Stepping SwitchStepping switches change the direction of a magnetic flow to one of multiple channels, stepping through them incrementally. Which sounds incredibly boring until we realize they enabled the modern phone system and powered the decryption machines which morphed into the modern computer. Stepping switches were literally a step from the industrial revolution to the modern … Continue reading "Stepping Switch"
Hydraulic Ram (Pump)Allows farmers to raise water from creeks upward, to fields, where it can be used for irrigation without a power source. In the early part of the Industrial Revolution, using a steam engine for farm water would have been prohibitively expensive and pumped far more water than is necessary. The hydraulic ram allows pumping water … Continue reading "Hydraulic Ram (Pump)"
CellucottonCellucotton is the raw material used to make bandages, tissues, sanitary napkins, and tampons. In 1886, Johnson & Johnson introduced predecessor product “Lister’s Towels,” the first disposable menstrual product, sold primarily in Europe. Eventually, Kimberly-Clark (“K-C”) invented “Cellucotton” ー a highly absorbent wood-pulp by-product ー as a bandage for WWI. No sooner did the WWI … Continue reading "Cellucotton"
Processed Foods with Statistical Quality ControlBy design, countless food products look and taste exactly the same. Nobody opens a name-brand candy bar and wonders if it will taste different than any other bar they may have chosen. Each can of Coca Cola, Pepsi, or Guinness Beer tastes exactly the same as any other. All major food companies can thank Guinness … Continue reading "Processed Foods with Statistical Quality Control"
Automation Armageddon: a Legitimate Worry?Right now, we have 122 major innovations that involve some type of automation. Click here to see the list. Putting it mildly, many of them were not met with enthusiasm. For example, Frenchman Barthélemy Thimonnier invented the sewing machine only to see his factory burnt down by worried tailors. The “American Manufacturing Method” using standardized … Continue reading "Automation Armageddon: a Legitimate Worry?"
Coke Fueled Blast Furnace / Pig Iron1709 Abraham Darby used Coke instead of coal to fire blast furnaces, making the production of iron from pig iron (a weak iron), much more economical. Coke burns significantly hotter than coal which, combined with his new design to concentrate the heat, his factory was significantly more efficient than prior methods. He created the Bristol … Continue reading "Coke Fueled Blast Furnace / Pig Iron"
Carbon Fiber1958 Roger Bacon Paper airplanes glued together are fun but not something anybody would actually fly on. But that is essentially what modern jet aircraft are. Carbon fiber is essentially threads glued together into a fabric and turned into the bodies of aircraft, the wings, cars, bicycles, and countless other objects. Carbon Fiber is stronger … Continue reading "Carbon Fiber"
Stainless Steel1913 Harry BrearleyW.H. Hatfield Stainless steel is strong and has high heat resistance, just like ordinary steel. It resists corrosion, it’s formable and weldable and, unlike regular steel, does not rust. It lowered the cost of everyday items. For example, rather than silver, tableware could be made from stainless steel. Stainless steel also lowered the … Continue reading "Stainless Steel"
AirplaneWilbur and Orville Wright invented the airplane with their first flight in 1903. Urban myth describes an easy story where the bicycle mechanic brothers built an airplane from spare parts. In reality, the innovation was a long, slow, methodical, and extremely dangerous project. Background People had been building various forms of fixed-wing gliders for years. … Continue reading "Airplane"
Modern Computing v1: The Mother of All Demos.On December 9, 1968, the modern world was born. Background Douglas Engelbart, working for the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) showed the future of modern computing to a roomful of people that, for the most part, understood virtually none of it. In a tour de force, Engelbart introduced the world to video conferencing, teleconferencing, hypertext, word … Continue reading "Modern Computing v1: The Mother of All Demos."
Credit UnionLet it not be forgotten that a credit union is, above all else, an association of people, not dollars. Alphonse Desjardins Banks at the turn of the 20th century were for rich people. A.P. Giannini founded his Bank of Italy, later renamed Bank of America, in 1904 as a bank for everybody else. But it … Continue reading "Credit Union"
Breach Loaded FirearmsFlintlock guns required the user to pour gunpowder into the barrel of the weapon, stamp it down, add a bullet, then carefully pick the whole thing up and fire it. By the time all that finished, soldiers could be chased down and stabbed with a knife. Breach-loading firearms opened the rifle near the back. They … Continue reading "Breach Loaded Firearms"
ParachuteParachutes lowered the risk of flight, encouraging innovation in flying. In 1782, the Montgolfier brothers launched the first hot air balloon from the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette — the last of the French aristocracy who would be beheaded during the revolution — watched as the balloon lifted … Continue reading "Parachute"
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"
SatellitesSatellites brought the world closer together, enabling instant communication, relaying information, and fulfilling countless military and civilian uses. Sergei Korolev designed the first satellite, the Sputnik 1. It struck fear and hope around the globe as it orbited earth sending radio pings that anybody could hear. Korolev spent years during the Great Purge in Stalin … Continue reading "Satellites"
