The world has been transformed by technology that has brought change and enabled us to prosper and have the future we live in today. From the creation of stone tools, the wheel, to machines – numerous technologies have paved the way for a more modern planet. Interestingly, while it took a long time for the older disruptive innovations to become widely adopted, this has decreased substantially in recent years. Because of this is why being good at “ Disruptive Innovation “ matters – if the goal is to create meaningful new value, expand opportunities, increase relevance and revenue, etc. To put into perspective with a sports analogy, no baseball team ever won the World series with at least a few Sluggers in the lineup !
While there are many major innovations that have been disruptive, here are some of the breakthroughs that brought meaningful change that created significant new opportunities to drive global growth and development –
1. The Printing Press
The machine devised by the German Gutenberg in the mid-15th century enabled the mass production of books. As a result, it led to the spread of ideas (especially religious ones), the spread of knowledge, literacy and the creation of libraries in Europe. A key revolution that accelerated the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The first work printed with this machine was the Bible. The printing press introduced the idea that machines eliminate jobs, although it gave rise to a powerful industry of printers, booksellers and writers, among other trades.
2. The Steam Engine
The steam engine invented by the Scottish engineer James Watt (in 1775) revolutionised transport and machinery in the 19th century and drove the First Industrial Revolution, rapidly moving from an economy based on agriculture and trade to an industrialised one with much greater production capacity. This technological invention gave rise to locomotives, steamships and even the first automobiles. And the way was paved for the emergence of various types of combustion engines and aircraft. The effect on employment was immediate, and the middle classes and urban centres were born.
3. The Light Bulb
Before Thomas Edison, many others tried incandescent lamps or bulbs. While he is viewed as the inventor (in 1880), his contribution was improving on the innovations of others in electric lighting (including Humphry Davy, Matthew Evans, Warren de la Rue, Joseph Wilson Swan). The light bulb is considered by many to be the greatest invention since the discovery of fire – light entered homes and workplaces, becoming a necessity and an engine for economic growth (working hours were extended, electricity generating plants and household appliances were developed, among other advances).
4. The Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell worked as a speech and hearing expert (his mother and wife were both deaf) and, seeking to improve the telegraph, researched voice transmission until, in 1876, he patented the telephone. This device revolutionised communication by allowing instant speech even over long distances. In its early days, to establish a call, a person had to manually connect the wires, and this continued until the creation of the telephone network. It is one of the most significant advances of the Second Industrial Revolution, to the extent that it marks the beginning of modern society. Without it, the world would not exist as we know it today: it laid the foundations for mobile telephony.
5. The Aeroplane
In 1903, the Wright brothers created the first human-piloted motorised aeroplane, the Wright Flyer. The flight lasted only 12 seconds, but with this experiment, which defied gravity, they laid the foundations of aeronautical engineering. Their designs inspired others to develop commercial aviation. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh became a hero for his non-stop crossing of the Atlantic. This technological ingenuity boosted trade, culture, tourism and, today, the air transport industry is key to global economic prosperity.
6. Computers
Computers have redefined people’s lives and the way they work, simplifying tasks, storing information and processing data quickly and efficiently. The invention of the transistor or semiconductor in 1947 began the road to Mainframe, Mid-Range and Personal Computers. This component replaced the vacuum tube and was the key to creating smaller, more reliable electronic devices. John Blankenbaker’s Kenbak-1 is considered the first personal computer and later in 1970s and 1980s with microprocessors. The first personal computer with a microprocessor was the Micral (1973). Although it was never sold, the Xerox Alto (1973) was the forerunner of home computing – it introduced for the first time a graphical interface and a mouse. In 1975, the Altair 8800 and Apple also launched products.
7. The Internet
As with most technological inventions that have changed the world, the birth of the network of networks would not be understood without earlier experiments and technologies. The connection of four university computers to ARPAnet in 1969 was the seed for the birth of the Internet. In the late 1970s, Vinton Cerf developed the “transmission control protocol” or TCP for sending files between computers. This breakthrough was key to Tim Berners-Lee’s introduction of the World Wide Web in 1991, transforming society. It continues to evolve today, bringing new forms of interaction and economic, social and cultural growth. The commercialization of the Internet and the Browser in the 1990s changed communications.
8. The Mobile Phone
In 1983, the first mobile phone small enough to be portable was launched: Motorola DynaTac 8000X, designed by engineer Martin Cooper, with a 30-minute battery life. The first generation of mobile phones was only for talking, but as it evolved, the terminals provided new functions, such as sending SMS or email, paving the way for smartphones capable of browsing the internet, capturing photos, listening to music, guiding via GPS or updating social networks, among many other functions. Today it is one of the essential technological inventions in personal and professional life.
9. Artificial Intelligence
The precursor of modern computing, Alan Turing, is also the father of artificial intelligence. However, the term was not coined until 1956, when the first artificial intelligence programme, Logic Theorist, was presented at a historic conference. Today, after having evolved from Expert Systems and Business Intelligence eras, modern AI is an increasingly part of our lives in the form of – chatbots, voice assistants, autonomous vehicles, real-time translators, artificial vision, ChatGPT, the Internet of Things, intelligent robots, etc. And with increasing reasoning ability, AI is further transforming the world – especially initiatives utilizing Generative artificial intelligence.
What does this mean ?
From this, to expand opportunities and create new value to increase relevance and revenue of your organization –
- What are you and your organization doing to develop the mindset and competencies needed to
” Innovate for Impact “ (hit home runs) ?
- Who is in “ The Brain Trust “ responsible for meaningful improving outcomes and developing a results-oriented entrepreneurial culture ?
June 26, 2025 CAIL Innovation commentary info@cail.com www.cail.com 905-940-9000