- Light Switch
- Skyscraper
- Dishwasher
- Electromagnetic Waves
Light Switch
Thomas Edison invented a light bulb. But many other people invented different light bulbs that didn’t work as well. Joseph Swan was one of them. He lived in England. John Holmes went to a public demonstration of Swan’s. Holmes noticed what type of switch Swan used for his bulb. It was dangerous, because it worked more slowly, and might cause sparks. This could cause fires. So Holmes invented the quick action light switch. Holmes’ original model was a twist type light switch, but a flip switch was soon invented, using the same principle. Light switches allow you to easily and conveniently turn on a light. They come in many styles today.
Skyscraper
The skyscraper is my favorite invention this week. That is because it was a combination of many other inventions, including:
- Elevator
- Portland Cement
- Bessemer Steel
William Jenney has an accident hidden behind his first Chicago skyscraper. He was an architect. One day, he came home from work early, and surprised his wife. She had been reading a book. When William came in, she got up to greet him, tossing the book onto a birdcage. William saw the book, and said, “If a wire birdcage can hold a heavy book, why can’t a steel frame hold up a heavy building?” This led to him designing the home insurance building in Chicago, and it was the first skyscraper. New York soon caught on. Now, there are skyscrapers everywhere. Cities can become more populated, because you can stack upwards, instead of having it spread all over the place.
Dishwasher
Hand washing dishes is no fun. It takes a lot of time. And apparently a lady named Josephine Cochrane thought so too. Her husband was a politician. He often invited people over to dinner parties. They used fancy China dishes. The trouble was that the maids who would wash the dishes sometimes chipped them. So Josephine decided to solve the problem. Her husband died young, leaving Josephine poor. This inspired her to continue with the idea, and it was a great success. She eventually showed it at the world’s fair in Chicago. Believe me, these tools make our lives easier.
Electromagnetic Waves
Electromagnetic waves were first proposed by James Clerk Maxwell, before they were proved to exist. The existence of electromagnetic waves was proved by Heinrich Hertz, years after they were proposed. I cannot really explain Hertz’s device that he used, except that a spark was created were there was thought to be a broken circuit. Electromagnetic waves can carry messages long ways. Hertz had no idea how to harness electromagnetic waves, but from them we get so much; Radio, TV, and cellular phones are all products of electromagnetic waves.
Bonus Section!
Scientists try to build models of what might have happened during the big bang. This is the same thing Maxwell did; Maxwell and the scientists are both speculating. The difference is that Maxwell’s theory can be proved (by Hertz), but you can’t go back to the beginning of time and watch the big bang happen. Lesson learned: We can be more confident in things we can prove/have proved.