- Postcard
- Gatling Gun
- Linoleum
- Ratcheting Wrench
Postcard
The postage stamp reformed the UK postage system in the 1840’s, and this paved the way for the postcard. The printing press was also to play a role in the postcard’s invention. The postcard was invented by Hyman Lipman, inventor of the pencil eraser, and John Charlton. It was originally Charlton’s idea, but it was Lipman who had the idea of pictures on the postcard. They are easy, quick ways to send short messages, and they have nice pictures on them too. People are more likely to buy a pretty postcard than a plain one, so that is one reason why they have pictures on them. They have become more popular over the years, but now social media is replacing them.
Gatling Gun
Richard Gatling did not like how many soldiers died at war from both disease and the enemy, so he wanted to reduce the size of armies. His solution was the Gatling Gun. It is a gun that rapidly fires many rounds of ammunition into the enemy. It does not overheat because more than one barrel rotate, and they do not all fire at once. More bullets going in per person means less gunmen. Gatling did a live demonstration of his gun to the government, and the government bought his guns. They were used across the world after the US Civil War.
Linoleum
Rubber flooring was good flooring, but patterns could not be put on. Frederick Walton saw linseed oil dry on a paint can, and noticed its rubber-like consistency. He turned it into a flooring, and named it Linoleum. It is easy to clean and make patterns in. Linoleum is cheaper than wood flooring, and so it played a role in displacing wood, although wood flooring is still fairly common. Linoleum led to Vinyl, and that is very common these days; in fact, we have it in our kitchen.
Ratcheting Wrench
In 1863 J.J. Richardson invented the ratcheting wrench and advertised it through a magazine. A ratcheting wrench has two pawls that keep the motion going in one direction. When you push one way, it brings the nut or bolt with it, but when you pull the other way, you just move the handle. This allows you to tighten bolts much faster. The magazine spread the idea quickly.