Sceince and technology is what we cannot imagine our life nowadays. Throughout the history inventors’ ideas have changed the way we live, making it easier and more enjoyable. The twenty-first century is no exception as it is noted for the invention of the television, computers, spacecraft, genetic engineering and many others. Early TV sets cost as much as a small car and few people bought them. In 1936 the original system was improved and the first regular TV programme was broadcast in Britain. But the real TV revolution began in America after World War Two. Commercial stations began to open in almost every city. But still lots of The Invention of the Telephone people didn’t have TV sets as they were too expensive. That all changed in the the human organs of articulation — органы слуха 60s and 70s when more and more TV sets were sold and the importance of the deaf — глухие television grew quickly. In 1980 there appeared satellite television. Dozens of The telephone is one of the most important inventions of the 19th century. new channels are now available to anyone who buys a receiving “dish”. Its creator was the English scientist Alexander Graham Bell. Bell wanted to be a teacher and entered Edinburgh University. But he The Invention of the Computer efficient — эффективный changed his mind and became a student of the Medical Faculty of London to store — хранить University. Under the guidance of an outstanding German scientist who to substitute — заменить works on physiology of sight and ear, Bell began to study the human One more important invention of our century organs of articulation. is the computer. The first computer was By and by Bell came to the idea of creating a special apparatus which invented by the English scientist Charles would help the deaf to pronounce the sounds of speech and learn to speak. Babbage (December 26, 1791 - October 18, Working on such a apparatus, Bell invented microphone (with engineer 1871). Thomas Watson) and telephone. At first his invention was not popular with Nowadays nearly everything we do in the the public, but Bell visited American towns and other countries, read modern world is helped and controlled by lectures and demonstrated his telephone. computers. Computers are used so often In 1878 he also organized his own company to produce telephones. But because they are more efficient than human Bell wasn’t interested in business itself and used his money on the beings. They have better memories and laboratories for generating new ideas. He was and is greatly respected both can store a lot of information. in England and America. In fact, computers can do what we can do but faster and better. They can The Invention of the Television control different machines, foretell tomorrow’s weather, even play chess and to broadcast — транслировать (передавать) compose music. Computers are widely used in various professions. We can vision — изображение find computers everywhere: in a library, in a travel agency, in a hotel, in a available — доступный shop and in many other places. The television is a mass media that serves to gives people opportunities both for entertainment and for rapid information. To be sure, the technical progress will not stop but the machines will not be able to substitute everything including the human being. The idea of a machine able to broadcast both sound and vision goes back to 1875. But it wasn’t until 1926 that a Scottish engineer (John Braid) turned the idea into a practical reality. The first pictures were black and white and were not very clear. Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton was a famous physicist, mathematician and astronomer. He was born in a small village near Cambridge January 4, 1643. His father died before Isaac’s birth. His first inventions were a sundial and a clepsydra (солнечные часы и водяные часы). Newton made them when he was a child. People say the sundial is still in the house, where Isaac Newton was born. At the age of 14 he had to leave school, because his mother needed his help on the farm. Isaac was a student at the University of Cambridge. Newton studied mathematics there. During those years Isaac Newton made such discoveries as the law of gravitation, decomposition of light and the method of fluxions (закон тяготения, разложение света и метод флюксий). Later he became a professor of mathematics and optics. Newton is also known as one of the authors of the theory of differential calculus (теории дифференциального исчисления). He also developed the Newtonian telescope among other devices. Isaac Newton died at 85, March 31, 1727. Charles Darwin (February 12, 1809 - April 19, 1882) Widely regarded as one of the most influential personalities in the history of mankind, Charles Darwin was an English biologist, naturalist, and geologist. He is credited with publishing the Theory of Evolution, which explains the evolution of life from a unicellular organism to human beings. A prolific writer, Charles Darwin also wrote important books on plants and barnacles. Alexander Fleming Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, was born in Scotland August 6, 1881 at a farm. He began to go to school when he was five. In 1895 he went to London and decided to dedicate his life to medicine. At first Fleming wanted to become a surgeon but soon he got interested in bacteriology and decided that he was to find his future in research. Sir Alexander Fleming did not have such life which was outwardly very exciting. He spent his working hours in hospitals and laboratories. He went from his home to his laboratory every morning and went from his laboratory to his home every night. He sat in front of his fire and talked to his wife. He taught his son to swim and to fish. It was life that seemed not to differ from the life of the bank manager or the office worker. But it was not so. The great work that he did was done for the benefit of sick men and women. His discovery of penicillin did more to help suffering mankind than anything else for centuries. When he died March 11, 1955 his old friend said: «. . . by his work he relieved more suffering than any other living man».
