~~~The Greatest Croatian Inventors and Inventions~~~
Torpedo: Inventor: Ivan Blaž Lupis
Ivan Blaž Lupis was born in the Croatian city Rijeka back in 1813. He was a naval officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy, and is credited for inventing the first torpedo.
Brzinomjer (Speedometer): Inventor: Josip Belušić
Josip Belušić is credited for inventing the speedometer. He was born in 1847 near Labin (Istria). In 1888, he created the first speedometer and called it the velocimeter. A year later, his invention was presented at the World Exhibit in Paris. Belušić's speedometer was able to record the following information from a horse-drawn carriage: its speed, how long it remained stationary; the duration of driving and stopping; and the number of travellers and the time at which they entered and exited from the carriage.
Zračni Brod/Cepelin (Blimp): Inventor: David Schwarz
David Schwarz was born in 1852. Although he received no official training, he knew a lot about aircrafts. In 1890, Schwarz drafted an aircraft with two engines. During a non-publicized test flight on October 8, 1896 he managed to get it one meter off of the ground. The first official flight of his aircraft was scheduled for the 15th of January in 1897, but Schwarz did not live to see it, passing away only two days before the event. The drafts of the aircraft were later purchased by the German general Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. (The German government had been supporting Schwarz's aircraft project with hope of him finishing it by the end of that year.)
Ručna Svjetiljka (Maglite/Flashlight):Inventor: Ante Maglica
Ante Maglica was born in 1930 in New York. However, he spent his childhood living on the little Croatian island of Zlarin because his parents decided to move the family from the United States back to Croatia due to the Great Depression. They moved again (to the US, I believe) in 1950. Maglica worked as a mechanic, inventing things in his garage whenever he had free time. In 1975, he opened his company Mag Instrument Inc., and introduced his best known product, the flashlight “Maglite,” to the public in 1979. It became very popular among American police, firefighters and soldiers because of its quality, functionality, and durability.
MP3 Player (AMP): Inventor: Tomislav Uzelac
Tomislav Uzelac is a Croatian programmer who created the AMP in 1997. The AMP is considered world's first successful MP3 player.
Fun Fact: Two students from the USA took his work and made it compatible with the Windows operating system, creating the Winamp media player.
M-parking (Pay-by-phone parking/SMS-parking): Inventor: No one specified; “Croatian Specialists”
This service, which allows you to pay for parking from your phone, was created in Croatia in 2001.
Fun fact: In Zagreb, you can also pay for bus and tram tickets using this same method. All you have to do is text “ZG” to the number 8585 and you will have your ticket!
Vegeta: Inventor: Zlata Bartl
Vegeta—a mixture of salt, various spices, and dried vegetables— is one of the world's most famous seasonings (according to Croatia anyway XD). It was invented in 1959 by professor Zlata Bartl who worked for the factory in Koprivnica known as Podravka (which produces Vegeta now XD). Within the first two years the factory produced about 16 tons of Vegeta.
Fun fact: Up until 1971, it was called Vegeta 40.
Mikado: Inventor: No one Specified; Zvečevo
Mikado is the world's first chocolate bar with rice. It has been produced by the Croatian factory Zvečevo since 1964.
Prva Hidroelektrana u Europi (First Hydroelectric Power Plant in Europe):Inventor: Marko Šupuk
The Jaruga hydroelectric power plant is the oldest hydroelectric power plant in Europe and the second oldest in the world. It was built on the Krka river, below the waterfall Skradinski Buk in 1895, and was put into operation on August 28th of the same year. Three days before this, Canada put the first ever hydroelectric plant into operation at the Niagara Falls.
Kravata (Necktie): Inventor: No one specified; Croatian soldiers
The necktie spread across Europe during the 17th century, thanks to the Croatian soldiers who wore them. French writer Francois Chaille wrote about the necktie explaining that in 1635, a few thousand soldiers arrived to Paris, among whom were Croats. He paid particular attention to the kerchiefs on the Croatian military uniform, which were adorned around the necks of the Croatian soldiers. Soon the style was adopted by the French court, and the necktie became a well-known article of clothing, quickly capturing all of Europe. In 2008, the date October 18th was declared National Necktie Day in Croatia.
Izmjenična struja (Alternating Current) Inventor: Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was born on July 10th, 1856 in Smiljan, Croatia, but he spent a large part of his life in New York. As an inventor and a scientist, (1) he discovered several things including X-rays, cosmic rays, the radar, the generator, the induction motor, and the alternating current, (2) patented more than 700 inventions, and (3) predicted the internet. In 1912, Tesla was supposed to receive the Nobel Prize for all of his work in physics, but he apparently refused to accept it because he did not want to share the award with Thomas Alva Edison. (They did not get along with each other at all.)
Although Tesla was a great scientist, he was also very eccentric! Here are a few of his quicks.
1. He did not like to shake hands with people because he was paranoid of infection.
2. He could calculate the volume of anything just by looking at it.
3. He loved feeding pigeons.
4. He could not stand women's jewelry.
5. He was easily irritated by noises that other people could barely hear.
Note: Depending on your perspective, Tesla might be considered a Serbian scientist or even both a Serbian and Croatian scientist!
