To celebrate Australia Day last week, we took a look at the top 10 inventions Australia has given to the world. But narrowing the list down to just 10 was a difficult task. So today we’re going to have a quick look at some of the runners-up.
The Goon Bag
Or, as it’s officially known, the wine cask, was invented by Thomas Angove of South Australia as a way of pouring wine without letting it contact air. It changed the way wine was “enjoyed” all over the world.
Underwater Torpedo
Louis Brennan invented the underwater torpedo in 1874, a weapon with two propellors that were rotated by wires attached to the shore. Obviously the design improved over time.
Powered Flight
Lawrence Hargrave flew his box kite over five metres in 1894. Instead of patenting his idea, he shared it freely, and thus it’s widely regarded that the Wright Brothers are the fathers of flight.
The Notepad
It took 500 years of human evolution with single sheets of paper for Tasmanian stationer J.A. Birchall to decide to stick them together to form a notepad in 1902.
The Tank
South Australian Lance de Mole came up for the idea of a tank in 1912, but rather than keep it for Australians, he gave the idea to the British military. He eventually received £987 from the British Royal Commission for his invention.
Splayds
Aside from the fact that they should be called Sporks, William McArthur’s invention of a spoon, knife and fork in a single utensil was designed to make eating easier for the ladies in 1943
Inflatable Escape Slide
Jack Grant of Qantas changed aircraft safety in 1965 when he invented the inflatable escape slide. Weeeeeeeee!!!!
Dual Flush Toilet
Saving water since 1980, Bruce Thompson at Caroma created the dual-flush toilet, a device that now saves millions of litres each year
There are hundreds more, as well. Is there anything we missed that you’d automatically include?
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Harvz
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 10:57 AMthe boomerang or didgeridoo and Mechanical clippers
Waterbear
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 11:19 AMA little known fact, the didgeridoo is a dutch invention. It was dropped overboard by a ship of explorers in the 17th century prior to English settlement. By the time the colonists arrived the indigenous people had adopted it into their culture.
Mat Unwin
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 12:14 PMWTF? Where’s the proof of that? Examples of didgeridoos in Koori culture go back 1500 years….and the dutch were just floating around dropping hollow branches back then?
Ryu
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 12:38 PMThats right cos the dutch were here 1500 yrs ago when carbon dated cave pictures show people playing the didge!
Paddy
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 12:52 PMWhat utter crap.
Holland is not renown for it’s termites and hard wood. Nor would the widespread uptake it of it throughout Australia been possible is such a relatively short time.
It’s universally recognized to be several thousand years old. As evidenced by it’s inclusion in carbon dated cave paintings.
The “dildo” was the object left behind by the Dutch (along with a small bag of weed and some porno playing cards).
Harper
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 1:02 PMCan we get some supporting literature? A quick Google search of “didgeridoo dutch invention” shows the above comment as the first result and no other references to the Dutch having invented it.
Steve
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 1:08 PMThis is poppycock. The Didgeridoo has been around since at least the mid first millennium, centuries before any of the Eurasian powers became sea-faring nations.
There is so much ignorance concentrated in that post I’m not sure where to start.
How come the didgeridoos never formed an integral part of Dutch culture or music?
How could the instrument possibly have been adopted by the various tribes (who did not use pack animals) all over a large continent in time for the English colonists (less than 100 years)
How about explaining carbon dating depicting its ceremonial use for millennia?
Sense, your post makes none.
Hugh Carrigg
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 1:17 PMI’m ninety-nine percent sure that this is a troll.
Dan Halford
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 11:19 AMWhat? No Hills Hoist?
Nick Broughall
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 11:48 AMHit the archives, the Hills Hoist made the top 10 :)
SOL
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 12:03 PMHargraves didn’t actually achieve powered flight, so it’s a bit of a reach to claim that one for the aussies…
Alex
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 12:51 PMThere is a great list of Australian inventions at:
http://www.whitehat.com.au/Australia/Inventions/InventionsA.html
Steve
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 1:13 PMThe very definition of ‘powered flight’ excludes kites. I think the connection is dubious at best.
Or unless it’s part of the Giz logic where if you give some mope a modem back in the 70s, it gives you credit for inventing facebook :)
Shane
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 1:16 PMCattle grids
Jeremy
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 2:09 PMWhere is Penicillin in both lists?
Jeremy
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 2:10 PMWhere is Penicillin in both lists? Seems more important than a mower, car with a tray or a clothes line….
Waterbear
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 3:01 PM*troll face*
Chuckufarli
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 4:06 PMDidn’t we invent the Bionic Ear?
Dean Woodyatt
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 6:36 PMeh?, speak up sonny
jamall007
Monday, January 31, 2011 at 6:06 PMWhat about when three great Australian inventions come together to make an even better one? Cask wine + refrigeration + hills hoist = Goon of Fortune!
Cid
Monday, November 21, 2011 at 2:19 PMjamall007, ya a mad c***.