The most important Polish inventions of the 20th century
Independence Day, 11 November, is now approaching. The restoration of the Republic of Poland to the world map was associated with the establishment of various state institutions. One of them was the Patent Office, which was established on 13 December 1918 by a decree issued by Chief Józef Piłsudski. The same document also regulated the foundations of the profession of patent attorney.
However, our nation’s creativity has developed independently of statehood, and interesting inventions that have changed the world have often been created and registered abroad. Ingenuity and innovation are the driving forces behind new solutions and improvements in the quality of life in many areas. The following people have left their mark on science and the arts: Nicolaus Copernicus, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Fryderyk Chopin and many others. This time, however, we would like to introduce you to lesser-known but equally important Polish inventors of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Inventions of the 20th century:
Józef Kosacki – a Pole who stopped death thanks to a handheld mine detector.
The first handheld electromagnetic detector, or actually a metal detector allowing for the detection of landmines, was created in 1941 as an invention of Józef Kosacki. Due to the Second World War, the creator decided to give up the patent, saving the lives of many thousands of people. The technical drawings were handed over to the British government and then sent to all Allied troops. After the end of the war, the invention proved irreplaceable in the restoration of areas where recent warfare had taken place. With some modifications, it was used until the 1990s.
Hilary Koprowski – polio vaccine that saves millions!
Hilary Koprowski was born in 1916 in Warsaw, but shortly before the outbreak of World War II, he went to Italy and Brazil, to finally reach the USA and settle there. As a virologist and immunologist, he studied the poliovirus which causes poliomyelitis. In 1948, together with two American colleagues, he created a working vaccine, and to test its effectiveness, he tried the first dose on himself and the technique that accompanied him in the research process. Thanks to Koprowski’s actions, 9 million doses of vaccines reached Poland, which allowed to control the epidemic of diseases.
Like the invention of Józef Kosacki, the vaccine was not patented and went into mass production in the name of saving human health.
Henryk Magnuski – a precursor of handheld communication
As long as you’re not reading this article on your phone, you’ve got it in your pocket or somewhere within easy reach, right? Can you imagine life without the possibility of convenient distance communication? If not, you should be familiar with Henryk Magnuski. Born in Warsaw in 1909, the Polish inventor went to the USA for training shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and stayed there permanently. Working at Galvin Manufacturing Corporation (which later changed its name to Motorola), he was part of a radio communications project and developed the first portable radios. When he retired, he had around 30 patents that improved communication and significantly influenced our everyday life today.
Józef Hofmann – the inventor of perfecting everyday things, including car wipers and stools with adjustable height
He gained fame mainly as a top-class pianist, but fascinated by everyday life, he also created about 70 inventions. His best-known technical solutions are car wipers and a height-adjustable stool. All his ideas were firmly rooted in everyday life inspired by his two passions: music and motoring. Car wipers were inspired by the movements of the metronome. They were appreciated by Ford and put into production in their factories. Hofmann gave music concerts already at the age of eleven, and from the need to reach for the piano pedals, a stool with adjustable height was born. Among the patents of Józef Hofmann we can also find many interesting inventions that improve the comfort of driving a car: car telescopes, spring bumpers, pneumatic shock absorbers, a GPS prototype or to improve piano playing and music recording: a piano with narrower keys, a way to reduce the resistance of the keys during the game or pedal extensions. Józef Hofmann patented most of his inventions in the United States, which brought him considerable income.
Jan Czochralski – the inventor who invented modern electronics and invented the railway!
Jan Czochralski was born in 1885 in Kcynia, near Bydgoszcz, which was then partitioned and occupied by Prussia. With a passion for chemical experimentation, he soon left home to study at the Technical University of Berlin and work in AEG laboratories. In 1916, he discovered a method of manufacturing single crystals, especially semiconductors, which are used to build transistors necessary for the operation of most electronic devices: phones, computers, cameras, tablets, etc. The scientific world called this method the Czochralski method, but it was not patented. Another invention was an alloy for plain bearing shells, called metal B or bahnmetall. This alloy was soft enough to lubricate the axles of the wagons, but hard enough to last. The patent, granted in 1926, was almost immediately bought by the German railways, which made it possible to speed up transport.
These are not the only inventions of the 20th century constructed by Poles. This list should include many more solutions such as: fluorescent lamp, semaphore, pulsar clock, cryptological bomb, radiomicroscope, “Nagra” reporter tape recorder, teletroscope, hydrogen bomb, parabens in cosmetics or toothpaste with activated carbon. From entertainment to medicine, from mathematics, logic and the beginnings of programming to cosmetology and hygiene – there are interesting Polish inventions in every field.
