List of South African inventions and discoveries

A classic jukskei game

The following is a list and timeline of innovations as well as inventions and discoveries that involved South African people or South Africa including predecessor states in the history of the formation of South Africa. This list covers innovation and invention in the mechanical, electronic, and industrial fields, as well as medicine, military devices and theory, artistic and scientific discovery and innovation, and ideas in religion and ethics.

18th Century

  • 1743 - Jukskei - is a folksport originating from the Cape and is thought to be the forerunner of the American game Horseshoes.
  • pre-1772 - Rooibos tea - the Khoisan of the Cederberg region made the tea for hundreds of years and later in 1772; naturalist Carl Thunberg noted, "the country people made tea" from a plant related to rooibos or redbush which reignited interest in the tea.[1]

19th Century

  • 1787-1828 - Iklwa - this new shorter form of the Assegai was popularized under the rule of Shaka Zulu.

Twentieth century

1900-1930

Dolosse - Cape Town, South Africa
  • 1925 Pinotage is South Africas signature variety wine grape and was bred from a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut grapes.

1930-1960

The prototype CT scanner

1960-1980

  • 1963 CT scan or the CAT scan was invented by Allan MacLeod Cormack and it won him the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (along with Godfrey Hounsfield) for his work on X-ray computed tomography (CT).[2]
  • 1963 Dolos is a concrete block in a complex geometric shape weighing up to 20 tons, used in great numbers to protect harbour walls from the erosive force of ocean waves.
  • 1965 Retinal cryoprobe; Selig Percy Amoils refined the cryoextraction method of cataract surgery by developing a cryoprobe that was cooled through the Joule-Thomson effect of gas expansion.
  • 1965 - Vuvuzela - Freddie "Saddam" Maake claimed the invention of the vuvuzela by fabricating an aluminium version in 1965 from a bicycle horn.

Retinal Cryosurgery • While working at Soweto's Baragwanath Hospital in 1965, South Africa's Dr Selig Percy Amoils unveiled the Amoils Cryo Pencil, which is the world's first surgical tool that uses extreme cold (nitrous oxide) to destroy unwanted tissue. Dr Amoils' pencil has made retinal detachment surgery and cataract extraction simple and safe - it has been used to treat Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela's eyes. His invention has transformed cryosurgery (the use of extreme cold produced by liquid nitrogen) for gynaecology, lung, heart, mouth, liver and prostate surgery.

• Pratley’s Putty, George Pratley invented Pratley’s Putty while trying to create a glue that would hold components in an electrical box. Pratley’s Glue had a part in the success of the Moon Landing. In 1969 the substance was used to hold bits of the Apollo XI mission’s Eagle landing craft together.

1980-2000

  • 1980 Casspir; Unique design for military personnel carrier in relation to landmines.The main armoured steel body of the vehicle is raised high above the ground, so when a mine is detonated, the explosion is less likely to damage the crew compartment and kill the occupants. The cross-section of the hull is V-shaped, directing the force of the explosion outwards, further protecting the occupants.
  • 1984 - Denel Rooivalk - the first military attack helicopter developed that is capable of making a 360 degree loop, a feat previously seen as impossible.
  • 1989 Flightscope invented by Henri Johnson [7] it is a radar system used by professional golfers for analysing recorde trajectory, their launch angle, speed and direction.
  • 1991 APS Therapy invented by Gervan Lubbeit is used to treat sports injuries and provides relief from chronic pain conditions.[8][9]
  • 1992 Speed Gun[2] is a device that measures the speed of cricket balls; invented by Henri Johnson[10] from Somerset West and used in the 1999 Cricket World Cup.[8] Johnson also invented the Speedball (invention)[8] that measures the speed and angle of objects especially cricket and tennis balls and is used in various sporting tournaments.[8]
  • 1995 Shark Shield a portable electronic device that emits an electromagnetic field and is used by scuba divers, spearfishing, ocean kayak fishing and surfers to repel sharks.
  • 1995 Thawte Consulting is a certificate authority (CA) for X.509 certificates. Thawte was founded by Mark Shuttleworth.
  • 1996 - Prepay Mobile Phone - Vodacom became the first network to introduce prepay mobile, under the 'Vodago' package, using an 'Intelligent Network' platform. This made it possible to debit customers’ accounts in real time,[11] and led to a dramatic increase in uptake.[12]
  • 1997 CyberTracker a piece of software from a CyberTracker Conservation, that develops handheld data capture solutions for illeterate animal trackers.
  • 1997 Hippo water roller: a device for carrying water more easily and efficiently than traditional methods, particularly in the developing world. It consists of a barrel-shaped container which holds the water and can roll along the ground, and a handle attached to the axis of the barrel.
  • 1998 Blaster (flamethrower), Charl Fourie designed the flamethrower to provide a defence against carjackings.
  • 1999 Smartlock Safety syringe, a three part single use syringe credited with dramatically reducing HIV infection rates in South Africa.[13]

21st century

  • 2001 Cobb grill. Ken Hall designed a charcoal briquette stove as a safer alternative to the paraffin stoves that cause many home fires in rural areas of South Africa. The grill was featured in the Time Magazine's best inventions of the year for 2001.[14]
  • 2001 Oil-Can Guitar made by engineer Graeme Wells in Cape Town.[5]
  • 2004 Ubuntu (operating system) was invented by entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth and runs on the Linux system.
  • 2008 Freeplay foetal heart rate monitor, a power-free foetal heart monitor.[15][16]

References

  1. ↑ "History of Rooibos Tea - RooibosTea.com". www.rooibostea.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "10 pretty cool inventions you may not have known come from South Africa". 12 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "TRITON-LEO GROUP (PTY) LTD, TRITON LEO HOUSE, 15 BRONSSINGEL, GAUTENG INDUSTRIAL PARK, CLAYVILLE EXT 33, OLIFANTSFONTEIN, 1666, P.O. BOX 459, ISANDO 1600, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA.Telephone: +27 11 452-7048 Fax: +27 11 452-8457". www.tritonleo.co.za.
  4. ↑ "The Scheffel Bogie". Railways Africa. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  5. 1 2 "17 Things You Didn't Know Were Invented By South Africans". 9 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "About Us". Kreepykrauly.co.za. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  7. ↑ FlightScope. "About Us – FlightScope, 3D Ball Tracking Monitor Manufacturers".
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Classic Inventions - Inspirations - SABLE Accelerator Network". www.sablenetwork.com.
  9. ↑ "17 Things You Didn't Know Were Invented By South Africans". 9 February 2017.
  10. ↑ "Eish!". www.southafrica.net.
  11. ↑ MyBroadband (2014) 'Great South African inventions'
  12. ↑ Computer Business Review (2001) 'Mobile stats snapshot'
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "Eish!". www.southafrica.net.
  15. ↑ "Great South African Inventions - Popular Mechanics". 3 October 2011.
  16. ↑ "FREEPLAY FETAL HEART RATE MONITOR - INDEX: Design to Improve Life®". 27 August 2009.
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