Transcontinental RailroadBackground After much debate in Washington, DC, and with the civil war brewing, Judah presented a transcontinental railroad a “Think Big” project. Asa Whitney had lobbied for a western railroad starting in 1847 but got nowhere. Somehow, Judah cut through the other issues (especially slavery) to get attention and became a central plank of the … Continue reading "Transcontinental Railroad"
Game TheoryGame theory serves as the foundation of systematized decisionmaking and modern economics. Indeed, Minimax game theory underlies modern economics and is responsible for countless economic insights, many of which won Nobel Prizes. Besides game theory, von Neumann eventually modeled the lenses behind the Los Alamos plutonium nuclear bomb. As a Jewish refugee from Europe whose … Continue reading "Game Theory"
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"
Fast FoodMcDonald’s primary innovation is that food should be ready instantly. No sooner does a customer order than food appears. Individual restaurant orders, individually prepared was the norm for non-buffet restaurants before McDonald’s. In 1937, the McDonald brothers created their iconic restaurant and built several stores. Eventually, Ray Kroc was a 52-year-old milkshake machine salesman who … Continue reading "Fast Food"
DialysisDialysis machines do the work of kidneys, cleaning the blood of impurities. After two years of experimentation on terminal patients, 15 who died, Kolff successfully kept a woman suffering renal failure alive with his “artificial kidney” dialysis machine. After WWII he donated the machines to hospitals around the world then immigrated to the US in … Continue reading "Dialysis"
TelegraphBackground Samuel Morse invented the telegraph. He learned that his wife was sick while working in a different city. By the time he arrived home, she had died. Morse determined to invent a faster message delivery system. Like Fulton, Morse was an artist before going into business. He had no background in science or engineering. … Continue reading "Telegraph"
Surgical DisinfectantSurgical disinfectant vastly reduces the risk of infection and subsequent disease and death. Lister, building on the work of Pasteur and Semmelweis, insisted that surgery and surgical equipment be cleaned with carbolic acid, an early attempt at sterilization. Before Lister, surgeons would not change their clothes: more blood showed more experience. Semmelweis advanced similar ideas, … Continue reading "Surgical Disinfectant"
Vacuum Tube (Diode)Working for the Edison Electrical Light Company of England, Sir John Fleming invented the diode, a vacuum tube at the heart of all early electronics. Radios, television, telephones, computers – virtually every electronic we’re familiar with today – was first built with diodes. Diodes are typically vacuum tubes, though some have specialized gasses in them. … Continue reading "Vacuum Tube (Diode)"
Peer-To-Peer File Sharing (Napster)File sharing allows one computer to connect anonymously with others, sending and receiving files. Most files were single-track MP3s of copyright music. Background The original theory was that because mixtapes were legal then noncommercial “sharing” of any music was legal. The legality of mixtapes, a collection of songs from other tapes, stems from a US … Continue reading "Peer-To-Peer File Sharing (Napster)"
Gas MaskGas masks lower the risk of damage for firefighters and soldiers. Garret Morgan, the son of freed slaves, developed an early gas mask for use in fires. Hoses dragged along the ground where air was cleaner, because smoke rises. There was also a 15-minute air supply for when air became hopelessly polluted. Patented in 1914, … Continue reading "Gas Mask"
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) MachineComputer Numerical Control (CNC) machines create identical interchangeable parts. They simplify manufacturing and reduce the risk of human error producing parts. Starting in 1949, John Parsons worked with Frank Stulen at Gordon S. Brown’s Servomechanisms Laboratory at MIT to develop a system where punch cards controlled a machining tool, called Numerical Control (NC). This evolved … Continue reading "Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machine"
BasketballWe only have two sports on innowiki we think merit inclusion, football (soccer in the US and Australia) and basketball. Global diffusion is the reason for their inclusion. Of course, there are countless regional sports. Fierljeppen is our favorite. However, no matter the appeal of canal jumping, football and basketball are the only two that … Continue reading "Basketball"
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)MIDI allows instruments to talk to computers and to one another. As engineers began connecting instruments to computers it became clear there needed to be a standard interface so that each instrument did not need to “talk” differently to each computer. Smith, who holds degrees in computer science and electrical engineering. He created the MIDI … Continue reading "Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)"
Paid Cable Television ChannelsBackground Charles Dolan was a cable TV pioneer who received a license to build a cable television system in lower Manhattan. Due to New York City restrictions, cables needed to run underground, vastly increasing the cost of the infrastructure. New Yorkers lacked enthusiasm. By 1971, Dolan only had 400 subscribers. To increase sales, Dolan eventually … Continue reading "Paid Cable Television Channels"
RocketsIn 1914, Goddard patented the first rocket and, in 1926, Goddard fired the first liquid-fueled rocket. Goddard predicted rockets would one day enable space flight, a prediction widely ridiculed as science fiction. Eventually, in 1929, Oberth fired his modern liquid-fueled rocket. Oberth eventually taught Wernher von Braun, who perfect modern rocketry. In time, both Oberth … Continue reading "Rockets"
