An innovator in a general sense, is a person or an organization who is one of the first to introduce into reality something better than before. That often opens up a new area for others and achieves an innovation.
The talk about great innovators and visionaries has been hot these past few weeks, with images and articles about Steve Jobs appearing in every corner of the internet world. The focus was on Steve Jobs, and his passing, but should that stop us from honoring earlier innovators, who not only innovated things during their time, but also helped create what we have now?
Printing Press – Johannes Gutenberg 
The invention of mechanized printing led to the Printing Revolution, a period where information became widely available and much more affordable. This opened a new world for people to learn new things that in the past were only a dream of having, it also gave birth to many scholars and curious intellectuals.
Computer – Charles Babbage 
(Dec. 26, 1791 – Oct. 18, 1871)
It is also interesting to note that Charles Babbage worked closely with Ada Lovelace (born Augusta Ada Byron, daughter of Lord Byron). Together they developed the Analytical Engine, which gave Ada Lovelace the title of First Programmer.
Electricity – Nikola Tesla 
(July 10, 1856 – Jan. 7, 1943)
Perhaps Nikola Tesla is one of the greatest minds of our time to be forgotten, not because of his weird conjectures, but because of a conspiracy against him during his time by envious people. Today we are enjoying the flow of electricity to our homes making our appliances and gadgets come to life. Without the ability to harnessed electricity, we couldn’t possibly hope to have advanced technologically as it is a prerequisite.
Walkman – Nobutoshi Kihara 
(Oct. 14, 1926 – Feb. 13, 2011)
The Walkman is truly one of the first revolutions in the entertainment industry, the first one to break the thinking that BIG is always better.
C Programming Language – Dennis Ritchie 
(Sept. 9, 1941 – Oct. 2011)
Dennis Ritchie is the person responsible for the creation of the C language and is a key developer of the UNIX operating system. UNIX systems are widely used on different platforms and devices, and today’s technology wouldn’t be possible without the help of these two inventions.
Touch Screen – E.A. Johnson
Contrary to popular belief, Steve Jobs didn’t invent touch screens. Although there is very little information online about E. A. Johnson, the inventor of the first touch screen, there are published resources that prove it. See “Touch Displays: A Programmed Man-Machine Interface,” published in the year 1967.
Telephone – Alexander Graham Bell 
(Mar. 3, 1847 – Aug. 2, 1922)
Prior to the invention of the telephone, many people did not imagine that it was even possible. It’s like witchcraft! And since the snowball effect applies to everything, like when a thing gets started it won’t stop no matter what, the birth of the telephone opened a new world for fast communication. Which leads us to the World Wide Web.
World Wide Web – Tim Berners-Lee 
The bad things aside, the Internet is now creating a new world-wide culture transcending race, distance, and even time. Somehow, a global consciousness is emerging. From the fast spread of free information that is accessible to many, down to communicating with close friends and family, you just can’t ignore the glaring contribution of Tim Berners-Lee and the team responsible for the WWW we now enjoy!
Wikipedia – Jimmy Wales 
Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others.
Reference : 1st web designer , Images: Wikipedia