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100 years of Australian innovations...heres a few.

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posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 07:23 AM
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Well before Federation in 1901, Australians had demonstrated how innovative they were. Thousands of years ago, Indigenous Australians developed tools like fish traps, boomerangs and woomeras to assist with hunting. They lived in harmony with nature using the native flora and fauna as a source of food and medicine.

When the European settlers arrived in this harsh, isolated land, they also had to be ingenious to survive and thrive. Early inventions included the windmill, the stump-jump plough, the stripper harvester, mechanical shears, ice-making machines and even lamingtons.

The Australian Ballot (Secret Ballot) - the system of casting one's political (or other) vote in a manner that is private and confidential. Until the mid 19th century, voting for public office was publicly displayed which left the voter open to intimidation. Within a short time of each other in 1856, both the colonies of South Australia and Victoria created a secret ballot system which became known around the world as the Australian Ballot. These Australian colonies were followed at considerable distance by New Zealand in 1870, the UK in 1872, Canada in 1874 and eventually the first presidential election in USA to use Australian Ballot was in 1892. Today the right to a secret ballot as a protection against intimidation is accepted by all but a few organisations.

1877: Louis Brennan of Melbourne invented the self propelling torpedo.

1889: The Electric Drill - was patented by Melbourne inventor Arthur James

1897: The 'Diff' (differential gears) - David Shearer designed a differential gear which he incorporated into the steam car he built in South Australia.
1901: Federation Wheat
William Farrer released the Federation wheat strain, resistant to fungal rust disease and drought.

1901: Flotation Method of Ore Separation
The method for separating ore from rock crushings, using bubbles to float the ore to the surface, was developed by Charles Potter and Guillaume Delprat of NSW.

1905: Thrust Bearing
Anthony Michell invented the tilt-pad thrust bearing, which reduced friction and increased power transmitted. The technology has been used in ship building around the world and also in pumps and turbines.

1906: Surf Lifesaving Reel
Designed by Lyster Ormsby, the reel was first demonstrated at Bondi Beach.

1906: Feature Film
The Story of the Kelly Gang was the world's first feature length film.

1906: Kiwi Boot Polish
The boot polish that could restore the faded colour of brown shoes was first available for sale.

1909: Improved Sheep Shears
Aboriginal inventor, author and spokesperson, David Unaipon, patented an improved handpiece for sheep shears.

1913: Automatic Totalisator
Invented by George Julius, the tote automated betting at horse races.

1915: Aspro
While the German firm Bayer first produced aspirin, a Melbourne pharmacist George Nicholas and experimenter, Henry Woolf Smith produced a high-grade aspirin product, 'Aspro', that later took over the international market.

1918: Anthrax Vaccine
John McGarvie Smith donated his secret discovery of an anthrax vaccine to the NSW Government shortly before his death.

1922: Rotary Hoe
Cliff Howard, with help from his brother Albert built the first full-size rotary hoe cultivator. It uses energy to turn the soil directly, rather than dragging a plough behind a tractor.

1926: Heart Pacemaker
A doctor from the Crown Street Women's Hospital in Sydney, who wished to remain anonymous, invented the original pacemaker in Australia.

1928: Royal Flying Doctor Service
Reverend John Flynn was the founder of the world's first Aerial Medical Service, now known as the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). In May 1928, Dr St Vincent Welch made the first official RFDS visit.

1928: First Crossing of the Pacific
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew performed the world's first air crossing of the Pacific Ocean.

1928: Speedo Swimwear
This swimwear originated in Sydney when the MacRae Knitting Mills manufactured the company's first swimsuit, the razorback, made from silk and joined in the middle of the back. Speedo introduced the world's first nylon swimsuit in 1957.

1929: Pedal Wireless
The pedal-operated generator, connected to a wireless, was invented by Alfred Traeger.

1930: Letter Sorting Machine
Sydney GPO was the site for the first mechanised letter sorter which was developed by an engineer with the Posmaster-General's Department.

1930: The Two Stroke Lawn Mower

1933: Utility Vehicle
The ute, with a front like a car and rear like a truck was designed by Lewis Bandt at the Ford Motor Company in Geelong, Victoria.

1934: The invention of MILO stands out as a great Australian achievement - the product of Australian ingenuity and distinctive Nestlé technology. Nowadays, the brand is sold in 30 countries with worldwide sales of more than $550 million.

1941: Penicillin production starts
Penicillin, extracted and refined by a team led by Howard Florey, was trialled successfully on humans, and went into production in time to aid casualties of World War II.

1945: Hills Hoist
This rotary clothesline with a winding mechanism allowing the frame to be raised and lowered was invented by Lance Hill of Adelaide in 1945.

1945: Latex Gloves.
The Ansell company had made household gloves since 1925. In 1964 they introduced the disposable latex gloves for use in surgery.

