Throughout history, inventions have made life easier by improving agriculture, manufacturing, and technology. In the pre-industrial era, Johannes Gutenberg's printing press allowed for the spread of information. During the industrial revolution, inventions like John Deere's steel plow and Thomas Newcomen's steam engine increased farming efficiency. Richard Arkwright's water frame catalyzed factory growth. The 20th century brought unprecedented technological advances, from the Wright brothers' airplane to the silicon chip, revolutionizing computers and miniaturizing devices. All of these inventions transformed lives for the better by increasing productivity and convenience.

1. Thesis: Throughout history mankind in western civilization have used new inventions to make their lives easier. By Michael Fairchild

3. (The 1712 Atmospheric engine) Additional new discoveries that improved lives-In 1668, Isaac Newton built the first practical reflecting telescope, which bears his name, the Newtonian reflector. -The atmospheric engine invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, today referred to as a Newcomen steam engine (or simply Newcomen engine), was the first practical device to harness the power of steam to produce mechanical work (pictured right) -the atmospheric engine, invented by Thomas Newcomen, paved the way for the Industrial Revolution. The Water Frame Richard Arkwright patented the Water Frame in 1768. It had been designed by Thomas highs on his behalf. The Water frame was a large wheel that was turned by running water. This was then harnessed to turn cogs inside a factory which then made the machinery work. This invention led to the building of a number of factories and is regarded by some as being the catalyst of the Industrial Revolution. Richard Arkwright Isaac Newton The water frame

5. The Modern Era Modern era: The twentieth century saw such an overwhelming rate of new inventions. The Wright brother’s demonstration that an aircraft capable of flight was possible in 1903 and only 72 years later man set foot on the moon. There many other extremely important inventions like the silicon chip semiconductor that ultimate led to the computer. All of these and the many others made life in the twentieth century far easier than that of the other previous eras. Other important examples are… The silicon chip was invented in 1961 by two American electrical engineers, Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce. Their creation revolutionized and miniaturized technology and paved the way for the development of the modern computer. Until the chip was invented, most electrical devices were constructed using bulky, power-hungry vacuum tube technology. (left) Jack Kilby Wilbur and Orville Wright (Left) Henry Ford’s assembly like in Dearborn, Michigan. Henry Ford (1863-1947) invented an improved assembly line and installed the first conveyor belt-based assembly line in his car factory in Ford's Highland Park, Michigan plant, around 1913-14. The assembly line reduced production costs for cars by reducing assembly time. Invented Mass production.

6. Sources- Slide 2 sources- http://communication.ucsd.edu/bjones/Books/printech.html http://www.fecha.org/gutenbergbio.html http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/printpress.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg Slide 3 sources- http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldeere.html http://www.antiquefarming.com/john-deere-history-1.html Slide 4 sources- http://library.thinkquest.org/16541/eng/learn/library/content/arkwright.htm http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsteamengine.htm http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/inventor/text2.htm Slide 5 sources- http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/indexh.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinning_jenny Slide 6 sources-http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarsassemblya.htm http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/integratedcircuit.htm