3 INVENTIONS THAT WERE TO DOMINATE—AND DO NOT

Many fundamental scientific and technical breakthroughs were not recognized as such when they took place. Original publications in specialized journals are read by only a small number of experts, patents are overlooked and forgotten or dismissed as adding nothing new, lost trails of discovery may be reentered only decades later—and only then may they turn into broad thoroughfares leading not only to new industries and new products but also to new modes of social organization and interaction. Perhaps the all-time best example is James Maxwell's formulation and development of the theory of electromagnetic waves, a fundamental advance he was able to accomplish in his writings between 1865 and 1873. Maxwell's ideas provided the foundation for all modern wireless electronics: radios, TVs, mobile phones, the internet, GPS—all these are just higher-order technical elaborations of his fundamental insight.