What Trumps All of the Inventions of the 1800's? You'll Never Guess!

What is the most important technological invention or development of the 1800’s? Is it the telephone? How about the typewriter? Uhhh…the calculator? Think again. It may seem like a trivial invention, but it is the most important. Here it is folks….the BATTERY. Although it may not have been such a huge, monumental invention at the time, today the battery plays a huge role in technology. The battery frees the technological world from mobility restrictions. Think for a minute how many technological devices you use daily that are powered by batteries? In the last hour I have used a cell phone, an unplugged laptop, a digital camera, a TV remote control and my electric toothbrush. Each of those things functioned because of the batteries.





Okay so the battery is pretty important but, there are more important technological inventions of the 1800’s. What about the machine gun? The machine gun became dominant in World War I. Although its size made it rather immobile, the machine gun was a great defensive weapon. The machine gun overheated and jammed often but, when it did work, it fired hundreds of shots per minute. This weapon altered the way war was fought. War has essentially lead us to where we are today. Without the machine gun we could be different as a country. Valid argument but maybe the machine gun was counter productive. I think it killed more people than it needed to with its rapid, overwhelming fire.



Some would argue that the computer has been the greatest technological invention of all time. Undoubtedly the computer wouldn’t be what it is without the invention of the typewriter. The typewriter was patented and altered multiple times in the 1800’s. The typewriter was very important because it lead to computers with keyboards. Although typing isn’t necessarily the main function of a computer it is crucial to many people who use a computer.





I think machine guns and typewriters are both important inventions but I still vote for the battery. Typewriters lead to computers, but what is the main type of computer we use today? LAPTOPS. The laptop wouldn’t be the same if it constantly had to be plugged in. The battery allows me to bring my computer to class regardless if there is an outlet near where I sit. Dr. Cole teaches a great class but there is no way I can get every important fact down in my notes if I hand write them. I need to type them. If laptops didn’t have a battery, making them mobile, this wouldn’t be possible.

Sure many great pieces of technology function just fine with out batteries, but batteries are undeniably very important in today’s society. Batteries are everywhere. They are in cell phones, cameras, video games, remotes, laptops, calculators and even in my toothbrush. Many of the other technological inventions of the 1800’s utilize batteries. These inventions wouldn’t have been possible if the battery wasn’t in existence. Batteries change the way technology works. They allow people to be free from immobility while using many devices that would be stationary without them.