Game Changers

Mio Debnam

Once you see how they were invented and what life was like before them, you’ll never look at them the same way again!

From bicycles and maps to cameras and phones, these inventions really are game changers!

GAME CHANGERS

What do you know about the everyday objects in your home?

M A E G G N E A R H C Mio Debnam S

F10 – 120 WPM

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Contents

Key inventions in history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Chapter 1 Then, now and the future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Small inventions that made a BIG difference . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 2 On the move! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Amazing bikes around the world . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Chapter 3 Lost? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Inventions inspired by nature: spider glass . . . . . . . . . . 44

Chapter 4 Smile! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Beauty inventions through history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Chapter 5 Action! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Early contact lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Chapter 6 Hello? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Inventions inspired by nature: hook and loop fasteners . . . 82

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 About the author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Book chat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

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Key inventions in history

safety bike Kinetograph and Kinetoscope camera 1885 1891

1888

Kodak camera

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television

1925

1921 mobile phones

1980s Winkel map

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Chapter 1

Then, now and the future Introduction Look around you, at the things at home or school.

Think about the things that you use every day – from getting up, to going to bed.

Now imagine you have a time machine which can transport you backwards and forwards in time.

How different do you think your life would be if you went back 300 years to 1725?

How about back 100 years to 1925?

What if we went forward 100 years to 2125?

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London in 1725 If you went back in time to London in 1725, something you’d notice right away would be the smell!

Flushing toilets didn’t exist. Most people in the city shared an indoor “privy” which was a board you sat on, with a hole over a bucket.

The buckets were supposed to be emptied into a cesspit … but sometimes people just threw the contents out of their windows, so the unpaved streets were dirty and stank! a privy

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There was no running water either, so most people didn’t wash very often, adding to the general smell.

The streets were dark at night. Most homes were dark too, lit only by log fires and candles.

Evenings would have been quite different in those days. Many people went to bed early, when it got dark, and got up when it was light outside.

There was no television, no internet … and not many books, either, as many people couldn’t read or write!

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If you had a message, you had to tell that person directly – or write a letter. Letters had to be delivered by hand or on horseback, as cars hadn’t been invented yet.

Rich people had plenty of time for entertainment.

They played games and did sports.

Some leisure activities were enjoyed by everyone – such as walks in “pleasure gardens” or parks, and visits to fairs. The theatre was also open to everyone – though poor people had to stand to watch the plays! a pleasure garden

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