Thirty-Two Latinx Inventions

Whether it be health-wise, economic-wise, social-wise, or tech-wise, it’s important to recognize the enormous contributions that Latinx people have given to this country. From little inventions that make our lives all the more convenient to innovations that helped push our country into a new era, the Deadline team is proud to present a collaborative article featuring thirty-two inventions by Latinx people (thirty-one for each day of Latinx Heritage Month, and even one more just because). 

1. Color T.V. - The next time you watch T.V., remember to thank Guillermo González Camarena, a young Mexican inventor who discovered and introduced color television to the world. His improvement on the Trichromatic field sequential system not only led to the creation of this incredible innovation—which later became the predecessor for future color T.V. systems—but also contributed to the establishment of the standard for NASA spacecraft.

2. Wireless Phone - Often considered the forgotten pioneer of wireless transmission, the invention of the wireless phone would not have been possible without Roberto Landell de Moura, a Brazilian priest and scientist. A natural genius, his ideas were so unheard of at the time that many believed him to be crazy. However, despite the constant dismissing and shaming he had to endure from the general populace, he was nevertheless able to patent his wireless telephone invention—alongside his two other inventions, the wave transmitter and the wireless telegraph—in the U.S. between 1903 and 1904. 

3. Instrumental Seismic Intensity - Prior to the Instrumental Seismic Intensity, there was a gap in civil engineering, and for a long time, scientists were looking for an efficient and accurate way to measure the level of damage an earthquake caused. It was only thanks to a passionate Chilean engineer by the name of Arturo Arias that this in-depth seismologic measurement was made possible.

4. Hot Air Balloon - Considered one of the oldest contraptions to grant humans the ability to fly, some of the earliest experiments behind the hot air balloon were conducted by Brazilian priest and inventor, Bartolomeu Lorenço de Gusmão, in 1709.

5. First Artificial Heart - We can thank Dr. Domingo Liotta, an Argentinian scientist and a pioneer of heart surgery, for one of the most significant medical milestones in history: the revolutionary development of the first artificial heart. Not only did the prototype heart allowed the 47-year-old patient (who suffered from severe heart failure) it was experimented on to live for three days until a new donor heart was available for transplant, but it also paved the way for future “mechanical devices to be used as a bridge to transplant.”

6. Contraceptive Pills - Luis Miramontes, from the small town of Tepic in Mexico, was offered the opportunity of a lifetime when chemical company, Syntex, asked him to complete his thesis project in one of their labs. He was given the job of creating a stronger synthetic form of progesterone that would mimic its contraceptive properties. After about a year in the lab, Miramontes had done it. Not only was this synthetic progesterone 8 times stronger than the original, but this new contraceptive could also be ingested orally compared to the previous forms of birth control that had to be injected.

7. Captcha Code - Professor Luis von Ahn, a Guatemalan-American, solved the problem of spam emails and programmed bots by creating the captcha code, which includes distorted images of words that people would be required to complete. Humans can easily look at these images and figure out the word that they need to type. He first gave Yahoo access to his invention for free, and starting in the early 2000s, his captcha code has been used in many websites for account making. 

8. The Beautyblender - Have you ever wondered what led to the idea of the soft, egg-shaped sponge that leaves the foundation looking flawless? Rea Ann Silva, a Mexican and Irish celebrity makeup artist, knew she needed a better tool to apply foundation onto the skin flawlessly while also giving the “airbrush” effect. Silva spent hours in her makeup trailer cutting and shaping makeup sponges into the iconic egg-shape that we know today. After perfecting the shape, Silva knew she had created something big and set out to do the research on how to make this invention mainstream. 

9. The Electric Brake - Mexican inventor, Victor Ochoa, was born in Ojinaga, Mexico in 1907. The electric brake was evolved from Ochoa’s first invention of the magnetic brake, which was intelligently created using magnets and wire. The magnetic brake was able to force a moving vehicle, such as a car or a train, to stop at the driver’s control. He publicly shared his invention with the United States Patent office in 1907, and he made versions of his invention to fit the type of vehicles popular during the 20th century. 

