Steel ShipsWooden ships were limited in size and their hulls could be more easily penetrated than metal ships during war. Ironclad ships reduced the cost and risk of shipping by enabling larger ships that were more difficult to sink. The first known ironclad warship was The Nemesis, built for the East India Company, in 1839. Soon, … Continue reading "Steel Ships"
Computer GameBackground Early computers used punch cards to load programs and data into computers. The software was a stack of cards, each card one line of a program. Data input were cards on the top of the stack. Eventually, then the entire thing fed into a card reader. The reader read the stack, processed the data, … Continue reading "Computer Game"
Niche MarketingWalker, daughter of freed slaves, is the first self-made millionaire woman and the first self-made millionaire African American (maybe – tax returns suggest it was $600K but she did very well for herself). She invented beauty products for Black people. Walker was born in a sharecropper’s cabin. She is orphaned at seven. A freelance launderer, … Continue reading "Niche Marketing"
Diesel EnginesUses engines use compression to increase engine power. That increases engine power and reduces fuel costs. Diesel is French though studied engineering in Germany. After graduating he returned to Paris and opened an early modern refrigeration factory, patenting several innovations. He eventually left and, barred from the industry, turned his attention to engines. In 1893, … Continue reading "Diesel Engines"
Light Emitting Diode (LED)“New York City and you’re flying in an airplane and you see all these lights. And you think lights, lights, lights, lights, lights.” Nick Holonyak Nick Holonyak Jr.’s mom was an orphan. His dad was a coal miner. After a stint in the mine’s, Nick decided school sounded like a fine idea. Holonyak was the … Continue reading "Light Emitting Diode (LED)"
TelevisionBefore Farnsworth, there were various types of mechanical TV that used spinning disks (Nipkow disks) and electrical transmitters, none of which ever gained traction. John Logie Baird invented the most widely known mechanical TV. Electrical Television Farnsworth had a small group of innovators, who invested $25,000. They eventually told him to give up so he … Continue reading "Television"
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"
Velox Photo PaperBaekeland, a chemistry student, worked on an improved photographic paper. Before his invention, photo papers required bright sunlight for exposure. This constraint limited photo developing to daylight hours on sunny days and made photo print results unpredictable. Baekeland created a high contrast reliable photo paper. His paper was sensitive enough to work with gas lighting, … Continue reading "Velox Photo Paper"
Automated Teller Machine (ATM)Automated Teller Machines (ATM’s) dispense cash, take deposits, and perform other limited banking functions 24×7. In 1964, James Goodfellow patented and created a machine that used a punched card combined with a secret PIN. He built this out into a full-fledged ATM, filing a patent on May 2, 1966. Later ATM makers, including NCR, licensed … Continue reading "Automated Teller Machine (ATM)"
In-Vitro FertilizationIn-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) allows eggs to be fertilized outside the womb. In a controlled environment, fertilization is more likely to be successful. In 1936, In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) was first performed on rabbits by Dr. Gregory Pincus of Harvard University. He announced his invention and mentioned it might someday work on humans. Rather than celebrate the … Continue reading "In-Vitro Fertilization"
Fighter AircraftBackground In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the airplane. Other aircraft preceded theirs, lifted aloft by lighter-than-air elements, but the wright brothers smaller and faster airplane was a new breakthrough. People could fly like birds, except faster and higher. The Wright Brothers were furiously worried about their intellectual property being stolen. In hindsight, their … Continue reading "Fighter Aircraft"
Viagra (Sildenafil)It’s hard to write seriously about Viagra. No sooner did the drug help erectile dysfunction than it opened the opportunity for countless puns. Additionally, the name of co-inventor Albert Wood worsens the situation. However, in hindsight, Viagra cured a serious problem. Background Wood and Viagra co-inventor Peter Dunn were working on a blood pressure medicine. … Continue reading "Viagra (Sildenafil)"
Gregorian Calendar“It is pleasant for an old man to be able to go to bed on September 2, and not have to get up until September 14,” wrote Benjamin Franklin in 1752. The reason for the shift was the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, devised in 1582. Background Roman Julius Caesar invented the modern calendar. Before … Continue reading "Gregorian Calendar"
Portland Cement1843 Joseph AspdinWilliam AspdinWilliam Beverley Portland cement is modern cement. It’s admittedly dull — unless being used on dilapidated ships by mobsters for shoes — but extremely useful with more mainstream uses. Portland cement is used to make buildings, stadiums, stairs, sidewalks, foundations, and shares the unfortunate honor of being the enabler of brutalist architecture. … Continue reading "Portland Cement"
Modern Management (Wedgwood)Modern management, marketing, and high-end sales to ordinary people make pottery company Wedgwood a management innovator. Pottery dates back to ancient times. Fragments of pottery in China date back 20,000 years. Since then, for the most part, wherever archeologists find people they also find pottery. Therefore, opening a pottery manufacturer, especially in the 1700s, intuitively … Continue reading "Modern Management (Wedgwood)"
