Synthetic Drugs via Genetic Manipulation (Biotech)Synthetic hormones via genetic manipulation allow for new and improved drugs. For example, insulin that remains stable at room temperature, growth hormones grown in a vat instead of harvested from cadavers, and countless others. Background Herbert Boyer was a scientist working on synthesizing DNA, one of many. Robert Swanson was a venture capitalist. He left … Continue reading "Synthetic Drugs via Genetic Manipulation (Biotech)"
Wind-Driven SawmillCornelis Corneliszoon van Uitgeest invented a sawmill driven by a windmill. It cut wood about 30 times faster than sawing by hand. Corneliszoon received a patent for his wind-driven sawmill. Workers found the mill during a 2004 excavation. The windmill used a crankshaft to convert the steady wind into the up-and-down motion necessary to saw … Continue reading "Wind-Driven Sawmill"
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)MEMS are literally microscopic-machines. The best-known MEMS are the accelerometers that have become ubiquitous in smartphones, allowing precise tracking of movement on the X, Y, and Z-axis. Significantly, MEMS are the reason your phone can sense movement. Additionally, other MEMS devices include miniature microphones, projectors, cameras, and countless others. MEMS were first proposed in 1959 … Continue reading "Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)"
Mini Steel Mill (mini-mill)1969 Ken Iverson “Integrated” steel mills create steel from raw materials. They use the Bessemer process to transform raw materials into enormous amounts of steel. The plants are giant, inflexible, dirty, and expensive to erect and run. Ken Iverson worked at the Nuclear Corporation of America (eventually, Nucor), a conglomerate of assorted businesses pulled together … Continue reading "Mini Steel Mill (mini-mill)"
Just-In-Time ManufacturingJust in time manufacturing delivers the parts required to complete a product shortly before they are needed. Accordingly, this vastly reduces inventory cost while typically increasing quality by aligning the manufacturing needs of part suppliers and the final manufacturer. Background Toyota engineer Taiichi Ohno needed a better way to manufacture. Specifically, efficiency was low and … Continue reading "Just-In-Time Manufacturing"
Archie McCardell: Worst CEO EverArchie McCardell is the worst CEO in history. Sure, there are CEO’s who committed crimes, CEO’s who bankrupt their businesses, and CEO’s who looted their businesses. There are crooks, those who hire cronies, people who paid bribes, plenty who demanded sex or servitude, and countless sociopaths. In fairness to him, Archie did none of these … Continue reading "Archie McCardell: Worst CEO Ever"
Interchangeable Standardized Parts: the “American Manufacturing Method”Standardized parts allow parts of a machine to be swapped out, enabling factories to manufacture parts without worrying about the larger machine. Interchangeable parts vastly lowered manufacturing costs. Check out the video we created about interchangeable standardized parts: Today, everything from cars to computers, software and even food, is interchangeable. We’re annoyed that a USB … Continue reading "Interchangeable Standardized Parts: the “American Manufacturing Method”"
Inkjet PrinterInkjet printing produces affordable, high-quality printouts using low-cost personal desktop printers. Background Ichiro Endo, of Canon, was the first to realize the idea that ink could be heated to form a small bubble, then deposited on a page to form a pixel, inkjet printing. John Vaught, a college dropout working at Hewlett-Packard, was working on … Continue reading "Inkjet Printer"
Blue JeansBlue jeans are fun. The once entirely functional pants evolved to represent a lifestyle. When sold as functional work pants, Levi’s did OK. When sold on emotion sales mushroomed. Background Levi Loeb immigrated from Germany to the US and changed his name to Strauss, which sounded more American. In Germany, Jews were forbidden from owning … Continue reading "Blue Jeans"
Credit CardMerchants have always issued credit in one form or another directly to customers. But the idea that a bank would issue credit to purchase anything then, eventually, collect from their customer is newer. In 1946, after WWII, John C. Biggins invented the first universal credit card, called “Charg-It.” However, the card only worked at participating … Continue reading "Credit Card"
Instant PhotographsLong before the digital camera Polaroid’s delivered instant photographic gratification, albeit it at a steep price. Like countless tech inventors after him, Land dropped out of Harvard. He sneaked into the labs at Columbia while developing early Polaroid light filter technology. Land’s Polaroid created polarizing light filters, especially useful as sunglasses during WWII. Eventually, he … Continue reading "Instant Photographs"
Stock Ticker / Ticker TapeBoth the ticker and ticker tape lowered the cost of transmitting stock prices by eliminating the need for a person to translate them to and from Morse Code. Subsequently, this innovation served as a bridge from specialists required to send and receive telegraph messages to plain-text transmissions. Edward Calahan saw people rushing from the floor … Continue reading "Stock Ticker / Ticker Tape"
Panama CanalThe 80 km. (50 mi.) long Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, avoiding the need to sail around South America. Background Unquestionably, the French were stoked after their completion of the Suez Canal. Given that the project took 3800 years from start to finish their enthusiasm is understandable. Subsequently, they decided to undertake … Continue reading "Panama Canal"
Pneumatic Tires1845 Robert Thomson The wheel is a seminal invention, widely regarded as one of the most important in human history. However, early wooden and stone wheels were far less useful than their modern air-filled rubber counterparts, the pneumatic tire. Despite their ubiquity today, it’s amazing that the pneumatic (air-filled) tire initially went all but unnoticed. … Continue reading "Pneumatic Tires"
MusketWhile Guttenberg’s forge was working to bring about the Renaissance, a more common use was to create weapons to kill one another. One of the most noteworthy is the musket. Background Early muskets were more like small cannons than the later-day rifles. Sometimes two-people needed to operate the earliest weapons due to their weight. Armies … Continue reading "Musket"
