Quantitative easing — central bank asset purchases — was unprecedented before 2008 but became standard practice.

The light bulb made electric lighting widely practical.

The invention of insulin pumps improved diabetes management.

There are classified inventions that have never been revealed publicly.

The Statue of Liberty was engineered with an internal iron framework.

The steam engine played a major role in the Industrial Revolution.

The invention of the compass improved long-distance navigation.

Bubble wrap was originally invented as textured wallpaper before finding its packaging purpose.

The world's first programmable computer, the Colossus, was built secretly in Britain during World War II to decode Nazi messages.