12 Changes And Inventions Pennsylvania Contributed To The History Of The World
By Beth Price-Williams|Published July 20, 2022
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Beth Price-Williams
Author
A professional writer for more than two decades, Beth has lived in nearly a dozen states – from Missouri and Virginia to Connecticut and Vermont – and Toronto, Canada. In addition to traveling extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., she has a BA in Journalism from Point Park University (PA), a MA in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Stockton University (NJ), and a Master of Professional Writing from Chatham University (PA). A writer and editor for Only In Your State since 2016, Beth grew up in and currently lives outside of Pittsburgh and when she’s not writing or hanging out with her bunnies, budgies, and chinchilla, she and her daughter are out chasing waterfalls.
Pennsylvania has certainly played a significant role in United States history, but it’s also known the world over. Some of these Pennsylvania inventions made a huge impact on human lives while others changed our culture. Here are 13 inventions Pennsylvania contributed to the history of the world.
1. Dr. Jonas Salk, while at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, created the polio vaccine in 1955. The doctor didn’t patent the vaccine, believing it belonged to the people.
2. Benjamin Franklin invented the bifocal glasses in 1784 so that those who were both near- and far-sighted only needed to wear one pair of glasses instead of having to switch between two pairs.
6. Next time you make a mistake with a pencil and use its eraser, say a quick thank you to inventor Hyman Lipman. He invented the all-in-one pencil and eraser in 1858.
8. If you ever get stuck in a revolving door, you might want to blame its inventor, Theophilus van Kennel from Philadelphia. He even won an award for his 1888 invention.
11. Most kids have a Slinky growing up, and it’s even more special knowing it was invented in Philadelphia by Richard James. It made its debut at Gimbels in Philly in 1945.
12. All those emojis we use today? We owe them all to Scott Fahlan, who created the world’s first smiley face emoticon at Carnegie Mellon University back in the 1980s.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the ways Pennsylvania made an impact on world history. What are some other Pennsylvania inventions that helped change the world? Let us know in the comments! Then head over to learn more about the 10 worst disasters to occur in Pennsylvania history.
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