1. Polio Vaccine
2. Intermodal Container
3. Integrated Circuit
4. Laser

Polio Vaccine

Before the Polio Vaccine, Polio killed, and what’s worse, crippled, many children during the summer (polio season). Jonas Salk invented the Polio vaccine, and it was put into use in 1955. The vaccine was a big deal. It saved many lives. Polio is almost gone now, and only exists in a few countries.

Intermodal Container

If you were going to ship anything over more than one method of transportation, every time you switched, you would have to unpack and repack the goods. Theft was common. Malcolm McLean invented the intermodal container. Intermodal means over many modes of transportation (in this case). The intermodal container can be put onto many types of transportation.

The intermodal container makes it a lot harder to steal, for they don’t get unpacked except at the destination. McLean’s design was standardized, and now intermodal containers are one of the most common methods of long-distance bulk shipping.

Integrated Circuit

Vacuum tubes took up too much space in early computers. The integrated circuit was invented in 1959 by two men. The integrated circuit fits million of transistors into tiny chips. Once you have a factory, they are pretty cheap to make. But the factory is expensive. They don’t use much power, unlike the vacuum tube. The became popular fairly quickly in new computers. integrated circuits allowed for better computers and the internet.

Laser

Albert Einstein predicted laser light before it was invented/discovered. Charles Townes worked at Bell Labs, and while there, invented the laser in 1958. Laser light is focused and can be used for laser cutting or information transmission. Laser experimentation became somewhat common among electrical and radio companies. Barcode scanners and digital storage like DVDs became possible.

Bonus Question!

Q- What is some laser tech I would like to see in the future?

A- I would like to see a mosquito fence that uses lasers to target mosquitoes and don’t let any into your house.

1. Electron Microscope
2. FM radio
3. Nuclear Fission
4. Transistor

Electron Microscope

The germ theory existed before we knew they existed for sure. The microscopes of the day were unable to detect germs and viruses. Electron microscopes were invented in 1933 in Germany. It lets super tiny organisms like germs and viruses be seen. They allow us to study viruses and germs to make vaccines.

FM Radio

The first radio was AM radio. Imagine we have a carrier radio wave, and we need to encode a signal (audio, video, etc.) onto that wave. There are two ways of doing this. Change the amplitude (height of peaks) or the frequency (space between the peaks). This Wikipedia animation illustrates the difference. The same signal is being encoded into amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM).

AM radio was an OK form of radio, but it picked up and played a lot of static. Short-band FM radio already existed, but Edwin Armstrong invented wide-band FM. FM does not pick up a lot of static. FM created new forms of music because there was room for expanding.

Nuclear Fission

In the mid 1890’s, X-rays and radioactivity were were first discovered. A chain reaction was proposed:

235U and 238U are different types of Uranium, a very radioactive substance. The image above keeps happening until there is no more Uranium left. The little teal circles are Neutrons. If there are too many of them, the atom that they are fired into will become unstable and burst. Atomic bombs work this way. Atomic bombs were invented by the 1950’s, and nuclear power was rising by 1958. Nuclear power is 1/5 of our power, but atomic bombs are still very dangerous if an an enemy started dropping them on us.

Transistor

Vacuum tube triodes could amplify signals, but the used a LOT of power. 16 vacuum tube smartphones would take up all the power in the USA. 3 men working at Bell labs invented the Transistor in 1947. The transistor not only amplifies signals, it is MICROSCOPIC! They are not power hungry. There are BILLIONS of transistors in a smartphone. Transistor radios and computers were invented. From 1950 to 2000 the transistor created many new devices. And that brings us to our bonus section:

Bonus Section!

Q-How much do you think the world will have changed in 50 years?

Today: 5/21/2021

50 Years from today: 5/21/2071

A-I think that many things will have changed by 2071, including flying cars, people on Mars, people on the moon again, and self-controled transportation. The quality of Catan games and quantity of Catan expansions will probably have increased. We will have more solar power hydro power, and wind power.

