These 80’s Inventions Changed the World Forever – No.5 Was Discovered Accidentally!

Can you imagine living in an era which does not have inventions like DNA fingerprinting, Microsoft Windows and Apple computers? That’s pretty hard to believe, isn’t it? If it wasn’t for genius inventions from the 1980’s, we would be deprived of some of the most essential luxuries that we can’t imagine our lives without, today.

The 80’s was a glorious era for the music industry which introduced us to pop icons like Madonna, but it was also a great time for the emerging tech industry and medicine. Here is a list of the best inventions made in the decade of 80’s which changed our lives forever.

MTV

MTV made its debut in 1981

“Rock & roll, ladies, and gentlemen”, these were the first words broadcasted on MTV when it made its debut in 1981.  The Buggles’s “Video Killed the Radio Star” was the first video shown on the iconic television channel.

Initially, the channel mostly aired music videos from pop and R&B superstars who later became famous. Some of the musicians who found fame through MTV include Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, and Madonna. The channel slowly progressed with time, and eventually became one of the best television platforms for streaming music and videos.

Artificial Human Heart

In 1982, Dr. Robert Jarvik invented the world’s, first artificial heart.

The Jarvik 7 was the first artificial heart invented by Dr. Robert Jarvik in 1982 and it was Dr. William DeVries who successfully implanted the heart for the first time in history. The landmark surgery took place at the University of Utah. A dentist named Barney Clark volunteered as the patient for the surgery and miraculously, it was a huge success. Ever since, many other surgeries were performed using the artificial heart to save the lives of people suffering from cardiac diseases.

CD Player

Sony released the first CD player in 1982.

Before the invention of the Bluetooth speaker, people enjoy music and videos through the trusty CD player. The CDP-101 was the first ever CD player made by Sony in 1982 and at the time, the price of the player was an astounding $674 whereas a CD cost $15. CD player was also considered as a symbol of wealth in the 1980’s but with the passage of time, it became too mainstream and the prices started going down.

Camcorder

In 1983, Sony released the first Camcorder.

Sony made a major contribution to the inventions from the 1980’s, and besides the CD player, it also manufactured a Camcorder in 1982 for recording news and videos. A year after the major invention, a beta version of the camcorder was released by the company which was designed for the consumer market. Soon, stiff competition ensued between Sony and Panasonic after the latter came up with its own VHS camcorder, leaving Sony’s camcorder behind.

DNA Fingerprinting

DNA fingerprinting study completed in 1984

Back in 1984, Dr. Alec Jeffreys accidentally diagnosed the repetitive pattern in the human body when he was studying hereditary family diseases in the University of Leicester. After probing further, he concluded that these patterns are unique in every person and can be used as a way to identify an individual. After that, he named his research as “genetic fingerprinting” which was successfully tested on two different murders cases.

Apple MacIntosh

Apple Macintosh – the first commercial use personal computer made by Apple in 1984

The invention of this computer was probably the biggest achievement in the field of technology. Back in 1984, Apple Inc. manufactured the iconic MacIntosh which became the first personal computer to be sold commercially in the history. The PC was the first Apple product introduced in the mass market which was simplified for normal human to operate. At the time of its release, a MacIntosh cost $2,500 and its processor was sold separately at a price of $10,000. But as other Apple products starting entering the market, the computer’s prices went down.

Microsoft Windows

Windows 1.0 – the first version of the Microsoft Windows released in 1985.

In 1985, Microsoft invented the first Windows operating system and since then the company has revealed 10 more versions of the Windows OS. Modern-day Window is totally different from 1980’s version of the OS. The development of the Windows was a major progress in the tech domain as most of the information to be input relied on the mouse and other systems use a keyboard for entering information.

Prozac

Prozac was introduced in 1987

Prozac, an antidepressant, was first introduced in 1987 after FDA approval. And by 1989, most people suffering from depression were advised to take the drug. The capsule has faced many lawsuits in the past from people claiming that the antidepressant triggers suicidal tendencies in patients. But despite the controversy, the capsule is still widely used today.