There are a large number of prolific inventors whose technology we still use today in some form or another: There's a lovely little book "Longitude: The True St

There are a large number of prolific inventors whose technology we still use today in some form or another: There's a lovely little book "Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time" about Harrison's marine chronometer. Others like Gutenberg's printing press, Franklin's lightning rod, Whitney's cotton gin, Jenner's smallpox vaccine, Nobel's dynamite, Edison's phonograph, etc. etc. etc. are available in lots of lists.