1. Crystal oscillator
2. George Washington Carver
3. Yagi Uda Antenna
4. Penicillin 

Crystal Oscillator

The crystal oscillator was invented in the 1920’s. It uses a crystal to create electric current. It is used in quartz clocks, radios, and computers’ micro processing chips.

George Washington Carver

The civil war ended with slavery being abolished. Carver was born into a family of slaves in the 1860’s. He was freed after the war. He graduated collage and began to teach farming and agriculture. He invented many ways to use peanuts. Peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans could fix the soil after yours of growing cotton. He also pioneered crop rotation. He even spoke before congress. Moral of the story: Even though he was born low, Carver was able to rise to fame and invent great things.

Yagi Uda Antenna

The first antennas did not work very well. Two Japanese men, Yagi and Uda, invented the Antenna, which was named after them. (Yagi Uda antennas are usually referred to as Yagis or just plain antennas.) The Yagi uses a reflector and directors to direct current.

If you would prefer to watch the above video on Rumble.com or Odysee.com, click on the name of the site.

The Yagi could send radio signals pretty directly. They would go farther. In WWII, Yagis were used on aircraft. They were also used for TV, and it sped up the rate at which TV was adopted. They are still around today.

Penicillin 

During WWI, infection caused more death than shots of the enemies. Alexander Fleming invented Penicillin in 1929 after noticing that some fungus grew where he was growing bad bacteria. Penicillin is that fungus. Many doctors improved penicillin in the future. Production was sped up for WWII. It was available for the public after the war. This slowed down infection.

1. Diesel Engine
2. Mousetrap
3. Radio
4. Semi-Automatic Shotgun

Diesel Engine

Rudolph Diesel invented the diesel engine after realizing that the aging steam engine was quite inefficient. The diesel engine uses compressed air to run an engine, along with a new fuel, which Diesel developed. Diesel’s engine was put into locomotives and boats. It is now quite common among semi trucks and sometimes pick-ups. Diesel engines can also run on things like soybean oil. One major advantage of the engine is that you don’t need a battery to start it. It uses compressed air to ignite the fuel, instead of electricity.

Mousetrap

Small rodents like mice transfer disease, like the bubonic plague. This gives reason to want to kill rodents. A mousetrap swings a bar onto the mouse’s neck, and keeps it out of misery. If the mouse has disease, then you won’t have to go through getting sick by killing it after it is caught in a live trap. All patent holders for mousetraps teamed up to market the mousetrap. It is one of the most often improved inventions in the US. The paragraph below has more on that.

Bonus Question

Over 4,000 mousetraps were patented; only a few were successful. If you want to become an inventor, I think a few ways to increase your chances to be successful would be to make sure you have a great product, and have a good marketing campaign.

Radio

A man named Marconi studied Heinrich Hertz’ work on electromagnetic waves. He invented wireless telegraphy out of Samuel Morse’s telegraph. Marconi was from Italy, but he ended up taking his design to Britain, where the people were interested almost immediately. When the TITANIC was wrecked, none would have survived if it hadn’t been for the wireless operator. He managed to send a message by wireless to another ship to pick up the few survivors. Wireless telegraphy was the first radio. Radio technology helps us in so many ways, from radio broadcasts, to cell phones, to security systems, and almost every wireless device you can think of.

Semi-Automatic Shotgun

John Browning invented a semi-automatic shotgun that fires the bullet, automatically loads the next round, and ejects the spent cartridge. You can shoot much faster with the semi-automatic shotgun than with other guns. Browning has created the look of many modern guns.

