20 things that were invented much earlier than you probably thought

Zoë EttingerMay 20, 2020, 04:05 IST

Batteries and Fig Newtons have been around for over 200 years.Tomekbudujedomek/Getty Images

Some products, especially those that use technology, seem like they were invented recently.
However, many pieces of today's technology have been in development for decades.
Vaccines seem like a relatively new medical innovation, but they have actually been around for over 200 years.

Though modern science and medicine have made great advancements in recent decades, many of their predecessors date back far earlier.

Vaccines, for example, have been around for hundreds of years — the first one was created to treat smallpox. Today, vaccines help control a number of infectious diseases, and have become the single greatest tool in eradicating them.

Take a look at all the products that were invented earlier than you'd think.

Chris Weller contributed to a previous version of this post.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Vaccines were first developed in 1796 by Edward Jenner, who was searching for a way to treat smallpox.

The smallpox vaccine in a vial Havakuk Levison/Reuters

The first battery was invented in 1800 by Alessandro Volta.

Batteries. Tomekbudujedomek/Getty Images

The microphone was invented in 1876. German clerk, Emile Berliner, built on Alexander Graham Bell's telephone invention.

A microphone. John Moore/Getty Images

Josephine Garis Cochran invented the dishwasher in 1886.

A dishwasher. simm49/Shutterstock

Artificial eye manufacturer F.A. Mueller created the first contact lenses in 1887.

Contact lenses. Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Fig Newtons were first sold in 1891. A cookie maker from Ohio, Charles M. Roser, crafted their recipe and the tech to bake them.

Fig Newtons. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

New York inventor Jesse Reno designed the first escalator in 1892.

Shoppers ride escalators at the Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles Thomson Reuters

Jell-O was created by Pearle Bixby Wait, a carpenter and cough syrup manufacturer, in 1897.

Jell-O. AP Photo/Dan Goodman

Nabisco introduced Triscuits over a century ago, in 1903.

Triscuits. Shutterstock

The first Oreo was created in 1912 inside a Nabisco factory in New York City.

Oreos. Hollis Johnson

The first drone was called the Ruston Proctor Aerial Target, and was launched in 1917.

A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone sits in a hanger at Creech Air Force Base. REUTERS/Josh Smith

Converse sneakers received their All-Star name in 1917.

Converse All Star sneakers. PYMCA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Cheesy spread Velveeta was invented by Emil Frey of the Monroe Cheese Company in 1918.

Velveeta. Scott Olson/Getty

A. H. Grebe, a radio manufacturer from New York, created the first car radio in 1919.

Car radio. iMoved Studio/Shutterstock

R. Stanton Avery invented what would become stickers in 1935.

Heart stickers. Blanchi Costela/Getty Images

The first artificial heart was invented in 1961 by Paul Winchell and Dr. Henry Heimlich.

A modern artificial heart. REUTERS

The internet was actually created as early as 1969.

Using the internet. AP Photo/Felicia Fonseca

The first cell phone was invented by Motorola researcher Martin Cooper in 1973.

A modern version of the cell phone, the smartphone. Tim Robberts/Getty Images

Though GPS was made available to consumers relatively recently, it has been around since 1978.

GPS. TippaPatt/Shutterstock

MP3 players were created by British inventor, Kane Kramer, in 1979.

MP3 players. Boris Roessler/picture alliance via Getty Images

I tried plain biscuits from 5 fast-food restaurants, and KFC's was the fluffiest

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