Celebrate the 4th With These Truly Revolutionary Gadgets

Disposable Ballpoint Pen:The disposable ballpoint pen, first patented in 1884 but not manufactured until the 1940s, made the pen mobile. Photo: Roberto Fiadone/Wikimedia; Illustration: USPTO

Amana Radarange Microwave: When microwave ovens first started showing up in homes in the mid-1950s, they were big and expensive. This first countertop microwave oven cost less than $500 when it first became available in 1967, and by the mid-1970s, more than half of American homes had a microwave.

The Fourth of July is about freedom, fireworks, and celebrating our country's revolution against tyranny. We've continued to have technological revolutions since our country's founding, but lately the word has lost much of its meaning. Apple itself has used 'revolutionary' to describe more than 30 products and features. And on any given day, we get pitches touting everything from 'revolutionary bone-conducting headphones' to 'revolutionary shoe-lacing systems.'

Here's the thing: While the word has been abused by marketing departments for more than a decade now, there is such as thing as a revolutionary product. From the first QWERTY typewriter to the iPhone, there's a trail of gadgets that have left an indelible mark on American culture and the rest of the world. So lets celebrate this year's Independence Day by remembering some of these truly iconic gadgets. We've gathered 16 of our favorites, but feel free to share your own in the comments.

iPod: Introduced in 2001, the iPod wasn't the first MP3 player to hit consumers, but it was the catalyst in kicking off the digital age of music.