From "Timesonline-UK"
November 23, 2004
The science division of the "London Times" has posted the results of its "Best British invention of the past 250 years" contest.In a surprising upset, the bicycle topped the transportaton category, resoundingly defeating the jet engine and the steam railway by a 66 to 1 margin. The bicycle will make it to the finals to be judged by a panel of renowned men and women selected from Britain's science and historical establisments.
The other four finalists are:
-The electrical generator
-Vaccination
-Computer/internet
-The electric light
So far, the bicycle has a great chance to top the finals.In case you are interested in which inventions were selected, here is the "Times" short list of first-round winners in each category:
Medicine
Vaccination 39 per cent
Penicillin 28 per cent
Modern genetics 19 per cent
Microscope 10 per cent
Medical scanners 5 per cent
Transport
Bicycle 35 per cent
Steam railway 24 per cent
Jet engine 23 per cent
Steam turbine 10 per cent
Radar 8 per cent
The Way We Live
Computer and world wide web 36 per cent
Electric light 36 per cent (two votes behind)
Telephone 14 per cent
Television 9 per cent
Photography 5 per cent
Industry
Electricity 76 per cent
Steel 11 per cent
Spinning machines 8 per cent
Safety lamp 3 per cent
Synthetic dye 2 per cent
Voting is now open online at www.timesonline.co.uk/greatinventions
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