Seven things you might not have known were invented in SA
Mzansi is renowned for our beautiful scenery and nature, but did you know we’ve invented some really cool stuff too?
Being proudly South African comes easily once you think about all the great stuff about our country.
Our beautiful scenery, great weather, extravagant nature, rich history, and inclusive legislation make us stand out for the best reasons.
But it’s not only the above-mentioned aspects that we can be proud of as South Africans. Our country has produced some cool inventions, some of which you might not even have known about.
Here are seven things you might not have known were invented in SA:
1. Oil from Coal
Sasol is the world's first oil-from-gas company & was founded on SA shores. It is also the our largest fuel producer. To this day, Sasol remains the world’s first & largest oil-from-coal-refinery & produces approximately 40% of all fuel used in SA. #ThinkOpportunity #Expo2020SA pic.twitter.com/RXt4K20tRT
— Teamsa_dubaiexpo (@TeamSA_Expo2020) March 6, 2022
2. The Heart Transplant
Did you know? 💡
— Dr.Austin (@Dr_AustinOmondi) May 23, 2023
The world's first heart transplant was done in Africa.
56 years ago, an ambitious South African doctor performed the world’s first open-heart transplant in Cape Town, a procedure that has since saved thousands of lives.
His name was Christiaan Barnard. pic.twitter.com/GKyURGQBvO
3. Kreepy Krauly
"Kreepy Krauly’s unique cleaning action was pioneered by Ferdinand Chauvier, a South African hydraulics engineer who was seeking a solution to the laborious task of cleaning a swimming pool," says the official Kreepy Krauly website.
4. Dolosse
Dolosse enables water to freely pass through and around them, effectively reducing the impact of the waves. Furthermore, they offer the flexibility to be arranged in a haphazard manner or neatly stacked. According to reports, the dolos (plural dolosse) is a South African invention for which the inventors received no payment or recognition. They did not take out a patent either because they were employed by the South African Railway & Harbour Services at the time they designed it.
5. Pratley Putty
The invention of South African born engineer George Pratley (Patley Putty) was used by NASA on Apollo XI's Eagle landing gear on this day in 1969. This was the Apollo which carried Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon. pic.twitter.com/tcYMBsyYNy
— Mbanjwa (@apjonas__) July 20, 2022
6. Q20
In 1950, Q20 lubricant was invented by a Mr Robertson in Pinetown. This was to displace water from the distributor caps on the old VW Beetle, which was notorious for stalling in wet weather.
7. Transplant of 3-D printed bones
A pioneering surgical procedure using 3D-printed middle ear bones was developed by Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team at the University of Pretoria (UP) Faculty of Health Sciences. “3D technology is allowing us to do things we never thought we could,” says Prof Tshifularo
South Africa has a long history of invention and innovation that we can all be proud of.
Here are some more honourable mentions, according to researcher Nick Hedley:
South African inventions:
— Nick Hedley (@nickhedley) January 26, 2022
- Rooibos tea
- Pinotage wine
- the CAT scan
- Dolosse
- The vuvuzela (you're welcome, TV viewers)
- Heart transpants
- Digital ticketing
- The Kreepy Krauly
- Military helicopters capable of 360 degree loops
- Carl Niehaus
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