1946: Shepherd Castors
George Shepherd invented strong, easily manoeuvrable dome-shaped castors for furniture. These replaced traditional pivoted wheel castors.

1947: Cloud Seeding
Scientists at CSIRO conducted the first successful cloud seeding experiments, making rain fall near Bathurst, NSW.

1950: School of the Air
The first ever radio lesson was broadcast using the transmitter at the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Base at Alice Springs.

1952: Victa Lawnmower
The Victa version of the petrol lawnmower with rotary blades was developed by Mervyn Victor Richardson, and became an Aussie icon.

1952: Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer
Sir Alan Walsh of the CSIRO invented this instrument used for high speed chemical analysis of metallic elements.

1953: Solar Water Heater
The first prototype of a solar water heater was developed at CSIRO in Victoria.

1954: Development of Over-the-Horizon Radar.

1956: Redback Spider Antivenom
An antivenom for the bite of the redback spider developed by Dr Saul Weiner was released for use.

1957: Permanent Crease Trousers
The process of producing permanent creases in fabric was developed by Dr Arthur Farnworth of CSIRO by adding a special resin to wool fibres to change their chemical structure.

1957: A.E. Bishop Holdings Pty Ltd
This company was established by Dr Arthur Bishop, beginning his life's work as an international leader in vehicle steering innovations.

1958: Black Box Flight Recorder
Dr David Warren in Melbourne invented the first black box flight memory recorder. The unit recorded the pilot's voice and a few instrument readings.

1958: Round-the-World Airline Service
Qantas inaugurated a pioneering round-the-world airline service with two planes taking off from Melbourne.

1960: Plastic Spectacle Lenses
Scientific Optical Laboratories designed the world's first plastic spectacle lenses which are 60% lighter than glass lenses.

1961: Ultrasound
George Kossoff and David Robinson built the first ultrasound scanner at the ultrasonics institute in the Commonwealth Department of Health.


1965: Inflatable Aircraft Escape Slide
Jack Grant of Qantas invented the inflatable aircraft escape slide which can also be used as a raft on water. These slides are now standard safety equipment on all major airlines.

1965: Wiltshire Staysharp Knife
The Wiltshire Staysharp knife was invented with a sheath which sharpens the knife each time it is withdrawn.

1965: Wine Cask
Thomas Angove introduced the wine cask.

1968: Polyvalent Snake Antivenom
A snake antivenom capable of acting against the poison from most Australian snakes was developed by CSIRO.

1969: Australia Shows the First Steps on the Moon
The radio telescope in Parkes, New South Wales, received and relayed to the world the first pictures of the first moon landing.

1970: Microsurgery Pioneered
Professor Earl Owen from Sydney pioneered microsurgery techniques by performing the first microsurgery operation when he rejoined an amputated index finger.

1972: Orbital Internal Combustion Engine
The orbital internal combustion engine was developed by engineer Ralph Sarich of Perth, Western Australia.

1972: Rowcar
Rotary Club members designed a small four-wheeled vehicle, with hand propulsion and steering, to give mobility to disabled and incapacitated children.

1973: Pop Top Can
Sir Ian McLennan of BHP came up with the idea of press-buttons where the button is hinged to the can and does not cause a litter problem.

1973: In-vitro Fertilisation
The world's first pregnancy using IVF technology was reported from Monash Medical Centre.

1974: Super Sopper
Sydney inventor Gordon Withnall invented this device which soaks up water from wet sportsgrounds.

1974: PSZ
CSIRO developed partially stabilised zirconia; an extremely tough ceramic with a wide range of industrial applications.

1975: Interscan
An aircraft approach and landing guidance system using microwaves was successfully tested at Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne.

1976: Electronic Ignition System
A silicon-chip ignition system for small engines in lawnmowers and chainsaws was developed by the Notarus brothers in Sydney.

1978: Synroc
Professor Ted Ringwood led a team at the Australian National University to develop synthetic rock to contain high-level nuclear waste with safety.

1979: Bionic Ear
The cochlear implant, designed to help the hearing impaired and profoundly deaf, was invented by Professor Graeme Clark of the University of Melbourne.

1979: Race Cam
A lightweight, fixed camera used in car racing and other sports broadcasts was developed by Australian engineer, Geoff Healey.

1979: Cool Lightweight Wool Fabrics
The technique for spinning lightweight wool was invented at CSIRO.

1981: Bodyguard Power Protector
Gerard Industries developed a power point with an inbuilt electronic circuit that cuts the power if there is a power leakage and virtually eliminates the chance of electric shock.

1983: Footrot Vaccine
CSIRO produced a vaccine against footrot using genetic engineering techniques.

1983: Winged Keel
Australia II won the America's Cup in part due to the revolutionary winged keel designed by Ben Lexcen.

