Rollercoasters

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Rapid descents and spectacular loops are what make rollercoaster rides so thrilling and give you that queasy feeling in your stomach. Their origins can be traced back to 16th century Russia. Today, they are bigger, more daring, and faster than ever - the Formula Rossa rollercoaster in Abu Dhabi holds the world record of 240 km/h, reaching this speed in just 4 seconds. Great Inventions treats viewers to an on-screen test drive with spectacular images.

Initially ridiculed, underground railways are now a success around the world. The era of underground passenger transport began more than 150 years ago in London with steam locomotives. The smoke was…

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We can now enjoy music, a heated seat and even a perfectly targeted spray jet while spending a penny. The history of the toilet goes back a long way and even the ancient Romans built latrines. But a…

No roof, only three wheels and rather uncomfortable - that‘s how you could describe the first petrol-driven car. Developed in 1885-86 by the German Karl Benz, it was far too expensive for most people…

TV is a medium that stimulates the imagination, arouses curiosity, promotes education and allows millions of people to participate in major events. Three men were involved in the invention, a farm…

“I have seen my death.” These were the words of a woman when she saw an image of her hand. The woman was Anna Röntgen and the image was the first X-ray of a part of the human body. It was made by her…

Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, was launched into space on a rocket by the Soviet Union in 1957. A year later, the USA followed suit with Explorer. Today there are more than 2,000 satellites…

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They stare at the screen spellbound, move their fingers around the keyboard at lightning speed, communicate worldwide via a headset, and move around and fire with unerring accuracy using a joystick…

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Larger, deeper, automated and green. To compete in the world of global trade, it is necessary to constantly adapt. Every year, container ships are getting bigger, requiring ports with greater channel…

The first condoms were made from the air bladders of fish by Greeks on the island of Crete some 2000 years BC. Later, during the Middle Ages, for a long time the ends of sheep‘s appendices were used…

Two inventions have changed bread-making significantly: ovens and the action of yeasts. If you leave unbaked bread dough to stand, yeasts in the air cause fermentation: from thin doughs comes a kind…

In the grain field, the vineyard, in salad cultivation and in animal stalls, agriculture is increasingly making use of robots, drones and other automated processes. The digitisation of agriculture is…

How did the crime happen? Who was the perpetrator? Who is the victim? Investigators collect evidence at the scene. Every little detail can be important. Modern investigation techniques such as DNA…

The first battery was the “voltaic pile”, invented by Alessandro Volta in 1800. In subsequent years, the technology was constantly developed and improved. Since then, chemists have tested every…

During a period of about 150 years, the discoveries of pea experimenter Mendel led to a completely deciphered genetic code, gene shears made it possible to rewrite our genome and the first designer…

Non-perishable foods have significantly changed the way we eat. The canning processes means that we now have access to almost every type of food at all times. The development of the food industry and…

The first beer was brewed around 13,000 years ago - in Israel, not in England. Or maybe by German monks? What makes a good beer? What role does the choice of hop variety and yeast play? How do modern…

The first moments of success in early childhood, the first feeling of independence, the first rush of speed - what gives us these things? The bicycle. We have been propelling ourselves on two wheels…

Crash test dummies have just one purpose - to save countless lives every year. Thanks to them, we have safety belts, air bags and crumple zones. Crash tests were initially carried out on real people,…

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Coffee was born in Ethiopia when a shepherd noticed his goats jumping around wildly after eating coffee berries. Or so the story goes. What is certain is that the word coffee comes from Kaffa, a…

Rapid descents and spectacular loops are what make rollercoaster rides so thrilling and give you that queasy feeling in your stomach. Their origins can be traced back to 16th century Russia. Today,…

Universally applicable, with several axes and equipped with grippers or tools - automated machines that can be programmed to move according to any sequence, path or angle. These are excerpts from the…

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In 1743, the French King Louis XV had a manually operated “flying chair” installed on the outside of his palace. This allowed him discreet access to the chambers of his mistresses. A moving chair of…

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A new era of prosthesis development has begun. In bionics, man merges with machine. For patients who have lost limbs due to accidents, wars or illness, a prosthesis is a tool that helps them return…

Whether on shoes, caps, jackets or cable ties, in industry, medicine, or in cars, the hook and loop fastener is used everywhere and it is now difficult to imagine our lives without it. A Swiss…

Combine harvesters are often described as the smallest factories in the world. Invented in the USA in the 1920s, these work horses are real all-rounders that can cut, separate, chop and thresh - all…

Glass is probably as old as the earth. It is found in nature, where it is created by volcanoes and lightning strikes. Today, glass is an extremely versatile high-tech material. Gorilla Glass is…