Scotland's inventions

It's hard to imagine life without your favourite TV shows. Whether you binge-watch shows or are just an occasional viewer, the television is one of the most prominent inventions in the modern world. The next time you switch on your TV, spare a thought for Scotsman John Logie Baird - the inventor to thank for this wonderful invention. In January 1926, Baird demonstrated the first working television system. Just two years later, he achieved something even more remarkable: the first transatlantic television transmission. Baird remained committed to the television throughout much of his life and was also responsible for inventing the first colour television.

When creating a list of some of Scotland's greatest innovations, a sheep may seem like an unusual choice. However, there are few sheep that are quite as special as our Dolly - the first-ever mammal to be cloned from an adult cell.  

Known as 'the world's most famous sheep', Dolly was born on 5 July 1996 at the Roslin Institute, part of the University of Edinburgh. Dolly, who was named after singer Dolly Parton, became famous around the world and even featured in the prestigious TIME Magazine. Dolly lived to the age of seven and gave birth to six healthy lambs during her life. 

Today, phones can do incredible things - connecting you with people across the globe at the touch of a button. But did you know that the first telephone was invented by Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell?

Bell's interest in this area stemmed from the fact that both his mother and wife were profoundly deaf. His research on hearing and speech led him to experiment with hearing devices. In 1876, Bell was granted the first patent for the telephone. Interestingly, Bell considered the telephone a nuisance and an intrusion on his real work and as a result refused to have one in his study.

Sir Alexander Fleming is perhaps one of the best-known Scots, thanks to his discovery of penicillin. Fleming received the Nobel Prize for his achievement, and in 2009 was voted the third greatest Scot behind Robert Burns and William Wallace.

What you may not know about this life-saving discovery is that it happened somewhat by accident. Fleming's general lack of tidiness was to thank for the discovery.

In 1928, while working with the flu virus, Fleming returned to his lab after a family holiday. He found cultures he had been working on stacked in a corner in his laboratory. When Fleming noticed unusual changes in the cultures, he used them to isolate the penicillin, marking the beginning of modern antibiotics.

The MRI scanner is an incredibly important piece of medical equipment that has transformed how we examine the human body. The breakthrough for the MRI scanner was made by a team working at the University of Aberdeen. In 1980, the team obtained the first clinically useful image of a patient's internal tissues. Today, the MRI is considered to be a safer diagnostic tool than X-rays and is more useful for soft tissue imaging. The device works by building up a picture of the human body using high-frequency radio signals.

Scottish inventor William Cullen, who was born in 1710, is credited with the invention of the refrigerator. Its introduction fundamentally changed how people around the world were able to store and transport food. The fridge opened up access to a broader range of food and helped preserve perishable food items. Cullen demonstrated his discovery at Glasgow University in 1748 although at the time no effort was made to develop it commercially. Today, there are more than 500 million refrigerators in use worldwide.

The invention of the daily disposable contact lens completely revolutionised the world of optics and changed the lives of millions of people with vision impairment. Scottish-born Ron Hamilton developed the disposable lens in 1995 while working from a makeshift laboratory in his back garden.

Today, we see going to the nearest cash machine to withdraw money as a simple everyday task - but that wasn't always the case.  

In 1966, James Goodfellow, a Scottish inventor from Paisley, on the west coast of Scotland, invented the first automated teller machine (ATM) and PIN number system. This secure technology meant that banks could close their doors after business hours while still dispensing cash to customers when they needed it.

James Clerk Maxwell is best known as the father of modern physics with his name commonly mentioned in the same breath as those of Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. However, he was also responsible for the world's first colour photograph. In 1855, Maxwell introduced the world to the 'three colour process'. A few years later, while giving a lecture on an unrelated topic, he displayed the first colour photograph - it was a picture of a tartan ribbon.

