.

For an opposing view, read Michael Crichton's "Rising Sun", in which he argues that while Japan, Korea and China are busy inventing things, the American colleges are pushing out lawyers and money-manipulators.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 02 Jan 06 - 06:11 AM

Big Al the guest isn't me.

I don't give a bugger who did what.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: robomatic
Date: 02 Jan 06 - 05:04 PM

Clogger ye be a troll.

First liquid rocket was American.

If ye're talking about people what invented paper planes I've got news for you. The Chinese invented paper. Cayley and a host of others were following on the work of Da Vinci. The hilarious point that sustained controlled flight are qualifications as if they were 'limitations' is in order to distinguish what the Wrights did, which was conceptual, analytical, practical, and reproducible, to what a lot of yahoos did, which was strap on some homemade bird or bat lookin' appendages, jump off a roof, and then say they invented flight (from their hospital beds).

I also think it doesn't really matter nationality of 'inventors' you seem to be more interested in baiting than intelligent discourse. So beit.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: DMcG
Date: 02 Jan 06 - 05:30 PM

The hilarious point that sustained controlled flight are qualifications as if they were 'limitations' is in order as if they were 'limitations' is in order to distinguish ...
Understood, but that is not quite my point. The Wright's first flight was sustained for, I think, 12 seconds. Had the 'limit' been 10 seconds, someone else may have claimed it (don't ask me who!); similarly if the general opinion had been that at least 15 seconds were required, it could well have been someone else. So there is something fundamentally arbitrary in the whole business in deciding who had the first 'sustained' flight.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Jan 06 - 05:59 PM

Necessity is the mother of invention.... ain't nothing new under the sun.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: freda underhill
Date: 02 Jan 06 - 07:06 PM

these inventions are Australian..

1838 Pre-paid postage - Colonial Postmaster-General of New South Wales, James Raymond introduced the world's first pre-paid postal system.

1843 Grain stripper - John Ridley and John Bull of South Australia developed the world's first grain stripper that cut the crop then removed and placed the grain into bins.

1856 Refrigerator - Using the principal of vapour compression, James Harrison produced the world's first practical refrigerator. He was commissioned by a brewery to build a machine that cooled beer.

1858 Football - In 1858 Tom Will and Henry Harrison wrote the first ten rules of Football, thus becoming the first people in the world to codify a kicking-ball game. These rules predate those of Rugby, Soccer and Gridiron. Football may have been inspired by the Aboriginal jumping/kicking game of Marn Grook.

1874 The underwater torpedo - Invented by Louis Brennan, the torpedo had two propellers, rotated by wires which were attached to winding engines on the shore station. By varying the speed at which the two wires were extracted, the torpedo could be steered to the left or right by an operator on the shore.

1876 Stump jump plough- Robert and Clarence Bowyer Smith developed a plough which could jump over stumps and stones, enabling newly-cleared land to be cultivated.

1885 Telpahane - The forerunner of the television. It was invented by Henry Sutton in Ballarat.

1879 Refrigeration - Credited with the manufacture of the first artificial ice, Eugene Nicolle and Thomas Sutcliffe Mort developed shipboard refrigeration that resulted in the export of meat from Australia to Great Britain.

1889 Electric Drill - Arthur James Arnot, patented the world's first electric drill on 20 August 1889 while he was an employee of the Union Electric Company in Melbourne. He designed it primarily to drill rock and to dig coal.

1894 First powered flight - Perhaps inspired by the boomerang, Lawrence Hargrave discovered that curved surfaces lift more than flat ones. He subsequently built the world's first box-kite, hitched four together, added an engine and flew five metres.

Hargrave corresponded freely with other aviation pioneers, including the Wright Brothers. But unlike the Americans who monopolised their ideas, Hargrave never patented his. Because it promised public access, Hargrave left all his research to the Munich Museum.

Had Hargrave gained local support to further develop his ideas and not been so generous in sharing his ideas with other aviation pioneers, he probably would have been the first person in the world to achieve sustained and controlled powered flight.

1897 Differential gears - David Shearer of South Australia built a steam car with a differential inside left rear wheel hub.

1902 Notepad -For 500 years, paper had been supplied in loose sheets. J A Birchall decided that it would be a good idea to cut the sheets into half, back them with cardboard and glue them together at the top.

1903 Froth flotation process- The process of separating minerals from rock by flotation was developed by Charles Potter and Guillaume Delprat of New South Wales.

1906 Feature film - The world's first feature length film, The Story of the Kelly Gang, was a little over an hour long.

1906 Surf life-saving reel - The first surf life-saving reel in the world was demonstrated at Bondi Beach on 23 December 1906 by its designer Lester Ormsby.

