50 things you should know about inventions

Every aspect of modern life has been shaped by the ideas of ingenious inventors, many of them tinkering away in small workshops or even their garden sheds. Packed with facts and figures, discover the masterminds behind some of the world's most incredible inventions. In the ancient world, philosopher Archimedes designed new machines for farming. During the Renaissance, artist Leonardo da Vinci sketched his ideas for wondrous flying machines.

Scientist James Watt provided ideas that would power the Industrial Revolution, while American inventor Thomas Edison patented more than 1000inventions that would shape modern life, including the movie camera and the electric light bulb.

Today's inventors still explore ideas for new and clever technology, producing miniature machines that we can only see under a microscope.

Step inside the world of invention and see where it might take us next...