And that is completely fine!
I just wanted to bring this up because I love both countries, and it makes me sad to see them bickering over historical/political stuff like this all of the time.
Padobran (Parachute): Inventor: Faust Vrančić
Faust Vrančić was born in 1551 in Šibenik. He was an inventor, engineer, priest, and bishop who was able to speak 7 different languages. Faust became famous thanks to his work
Machinae Novae, which he wrote during the 16th century.
Machinae Novae, contained 49 sketches and ideas, including the description for the parachute, his most famous invention. Vrančić is widely believed to have tested out his parachute design by jumping from the St. Mark's Campanile tower in Venice in 1617. Besides the parachute, the book mentions a mill driven by sea tides, a cable car, and hanging bridges. Such bridges were built 200 years after he had written about them.
Brodski Kompas (Maritime Compass); Dinamo (Dynamo): Inventor: Marcel pl. Kiepach
Marcel Kiepach, a child prodigy and descendant of the noble Kiepach family, was born in 1894 in the Croatian town Križevči. At 16 years of age, he had already invented the maritime compass, which indicated north regardless of the presence of magnetic forces or iron. He also later patented a dynamo in France for lighting vehicles and a circuit breaker for the X-ray. In addition, he invented a device specifically for his mom: a mechanical page turner that allowed her to read her books more easily in bed. Unfortunately, Marcel was killed in World War I on the Russian front when he was only 21 years old. To this day, he is still remembered in Križevci as one of its greatest citizens.
Daktiloskopija (Dactyloscopy): Inventor: Ivan Vučetić
Have you ever heard of dactyloscopy? It is the method used by detectives to identify people by their fingerprints! It was invented by the Croat Ivan Vučetić, who was born in 1858 on the island of Hvar. Vučetić had always been a diligent and curious young man. In 1884, he moved Buenos Aires, Argentina. Because was well-written and knew how to speak Spanish and Italian, he got a job working at a local police department. While working as a crime detective in Buenos Aires, Vučetić realized that every fingerprint was unique. In September 1891, he was given the task to set up an office for identification. There he designed equipment for taking fingerprints (e.i. a wooden device with ten holes for each finger, called the 'dactylon') and devised a way to archive fingerprints (e.i. a personal card called the 'ficha' that could be inserted into the device).
Kemijska Olovka (Ballpoint Pen): Inventor: Slavoljub Penkala
The pen that everybody knows and loves today, was named after the Croatian inventor Slavoljub Penkala.
He was born on 20 April 1871 in Liptovský Mikuláš (Slovakia) as Eduard Penkala.
During his lifetime, he completed 80 inventions in chemistry, physics, and aviation. Some of his inventions are the pocket pen holder, laundry detergent, hot water bottle, thermos, rotary toothbrush, an insecticide, and the pocket light. After studying in Vienna and Dresden, Penkala moved with his wife, pianist Emilia Stoffregen, to Zagreb where he got a job as a Royal Technical Controller. Penkala liked his new home so much that he changed his name to Slavoljub.
His first invention was the hot water bottle in 1903, which is now regarded as the harbinger of the thermos. Two years later, Penkala reported a new invention from the patent office: the rotating toothbrush. The rotating toothbrush was invented by accident when Penkala was trying to help his daughter Thee brush her teeth. (She hated brushing her teeth so much that she'd run off and hide in the house. xD) In 1906, Penkala patented his most famous invention, the fountain pen
penkala, which started production in Zagreb. Penkala's fountain pens were exported to over 70 countries.
~~~Other Croatian Inventions~~~
Nadzvučna Fotografija (Supersonic Photography): Inventor: Peter Salcher
Žarulja s Volframovom Niti (Electric Light-bulb with a Metal Filament): Inventor: Franjo Hanaman
Puratićev Koloturnik (Puretic Power Block): Inventor: Mario Puratić
Antibiotik Azitromicin (Antibiotic Azithromycin): Inventor: Slobodan Đokić, Gorjana Radoboja-Lazarevski, Zrinka Tamburašev, Gabrijela Kobrehel
Apaurin: Inventor: Franjo Kajfež
Bežični prijenos električne energije (Wireless non-radiative energy transfer): Inventor: Marin Soljačić
Hidraulična Dijamantna Rotirajuća Bušilica (Hydraulic Rotary Oil Well Drilling): Inventor: Anton Lučić, alias Antony Lucas
Raketni Motor i Orbitalna Svemirska Stanica (Rocket Engine and Orbiting Satellite Station): Inventor: Herman Potočnik
Teorija Sila i Strukture Tvari (Founding Principles for the Theory of Forces and the Structure of Matter): Inventor: Josip Bošković
~~~Discussion~~~
1. Were you surprised by any of this information? XD
2. Which inventions showcased in this thread do you think people might take for granted?
3. In general, what is your favorite kind of invention and why?
Subject: Največi Hrvatski Izumitelji i Izumi - The Greatest Croatian Inventors and Inventions 
14th September 2016, 5:42 pm
It's available in the US at Walmart, usually in the international section, if you ever want to try it out~ 
