In shortNumber 1 in our ranking is The mop and bucket, followed by Chupa Chups and Peral's submarine.
Spain has a reputation for not inventing things, yet many Spanish inventions are part of your daily life. These are the ten most surprising.
Know any others? Vote below or suggest the one we missed.
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1. The mop and bucket
Manuel Jalón · 1950s
A stick mop with a wringer bucket ended the days of scrubbing floors on your knees. A simple invention that changed the daily lives of millions of people.
2. Chupa Chups
Enric Bernat · 1958
A sweet on a stick so you don't get sticky hands. Its logo was designed by none other than Salvador Dalí.
3. Peral's submarine
Isaac Peral · 1888
One of the first electrically powered submarines able to fire torpedoes. A technical breakthrough the Spanish Navy never took advantage of.
4. The autogyro
Juan de la Cierva · 1923
A rotary-wing aircraft able to fly at very low speeds without stalling. Its articulated rotor was key to the development of the helicopter.
5. The disposable syringe
Manuel Jalón · 1970s
The same inventor behind the mop developed a single-use syringe, an important step forward for medical hygiene.
6. Table football
Alejandro Finisterre · 1937
He came up with it during the Spanish Civil War so that injured children who couldn't play football could have their own match.
7. The Talgo train
Alejandro Goicoechea · 1942
A light, articulated train with a low centre of gravity. Its technology is still exported around the world.
8. The Telekino
Leonardo Torres Quevedo · 1903
One of the first radio remote-control systems in history. The ancestor of the remote control and of drones.
9. El Ajedrecista, the chess automaton
Leonardo Torres Quevedo · 1912
A machine able to play a king-and-rook versus king endgame and deliver checkmate without human help. It is considered a forerunner of artificial intelligence.
10. The stratonautical pressure suit
Emilio Herrera · 1935
A pressurised suit for high-altitude flight. Many of its ideas anticipated the space suit.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the mop?
Manuel Jalón Corominas, a Spanish aeronautical engineer, developed the mop with a wringer bucket in the mid-1950s. He also promoted the disposable syringe.
Would you change the order?
Tell us what's missing, what shouldn't be here or what you'd put at number 1.