Historical Inventions

noun a single lens for one eye in a pair of glasses

• She always carries a spare pair of eyeglasses in her purse.
• I can't find my eyeglasses anywhere, have you seen them?
• I look like a nerd with these eyeglasses on.
• His keen insight acted as his mental eyeglass, helping him see things clearly.

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence; in this case, 'invented' is the past tense of the verb 'invent'

• Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879.
• Did you know that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone?
• Steve Jobs basically invented the smartphone as we know it.
• She practically invented the art of multitasking in our office.

noun the act of creating something new or original

• The invention of the printing press revolutionized the way information was shared.
• I heard that the new invention is going to make life so much easier.
• Dude, that invention is gonna be a game-changer!
• His invention of a new dance move took the party to a whole new level.

noun a brand name for a type of phonograph or record player

• The Victrola was a popular brand of phonograph in the early 20th century.
• My grandma still has her old Victrola in the attic.
• I found a sweet Victrola at the thrift store for a steal.
• The Victrola of memories played in her mind as she looked through old photographs.

noun a manual computing device with beads or disks that can be moved up and down on rods or in grooves

• The teacher demonstrated how to use the abacus to perform complex calculations.
• I found an old abacus in my grandparents' attic and decided to try using it.
• I'm so bad at math, I might as well be using an abacus!
• She used the abacus of her mind to carefully weigh her options before making a decision.

noun a device consisting of a hollow metal sphere mounted so that it can rotate about an axis parallel to the direction of the wind, with a tube through which steam is forced to emerge tangentially, used to illustrate the effects of rotation and fluid pressure

• The aeolipyle was used in ancient times as a device to demonstrate the power of steam.
• I found this cool aeolipyle at the antique shop.
• Check out this funky aeolipyle I scored at the flea market!
• The aeolipyle symbolizes the ingenuity and innovation of ancient civilizations.