The 'Top 10 Things Made in Birmingham' include plastic, the X-Ray and the first petrol-driven motor car. #Birmingham is the most inventive UK city, producing more patents registered with the British Patent Office that any other city #Innovation

1. TOP 10 THINGS MADE IN BIRMINGHAM
1) Plastic invented by Alexander Parkes in 1858 leading to
the development of celluloid film and the world-wide film
industry.
2) The first petrol-driven 4 wheeled motor car invented by
Frederick Lanchester in Montgomery St Sparkbrook 1895
3) The Austin Mini : ‘The Car of the 20th
Century’
4) The Land Rover and 4 wheel drive cars
5) Motorbikes and Bicycles: the Hercules cycle, the BSA
Bantam, the Triumph Bonneville and the Norton
Commando, all Made in Birmingham
6) Jewellery: Birmingham’s Georgian Jewellery Quarter still
makes 40% of the UK’s Jewellery
7) The Metal Pen Nib: Pioneering makers like Josiah Mason
whose Mason College became Birmingham University,
Joseph Gillott and William Mitchell made billions of
metal pen nibs which spread literacy around the world
8) Guns: Birmingham was the centre of Britain’s Gun Trade
since the 16th
century and produced three-quarters of the
guns used by British troops in The Napoleonic Wars
1803-15 culminating in Wellington’s victory at Waterloo
9) The X-Ray: John Hall-Edwards invented X-Rays in 1896.
10) Food: Bird’s Custard, Cadbury’s Chocolate, HP Sauce.
And of course world famous typographer John Baskerville
produced the Baskerville Typeface in which this list is written
Keith Bracey
#Birmingham Writer and Historian