1984: In-vitro Fertilisation
The first frozen embryo baby was born in Melbourne using a technique developed by Dr Alan Trounsen and Dr Linda Mohr.

1985: World's Most Efficient Solar Cells
Dr Stuart Wenham and Professor Martin Green from the University of New South Wales produced the world's first 20% efficient solar cell.

1985: Dynasphere Lightning Protection
A Tasmanian company, Global Lightning Technologies, developed the Dynasphere lightning terminal. The company exports its products to over 30 countries.

1985: Broncostat
The oral vaccine to prevent bronchitis, was developed by Professor Robert Clancy at the University of Newcastle. It reduces attacks of acute bronchitis by up to 90%.

1986: Gene Shears
The discovery of gene shears - molecules used to prevent harmful and unwanted genes in plants and animals - was made by CSIRO scientists, Dr Wayne Gerlach and Dr Jim Haseloff.

1987: Wave Piercing Catamaran
Ship builder Incat Australia Pty Ltd designed a low buoyancy bow which helps the catamaran pierce through waves, resulting in a faster and smoother journey.

1988: Plastic Banknotes
CSIRO and Note Printing Australia developed the world's first polymer banknote made from tough flexible polypropylene plastics. These notes last longer and are more difficult to counterfeit than paper money.

1988: Biological Pesticides
The world's first non-chemical biological pesticide was invented at the University of Adelaide.

1989: The “face in the crowd” is a technology developed & patented by CSIRO. 'From a video camera, it can recognise patterns in faces, in spite of beards or hats. As passengers enter an airport particular persons can be identified. It is done by measuring eye spacing, and distance to the nose and mouth. 1.

The George Orwell connection comes through the Australian technology patented by the CSIRO' which can monitor digital streams from transmissions like mobile phones or the internet. They can decipher and expose what is known as malicious code. This is done by detecting so-called “dirty” words or phrases. Australia is at the leading edge of these second-generation encryption technologies, & Biometrics Institute with their patented “Iris” technology. The iris scaner which scans inside your eye'
a more distinctive characteristic than your fingerprint, and is much quicker to match as you enter.

1990: Reading Machine for the Blind
Milan Hudecek of Melbourne invented the world's first reading machine for the blind.

1991: Plastic Rod Bone Repair
The technique of using plastic rods in place of metal pins and screws was developed by Dr Michael Ryan and Dr Stephen Ruff at Sydney's North Shore Hospital.

1991: Biodegradable Marine Degreaser
The world's first biodegradable marine degreaser, made from naturally-occurring marine oils, was developed by the CSIRO and Beku Environmental Products Ltd.

1992: Multi-focal Contact Lens
The world's first multi-focal contact lenses were invented by optical research scientist, Stephen Newman of QLD.

1993: Underwater Computer
Bruce Macdonald at the Australian Institute of Marine Science developed the world's first underwater computer with a multi-button hand-held keypad that mimics a conventional keyboard.

1994: Sportswool
CSIRO developed a new bi-layer fabric consisting of wool and polyester, ideal for sportswear because the fabric allows rapid dissipation of moisture.

1995: Calicivirus
CSIRO developed this rabbit-specific virus that resulted in thenumber of rabbits declining up to 8% in some areas of Australia.

1996: Australian in Space
Dr Andy Thomas completed his first mission in space aboard the NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour. In 1998 he spent 141 days aboard the Russian Mir Space Station.

1996: Relenza
The world's first anti-influenza drug was developed by the Victorian College of Pharmacy, Monash University and Biota Holdings. In 2000, the drug was approved for release in Australia, Europe and the USA.

1998: Hybrid Toilet
A lightweight, fully-enclosed toilet system which requires no water and minimal maintenance was released for sale.

1998: Skin Polarprobe
Polartechnics Ltd, the Sydney Melanoma Unit and CSIRO developed the Solarscan™, a device to scan the skin and quickly assess sunspots to determine if they are melanomas.

1999: Night and Day Contact Lenses
The Cooperative Research Centre for Eye Research and Technology developed this contact lens made of revolutionary material capable of transmitting six times more oxygen to the eye, allowing extended wear for up to 30 days and nights

2000: Biodegradable Packaging
The Cooperative Research Centre for International Food Manufacture and Packaging

2000: The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) creating the world's first blood test for EPO.

2002: Researchers in Australia claimed on August 16 a world first - a flight of supersonic combustion.
An air-breathing supersonic engine -- tagged as a scramjet -- flew over two weeks ago aboard a rocket launched from a test range in Woomera, Australia.

2004: Researchers from Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital have come up with a world first - a test to detect blood doping in elite athletes.





