We rely on hundreds of inventions every day. They often start small, but many discoveries find imitators and continue to be improved. The first electric underground, for example, was inaugurated in London in 1899. Today, the largest underground network, 637 km long, is in Shanghai – while London has only 402 km.

GREAT INVENTIONS provides insights into the origins and functioning of numerous groundbreaking inventions that have become an integral part of everyday life.