Top 10 in­ven­tions facts

Weapon that protected Syracuse. Archimedes devised defensive devices to counter the Roman efforts including a huge crane operated hook – the Claw of Archimedes – that was used to lift the enemy ships out of the sea before dropping them to their doom.

Genes. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 held that human DNA was a "product of nature", a basic tool of scientific and technological work, thereby placing it beyond the domain of patent protection. It struck down patents held by Myriad Genetics Inc, a Utah company, on two genes linked to a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The ruling represents a major shift in the law, overturning three decades of patent awards by the US government and could have a profound effect on the biotechnology and drug industry.

In Mesopotamia. A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The first evidence of wheeled vehicles appears in the second half of the 4th millennium BCE, in Mesopotamia (Sumerian civilization),

Steam turbine. An aeolipile (or aeolipyle, or eolipile), also known as a Hero's engine, is a simple bladeless radial steam turbine which spins when the central water container is heated. In the 1st century AD, Hero of Alexandria described the device in Roman Egypt, and many sources give him the credit for its invention.

Joseph van Fraunhofer. Joseph Ritter von Fraunhofer was a Bavarian physicist and optical lens manufacturer. He made optical glass and achromatic telescope objective lenses, invented the spectroscope, and developed diffraction grating.

Nikola Tesla. Marconi was credited to be the first radio constructor, but in 1943 the US Supreme Court has granted patent rights to Tesla patent. Marconi admitted he was using Tesla's work in his construction.

China. Black gunpowder was invented in 9th-century China and spread throughout most parts of Eurasia by the end of the 13th century. Originally developed by alchemists for medicinal purposes, gunpowder was first used for warfare about 1000 CE.

It becomes public domain. A patent allows you, and only you, to profit from your genius when you invent something new. No one else can manufacture or sell your invention unless you give permission. When a patent expires, anyone can copy your idea and market it. It becomes public domain

Phoenicians. The creators of coins were probably Phoenicians. Phoenicia is an ancient land that encompasses the areas of today's Lebanon, western Syria and northern Israel. In addition to the invention of coins, the Phoenicians also created the first ever alphabetical magazine.

In Moravia. Jakob Christof Rad, born March 25, 1799 in Rheinfelden (present day Switzerland), was a Swiss-born physician and industrial manager. Since 1840, Rad was the director of a sugar refinery in Moravian Dačice, currently in the South Bohemian Region of the CzR. The idea to produce sugar in cube form came from his wife, who cut herself while paring down the standard large, bulky commercial sugar loaf into smaller parts for use at home. He invented the process and associated machinery for cutting large sugar blocks into manageable uniform pieces, which he five-year-patented at the beginning of 1843.