1870s–1880s

1888 (1935) - Ballpoint pen

American John Loud invents the ballpoint pen but it is not produced commercially until 1935.

1888 - Pneumatic tyre

John Dunlop invents the pneumatic tyre.

1888 - Electricity generation

A brush post mill is used to generate electricity in Cleveland, Ohio; in 1891 La Cour windmill is used to generate electricity.

1887 - Radar

German physicist Heinrich Hertz develops radar.

1886 - Four-wheeled motor vehicle

The first four-wheeled motor vehicle is produced by Daimler, working with Wilhelm Maybach.

1886 - Commercial dishwasher

Josephine Cochrane invents and patents the first commercial dishwashing machine. Apparently she was dissatisfied with the treatment her servants were subjecting her china to and disliked doing the washing up herself.

1885 - Motorbike

Gottlieb Daimler builds the world's first motorbike.

1885 - Automobile

Karl Benz creates the first purpose built automobile.

1884 - Parson's Steam turbine

Sir Charles Parsons invents the modern steam turbine, whose first model was connected to a dynamo that generated 7.5 kW of electricity. The invention made cheap and plentiful electricity possible and revolutionised marine transport and naval warfare, amongst other industries.

1884 - Machine gun

Hiram Maxim demonstrates the first prototype Maxim gun, the first truly automatic machine gun.

1882 - First trolley bus

Siemens install the world's first trolley bus service along the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin.

1881 - Metal detector

Alexander Graham Bell invents the metal detector, with limited initial success. When President James Garfield is shot doctors asks Bell to locate the bullet but he couldn't. However, there is some debate as to whether this was due to metal in the bed.

1879 - Long distance pipeline

The first long distance pipeline is built in the United States by Tide Water Oil Company, running from Pennsylvania to the East Coast.

1879 - Cash register

Barman James Ritty invents the cash register.

1878 - 1881 - First two-stroke petrol engine

Sir Dugald Clerk develops the first two-stroke petrol engine (or two-cycle engine), 1878. It is patented three years later. The crankcase-scavenged engine, employing the area below the piston as a charging pump, is generally credited to Englishman Joseph Day.

1878 - Solar powered steam engine

A solar powered steam engine is exhibited in Paris.

1877 - Tynewydd Colliery

The Tynewydd Colliery disaster occurred on 11 April 1877.

1877 - IMechE moves to London

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers moves to London, with a rented headquarters at 10 Victoria Chambers, Victoria Street.

1876 - Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell patents the device, just beating Elisha Grey to the Patents Office.