Thomas Savery was an English military engineer and inventor who，in 1698，patented the first crude steam engine.Thomas Newcomen invented the atmospheric steam engine in 1712.James Watt improved Newcomen's design and invented what is considered the first modern steam engine in 1765.

　　2．The Telephone

　　The telephone is an instrument that converts voice and sound signals into electrical impulses and send them to a different location by wire，where another telephone receives the electrical impulses and turns them back into recognizable sounds.In 1876，Alexander Graham Bell built the first telephone that transmitted electrically the human voice.

　　3．The Light Bulb

　　Contrary to the popular belief，Thomas Alva Edison didn't"invent"the light bulb，but rather he improved upon a 50­year­old idea.In 1878，Sir Joseph Wilson Swan，an English physicist，was the first person to invent a practical and longer­lasting electric light bulb(13.5 hours)with a carbon fiber filament.

　　4．The Computer

Here are many major milestones in the history of computers，starting in 1936，when Konrad Zuse built the first freely programmable computer.

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