'Italian inventions and discoveries' are objects, processes or techniques invented, innovated or discovered, partially or entirely, by Italians. Italian means by definition a native or inhabitant of Italy or a person of Italian descent[1].

Italian people -living in the Italic peninsula or abroad- have been throughout history the source of many significant inventions and innovations such as: the roman codex (precursor of the modern book)[2]; the roman Julian calendar, later perfected becoming the Gregorian calendar[3]; the roman concrete (for edification purposes, more resilient than modern concrete)[4][5][6]; the modern musical notation[7]; the Galilean telescope (for celestial bodies observation)[8]; the perspective (for the representation of the three-dimensional reality in two dimensions)[9]; the pistol[10], the automatic rifle[11] and the torpedo[12] (for warfare); the telephone[13][14] and the radio[15] (for long distance communications); the voltaic pile[16] (as the first modern electric battery) and the first fission nuclear reactor (as the most efficient energy source to date)[17][18]; the Barsanti-Matteucci engine (as the first internal combustion engine obtaining motive power by the explosion of gases)[19]; the stereospecific polymerization (for the mass production of plastic materials)[20][21]; the first personal computer (named Olivetti Programma 101)[22]; MOS silicon-gate transistors (enabling the creation of the first microprocessor intel 4004)[23].

Italians also contributed in theorizing scientific method (particularly in the fields of physics and astronomy)[24], double-entry bookkeeping (for accounting)[25], mathematical algebra[26] and analysis[27][28], classical and celestial mechanics[29][30].

Often, things discovered for the first time are also called inventions and in many cases, there is no clear line between the two. Noteworthy Italian discoveries include nitroglycerin[31] and the first antibiotics[32].

The following is a list of inventions, innovations or discoveries known or generally recognized to be Italian. (The entries are mainly about technical inventions, for a cultural overview click Culture of Italy).

List of censored material

edit

The following is a list of previously censored material not restored yet in the list of Italian inventions and discoveries. Every entry must be thoroughly researched before being restored with reliable sources (either academical or encyclopedic). Some entries might be legit. Others might not be.

