About 1,700 years before James Watt, the Egyptian mathema... | funfact.wiki | funfact.wiki
About 1,700 years before James Watt, the Egyptian mathematician Heron invented the first steam engine, the Aeolipile. A sphere filled with water, when heated, released steam through nozzles, spinning the ball — likely used to open temple doors.
The barbershop pole originated from a time when barbers in Europe also performed surgery. Red represents arteries and bleeding, blue represents veins and shaving, and white represents bones and bandages.
The world's firstsunglasses were invented about 2,000 years ago by Arcticindigenous people. They carved animal bones or ivory to fit the face with thin slits, preventing snow blindness from UV rays reflected off the snow.
The earliest recorded spam was a dental advertisement sent by telegram in 1864 in Britain. The furious recipient wrote to The London Times: "By what right do they send me a telegram that is plainly, purely an advertisement, to disturb me?"
The lighter was invented before the match. In 1823, German chemist Döbereiner created the first lighter using hydrogen from a zinc-sulfuric acid reaction. The friction match wasn't invented until 1827, four years later, by English chemist John Walker.