Several scientific discoveries and important works in the history of mankind turned out to be inspired and originated from dreams. Dreams are no longer regarded by psychologists as mere stimulation of disordered neurons or simply meaningless fantasies. Dreams are currently considered a thought process that takes place while we sleep.
5 Inventions In History That Started From A Dream
1. The Story of Mary Shelley: The world’s first science fiction novel
In 1816, Frankenstein’s story, becoming the world’s first science fiction novel, was inspired by a nightmare experienced by Mary Shelley. Shelley (18 years old) and 4 other people from England visited a villa owned by famous writer Lord Byron which is directly opposite Lake Geneva in Switzerland. They are trapped in the winter caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia.
The power of the Tambora eruption is considered the largest in history and even caused a year without a summer in Europe. They could only stay in the house and huddle around the fireplace, Byron suggesting that they each write a ghost story.
As the nights passed, Shelley had yet to come up with a suitable story idea.
Then one night, while they were talking about death, Shelley had the idea “it’s possible that corpses could be brought back to life”. After that night, his imagination continued and he experienced what is known as a vivid waking dream.
“I saw a pale man kneeling beside the thing he was holding together. I saw a hideous figure lying down, and then, on a working machine, showing signs of life, How terrible, For as terrible as the effort was, man mocked God as creator of life.”
Supported by the thought of Galvanism, Shelley finally created a character and made a science fiction novel, Frankestein.
2. Paul McCartney: Music inspired by dreams
In 1965, Paul McCartney composed the melody for the acoustic song “Yesterday” in a dream.
He remembers fully when he woke up, then he quickly imitated the melody of the song in the dream he had through his piano, Paul then asked his friends and family if they had heard the song before. He was initially worried that he was just copying someone else’s work or what is called cryptomnesia.
“About a month I went around to people from the music industry and asked them if they had ever heard this song before? In the end, I left it completely to the police, I thought if no one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it.”
Lennon and McCartney later wrote the lyrics to the melody and the song on their album “Help”.
However, as a melancholic acoustic song, involving only a solo performance by McCartney himself and no other Beatles, the rest of the band gave the song an acquittal as a UK single that year. The song was released in America, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks.
Today the song is still popular with over 2,200 cover versions by other artists including Aretha Franklin, Katy Perry, The Mamas and Papas, Michael Bolton, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Billy Dean and others.
3. Niels Bohr: Atomic Structure
Niels Bohr is the discoverer of quantum mechanics, he talks about the dreams that inspired his discovery of the structure of the atom.
Bohr earned his doctorate in 1911 and gained fame for solving complex problems in physics.
At that time, he tried to adjust the arrangement of the atoms, but nothing worked. One night while he was sleeping, he had a dream about atoms. He saw the nucleus of an atom, with electrons revolving around it, just as a planet revolves around the sun.
As soon as he woke up, Bohr felt his dream could be true. But as a scientist he knows the importance of re-examining the matter before making it public. He returned to the laboratory and looked for evidence to support his theory. It turned out to be true and appropriate.
Bohr’s thinking about the structure of the atom turned out to be one of the greatest breakthroughs of his time. He was later awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.
4. The Story of Elias Howe: The Eye of the Needle on a Sewing Machine
In 1845, Howe invented the sewing machine from a dream which helped him understand the concept of a mechanical needle. He was not the first to have the idea of a sewing machine, but Howe made such significant improvements to his design that he was awarded the first US patent for a sewing machine using a lockstitch design.
Before he made his invention, he felt hopeless and failed. But one night he had a dream where he was ordered by a cruel king to make a sewing machine. In the dream he also had difficulty making a suitable needle eye for his sewing machine.
The king gave him 24 hours to complete his creation until it could be used. If not finished at that time he will get the death penalty.
Howe tried his best to perfect his sewing machine, but he ran into trouble and gave up. Then the royal troops took him out to be executed. Howe saw the soldiers carrying spears with holes in the bases. Instantly he realized this was the inspiration in placing the right needle eye for his sewing machine.
When the clock struck 4 in the morning, Howe woke up and rushed out of his room to his study. Finally he repaired the sewing machine according to his dream experience and he managed to make the concept of a needle eye for sewing machines similar to what we use today.
5. Albert Einstein: The theory of relativity
Einstein is famous for his extraordinary knowledge of the universe. But what about the dream he had?
Einstein once dreamed of riding a sleigh on a steep mountain slope. The train he was riding was traveling so fast that it approached the speed of light. At that moment, the stars in his dream moved at his speed. He woke up and contemplated the dream he had.
Because of the dream Einstein finally found the theory of relativity that discusses the speed of light. This theory says that gravity is no longer a force. Gravity is a manifestation of the curvature of space and time. For his breakthroughs in science, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921.
Those are some of the discoveries in history that started with a dream.
