47 Famous Spanish Inventors: Cool Facts For Kids

Invention is at the heart of science as we know it.

It does not matter what pushes for the invention of devices, whether it is out of necessity or simply out of competition. It is what defines us as an intelligent species of life.

Humans are the pioneers of creating devices, devices that solve problems and make our lives so much more convenient. A lot of these inventions are attributed to the brilliant minds of Spain. It is time everyone learned about these brilliant Spanish inventions.

If you enjoy reading articles like this one about Spanish Inventors, you might also be interested in these articles about electric bulbs and asteroid facts at Kidadl!

Fun Facts About Spanish Inventors

Spanish inventors have been a critical part of the history of science in the world.

Spain has been a large contributor to the inventions that have changed the way we perceive and deal with the world today. They have been key contributors to modern technology. A lot of the inventions that came out of Spain were the precursors to the modern forms of devices that we use. For example, the modern helicopter comes from the early work of an inventor from Spain.

Famous Spanish Inventors

Who are some of the most famous inventors in the history of the world?

The first of the famous inventors to come from Spain is Juan de la Clierva. Juan was originally trained as a civil engineer. During his youth, he turned to aviation, which is where he came up with his invention. Juan was the first to invent the forerunner to what would eventually become the helicopter.

He was known to work with airplanes and gliders. He would build and develop them for years. His real breakthrough came after he was determined to create a more stable form of flight. It would come after the crash of one of these airplanes in the year 1919. The first stable flight of the autogiro, as the invention was called, came in 1923, in the city of Getafe in Spain. In 1925, Clierva would leave Spain and move on to England to continue his work. The impact of the autogiros was massive, as seen by their usage all across Europe as well as the rest of the world. Countries would then move on to using helicopters later on.

Manuel Garcia was another well-known Spanish inventor. Manuel was perhaps the most renowned teacher of singing in the entirety of Europe. While he was a master at teaching the art of singing, he also had quite a reputation as an inventor. You see, Manuel was the inventor of the laryngoscope. Singing is an art that makes significant use of the larynx, a part of the human body. The maintenance of this body part is important, and who better come up with a device that assists in the process than a master of the art of singing? Manuel Garcia was a big contributor to the invention of this device, as well as the research that went behind its creation.

Spanish Inventors' Contributions And Inventions

Here is a list of famous Spanish inventions that are credited to Spanish scientists and inventors, and show their importance in the world that we live in.

First on the list is Ignacio Urresti. This Spanish inventor was responsible for the creation of one of the lesser-known Spanish inventions, the pencil sharpener. The Spanish word for a pencil sharpener is el sacapuntas, and the first rendition of this invention was very unlike the one that we use today. The first design of this Spanish invention was about 3 lb (1.4 kg) in size! It was most emphatically not the type of stationery that we keep in our pencil cases. It would eventually become the smaller device that we see today.

Another one of the famous Spanish inventors is Leonardo Torres y Quevedo. Leonardo Torres y Quevedo came up with an electromagnetic device that was capable of playing a limited form of chess. This Spanish invention was the beginning of what would go on to become artificial intelligence. This is arguably one of the most impactful Spanish inventions, but it has not become the most impactful of the Spanish inventions we know, because artificial intelligence is still at its beginnings. While the device could play chess, it could not do so at a speed that is similar to humans, owing to its primitive state. It remains one of the most brilliant inventions by a Spanish scientist.

The next famous invention that came from Spain is Chupa-Chups. These sweet delights are the inventions of the man from Asturias, Spain, Enric Bernat. He began after noticing the annoyance of a mother at how eating a lollipop made the hands of their kids sticky. He marketed his candy in bright wrapping papers and placed them on sticks. This is one of the Spanish inventions that is widely sold all over the world, even today, and has become an extremely popular delight among children as well as adults.

El Peral is the next most famous Spanish invention. This invention was named after its inventor, Isaac Peral. The chances are that this is one of the Spanish inventions that you may not have known about. The El Peral was the first electric-powered submarine ever built. Unfortunately for Isaac Peral, people at the time refused to accept his idea. While it had very large implications, Peral was on the Spanish inventor's list of those who went unrecognized.

The Most Influential Spanish Inventor

There have been many inventors of Spanish origin, but who among the list of famous Spanish scientists is the most influential Spanish inventor and embodies genuine Spanish ingenuity?

The answer to that question is Emilio Herrera Linares. Emilio was a military engineer during the Spanish Civil War. This Spanish inventor started his work in 1936, and his invention was the spacesuit. While this invention was not fully developed into the modern spacesuit that we know today, it provided the beginnings of what would become the pressurized suit of today.

Emilio could not finish his work on his invention, as the Spanish Civil War broke out in the same year. This inventor never got around to testing his pressurized suit. However, it became the model for which the Russians would develop their own spacesuit. Furthermore, this invention was also used as a base model to develop their own spacesuit when the Americans went to space.

While Emilio was unable to further develop and test his initial invention, he would be remembered as perhaps the most influential Hispanic scientist. If you are wondering why he is the most important of the Hispanic inventors, the answer is due to the large implications of space travel.