14 Great I nventions of C hanging the W orld What's the greatest invention since sliced cheese? Wait: Why is sliced cheese so great in the first place? Here are 14 inventions that REALLY changed the world -- cheese not included. Bicycle (1861) The French vélocipède, invented in 1861 by Pierre Marchaux, is widely considered to be the first true bicycle. There are a billion bicycles now worldwide, twice as many as automobiles. Aspirin (1899) The first recorded use of Aspirin-like remedies (药物) goes back to nearly 500 BC when Hippocrates, the "father of modern medicine" , wrote about treating such symptoms as headaches, pains, and fevers using willow (柳树) bark (树皮) and leaves -- which contain salicylic acid (水杨酸) . The formula (配方) was perfected in 1899 by a French chemist who developed acetylsalicylic acid ( 乙酰水杨酸 ) , which maintained the benefits of pure salicylic acid with less severe side effects ( 副作用 ) . By 1899, Bayer was selling it around the world. Wheel (3500-3350 BC) The invention of the wheel has been pivotal (关键的) for technology in general, setting the foundation for future developments such as the water wheel (水车) , the cogwheel (齿轮) , and the spinning wheel (纺车) . Modern descendants include the propeller (螺旋桨) , the jet engine (喷气式发动机) , and the turbine (涡轮机) . Bra (Early 1900s) Mary Phelps Jacob was looking for an alternative (供替代的选择) to the ubiquitous (到处存在的) and sometimes unsightly (不雅观的) corset (紧身胸衣) . She ended up creating a bra using a handkerchief (手帕) and ribbon (缎带) . Jacob was awarded a patent (专利) in 1914 and would later sell her business to Warner Brothers Corset Company for $1,500. Flush Toilet (1596) Various versions (版本、形式) of flushing toilets were used as far back as the 26th century BC in the Indus Valley (印度河流域) , where the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro had a flush toilet in almost every house, attached to a sophisticated (精密的) sewage (污水) system. The true prelude (序幕) to the modern flush toilet began in 1596 when Sir John Harington installed (安装) his version of a flush system for the Queen of England. Thermometer (温度计) (16th Century) The word thermometer (in its French form) first appeared in 1624 in La Récréation Mathématique by J. Leurechon, who describes one with a scale (刻度) of 8 degrees. But each inventor and each thermometer was unique -- there was no standard scale. Finally in 1724 Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit produced a temperature scale which now (slightly adjusted) bears his name. Radio (1895) Though guys like James Clerk Maxwell, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison all made important contributions to the development of radio technology, it was Guglielmo Marconi who built a wireless system capable of transmitting (传送) signals (信号) at long distances in 1895. Plow (犁) (6000 BC) The domestication (驯服) of animals such as oxen provided mankind with the pulling power needed to develop the first plows. They consisted of a frame (框架) holding a vertical (垂直的) wooden stick that was dragged (拖、拉) through the topsoil (表层土壤) --- and are still used in many parts of the world. Paper (105 AD) Paper has traditionally been traced to China about 105 AD and is considered one of the country's four great inventions. Microwave Oven (1945) The development of the microwave oven was one of those happy accidents. American engineer Percy Spencer was working for Raytheon building magnetrons (磁控管) for radar (雷达) sets when he noticed that a Mr. Goodbar in his pocket started to melt. Spencer realized it had been the microwaves that had done the trick. The first food he deliberately (故意地) cooked? Popcorn of course. Microchip (1958) In their half century of existence, microchips have practically taken over the world -- landing themselves in everything from computers to even humans. Light Bulb (19th Century) While Thomas Edison is often mentioned as the inventor of the light, historians Robert Friedel and Paul Israel cite (举例) at least 22 earlier inventors. Edison's version was able to transcend (超越) others because of some key details, including finding an effective incandescent (发白热光的) material and being able to achieve a higher vacuum (真空) and a high resistance (电阻) . Paper Clip (回形针) (1867) According to the Early Office Museum, the first patent for a bent wire paper clip was awarded in the United States to Samuel B. Fay, in 1867. Despite the early patent, Fay's design never really took off (模仿) ; instead the Gem paper clip, which was never patented, took off in Great Britain. It's still the design we use today, producing 18 billion in the US alone. Compass (1117) Before the compass, getting lost was more or less a guarantee (保证) . The discovery of Magnetic North allowed man to explore the world. The first incontestable (无可争辩的) evidence for the use of a compass as a navigational (导航的) device appeared in Chinese records in 1117. Early compasses were typically constructed (建造、构筑) by floating magnetized needles (磁化针) in bowls of water.