5 Inventions You Didn’t Know Were Argentine! #MKBWorldCup

As we continue our #MKBWorldCup celebration, here are five inventions you didn’t know were Argentine…

1. The Animated Film – Quirino Cristiani: Move over Walt Disney! The animated film we usually attribute to Walt Disney was created by an Argentine of Italian descent, Quirino Cristiani. Walt Disney tried to get Cristiani to work for him, but Cristiani preferred to stay in Argentina working in his own studio. Unfortunately, there are no copies of his work; they were lost in a series of fires in his studio.

2. The Artificial Heart – Domingo Santo Liotta: We have an Argentine of Italian descent to thank for the first artificial heart. Domingo Santo Liotta studied in Lyon, France, and first introduced the artificial heart in 1969. Today, the original artificial heart is at display in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.

3. Fingerprints: Did you ever wonder who came up with this idea? Well, an Argentine police officer named Juan Vucetich did in 1891. All the CSI fans and police enforcement everywhere are thankful.

4. The Ballpoint pen, was created by a naturalized Argentine (Hungarian Jew who fled to Argentina during the onset of WWII) named László Bíró. Today, some countries still refer to a ballpoint pen as a “biro.” Since 1990, Argentina celebrates Inventors’ Day  on Bíró’s birthday, September 29th.

The last item on my list… you probably did know was Argentine, but I couldn’t make a list of awesome Argentine inventions and leave out this beautiful dance… because you can’t think of Argentina and not think…

5. Tango: According to Wikipedia, tango originated somewhere in the border of Uruguay and Argentina, but honestly when I think tango I think Argentina, so I’m going with it’s an Argentinian invention. This beautiful, sensual and romantic dance was created in the19th century. It has gained popularity all over the world. In 2009, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) named it to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

 Featured post photo: By Mario Antonio Pena Zapatería (originally posted to Flickr as Tango) via Wikimedia Commons