List of Swiss inventions and discoveries
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The following list is composed of items, techniques and processes that were invented by or discovered by people from Switzerland.
Astronomy
[edit]- First exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star discovered by Swiss astronomers Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor in 1995 (51 Pegasi b), Nobel-prize laureates in Physics in 2019[1]
- Earliest estimation of the "radiation of the stars” in his 1896 article "La Température de L'Espace" by Charles Édouard Guillaume
Biology
[edit]- Nucleic acid, DNA by Friedrich Miescher (1868)[2]
- Restriction endonuclease by Werner Arber
- Research of the Immune system by Rolf M. Zinkernagel
Chemistry
[edit]- Laudanum by Paracelsus
- Aluminium foil by Robert Victor Neher[3]
- Cellophane by Jacques E. Brandenberger
- DDT by Paul Hermann Müller
- Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) by Albert Hofmann
- Nickel–steel alloys he named invar, elinvar and platinite [it] by Charles Édouard Guillaume
- Reichstein process by Tadeus Reichstein
- Glyphosate by Henri Martin
Clothes and Fashion
[edit]- Velcro by George de Mestral
- Coil Zip fastening invented by Martin Winterhalter[4]
Computing
[edit]- Computer mouse:
- First computer mouse by René Sommer, co-inventor[5]
- First laser mouse (2004)[6]
- Pascal programming language by Niklaus Wirth
- Smaky by Jean-Daniel Nicoud
- World Wide Web at CERN[7]
Construction
[edit]- Construction machines
- Walking excavator by Ernst Menzi, 1966 (Menzi Muck)
- Structural steel reinforced concrete revolution by Robert Maillart at ETH Zurich[8]
- three-hinged arch
- deck-stiffened arch for bridges
- beamless floor slab
- mushroom ceiling for industrial buildings
- Tunnel waterproofing by Sika[9]
Cuisine
[edit]- Absinthe
- Älplermagronen[10]
- Aromat[6]
- Bündnernusstorte[10]
- Cheeses and cheese recipes
- Fondue[10]
- Gruyère
- Raclette[11]
- Sbrinz, the ancestor of the Parmiggiano Reggiano and the Pecorino romano[12]
- Chocolates:
- Conching by Rudolf Lindt[13]
- Hazelnut chocolate by Charles-Amédée Kohler[13]
- Milk chocolate by Daniel Peter[13] (disputed)[a]
- White chocolate by Nestlé And his Partner
- Coffee
- Capsule[6]
- Instant coffee by Max Morgenthaler[4]
- Meringues[10]
- Milk powder[15]
- Muesli by Maximilian Bircher-Benner
- Rösti[11]
- Stock cubes[10]
- Tools:
- Immersion blender by Roger Perrinjaquet
- Rex vegetable peeler by Alfred Neweczerzal[4]
- Zürcher Geschnetzeltes
Economics
[edit]- Discovery of economic cycles and propagation of Social policy against the classic liberal economy by Simonde de Sismondi
- Bank secrecy
Mathematics
[edit]Leonhard Euler
[edit]Leonhard Euler's work:
- Mathematical notations that he introduced:
- Concept of a function (first to write f(x) to denote the function f applied to the argument x)[16]
- Letter Σ for summations
- Letter i to denote the imaginary unit
- Modern notation for the trigonometric functions
- Natural logarithm (now also known as Euler's number)
- Differential equations
- Defined logarithms for negative and complex numbers
- Defined the exponential function for complex numbers and discovered its relation to the trigonometric functions
- Development of power series, the expression of functions as sums of infinitely many terms[17]
- Euler–Bernoulli beam equation, a cornerstone of engineering
- Euler's critical load, the critical buckling load of an ideal strut
- Euler equations in Fluid dynamics
- Euler's formula
- Euler's identity
- Introduction of exponential function and logarithms in analytic proofs
- Predicted the phenomenon of cavitation in 1754 before observing it
- Solution to the Basel problem (1735)
Bernoulli family
[edit]Jacob Bernoulli (1655–1705)
[edit]Jacob Bernoulli's work:
- Ars Conjectandi published in Basel in 1713, theory of probability from which resulted the Bernoulli trial.
