Inventions That Changed Our World

Inventions That Changed Our World

Readworks.org article

What Would We Do Without... ?

- Bubble Gum: invented in 1906 by Frank Henry Fleer

- Silly Putty: invented in 1943 by James Wright

- Basketball: invented in 1891 by James Naismith

- Velcro: invented in 1948 by George de Mestral

People have been inventing things for years. Paper was invented about 2,000 years ago. The wheel was invented more than 5,000 years ago. What would life be like without paper to write on or bikes to ride? Those inventions have made life easier.

Airplane

The Wright brothers invented the first airplane in December 1903. Before the airplane was invented, most people traveled by cars, boats, and trains. Today, airplanes help people travel faster. How else do airplanes help people?

Multiple Choice

Read this section from the text:

"The Wright brothers invented the first airplane in December 1903. Before the airplane was invented, most people traveled by cars, boats, and trains. Today, airplanes help people travel faster."

Based on this evidence about airplanes, what can you conclude about how transportation has changed?

• Before airplanes were invented, transportation took longer.

• Before airplanes were invented, travel was much faster.

• After airplanes were invented, more people traveled by planes than cars.

• After airplanes were invented, people stopped traveling by boat.

Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. Before the telephone was invented, people kept in touch by writing letters or talking in person. Today, the telephone makes it easier for people to talk to one another.

Automobile

The first four-wheeled gas-powered car was invented by Karl Benz in 1891. Before people had cars, they couldn't travel easily. They walked or rode horses for short trips. They took trains or boats for long trips. Today, cars are one of the main ways people travel. How do cars help you?

Computer

People worked for years to make the first computer. It was built in 1946. Today, computers are an important part of many people's lives. People use computers as tools to write, get information, and much more. How do computers help people?

Multiple Select

Which of the following are two inventions in the text that were invented before 1900?

• the telephone

• the game of basketball

• the airplane

• the computer

• Velcro

Multiple Choice

What do all the inventions described in this text have in common?

• All these inventions made people’s lives easier.

• All these inventions changed how people travel.

• All these inventions were invented in the twentieth century.

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea of the text?

• Many different inventions have changed our lives in important ways.

• The invention of computers has impacted our lives in many ways.

• The most important invention in the 1900s was Velcro.

• The Wright brothers spent a long time trying to invent the airplane.

Multiple Choice

Choose the word that best completes the sentence:

__________ the telephone was invented, people kept in touch by writing letters or talking in person.

• Before

• Although

• Since

• After

• Instead of

Fill in the Blank

Name two ways that people communicated before the telephone was invented.

Open Ended

According to the text, what do the airplane and the automobile have in common?

Open Ended

How have the inventions you just read about (airplane, telephone, automobile and computer) helped people and communities?

Example sentence prompt: Airplanes have helped people travel faster and travel with more items. This also means that countries can trade easier because airplanes can carry lots of cargo.