The Victorians loved new and exciting things, and in the Great Exhibition of 1851 they celebrated the best of the best. It was a grand affair with many inventions on show. One of the most exciting – and one said to be a favourite of Queen Victoria herself, was the Stereoscope, designed by Sir Charles Wheatstone.

The stereoscope was an exciting new device for viewing photography. It transformed 2D pairs of images into 3D images before the viewer’s eyes. The ‘original’ virtual reality. The original stereoscopic apparatus was invented in 1838 by Sir Charles Wheatstone. However it was not until the Great Exhibition that stereographs gained international recognition and became a real craze with the Victorians!

Queen Victoria was said to be a great fan and was greatly impressed by the Stereoscope display by Jules Duboscq, a pioneering French photographer at the Great Exhibition. Stereographs of inside the Great Exhibition still exist today and allow us to imagine what it might have been like inside the Crystal Palace.

The stereoscope helped to share the wonders of the Great Exhibition with Victorians who couldn’t be there in person. Can modern technology help us educate people on environmental issues today in innovative ways?

The 1980s was the decade when computing both in offices and homes became more commonplace, and the first mobile phones began to be in use.

These first mobile phones were the size of a house brick, and the computers of the time had to accommodate huge bulky monitors.

Now the technology inside these gadgets moved on of course and that meant over time all those gadgets could become smaller – and screens especially could become flatter and lighter.

But it was the work of one man that turned these functional items into fashion statements: Sir Jonathan Ive.

He is best known for his work at a company you’ve probably heard of, Apple.

Sir Jonathan is often called one of the best and certainly one of the most famous technology designers in the world. As the top designer at Apple, he’s worked on numerous products including the iPod, iMac, MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch and many many others.

When people think about Apple gadgets, they often think of very sleek, white slim designs that feel nice to hold in your hand – and that also look nice. That’s all down to Sir Jonathan.

In fact, when people think of Apple in any way, not just the gadgets but the shops, the packaging and the way the gadgets work – it’s down to the same qualities – clean, simple and highly functional designs. It’s made Apple one of the most famous tech companies and certainly one of the richest.

Sir Jonathan changed the way people thought about technology. It wasn’t just doing a job – it was a cool thing to have and to collect.

Many people eagerly wait to see what the next iPhone will look like.

And the launch queues – well, its like there’s an A List celebrity!