On the first patents, key inventions and research manuscripts about glass science & technology

Abstract

The objective is to describe the first patents, key inventions and scientific papers related to glass science & technology. According to the literature and the Guinness Book of Records, the first English recorded patent was granted to John Utynam in England in 1449 and a second in 1552. Regarding publications, the first two papers on glass production were published in 1665 in Le Journal des Sçavans in France and the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in England. We illustrate our points using landmarks that cover half a millennia and constitute advancements in modern life that are substantially connected to and dependent on glass technology