1910 Humespun process -The Humespun process was developed by Walter Hume of Humes Ltd for making concrete pipes of high strength and low permeability. The process revolutionised pipe manufacture in 1910 and has since been used around the world.

1912 The tank - A South Australian named Lance de Mole submitted a proposal, to the British War Office, for a 'chain-rail vehicle which could be easily steered and carry heavy loads over rough ground and trenches'. The British war office liked the idea but then developed the tank themselves without paying royalties.

1913 Automatic totalisator -The world's first automatic totalisator for calculating horse-racing bets was made by Sir George Julius.

1917 Aspro - A pain reliever based on aspirin was developed in Melbourne by George Nicholas. By 1940 it had become the world's most widely used headache and pain treatment.

1922 Vegemite - One of the world's richest sources of vitamin B, vegemite was invented by Dr. Cyril P. Callister. It is made by the autolysis of expired brewer's yeast: a process where the yeast's own enzymes break it down.

1924 Car radio - The first car radio was fitted to an Australian car built by Kellys Motors in New South Wales.

1927 Speedo -In 1927 Speedo launched the revolutionary 'racer-back' style, which reduced fabric drag. In 1955, Speedo introduced the use of nylon for their racing swimwear. At the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympics, more than 70 per cent of all swimming medals were won by competitors wearing Speedo.

1928 Flying Doctor Service - Reverend John Flynn founded the world's first Aerial Medical Service in 1928.

1934 Ute- The utility vehicle, with a front like a car and a rear like a truck was designed by Lewis Brandt at the Ford Motor Company in Geelong, Victoria.

1940 Zinc Cream - This white sun block made from zinc oxide was developed by the Fauldings pharmaceutical company.
1942 Transverse folding stroller - Designed by Harold Cornish, the sturdy, lightweight design of his Stoway Strollers made life easier for many parents using public transport as it could be folded and placed under a tram seat.

1944 Antibiotic penicillin- Produced by Howard Florey with help from a Pome named Ernst Chain.
1945 The Hills Hoist - A rotary clothes line with a winding mechanism allowing the frame to be lowered and raised with ease. Invented by Lance Hill.

1952 Victor mower - by Mervyn Victor Richardson, the two-stroke petrol lawn mower with rotary blades revolutionised mowing world wide.

1950s Lagerphone- The lagerphone is a musical instrument made by nailing beer caps onto a stick. It is not known who invented it, but in the 50s it was popularised by the Heathcote Bushwackers as an alternative to the American wobbleboard.

1952 Atomic absorption spectrophotometer -Atomic absorption spectrophotometer is a complex analytical instrument incorporating micro-computer electronics and precision optics and mechanics, used in chemical analysis to determine low concentrations of metals in a wide variety of substances. It was first developed by Sir Alan Walsh of the CSIRO.

1953 Solar hot water - Developed by R N Morse at the CSIRO

1957 Flame ionisation detector -The flame ionisation detector is one of the most accurate instruments ever developed for the detection of emissions. It was invented by Ian McWilliam. The instrument, which can measure one part in 10 million, has been used in chemical analysis in the petrochemical industry, medical and biochemical research, and in the monitoring of the environment.

1957 Trousers with a permeant crease - The process for producing permanently creased fabric was invented by Dr Arthur Farnworth of the CSIRO.

1958 Black box flight recorder - The 'black box' voice and instrument data recorder was invented by Dr David Warren in Melbourne.

1960 Plastic spectacle lenses - The world's first plastic spectacle lenses, 60 per cent lighter than glass lenses, were designed by Scientific Optical Laboratories.

1961 Ultrasound - David Robinson and George Kossoff's work at the Australian Department of Health, resulted in the first commercially practical water path ultrasonic scanner in 1961.

1965 Inflatable escape slide - The inflatable aircraft escape slide which doubles as a raft was invented by Jack Grant of Qantas.

1965 Wine cask -Invented by Thomas Angrove, the wine cask is a cardboard box housing a plastic container which collapses as the wine is drawn off, thus preventing contact with air.

1970 Variable rack and pinion steering - The variable ratio rack and pinion steering in motor vehicles was invented by Australian engineer, Arthur Bishop.

1970 Staysharp knife- The self-sharpening knife was developed by Wiltshire.

1972 Orbital internal combustion engine - The orbital combustion process engine was invented by engineer Ralph Sarich of Perth, Western Australia.

1972- Instream analysis - To speed-up analysis of metals during the recovery process, which used to take up to 24 hours, Amdel Limited developed an on-the-spot analysis equipment called the In-Stream Analysis System, for the processing of copper, zinc, lead and platinum - and the washing of coal. This computerised system allowed continuous analysis of key metals and meant greater productivity for the mineral industry worldwide.