10. Duolingo - Do you recognise Duo, the green owl that stands as a mascot for the language learning app, Duolingo? When you need assistance with learning a new language, you can refer to the app developed by Luis von Ahn, a Guatemalan inventor. Living in the United States with a large diversity of cultures around the world, it is evident that we are surrounded by many different languages.  Since its release in 2011, over 300 million people have registered to learn from this free app that offers over 38 languages to its users. 

11. Earthquake Resistant Foundations (Control Pilings) - On September 19, 2017, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City, causing the death of over 350 people and many infrastructures destroyed. Manuel González Flores engineered control pilings which allowed large buildings to adapt with the movement of earthquakes rather than staying rigid. The movement of these buildings caused less damage, hence bringing forth the idea of earthquake resistant buildings. 

12. Chocolate - The Aztecs learned about the value of cacao beans from their predecessors, the Mayans, and saw these seeds as gifts from the god, Quetzalcoatl, who was believed to pass on knowledge about health, food, and agriculture. Because the cacao trees could not grow Tenochtitlan, the only way to get cacao seeds was through trade, which made them extremely valuable. One way the wealthier Aztec citizens enjoyed chocolate was with a chocolate drink they learned from the Mayans. This drink was served cold and mostly savored by priests, rulers, and noblemen. 

13. Brain-Machine Interfaces - Brazilian scientist, Miguel Nicolelis, invented brain-machine interfaces used in medical treatments, designed to help paralyzed patients regain control of their limbs. His brain-machine interface helped a major part in a machine in which they attempt to move a robotic arm by stimulating their brain, and many patients have been able to improve their condition by doing this exercise. 

14. Scorpion Sting Antidote - Alejandro Alagón is an antivenom researcher from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the antidote that he created took 12 years to make, finally being FDA approved in 2011. Algon stated, “We have been working together to test the Mexican antivenom under the United States rule for close to 12 years . . . The collaboration has really helped us produce a better product.”

15. The Ballpoint Pen - In 1938, the ballpoint pen was invented by László József Bíró, who was born in Hungary and became Argentinian by naturalization. A journalist and an artist, he wanted to create something that could write with thick ink, but still dried quickly. To use this kind of ink, he created the ballpoint pen, which had one end closed, and the other end had a little metal ball that spins against the ink.

16. Dactyloscopy System - Juan Vucetich (1858-1925) was an Argentinian policeman who created the first working system of fingerprint identification. He was also the first to use fingerprint evidence in a murder investigation. His system became known as scientific dactyloscopy. To this day, Vuvetich’s system is used internationally. 

17. Transdermal Patch - Alejandro Zaffaroni (1923-2014) was an Uruguayan biochemist who developed the early concepts of transdermal patches and other innovations. Transderm-Scop was created for motion sickness, and Transderm-Nitro was designed to treat angina. The FDA approved more than 40 transdermal products. Zaffaroni’s transdermal research led to the growth of drug delivery systems. 

18. Neonatal Artificial Bubble - Claudio Castillón Lévano, a Peruvian inventor, developed a new portable incubator and respirator: the Incuven. Incuven is designed to be used in hospitals that lack neonatology professionals or do not have a NICU (intensive care units). This invention saved the lives of many premature births and high-risk newborns. 

19. The Stent - Julio Palmaz, from La Plata, Argentina, is a doctor of vascular radiology at the University of Texas Health Success Center. In 1987, he created the first ever commercially used stent that is used to maintain or restore the flow of bodily fluids throughout the body. A stent is a small tube that doctors can use to force a blocked passageway to open and keep it from reclosing. Aside from reopening blood vessels, it can be used for many body passageways such as bile ducts, bronchi, and ureters. 

20. The AcceleGlove - Although the usage of sign language is not universal, José Hernández-Rebollar, a Mexican innovator, created the AcceleGlove. Recognizing the importance of easing the communication gap for the deaf community, he created the AcceleGlove in response. It was only thanks to this invention that the possibility of being able to immediately translate the movements of sign language into written and spoken form was realized. 

21. Captopril Medication for Hypertension Treatment - Perhaps one of the greatest Latinx inventors is Miguel Angel Ondetti, an Argentine inventor who created captopril, a highly effective treatment for hypertension. Captopril medication, also known as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, is undeniably impactful for it has significantly reduced death rates among patients suffering from congestive heart failure, postponed kidney failure among diabetics, and opened a widely new field of medical research: ACE inhibition. 

