10 Things That Were Invented Way Earlier Than You Thought
You’ll be shocked to learn how long ago these modern-sounding inventions were actually created.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
Think smartphones are the pinnacle of human innovation? Turns out, many “modern” ideas go back hundreds or even thousands of years. From vending machines in ancient temples to early computers built before World War II, these inventions prove humans have always been ahead of their time.
1. Vending Machines – Invented in Ancient Greece
Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels
The first vending machine wasn’t for snacks — it was for holy water. Around the 1st century AD, Hero of Alexandria built a coin-operated device that dispensed liquid when money was inserted.
2. Batteries – Existed in 200 BCE
Hilary Halliwell on Pexels
The “Baghdad Battery” was discovered in Iraq and dates back over 2,000 years. It’s a clay jar with a copper cylinder and an iron rod, and scientists believe it may have generated a small electric charge.
3. Automatic Doors – Used in the First Century
Rahib Hamidov on Pexels
Hero of Alexandria strikes again — he designed a set of temple doors that opened automatically using steam pressure. When fire heated a container, the steam moved a system of weights and pulleys to open the doors.
4. Alarm Clocks – Invented by Plato
Indra Projects on Unsplash
Plato, the philosopher, had an ingenious water clock in the 4th century BCE. It used rising water and an air mechanism to produce a sound at a set time — essentially an ancient alarm.
5. Contact Lenses – Imagined in the 1500s
Natallia Photo on Unsplash
Long before they were wearable, Leonardo da Vinci sketched concepts for correcting vision using water-filled lenses. His 1508 notebooks described a device that mirrors modern contact lenses.
6. Flamethrowers – First Used in 672 AD
Tali Despins on Unsplash
The Byzantine Empire developed “Greek fire,” a weapon that could be sprayed and ignited, even on water. It terrified enemies and helped defend the empire for centuries.
7. Computer – Built in 1940 (or earlier, kind of)
Gary Todd on Wikimedia Commosn
The Z3, built in Nazi Germany in 1941, is widely recognized as the first programmable computer. However, the even older Antikythera mechanism (c. 100 BCE) was an ancient Greek analog computer used to predict astronomical positions.
8. Toothpaste – Used in 5000 BCE
Roman Marchenko on Unsplash
The Egyptians made toothpaste using crushed ox hooves, ashes, and eggshells. Though gritty and primitive, it served the same purpose as modern paste — cleaning teeth and freshening breath.
9. Sunglasses – Popular in Ancient China
Ethan Robertson on Unsplash
In the 12th century, Chinese judges wore smoked quartz lenses to conceal their facial expressions during trials. These weren’t prescription glasses, but they blocked glare and hid emotion.
10. Robots – Dreamed Up in the 13th Century
Alex Knight on Unsplash
Ismail al-Jazari, a Muslim engineer, created programmable humanoid machines in the 1200s. One of his automata was a robotic band of musicians powered by water flow.