6 Notable Czechs who influence your everyday life

When people think of the Czech Republic, they often imagine Prague’s fairytale skyline, Czech beer, or Bohemian glass. But the contributions of Czech inventors, thinkers, and visionaries reach far beyond its borders—and into your daily routine. Here are six remarkable Czechs whose innovations and ideas continue to shape the modern world.

1. Otto Wichterle – Contact lenses

If you’re one of the more than 100 million people who wear contact lenses, you can thank Czech chemist Otto Wichterle. In 1961, he developed the first soft contact lenses using a home-built apparatus made from a children’s building set, a bicycle dynamo, and a phonograph motor. His invention revolutionized vision correction and remains the foundation of modern lenses today.

2. Gregor Johann Mendel – Genetics

Known as the “father of modern genetics,” Mendel was a scientist and Augustinian monk who conducted groundbreaking experiments on pea plants in Brno during the mid-19th century. His observations on inheritance patterns laid the foundation for the field of genetics, influencing everything from medicine to agriculture.

3. Jaroslav Heyrovský – Polarography and analytical chemistry

Heyrovský’s invention of polarography in the 1920s made it possible to analyze substances in solution with unprecedented precision. This technique became a cornerstone of analytical chemistry, earning him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1959 and paving the way for modern electrochemical analysis used in labs around the world.

4. Tomáš Baťa – Modern shoemaking and business ethics

The Baťa name is synonymous with shoes—but also with forward-thinking industrial management. Tomáš Baťa transformed the small family business in Zlín into a global enterprise built on principles of efficiency, employee welfare, and social responsibility. His methods influenced business practices from Europe to North America and continue to resonate in management theory today.

5. Josef Ressel – The ship’s propeller

Before airplanes filled the skies, Ressel’s 19th-century invention changed how humans traveled the seas. His design for the screw propeller was one of the earliest successful versions, dramatically improving maritime transportation and efficiency. Today, his innovation remains fundamental to marine engineering.

6. Karel Čapek – The word “robot”

The word “robot” entered the global lexicon thanks to Czech writer Karel Čapek, who introduced it in his 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). Derived from the Czech word robota (meaning forced labor), the concept forever shaped science fiction, technology, and how humanity imagines the relationship between humans and machines.

From genetics to global trade, these six Czechs changed the way the world works—proof that even a small country can leave a massive imprint on everyday life.