Sport
The 'Australian Crawl' - the style of 'overarm' or 'freestyle' swimming stroke now familiar in competition swimming. It evolved out of the 'trudgen' stroke adopted by certain swimmers in Sydney in the early 1900s. The new stroke was soon known worldwide as 'the Australian Crawl' and its most famous exponent (and quite possibly the inventor of its characteristic version) was Fanny Durack. The year 1912 saw one of the greatest ever sporting achievements by an Australian. Fanny, using an Australian Crawl was not only the first woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming, in the process she cut four seconds of the men's world record.
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the working class girl from Sydney Annette Kellerman became an international swimming sensation and creator of synchronised swimming.

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Speedway was invented in Australia 1927 and quickly taken up by the world.


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( Arts and entertainment )


Australia lays claim to producing the world's first feature length films,
'Starting with the Salvation Army's Limelight Studio's 'The Soldiers of the Cross’ (1900) & The Tait brothers 1906 feature length film was Australians first blockbuster 'the story of the Kelly Gang'

At the turn of the Twentieth Century. Australia, which had the world's first feature film industry, made fifty feature films before Hollywood got started.


The multi-media entertainment Soldiers of the Cross made in the Salvation Army Melbourne studios is regarded as the forerunner of the feature film, while The Story of the Kelly Gang, made in 1906 is regarded as the first feature length film ever made. It ran for more than an hour.


However since 1900 Australian's movie industry has grown in leaps & bounds.

Here are some Australians productions you might know.




pamela travers is the Australian author of MARY POPPINS.

The movie "Schindler's List," based on the book by Australian,
Thomas Keneally, (Schindler's ark) enjoyed great critical success and popularity.

(2001) the Movie, Babe - U,S imitation - (gordie) & Now racing stripes.

Moulin Rouge ( Baz Luhrmann, Nicole Kidman) u.s imitation (chicago)

Mad Max Chronology ( Mel Gibson ) 1979. - u,s imitation (waterworld)

priscilla queen of the desert - U.S imitation (To Wong Foo), Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)

Tony Fingleton. a scriptwriter writing and producing 'Drop Dead Fred'
- U.S imitation ( Bogus )

The movie 'Power of One'. was based on another book by Australian author Thomas Keneally.

Felix The Cat

The movie open water - Was based on actual events that took place off the country's Great Barrier Reef six years ago.


& then there is T.V

My restaurant rules
Dog eat Dog
The Mole
the Block ....... The Complex. in the usa.
Australian idol
Popstars Live - Coming to Seven | 27 November 2003

Media Releases - 2003 - November - Popstars Live - Coming ... in 2004

Around the world Australian shows`Popstars & Australian idol, has been nothing short of a phenomenon.

The popstars & Australian idol formats are now seen in over Forty-four countries, The Fox Network took the show to the usa were American idol was it's hit show of the year, there was a Britsh idol & even a world idol.

Each have unveiled their own POPSTARS' & in the process sold millions of records and created dozens of Number 1 hit songs.


(Children’s shows)
Hi Five.
The saddle club.
Play school - play house.
The wiggles.
Bananas in pajamas.

& Game shows, like, sale of the centry & Deal or no deal.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 08:02 AM
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woot we rule, go australia!



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 10:35 AM
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not to mention bandwitdth chewing posters



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 10:43 AM
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An interesting post

I was not aware of most of those;



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 12:49 PM
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I don't remember where I read this so no link. GM is using the Holden Marono for its Pontiac GTO. Now the story is GM 's holden division has to make all models in one plant so they have been rather inovative and the next holden chassis will be so versitile that it can be the platform for sedans and lexus type cars sold through buick to the next Camaro and GTO. What will make the GTO and Camaro work for GM to sell is Holdens way of being able to build different cars on the same line at the same time so way to go Aussies.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 02:12 PM
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For those who have never been ... Australia is a fantastic place to visit. The Australians are a rebel lot, much lke the Americans, but maybe not as paranoid ... And are great folk to hang with.


Beside being smart enough to do all that inventing and creating, they have all those really cute little animals over there. Especially if you don't count the sharks!



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 02:34 PM
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Some might come looking to poke the Borax about Pavlova and Vegemite, but they would leave before the typical trans-Tasman war is initiated.

I am glad that sam called the Monaro the Marono rather than the Morono, otherwise that might have offended some of its drivers who are sometimes profiled that way.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 02:53 PM
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Originally posted by sigung86
For those who have never been ... Australia is a fantastic place to visit. The Australians are a rebel lot, much lke the Americans, but maybe not as paranoid ... And are great folk to hang with.


Beside being smart enough to do all that inventing and creating, they have all those really cute little animals over there. Especially if you don't count the sharks!


I never been there but have family in Melborne. my Grandmaothers cousin moved there in the 1920's instead of the states. They worked hard and I hear are well off. The only thing is their daughter who would have been 36-37 now was killed by a snake when she was a toddler. I met them once longago and would love to go there some day.




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