131. Coca-Cola
132. Induction Motor
133. Ballpoint Pen
134. Zipper

Coca-Cola

In the 1800’s, alcohol banning was beginning so spread on a local scale. John Pemberton lived in Atlanta, GA. He fought in the Civil War and got slashed on the shoulder. It was painful, so he took morphine. He got addicted. So he tried to come up with a non-addictive alternative. He came up with a carbonated wine, made out of coca leaves and kola nuts. He called it (dramatic music) French Wine Cola! Not what you expected, right? Pemberton created this just before a law was passed in Atlanta against alcohol, and his drink was alcoholic. So he came up with an alcohol-free drink and named it (more dramatic music) Coca Cola! Coke rose to popularity fast. But Pepsi wanted in on the action, and it started creating more soft drinks. Coca Cola (thought it) needed a better drink, so it came up with a new formula, New Coke. But Coke Classic was already part of American culture. The people did not want a new coke. This unintentionally promoted Coke Classic, and led to it being brought back into production soon, with more sales then ever.

Bonus Question!

Q-Do the marketing techniques employed by Coca-Cola and Pepsi, like using popular musicians in their commercials, sell more of their product?

My personal opinion: A- I don’t think it really does. Having popular people on a commercial makes for an interesting commercial, but if you already have other commercials in circulation, I don’t think it would really be necessary.

Induction Motor

Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse were fighting the war of currents. Nikola Tesla was born in Europe. He got a job at Edison’s Europe plant. Eventually, he moved to America, and got a job with Edison there. After a few years, he quit his job with Edison to make his own plant for developing the Induction Motor. The induction motor uses alternating current to create a rotating magnetic field, which makes a metal bar spin. Edison promoted DC (direct current), while Westinghouse promoted AC. Tesla’s motor was accepted by Westinghouse, who helped popularize it.

Bonus Question II!

Q-How did Tesla make his motor commercially successful?

A-Tesla had a great motor; he knew someone who could use it. The famous George Westinghouse partnered with Tesla to sell the motor, and also put it in AC items. As AC power grew more popular, so would AC appliances.

Ballpoint Pen

The ballpoint pen was invented by John Loud to write on leather and rough surfaces in 1888. The ballpoint pen dries quickly, and is very useful. My favorite writing utensil is a black ballpoint pen. Ink was developed especially for the pen, which spread its popularity.

Zipper

In the middle ages, buttons were used to fasten clothes together. Whitcomb Judson was tired of buttoning up his shoes, so he invented the zipper. To use a zipper, all you have to do is pull the slide. The zipper makes it really easy to put on clothes. Levi Strauss put them on jeans. If you have a backpack, you will know how important zippers are.

126. Light Switch
127. Skyscraper
128. Dishwasher
129. 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:

1. Elevator
2. Portland Cement
3. 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.

1. Light Bulb
2. Cash Register
3. Thermostat
4. Steam Turbine

Light Bulb

Before he became an inventor, Thomas Edison saved the life of a three-year-old boy who was about to get run over. The boy’s father got Edison a job at Western Union telegraph company, although he was soon fired for doing experiments on his nightshift; however, the experiments helped him to perfect the phonograph. Edison, with his fame and money from the phonograph, went on to invent other things…

Modified From History Lesson #120

In 1849, Thomas Edison invented the light bulb with money from his phonograph. After a few years of long searches for the right filament for a light bulb, he finally hit on carbon. This was probably one of the most famous inventions in history. Light bulbs are cheap, inexpensive, efficient lighting. They are easy to install. The carbon filament was eventually replaced with the tungsten filament. Edison then began his DC power grid in Manhattan. Then Westinghouse and Edison started the war of currents, and Westinghouse won with AC power. The light bulb is still a symbol of (Edison’s) genus today.

Cash Register

The cash register is a tool that rings a bell whenever the drawer is opened, and records every transaction that takes place. James Ritty invented it when he realized that his employees were stealing from his saloon change drawer. The cash register makes it VERY hard to steal from the drawer. Ritty opened a factory, but was to overwhelmed from running the saloon and factory, so he sold the factory. Later, it became National Cash Register (NCR). NCR had a great marketing campaign of private demonstrations. Cash registers are very helpful tools today.

Bonus Q/A Section!