- Bernoulli numbers
- Bernoulli differential equation solved y
- Discovery of the constant e by studying a question about compound interest
- Introduces the term integral in calculus
- Lemniscate of Bernoulli
- Solution of differential equation by separation of variables
Nicolaus I Bernoulli (1687-1759)
[edit]Nicolaus I Bernoulli's s contributions:
- Orthogonal trajectories[18]
- Probability and statistics research with the St. Petersburg Paradox[19]
Nicolaus II Bernoulli (1695-1726)
[edit]Nicolaus II Bernoulli's contribution:
- He posed the problem of reciprocal orthogonal trajectories
Daniel Bernoulli (1700–1782)
[edit]Daniel Bernoulli's contributions:
- Bernoulli's principle is of critical use in aerodynamics.[20]
- Expected utility theory
- He laid the basis for the kinetic theory of gases, and applied the idea to explain Boyle's law (Hydrodynamica 1738).[21]
- He worked with Euler on elasticity and the development of the Euler–Bernoulli beam equation.[22]
- Principle of superposition was first stated by Daniel Bernoulli in 1753 ("The general motion of a vibrating system is given by a superposition of its proper vibrations")[23]
Other Swiss mathematicians
[edit]- Gabriel Cramer
- Cramer's theorem (algebraic curves)
- In 1750 he published Cramer's rule, giving a general formula for the solution for any unknown in a linear equation system having a unique solution, in terms of determinants implied by the system. This rule is still standard.
Medicine
[edit]- Artificial hip joint (Sulzer joint, by Maurice Edmond Müller)[15]
- Diazepam (Valium) (1958, company Hoffmann-La Roche)[6]
- Diclofenac (Voltaren) (1973, company Ciba-Geigy)
- Hydro-alcoholic gel (1995, Didier Pittet)
- Hydrogel skin cancer treatment (2022, University of Bern)[24]
- Laudanum by Paracelsus
- Panthenol (Bepanthen) (1944, company Roche)
- Stent (1986, Medinvent, Hans Wallsten)[6]
- Theodor Kocher
- Anesthesia
- Masks to deliver chloroform-ether narcosis[25]
- Surgical methodology
- Surgical procedures
- Pre-operative preparation of patients to receive anaesthesia to avoid aspiration of gastric content[25]
- Reduction technique for shoulder dislocation[25]
- Thiroidectomy[25]
- Surgical tools
- Anesthesia
Military
[edit]Physics
[edit]- Argand lamp by Aimé Argand
- Twisted nematic field effect by Hoffmann-La Roche
- Scanning tunneling microscope by Heinrich Rohrer (co-inventor with German Gerd Binnig)
- Super-twisted nematic display by Brown, Boveri & Cie
- Swatch Internet Time by Swatch
- Research on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance by Kurt Wüthrich
Sports
[edit]Technology
[edit]- Electricity production and transmission:
- Transmission of electrical energy using high-voltage three-phase current developed by Brown, Boveri & Cie for the International Electrotechnical Exhibition[26]
- Research on steam and gas turbines developed at ETH Zurich with Aurel Stodola[27]
- Law of the Ellipse
- First gas turbine electric generator in collaboration with Brown, Boveri & Cie[28]
- Aurel Stodola constructs a closed-loop heat pump in 1928 (water source from Lake Geneva) which provides heating for the Geneva city hall to this day.
- Electric kilns invented by Brown, Boveri & Cie[26]
- Electric toothbrush, the Broxodent by Dr. Philippe Guy Woog[29]
- Gearless cement drive developed by Brown, Boveri & Cie in 1969[30]
- Internal combustion engine invented in 1806 by François Isaac de Rivaz, using oxygen and hydrogen.[31]
- LCD projector at Brown Boveri & Cie[6]
- Precision machinery:
- Precision valve steam engine (Sulzer, 1876)
- Shuttle-less loom (Sulzer, 1876)
- Ski lifts[15]
- Turbocharger by Alfred Büchi
- Chronometry / watches:
- Constant escapement by Girard-Perregaux
- Cross-beat escapement and remontoire for watches by Jost Bürgi
- Quartz watches (Centre électronique horloger)[6]
- Tourbillon by Abraham-Louis Breguet
- Charles Édouard Guillaume's Guillaume balance (a type of balance wheel)[33][34]
Transportation
[edit]- Azipod, first azimuth thruster with the motor located in the pod itself (by ABB Group)
- Bathyscaphe Trieste by Auguste Piccard
- Trains and tracks
- Articulated locomotive by Anatole Mallet
- Diesel electric locomotive traction control by Hermann Lemp
- High-speed locomotive with drive shafts fitted exclusively in bogies developed by Brown, Boveri & Cie in 1944[30]
- Riggenbach rack system by Niklaus Riggenbach
- Diesel-Sulzer-Klose GmbH, first train to run with a mechanical diesel power in 1912.[35]
- Solar Impulse by Bertrand Piccard in co-operation with EPFL
Miscellaneous
[edit]See also
[edit]List of Swiss inventors and discoverers
Notes
[edit]- ^ Jordan & Timaeus claims to have created milk chocolate using donkey milk in 1839 in Dresden[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Nobel Winners Changed Our Understanding with Exoplanet Discovery - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Dahm, Ralf (January 2008). "Discovering DNA: Friedrich Miescher and the early years of nucleic acid research". Human Genetics. 122 (6): 565–581. doi:10.1007/s00439-007-0433-0. PMID 17901982. S2CID 915930.
