Invention is the creation of a new device, process, or product. Our inventions have given us control over our environment and enabled us to live better, easier, and happier lives. If we could not invent, we would be at the mercy of the climate and the land. Inventions have enabled people to survive the hazards of the environment and develop a civilized society.
Down through history, inventions have changed the way people live. Little by little, they have helped determine where people live and the kind of work they do. Inventions have also influenced what people eat and wear and how they play and relax. Many thousands of years ago, people lived by hunting animals and gathering wild plants. To find food, most people had to move from place to place. About 9000 B.C., people began to grow their own food and raise livestock. The invention of agricultural methods meant that people no longer had to wander about in search of food but could settle in farm villages. Then came the Industrial Revolution in the 1700's, with such inventions as spinning and weaving machines and the steam engine. These inventions produced another great change in the way people lived, as people flocked to the cities to work in factories.
An invention differs from a discovery, but they are closely related. A discovery occurs when something that exists in nature is observed or recognized for the first time. An invention is the creation of something that never existed before. For example, people discovered fire. But they invented the match to start a fire.
Invention is also related to innovation. Innovation is a change made in an established way of doing something. An innovation can make an invention more accessible to people, thereby increasing the use of the invention.
Henry Ford, who founded the Ford Motor Company, was an outstanding innovator. Ford did not invent the automobile, but he brought several innovations to the manufacture of automobiles. These innovations included an assembly line method of production, and having the company make, rather than buy, automobile parts. Ford's innovations enabled the company to slash the price of its automobiles, putting the prices within reach of the average family.
Although most inventions have benefited people, some inventions, such as weapons of war, have been harmful. Certain other inventions have been both beneficial and harmful. The automobile, for example, has given us a fast, convenient means of transportation. However, it has also contributed greatly to air pollution.
Air pollution is only one of the many problems that people face today. Large numbers of cities are overcrowded. More than half the world's people do not have enough to eat. Heart disease and other illnesses kill countless millions every year. Invention is one of the ways people try to solve these and other problems.
