From adhesive tape to home computers and from telephone to antibiotics, there is an endless list of innovations which have changed the face of human civilization. Those who invented such things have become very famous.

The list of famous inventors could go on and on. Also, different countries and regions have their own famous inventors. But there are some inventors whose names are likely to figure in all these lists, as their popularity cuts across any barriers.

Many of these names include American inventors such as Thomas Alva Edison, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright brothers, George Washington Carver, etc. But there are many non-American inventors, such as Sir Alexander Fleming, who invented penicillin, which was followed a host of antibiotics changing the way diseases were treated all over the world, saving millions of lives every year.

Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. Sir Isaac Newtons theories and laws of motion changed the way people looked at the universe and inspired many inventors to utilize this theoretical framework to implement their innovative ideas. The list of famous inventors continues to grow. More and more inventors from other parts of the world, including Asia and Africa, are today getting patents, especially in the field of technology.

Today, scientific research and development is a complex and expensive affair. There are not many individuals who can afford to carry on such efforts. The result is that now, instead of individuals, corporate entities or other organizations employ teams of scientists and researchers and get an exclusive patent on their invention. Increasing royalties and the mass production of new inventions have made these kinds of ventures a profitable business. So in today's world it is not only the quest for knowledge and innovative aptitude that goes into making a famous inventor, but money and media, too, have to be considered important factors.