10 Victorian Inventions We Still Use Today

 Queen Victoria ruled over the United Kingdom and its respective colonies from 1837-1901.

Her 64 years on the throne made her the longest reigning monarch in British history, until current reigning Queen Elizabeth passed that mark on September 9, 2015.

Queen Victoria’s reign is widely regarded as a time when Britain was at the height of its power and is fondly remembered as the Victorian Era.

The United Kingdom experienced a great deal of economic and industrial growth under Queen Victoria’s rule, which is part of the reason why the Victorian Era is synonymous with progress.

Queen Victoria’s reign may have been a case of good timing coinciding with the tail end of the Industrial Revolution, but it’s also fair to assume her steady and reliable influence was at the root of what furthered the growth of the period in the first place.

While some inventions like Victorian exercise machines rightfully never made it out of the 19th century, there are plenty of innovations born in that era that we still use today.

Can you think of any other Victorian inventions or customs that we still use? Please SHARE in the comments below!

1. Negative-Positive Photographic Process

 Englishmen and intellectual William Henry Fox Talbot became fascinated with the idea of photography after a trip to Lake Como in Italy in 1833. While trying to sketch the scenery, he decided that his drawing wasn’t doing the landscape justice, and he began investigating the idea of capturing images with light instead. In 1839, he developed a type of paper that did just that by utilizing the negative image to make a positive.

His work and early photographs laid the foundation for modern photography and it’s three primary elements: developing, fixing, and printing. The basis for his negative-positive process is still used in printing today.

2. Pedal-Driven Bicycles

 The first bicycle that resembled the modern ones we have today was invented by a Scottish blacksmith named Kirkpatrick Macmillan in 1839.

However, it wasn’t until 1872, when the penny-farthing bicycle was developed by British engineer James Starley, that the machines became popular. It’s signature large front wheel was nearly six feet tall.

3. Reinforced Concrete

 Frenchmen Joseph Monier, who was a gardener by trade, is credited with revolutionizing the use of concrete. In 1849, he developed a method using wires that reinforced the material, which he initially used to make the pots for his plants more sturdy.

He soon realized that this method could be used to create larger structures, like buildings, railroads, and bridges, at a scale that hadn’t been previously possible and would change the urban landscape forever.

4. Postage Stamps

 The Penny Post system was developed in 1840 as part of an effort to reform the postal service in the United Kingdom. The previous system was both inefficient and expensive, so a man named Rowland Hill suggested the idea of a prepaid flat rate for letters.

His idea of an adhesive label, symbolizing that the postage had been paid, became what we know today as a postage stamp. Queen Victoria was featured on the first ones. Postage stamps revolutionized communication.

5. Pasteurization

 In the 1860s a French scientist called Louis Pasteur discovered wine and beer that underwent a heating treatment for a few minutes would ferment at a slower rate than liquid that was not temperature treated.

The observation led to what we know today as the pasteurization process, which drastically increases the shelf life of food and beverages by killing pathogenic bacteria.

6. Modern Sewing Machines

 Although the first machine made for sewing use was invented in 1755 by a German engineer, it wasn’t until the 1840s that a machine with multiple stitching capabilities, small enough for home use, was invented.

It is said that the first of its kind was invented by a British man, John Fisher, in 1844, but that his patent was incorrectly filed and that the credit is given to two other men who developed similar machines simultaneously across the Atlantic.

In 1845, American Elias Howe developed a modern sewing machine, but had trouble marketing the product. It is Isaac Singer who has gone down in history as the father of the modern sewing machine for his 1851 model, that went on to influence the Singer sewing machines many of us are familiar with today.

7. Rubber Tires

 Up until 1845, there was no such thing as rubber tires or wheels. Although cars weren’t invented yet, wooden wheels still made for a bumpy carriage ride.

On December 10, 1845, Robert William Thomson patented his “Aerial wheel,” which was an air-filled rubber tire. It would go on to make things like bikes and cars possible in the future.

8. Modern Oil Refineries

 James Young, a Scottish chemist developed a method to refine crude oil into what we know as petroleum, or gas. It didn’t take long for petrol to become the main fuel lighting North America, and soon the world. We continue to be highly dependent on petroleum for travel purposes today.

9. Flushing Toilets

 In 1852, the first public flushing toilet was introduced in London by English sanitary engineer George Jennings. Up until that point, people relieved themselves using outhouse-like facilities that were both unpleasant and unsanitary by modern standards.

10. Christmas Cards

Many of the Christmas traditions we enjoy today were introduced to Queen Victoria and the rest of the world by her German husband, Prince Albert. Popularization of images like Santa Claus and Christmas trees led to the development of Christmas cards.

The first one was made by Sir Henry Cole in 1843. Rapid improvement in printing technology led to the mass production and popularity of the cards, which we still send today.

Can you think of any other Victorian Era inventions we still use today? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to SHARE with your friends and family on Facebook!

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