8 Technologies That Are Older Than You Think

Oct 30, 2023

Everything we use is much older than we think.

Much of the technology we know and use today has been around longer than you think. There are technologies that are vital to our lives today, with histories that stem back decades or even centuries. So, which technologies are older than you think?

Many of us associate touchscreens with smartphones, which rose to popularity in the late 2010s. But the idea of touchscreens actually came about many years prior. In October 1965, English engineer E.A. Johnson worked to create a touchscreen device for the Royal Radar Establishment. This device could help in air traffic control but sadly never made the mainstream.

Over the next few decades, numerous individuals attempted or successfully created devices with touchscreen capability. The IBM Simon, for example, was the world's first-ever touchscreen phone.

Of course, the IBM Simon was nothing like today's smartphones. As shown in the video below, the device had a very basic liquid crystal display, and no colors other than black and white could be supported.

However, the IBM Simon was incredibly innovative for its time, given that it was released back in 1994. The device didn't exactly stand as the catalyst for touchscreen technology, but it is still an important stepping stone that led to today's booming industry. Who knows what the future of smartphones will bring, but let's not forget where the first-ever touchscreen originated!

No, Tesla did not invent self-driving cars, though the EV brand is heavily associated with this futuristic technology.

In fact, the first self-driving car was invented back in 1939 at the World's Fair. This vehicle, developed by General Motors and designed by Norman Bel Geddes, could drive on its own using radio-controlled electromagnetic fields. Magnetized spikes had to be placed on the roadway for this to work, but nonetheless, the car could move without physical human intervention.

Many moons later, in the 1990s, big steps were made in the autonomous driving field, both in legislation and manufacture. At the start of this decade, the US government passed the ISTEA Transportation Authorization Bill, which had the goal of successfully creating a driverless car and highway system by 1997. This gave way to many autonomous driving projects, including Navlab and ARGO, though many of the vehicles created in these ventures were somewhat or mostly autonomous, not fully.

We're still yet to see a fully autonomous vehicle on our roads, though many companies are developing such a vehicle.

We've all seen the retro computers that date back to the 70s and 80s, but the history of computers stretches back far further than that. The first-ever computer was created in the 1820s by Charles Babbage. Fittingly, the machine was named after its inventor and is known as the Babbage Difference Engine. But this was a mechanical computer, not electric, like the ones we use today.

The first programmable electric computer was invented many decades later, during the Second World War. The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was developed in the US in 1945 and used various panels, all with their own functions, to operate. This machine looked nothing like the computers we use today and was used by the military, not everyday folk.

The age of personal computers (PCs) began in the 70s, with a range of models, such as the Altair and Kenbak-1, being released. Then, in the 80s, the first Windows and Macintosh PCs were released, two names that still hold a huge stake in the computing industry.

A very basic form of central heating was present in the ancient Greek and Roman empires, which used a furnace to circulate heat around rooms via hollow chambers. Many modern technologies originated in ancient societies (though in a very basic form). But this was just the start of central heating technology.

In the 1700s and 1800s, central heating was further developed. In 1793, William Strutt created a furnace to circulate heated air, which was inspired by a more rudimentary model developed a century earlier.

But the more modern model of central heating, which uses gas to heat buildings, was developed and patented by Alice H. Parker, an African-American woman born in 1895. Parker was not satisfied with the poor heating ability of her fireplace at home during the winter, so she endeavored to create something more effective. Her design was known as a "heating furnace" and used a system of ducts to circulate air through homes.

The heating furnace's patent was filed in late 1919, not long before Parker's death.

Today, we can do so much on our smartphones that we sometimes forget they were originally designed purely to make phone calls. When the age of the telephone started, the light bulb hadn't even been invented.

In 1847, inventor Alexander Graham Bell invented the world's first telephone. On March 10 of the same year, Bell made the first-ever telephone call to his assistant. The call spanned a distance of six miles, which was very impressive for the time. Bell's assistant could hear his voice on the other end of the line, making the telephone call officially successful.

As you may have guessed, this telephone looked nothing like the smartphones we use today, as the history of cell phones didn't even begin until the 70s. Even early 20th-century telephones look vastly different from their 1847 predecessor. But this technology laid the foundations for the advanced telecommunications devices we're all so fond of now.

We all love seeing a vending machine when itching for hydration or a snack. We associate vending machines with the latter half of the 20th century, but the first modern vending machine was invented in 1883 by Percival Everett. This vending machine did not dispense confectionery and soda. Rather, it dispensed postcards.

Around sixty years after this more modern version of the vending machine came a newspaper dispenser invented by Richard Carlile. Carlile used this invention to dispense banned publications, a sneaky yet nifty idea.

And, at the start of it all, was a rudimentary form of the vending machine which dispensed holy water when a coin was inserted. This invention was developed by Hero Alexandria, a man who lived in the first century AD. From dispensing holy water to Hot Cheetos, vending machines have changed significantly over the centuries.

The first battery looked nothing like the compact lithium-powered cylinders we use today. Instead, the voltaic pile, created in 1800 by Alessandro Volta, was a column-like structure consisting of layered copper and zinc discs, each separated by a piece of cloth. The invention was the first electrical battery widely used throughout the 19th century.

However, a very rudimentary kind of battery dates back thousands of years. The Bagdhad Battery, a set of three artifacts, closely resembles a kind of archaic battery, which uses a copper tube and an iron rod within a ceramic pot. Archeologists are not certain whether this was used as a battery, but the combination of these three components is certainly suggestive of such.

Many of us remember how weird it was to watch a 3D movie for the first time. But this is by no means a modern technology.

The first 3D film was shown in cinemas in 1922, just a few years after the conclusion of the First World War. "The Power of Love" was a silent feature first shown in Los Angeles and was revolutionary for its time. The film even had two different endings; one happy and one sad. Using anaglyphic glasses to receive the 3D experience, audience members could choose which ending they wanted to watch.

Around 30 years later, 3D movies became all the rage in a period known as the 3D technology golden age. But many still don't know that this technology stretches back to the early 20th century.

While older societies certainly weren't using Instagram or streaming Netflix, it's important to remember that many of the popular technologies we use today have roots that date back hundreds or even thousands of years. We owe much of the technological luxuries enjoyed today to advancements made long ago. So, keep that in mind next time you turn on your radiator or make a phone call!

Katie has been writing about tech-based topics for two years, with a specific interest in cybersecurity, AI, and cryptocurrency. Katie has covered a variety of topics during her time at MUO, including crypto explainers, cybersecurity guides, VPN reviews, recent hacks, and software tutorials. With a passion for emerging tech, Katie is also excited to see what new devices and digital platforms the coming years will bring.