1. What problems did Ritty have with making his cash register successful? He had no marketing campaign, and not enough time with his salon and factory to incorporate one.
2. How could Ritty have made his invention a success? He could have closed his salon and devoted his whole time to advertising his cash register.
3. Why did NCR succeed where Ritty failed? NCR had more people; NCR had more time. NCR also had a very good marketing strategy, unlike Ritty.

Thermostat

Warren Johnson, a science professor, invented the bi-metallic thermostat in 1883. Bi-metallic means made of two metals. The regulating coil in the bi-metallic thermostat is made of two metals layered on top of each other. When one metal gets warmer, it starts to bend down. Because it is connected to another metal, the whole coil end arches farther up, hitting a switch which turns on or off the furnace/air conditioning. It keeps a room cold in the summer and warm in the winter. It also keeps food cold, and keeps eggs in an incubator warm. Johnson’s company manufactured thermostats, but it also led to the home control industry.

Steam Turbine

In a coal fired power plant, coal burns to heat steam. The steam is pushed through pipes to a turbine. The turbine is mounted to a shaft, which powers a generator, and that creates electricity.

Charles Parsons invented the turbine to more easily power dynamos (direct current generators). Multiple turbines extract all the energy of the steam. This is very efficient. George Westinghouse popularized and scaled up Parsons’ design. Turbines provide most of our power today.

1. Telephone
2. Carpet Sweeper
3. Phonograph
4. Moving Pictures

Telephone

Alexander Gram Bell was inspired by the telegraph, and Joseph Henry, to invent the telephone. Henry gave Bell advice and encouragement when Bell told him about his idea. The telephone allows us to communicate across long distances. Bell went on to create Bell telephone company, or AT&T (American Telephone & Telegraph), but it was broke up into 7 “baby bells”, which later grouped together again to make the modern cell phone companies AT&T and VERIZON. Also, it was Bell labs that perfected cellular technology.

Carpet Sweeper

Melville Bissell was a successful store owner. He and his wife had a very successful crockery store, a store that sells pots, pans and the like. His wife, Anna Bissell, complained that it was really hard to get sawdust out of carpets. Melville invented the carpet sweeper for his wife. It uses the mechanical motion created by pushing the sweeper to power brushes which brush the sawdust into a containment unit. Anna became a saleswoman for the product. Then Melville suddenly died, and Anna took over the company. Bissell vacuum company is still around today.

Phonograph

Before he became an inventor, Thomas Edison saved the life of a three-year-old boy who was about to get run over. The boy’s father got Edison a job at Western Union telegraph company, although he was soon fired for doing experiments on his nightshift; however, the experiments helped him to perfect the phonograph. It records speech onto a cylinder that can then be played back later. Edison, with his fame and money from the phonograph, went on to invent other things, but Alexander Gram Bell (above) improved the process. The phonograph led to the vinyl record, which led to the radio, as well as much of the terminology used for digital audio today. Also, the phonograph led to moving pictures (below).

Moving Pictures

Edward Muybridge immigrated from England, and became a successful bookstore owner in San Francisco. Muybridge wanted to get some antique books from England. He was supposed to set sail for England, but missed his boat. So he took a stagecoach headed for Chicago, and from there would take a train to New York, and then a ship to England. But the stagecoach crashed in Texas, and Muybridge was injured in the head. He was taken to a fort in Arkansas until he could travel again. Then he went to England. He met a doctor there who recommended photography as a hobby. Muybridge grew fond of it, and returned to San Fransisco as a professional photographer. Then, a man named Stanford hired Muybridge to decide a bet: did all of a horse’s hooves leave the ground in a gallop? Well, Muybridge set up 20+ cameras in front of where the horse would gallop, and, sure enough, all the hooves left the ground. It was the first moving picture. Stanford won the bet.

Muybridge met with Thomas Edison, and Edison, using the idea of the phonograph (above), created a one-person moving picture machine. But Edison would not allow anyone to use his patents, and he would not improve the design himself. So the movie industry moved away from New Jersey, where Edison was, to Hollywood, as far away as they could get from his “legal hand”. There the movie industry started to prosper, and it is still the movie capital today.