  • Alendronate
  • Bio-on a biodegradable plastic created by Marco Astorri and Guy Cicognani in 2007.
  • [High-tech Fabric] for Speedo swimwear which enabled many swimming world records, developed by [http://www.mectex.co
  • Plasmamec a nanotechnology fabric developed by Mectex SpA of Italy
  • Silktech Nanolight a novel nanofabric introduced by Mectex SpA of Italy.
  • Portolan or portulan charts were first made in the 13th century Italy[33][34][35]
  • Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency, a condition linked to Multiple Sclerosis described by Doctor Paolo Zamboni in 2008 [still debated]
  • Sky Box wing a new concept of biplane configuration for ultralight aircraft Skybox wing non notable;
  • Fresnel Solar Spot invented by Sicilian-born Peter Mule in 1935
  • Alendronate, a medication to treat osteoporosis was developed by the pharmaceutical company Istituto Gentili in the 1980s
  • Ambulance the first ambulance service (horse-drawn carts) was instituted in 1244 in Florence by a pious organization known as "Arciconfraternita della Misericordia"
  • Anesthesia first used by Italian physician Ugo da Lucca in 1200
  • Archaeological site The first place in which evidence of past activity was preserved and studied was established in Herculaneum in 1748[36]
  • Architonnerre, steam-powered cannon invented by Leonardo da Vinci
  • Art Academy[disambiguation needed] The first academy of art was founded in Florence by Cosimo de' Medici in 1562, under the influence of the architect Giorgio Vasari who called it the Accademia e Compagnia delle Arti del Disegno[37]
  • Artificial Heart the first artificial heart to be implanted in a human being was created by Domingo Liotta
  • Artificio de Juanelo, mechanical water pumps built in Toledo
  • Ball bearings invented by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1500s[38]
  • Bassoon invented by Italian Hyeronimus Bassano (hence the name) [39]
  • Biella, an improved Connecting rod device to transform circular motion into linear motion, invented in the 1480s by Leonardo da Vinci and used in modern engines
  • Biennale The world's first was the Venice Biennale founded in 1895
  • Cam hammer invented in the 1480s by Leonardo da Vinci
  • Coronary stent, medical device co-invented by Dr. Cesare Gianturco in 1976[40]
  • Curtal another instrument invented by Hyeronimus Bassano [41]
  • Decompression chamber invented by Alberto Gianni in 1916.[42][43]
  • Digital Synthesizer (musical computerized instrument). Fist practical Synthesizer was created by Giuseppe di Giugno in 1976.[44]
  • Differential (mechanical device) an example of differential gear was designed by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1480s
  • Double-hull boat designed by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1480s
  • Dulbecco’s modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), a culture medium invented by Renato Dulbecco, which is suitable for most mammalian cells, making it possible to grow them in culture. See Eagle's minimal essential medium
  • Electric cable created by Giuseppe Pirelli in 1884 [45]
  • Electroconvulsive therapy for depression, developed by Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini in 1937
  • Flywheel.A variant of the flywheel with variable moment of inertia was invented in the 1480s by Leonardo da Vinci
  • Fork Originated in the Roman Empire.[46]
  • Geographic Society the first geographic society was the Accademia degli Argonauti founded in 1684 in Venice by Vincenzo Maria Coronelli.
  • Glass mirror First produced by the Romans. In the first century A.D., Pliny the Elder alludes to the first recorded use of glass mirrors in his encyclopedia Natural History (Pliny).
  • Inclinometer Leonardo da Vinci developed an Inclinometer for his flying machines in the late 1480s
  • Induction regulator[citation needed]
  • Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle a reusable space launch vehicle developed by European nations in which Italy had a leading role. Launch is planned for 2013-2014
  • ISSpresso, an espresso coffee maker to make espresso in zero gravity conditions. Currently ISSpresso coffee is only served to astronauts on the International Space Station [47]
  • Jetboat, Italian engineer Secondo Campini demonstrated a jet boat in Venice in 1932[48]
  • Knockout mice, genetically engineered mice which are used to study the function of genes, developed by Italian-born US Scientist Mario Capecchi in 1989. Prof Capecchi was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Medicine for this innovation.[49]
  • Law school, the Studium of the University of Pavia was founded in AD 825 and is the oldest law school in the world.
  • Life preserver a design for a life preserver is found in Leonardo da Vinci's notes dating to the 1490s.
  • Magic lantern, sometimes credited to 15th-century Venetian engineer Giovanni Fontana
  • Magnesium Battery. An unusual type of Magnesium Battery was invented in 1999 by Vito di Noto and Maurizio Fami at the University of Padua. Able to store twice the energy of a lithium battery of the same weight.
  • Molecular engine, a nanoscale engine whose first example was built by American scientist Carlo Montemagno in 1996. [no proof of Italian descendance]
  • MOPP (medicine), a combination chemotherapy regimen used to treat Hodgkin's disease. MOPP was the first combination chemotherapy brought in that achieved a high success rate. It was developed in the 1960s by a team led by Vincent DeVita, Jr..[50]
  • Museum the first one is the Capitoline Museum.
  • Music school The first recorded one in history was the Schola Cantorum founded by the Pope Sylvester I in Rome as early as 334.
  • Nail (fastener), invented during the Roman era
  • Oxygen rebreather, a design for an ARO apparatus which was practical and reliable was developed in Italy by Dario Gonzatti-Emilio Cressi—Duilio Marcante in the 1930s. Emilio Cressi became the founder of the Italian company Cressi-Sub.[51]
  • Parawing, developed in 1957 by Francis Rogallo, an Italian-American engineer.
  • Patent law first appeared in Venice in 1474.[52]
  • Pendolino, a tilting train developed by Fiat Ferroviaria in the 1960s.
  • Recombinant DNA Vaccine developed in 1983-1984 by Enzo Paoletti and Dennis Panicali.[53]
  • Scissors, pivoted version invented by Romans around 100 AD
  • Scuderi engine an engine invented by Italian-American engineer Carmelo Scuderi[54]
  • Spring powered cart A self-propelled mechanical cart, part of a larger robot, designed by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1480s[55]
  • Stem cell transplant to treat Systemic Lupus Erythematosus was first attempted by Alberto Marmont De Haut Champs in 1996.[56]
  • TX-Active Pollution-mitigating concrete invented by Italian company Italcementi in 2009[57]
  • Universal joint It was invented by Gerolamo Cardano in 1545[58]
  • Universal time In his book Miranda! published in 1858 Quirico Filopanti was the first to propose universal time and worldwide standard time 21 years before Sandford Fleming.
  • VVA-14 Wing-In-Ground/Aircraft Hybrid designed by Roberto Orso Di Bartini in 1972
  • Waterbed invented by Sanctorius in the early 1600s
  • Water Walking Skis were first designed by Leonardo da Vinci[59]
  • Webmail invented by Luca Manunza in 1994-95
  • Wheel lock invented by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century
  • Wind tunnel designed by Gaetano Lanza in 1909.
  • Wine dispenser invented in 2009 and now used in many restaurants around the world
  • Worm drive (Universal screw) invented by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1480s
  • Atherosclerosis was first described by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1500s
  • Bioelectromagnetics was a field pioneered by Italian scientists Luigi Galvani in 1780 and Carlo Matteucci in 1830.
  • Cardiac Stem Cell therapy for heart failure was developed by Dr Piero Anversa and Dr Roberto Bolli[60]
  • Cloning (the first horse) accomplished by Cesare Galli in 2003Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
  • Stem cells responsible for causing Colon Cancer were isolated and described by Ruggero DeMaria and his team in 2007[61]
  • Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis was found to have an association with diabetes type 1 and Multiple Sclerosis in Sardinia. The research team was led by professor Leonardo Sechi[62]
  • The Space Tether Experiment in 1996 was a collaboration between NASA and Italy and called for a scientific payload--a large, spherical satellite--to be deployed from the US space shuttle at the end of a conducting cable (tether) 20 km (12.5 miles) long. The idea was to let the shuttle drag the tether across the Earth's magnetic field, producing one part of a dynamo circuit. The experiment worked, proving that large amounts of electricity were produced, so much so that the tether itself was melted[63]
  • Battledress The first mass-produced military camouflage was the Italian telo mimetico ("mimetic cloth") pattern of 1929, used to cover a shelter-half (telo tenda).[64][65]
  • Eurofighter Typhoon. Italy is one of the members of the multinational consortium that builds the Typhoon. The aircraft is innovative because the goal of its designers was extreme agility at high speeds, unlike aircraft such as the Sukhoi 27 and the F-22, which opted for agility at slow speed. To this, one must add the ability to supercruise, sustain very high G turns thanks to a special suit worn by its pilots and the ability to engage off-boresight targets. The aircraft is low-observable and is hard to spot with the naked eye, while its IRST sensor allows it to detect "stealth" aircraft at ranges of 50 kilometers. Armed with the new IRIS-T missile, it becomes a formidable dogfighter and effectively negates any perceived advantage of Stealth aircraft. [66]
  • Franchi SPAS-15 A legendary automatic shotgun which earned the nickname of the "Key of the Commando". It was featured in the 2002 action movie Showtime, but its Italian origin was not revealed and it was characterized as a "custom job, probably from Eastern Europe
  • Military academy The world's first institution devoted to military education was founded in Turin (1677)[67]
  • MAS (boat) one of the first examples of fast attack craft which demonstrated its effectiveness in the sinking of the Austrian battleship SMS Szent István in 1918 at the closing of the First World War.
  • MEADS an air and missile defense system co-developed by the USA, Germany and Italy
  • Meteor (missile) a modern beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed with a substantial Italian contribution in its design.
  • OTO Melara Mod 56 One of few howitzers designed specifically for mountain warfare.
  • PIRATE, The Passive Infra-Red Airborne Track Equipment system is an infrared search and track (IRST) system mounted on the Eurofighter Typhoon. SELEX Galileo is an Italian company which is the leading contractor on the project. PIRATE is capable of detecting stealth aircraft at surprising ranges, thus effectively negating the advantage of stealth
  • Disco music was pioneered by Italian Composer Giorgio Moroder in 1972

