Chuck Hull invented three-dimensional printing all the way back in 1983 by using a process called stereolithography to cure photopolymers with ultraviolet light.

A closer look

Chuck Hull invented three-dimensional printing all the way back in 1983 by using a process called stereolithography to cure photopolymers with ultraviolet light. While most people think 3D printing is a modern marvel of the twenty-first century, it was actually conceived during the era of VHS tapes and unironic mullets. Hull's very first printed object was a tiny, underwhelming plastic cup that took hours to solidify. Now, we use the exact same foundational principles to print everything from prosthetic limbs to affordable housing, though casual hobbyists mostly just use it to print useless plastic figurines of popular movie characters. It is comforting to know that no matter how world-changing a technology becomes, humans will always default to using it for absolute garbage