1978 Plastic injection moulding software -Engineers at Moldflow Pty Ltd revolutionised the plastic injection process with a new computer aided engineering software, that simulated the injection moulding process and offered a design strategy to evaluate, refine and optimise successive simulations. The technique has been used widely in the automotive, whitegoods, computer, packaging, communications, aeronautical and photographic industries.

1979 Race-cam - Race Cam was developed by Geoff Healey, an engineer with Australian Television Network Seven in Sydney. The tiny lightweight camera is used in sports broadcasts and provides viewers with spectacular views of events such as motor racing, which are impossible with conventional cameras

1979 Bionic ear - The cochlear implant was invented by Professor Graeme Clark of the University of Melbourne.

1982 The dual flush toilet - As dunnies have a celebrated status in Australia, it is apt that Australia has taken a central role in their evolution. In 1982, the dual flush toilet was responsible for savings in excess of 32000 litres of water per household a year. Pretty important in the world's dries inhabited continent.

1980 Wave-piercing catamarans - The high speed catamarans were developed by Phillip Hercus and Robert Clifford of Incat in Tasmania.

1983 Winged Keel - Ben Lexen designed a winged keel that helped Australia II end the American's 132 ownership of the America's cup. The keel gave the yacht better steering and manoeuvrability in heavy winds.

1984 Frozen embryo baby- The world's first frozen embryo baby was born in Melbourne on 28th March 1984

1984 Baby Safety Capsule - Babies in a car crash used to bounce around like a soccer ball. In 1984, for the first time babies had a harness for their safe transportation in cars.

1986 Gene shears - The discovery of gene shears was made by CSIRO scientists, Wayne Gerlach and Jim Haseloff.

1992 Multi-focal contact lens- The world's first multi-focal contact lens was invented by optical research scientist, Stephen Newman in Queensland.

1992 Supersonic combustion - The University of Queensland demonstrated the world's first supersonic combustion in an atmospheric flight test at Woomera on July 30, 2002. The craft reached speeds of more than Mach 8, or 8 times the speed of sound.

1993 Scramjet - The University of Queensland reported for the first time the development of a scramjet that achieved more thrust than drag.

1993 Underwater pc - The world's first underwater computer with a five-button hand-held keypad was developed by Bruce Macdonald at the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

1995 EXELGRAM - The world's most sophisticated optical anti-counterfeiting technology was developed by the CSIRO.

1995 - Jindalee Radar System - The United States of America spent $11 billion developing an aeroplane that could not be detected by radar. Scientists at the CSIRO then concluded that if the plane could not be detected, perhaps the turbulance it makes passing through air could be. $1.5 million later, the Jindalee Radar system had transformed the stealth bomber into nothing more than an unusual looking aircraft.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: freda underhill
Date: 02 Jan 06 - 07:20 PM

..and..

Australia was the first place in the world to have a secret ballot in elections (1856)
Australia was the first place in the world to give women the vote. (1894)
Torrens Title. An Australian invented the worlds first method of land registration. Now in use by many countries around the world.

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: robomatic
Date: 02 Jan 06 - 08:27 PM

Freda, I'm impressed: Makes me want to empty the prisons of America and settle 'em somwhere and wait for the genius to manifest itself!

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: freda underhill
Date: 03 Jan 06 - 06:11 AM

There are a lot of advantages to our convict heritage, robomatic! Australians don't respect authority much, are skeptical, and our heroes are decent types like Ned Kelly or Louisa Lawson .

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: Pied Piper
Date: 03 Jan 06 - 07:45 AM

Licat Volari Si Super Tergum Aquila Volat

PP

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: freda underhill
Date: 03 Jan 06 - 08:11 AM

Amicule, deliciae, num is sum qui mentiar tibi?

FU

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: GUEST,Paranoid Android
Date: 03 Jan 06 - 10:39 AM

All of these guys were Irish - anything for the price of a pint !!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Inventions 'claimed' to be American
From: GUEST,clogger
Date: 03 Jan 06 - 08:54 PM

sorry ROBO Mr Von Braun built the first liquid rockets! They used a peroxide solution ( not too popular with the flight crew as you tended to burst into flames if you spilt any on anything organic)!
Granted that given the choice he surrendered to the Americans with most of his reserch papers! He went on to develop the Saturn 5 Rockets that went to the moon.
The point I wished to highlight was that many inventions are "hijacked" by vested interests and the original inventor ignored.
I would look foreward to any inteligent discourse on this or indeed any other related matter. You are now entering my faveourite playground.... WELCOME! Incidentaly were not troll's an english invention (lol)