Validated material

edit

A list of material that has been validated and therefore is ready for addition to the page of Italian inventions and discoveries:



References

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  2. ^ "Papyrus". www.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
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  4. ^ McGrath, Matt (2017-07-04). "Scientists solve Roman concrete puzzle". Retrieved 2019-10-22.
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  23. ^ "The_MOS_Silicon_Gate_Technology_and_the_First_Microprocessors" (PDF). intel4004.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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  35. ^ Medieval books of sailing instructions were known as portolani, and the charts, sketched in Italy from at least the twelfth century, received the same name... (…) From Italy chartmaking spread to the port cities of Spain and subsequently to Portugal, eventually reaching northwestern Europe. From “Medieval Science Technology and Medicine: An Encyclopedia”
  36. ^ Paoli U.E. (1962) Vita romana, Milano, Mondadori, p. 121
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  39. ^ http://www.bassoonresource.org/timeline3.htm
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  47. ^ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1769.html
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  50. ^ (12 June 2007) Vincent T. DeVita, Jr., MD Honored by ASCO, Webwire (press release), Retrieved October 28, 2010
  51. ^ Quick D. 1970. A History Of Closed Circuit Oxygen Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Royal Australian Navy, School of Underwater Medicine. Project 1-70
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  53. ^ (1) Paoletti, Enzo, Bernard R. Lipinskas, Carol Samsonoff, Susan Mercer, and Dennis Panicali (1984) "Construction of Live Vaccines Using Genetically Engineered Poxviruses: Biological Activity of Vaccinia Virus Recombinants Expressing the Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen and the Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein D" Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:193-197 (2) Panicali, Dennis, Stephen W. Davis, Randall L. Weinberg, Enzo Paoletti (1983) "Construction of Live Vaccines by Using Genetically Engineered Poxviruses: Biological Activity of Recombinant Vaccinia Virus Expressing Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin" Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80:5364-5368 (3) US Patent 4722848 - Method for immunizing animals with synthetically modified vaccinia virus
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