22. Photography - Hércules Florence (Antoine Hércules Romuald Florence) was born in Nice, France in 1804, and he moved to Brazil at age 20. Hércules Florence was not recognized for his invention of photography until 1976, even though he invented photography in 1832. He had diaries from 1834 that prove that he was the first person to use the word photographie (photography in English).

23. Diamond Scalpel - Dr. Humberto Fernandez-Moran, a Venezuelan doctor, invented the diamond scalpel in 1955. With the blade made out of synthetic diamond, it allows doctors in surgery to create more accurate and sharper cuts. This invention had allowed the fields in medicine and electron microscopy to improve in its research.

24. Magical Realist Literature - Whether you know it or not, magical realism literature would’ve been nonexistent without Columbian author, Gabriel García Márquez, a pioneer of this literary genre. Considered the father of magical realism, the idea of incorporating fantastical elements into an ordinary world was only born due to Márquez’s brilliant creativity. 

25. Indelible Ink - Filiberto Vázquez Davila, a Mexican biochemical engineer, invented the first ink that’s impossible to erase. Invented in 1993, it was considered revolutionizing creation intended to stop voter fraud. The ink will last on your finger (commonly applied to the thumb) for eight days, and was formulated with acetone, chlorine, and other various solvents. 

26. Popcorn - The next time you are watching a movie and eating popcorn, or are just eating it as a snack, you can think about how people have been eating popcorn for over 4,000 years. After all, popcorn was created by the Aztecs. Once the Spanish invaded, popcorn began to spread all over the world, and today it is a very popular snack.

27. Airplanes - We all know the Wright brothers, known to have invented the airplane; however, those in Europe tell a different story. Alberto Santos-Dumont made his first flight on November 12, 1906. He had flown a kite-like contraption on the outskirts of Paris. As this first public flight, he quickly became known to be the first inventor of the airplane in Europe.

28. Tortilla Machine - Remember, the next time you eat a soft and warm tortilla, thank Fausto Celorio Menodza for inventing the tortilla machine. He invented the automatic tortilla machine in 1947, which revolutionized the way tortillas are made. By 1975, his machine could produce 200 Kg of tortillas per hour using half the power of the leading competitors. Today, this machine lives on in restaurants and factories all over the world. His legacy lives on in the company he founded, Celorio Maquinas Tortilladoras.

29. Liquid Fueled Propulsion Engine - Today, we see news on T.V. or watch a new rocket heading toward the moon. These events wouldn’t be possible without Pedro Paulet of Peru. He is the man who is accredited with inventing the first liquid fueled engine. While he was born poor, word of his talent spread like wildfire. He eventually was able to study at the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris. There, he invented the world's first liquid fuel-powered Jet Propulsion engine. He is honored at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. 

30. Tequila - Tequila, invented in 1758, was first discovered by the Cuervo family and officially mastered in 1873 by Don Cenobio Sauza with the secret trick known to best produce it Blue Agave. Blue Agave was found to be very convenient when producing the beverage. Once drinking was made legal again in the United States of America, tequila found its way in the hands of many American citizens. It began taking advantage of Mexico's Blue Agave nectar. In 1974, Tequila was officially registered as the intellectual property of Mexico.

31. Paddle - In 1969, Enrique Corcuera wanted to take elements from a game known back in his hometown of Acapulco, Mexico, as Platform Tennis, and reinvent it, which would eventually spark interest throughout the world in the following years. He titled his invention the “Paddle Corcuera,” which is now commonly known as the “Paddle,” and began working on ways to make this a competitive sport with one of his friends Alfonso, from Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

32. Semi-Automatic Rifle - The world’s first semi-automatic rifle was invented in Mexico in 1887 by Manuel Mandragon. Mandragon, a general in the Mexican army, invented this rifle that would go on to become the world’s deadliest weapon at the time. This weapon could not be mass-produced in Mexico, so Mandragon approached a Swiss factory to make these for him. Today this weapon has transformed warfare all over the world, allowing the world to enter into an advanced era of war.