1.Binary Code
Binary numbers were first described by
Pingala
(c. 200 BC). Pingala is the traditional name of the author of the
Chandaḥśāstra, the earliest known Sanskrit treatise on prosody.
2.Buttons
Buttons were first used in Mohenjo-daro for ornamental purpose rather
than for fastening. They were first used in the Indus Valley
Civilization by 2000 BCE.
3.Suits Game
The popular game of cards originated from India & was known as Krida-patram (which literally means
“painted rags for playing”)
4. Cataract Surgery
Indian physician Sushruta (6th century BCE) had the knowledge of
performing cataract surgery. It spread to China from India. Greek
scientists would visit India to get operations done and also to learn
the nitty-gritties.
5.Chess
Chess developed out of
Chaturanga, which is an ancient strategy board game developed during the
Gupta Empire in India around the 6th century AD.
6. Cotton cultivation
The ancient Greeks used to wear animal skins and were not even aware of cotton. But Indians were sort of cool
and started cultivating cotton during the 5th – 4th millennium BCE in
the Indus Valley Civilization. The word spread to the Mediterranean and
beyond and soon everyone was ordering one from Flipkart. Well, pretty
much
7. Diamond Mining
Worldwide, India was the only source of diamonds until the discovery of
mines in Brazil in the 18th century. Almost 5000 years ago, diamonds
were first recognized and mined in central India.
8. Fibonacci Numbers
The Fibonacci numbers were first described by
Virahanka, Gopala and
Hemachandra as an outgrowth of earlier writings by
Pingala.
9. Flush Toilets
Flush
toilets were first used in the Indus Valley Civilization. These existed
in most homes and were connected to a sophisticated sewage mechanism.
The civilization was prominent in hydraulic engineering.
10. Ink
Many
ancient cultures and civilizations independently discovered and
prepared ink for writing purposes. The source of carbon pigment used in
Indian Ink (called musi) used in ancient India, was India. Since 4th
century BC, the practice of writing with ink with a sharp pointed needle
was common in South India.
11. Steel & Metal works
Ancient
Indians were pioneers in metallurgy. High quality steel was produced,
almost two thousand years before it was understood by the West. One of
the most remarkable feat in metallurgy: creating a seamless celestial
globe, was invented in Kashmir. It was earlier considered impossible to
create a metal globe without seams.
So thanks to India, Iron Man can wear his suit now.
12. Decimal System, Quadratic formula and Zero!
It was in 7th century CE when
Brahmagupta
found the first general formula for solving quadratic equations. The
decimal system (or the Hindu number system), which was a precursor of
the Arabic numeric system, was developed in India between the 1st and
6th centuries CE.
13. Fiber Optics
Named as one of the 7 ‘Unsung Heroes’ by Fortune Magazine,
Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany, is widely recognized as the ‘Father of Fiber Optics’ for his pioneering work in Fiber Optics technology.
Watch him speak eloquently on his entrepreneurial journey
14. Plastic Surgery
Yes, you heard it right. Indians were pioneers in Plastic Surgery too. It was carried out in India as early as 2000 BCE.
So, we’ve always been a
cool country.
History is testimony to it. So what’s stopping you from being innovative? Go, win the world
15. Prefabricated home and movable structure
In 16th century Mughal India, the first prefabricated & movable structures were invented.
16. Ruler
Rulers
were first used by the Indus Valley Civilization prior to 1500 BCE.
Made of ivory, the rulers found during excavation, reveal the amazing
accuracy of decimal subdivisions on it
17. Shampoo
The word ‘Shampoo’ is derived from
chāmpo (चाँपो).
It was initially used as a head massage oil for Rulers.. It evolved into shampoo over the
years.
18. Snakes and Ladders
The
game, Snakes & Ladders, was invented in India as a game of
morals. Later it spread to England and eventually introduced in the USA
by game pioneer Milton Bradley in 1943.
19. Water on Moon
ISRO’s
Chandrayaan-1 made the startling discovery that our moon is not a dry
ball of rocks. The discovery of lunar water is attributed to the
Chandrayaan mission.
20. Radio/Wireless communication
We
all know that Marconi received a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909 for
contribution to the development of wireless telegraphy. But the first
public demonstration of radio waves for communication was made by Sir
Jagdish Chandra Bose in 1895, two years prior to Marconi’s similar
demonstration in England.
Sir Bose was posthumously credited (more
than a century later) for his achievement. The fact remains that this
discovery truly shaped the face of modern wireless communication