- ^ Mary Bellis (2012-04-09). "Charles Martin Hall - The History of Aluminum". Inventors.about.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
- ^ a b c d "8 Swiss inventions that changed the world | Swiss Science & Education". houseofswitzerland.org. 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ "Computer mouse inventor dies in Vaud". World Radio Switzerland. 2009-10-14. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Les 20 inventions suisses qui ont marqué ces 70 dernières années". agefi.com (in French). 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ "The birth of the Web | CERN". home.cern. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
- ^ "Robert Maillart (1872–1940)". library.ethz.ch. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ "History". www.sika.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Foods Invented in Switzerland | Swiss tours and travel". www.alpenwild.com. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ a b "Switzerland's national dishes". www.eda.admin.ch. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ swissinfo.ch, S. W. I. (2002-04-22). "L'ancêtre des fromages a son AOC". SWI swissinfo.ch (in Swiss French). Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ a b c Thomas Stephens (13 December 2017). "The pioneers of Switzerland's 'Chocolate Revolution'". Swissinfo. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ "Wie zwei Dresdner die Milchschokolade erfanden". Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d "33 Swiss inventions that will amaze you". Swiss Activities. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Dunham 1999, p. 17.
- ^ Ferraro 2008, p. 155.
- ^ Engelsman, Steven B., ed. (1984). "Nicolaus I Bernoulli and Orthogonal Trajectories". Families of Curves and the Origins of Partial Differentiation. North-Holland Mathematics Studies. Vol. 93. pp. 92–123. doi:10.1016/S0304-0208(08)73567-9. ISBN 978-0-444-86897-8.
- ^ Peterson, Martin (2023), "The St. Petersburg Paradox", in Zalta, Edward N.; Nodelman, Uri (eds.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2023 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 2024-07-25
- ^ [Anon.] (2001) "Daniel Bernoulli", Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ Rouse Ball, W. W. (2003) [1908]. "The Bernoullis". A Short Account of the History of Mathematics (4th ed.). Dover. ISBN 0-486-20630-0.
- ^ Timoshenko, Stephen (1983). History of Strength of Materials: With a Brief Account of the History of Theory of Elasticity and Theory of Structures. Courier Corporation. ISBN 978-0-486-61187-7.[page needed]
- ^ Brillouin, L. (1946). Wave propagation in Periodic Structures: Electric Filters and Crystal Lattices, McGraw–Hill, New York, p. 2.
- ^ Bradley, Simon (2022-12-27). "Top Swiss inventions you may have missed this year". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tröhler, U. "The Subtle Knife: A Revolution in Surgery". Karger Gazette. No. 71.
- ^ a b "140 years of ASEA". new.abb.com. 2023-10-30.
- ^ Lang, Norbert. "Aurel Stodola and his influence on the ETH and on Mechanical Engineering" (PDF).
- ^ Early Gas Turbine History at web.mit.edu
- ^ Ebneter, Catherine (2023-01-04). "Swiss discoveries that changed the world". The Swiss Times. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ a b "History of ABB". ABB Group. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Michelet, Henri (1965). L'inventeur Isaac de Rivaz: 1752 - 1828 (in French). Editions Saint-Augustin. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ a b "A History of Precision: The Invention and Evolution of Swiss-Style Machining". www.mmsonline.com. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ "Phillips: CH080217, Patek Philippe". Phillips. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- ^ Bond, Alexander Russell (1921). Scientific American Monthly.
- ^ Glatte, Wolfgang (1993). Deutsches Lok-Archiv: Diesellokomotiven 4. Auflage. Berlin: Transpress. ISBN 978-3-344-70767-5.
Sources
[edit]- Churella, Albert J. (1998). From Steam to Diesel: Managerial Customs and Organizational Capabilities in the Twentieth-Century American Locomotive Industry. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-02776-0.
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