The Kaleidoscope has been a staple of children’s toy chests for more than 200 years since it was invented by Sir David Brewster in 1816. Born in the small Scottish country town of Jedburgh, Brewster was uncannily intelligent, building his own telescope from scratch aged just 10 years old. This early interest in optics continued throughout his life. Incredibly, due to an error at the patent office, Brewster’s invention was allowed to be quickly and crudely copied by opportunistic entrepreneurs, meaning that he saw little financial reward. 

Yes, us Scots have really thought of everything – we can’t even answer the call of nature without thinking of ways to perfect it. Flushing toilets have existed in some form for thousands of years, the ancient Neolithic site of Skara Brae on Scotland’s Orkney Islands being one example. However, it wasn’t until 1755 that Scottish mechanic Alexander Cumming developed the ‘S bend’ – an invention still in use today. The invention uses standing water to block out foul smells from the connecting sewers. 

These days, the use of hypodermic needles in medicine is commonplace. Whether for immunisation, giving blood, or receiving an injection, this revolutionary invention is thanks to Scottish physician, Alexander Wood, who developed the first hypodermic needle in 1853. Wood developed the idea for the device by studying how a bee delivers its sting.

In the world of cutting-edge forensic science, the use of fingerprints to identify criminals is commonplace – even mundane – but there was a time when this practice was the very pinnacle of criminal investigation. The idea of using fingerprinting to identify criminals belongs to Scottish doctor, Henry Faulds, who first suggested it in 1880. He developed the idea while working on archaeological digs in Japan and noticing finger prints on shards of ancient pottery.

James Watt, the Scottish inventor, engineer and chemist, was one of the true pioneers of the Industrial Revolution. His improvements on the steam engine in 1776 changed industry both at home and around the world. His introduction of a separate condenser helped avoid needless energy waste, making steam engines everywhere more powerful, more efficient and more cost-effective. A popular myth suggests Watt discovered the power of steam while watching his mother’s kettle boil and seeing the steam raise the lid.

What’s not to love about the vacuum flask? It keeps your hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold – picnic baskets around the world simply wouldn’t be the same without it! Well, the next time you’re pouring a drink from your flask, raise one of those cups to Sir James Dewar – the Scotsman who invented it in 1892. Amazingly, Dewar stumbled upon the invention while working in the field of cryogenics. Though most commonly known as a household item, the vacuum flask also revolutionised the scientific world, becoming a significant tool for chemical experiments.

Pneumatic tyres have revolutionised transportation, but who really invented the pneumatic tyre? The development of the pneumatic tyre was thanks to the efforts of two Scottish inventors: Robert Thomson and John Boyd Dunlop. Although, Robert Thomson was the original inventor of the pneumatic tyre. In 1846, he patented a design for the pneumatic tyre to help improve the efficiency of horse-drawn carriages. John Boyd Dunlop later developed this idea for the bicycle and tested the tyre by fitting it to his son’s bike. The design was later used in the making of new motor cars in the 1890s. 

Though France may claim the invention of the first modern tidal turbines, with nearly 63% of the UK’s seas, it's no surprise that Scotland is at the forefront of tidal energy innovation, building on its industrial heritage and well-established supply chain capabilities. Off the coast of Orkney, Orbital Marine Power’s revolutionary floating tidal turbine, the O2, harnesses this energy. Unlike traditional seabed-mounted systems, its turbine blades are suspended beneath a floating platform, enabling more efficient energy capture and faster, lower-cost maintenance, with all major components easily accessible. This advanced technology can generate enough electricity to power approximately 2,000 UK homes annually according to Orbital Marine Power’s figures, demonstrating the tangible impact of Scotland’s tidal energy capabilities. Crucially, tidal energy offers a predictable and consistent power source, when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, making it a valuable complement to other forms of renewable energy.

Several inventors contributed to the creation of the light bulb. Scottish inventor James Bowman Lindsay was among them. In 1835, James built on earlier developments and introduced his light bulb, which used copper filament. The idea was further developed by other inventors to create the light bulb we know today. James Bowman Lindsay studied at the University of St Andrews and later became a lecturer at the Watt Institution in Dundee, the city of discovery.