- Fourdrinier Paper Making Machine
Fourdrinier machines transform wood pulp into enormous rolls of paper. They vastly reduced the manufacturing cost and, subsequently, the price of paper. Even the smallest Fourdrinier machine is massive and requires an enormous amount of water. Frenchman Louis Roberts invented the papermaking machine. His friend and confidant, Sealy Fourdrinier, patented and commercialized the technology in … Continue reading "Fourdrinier Paper Making Machine"
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)"
LaparoscopyFor centuries surgeons have been purposefully cutting holes in people trying to heal them. Background Before anesthesia, antibiotics, and Lister’s germ theories surgery often meant a slow and painful death from infection. Putting things into perspective, more people died in the US Civil War from infection than from direct strike of a weapon. Purposefully cutting … Continue reading "Laparoscopy"
Interpress & PostScriptInterpress and PostScript enabled display technology, initially printers and eventually screens, to display output exactly as it would look between media. Printouts and screens, no matter the size, would look exactly the same. The technology is another from Xerox PARC. Background Warnock left Evans & Sutherland, a computer graphics company founded by Ivan Sutherland, to … Continue reading "Interpress & PostScript"
Synthetic DyeAs the Industrial Revolution gained steam (OK – bad pun), England’s population became denser. Eventually, the resulting pools of water bred mosquitos that eventually became a malaria epidemic. Perkin, a 15-year-old student, ran crude experiments to create lower-cost quinine, a malaria medicine. One of his processes accidentally produced a strong purple liquid. Useless as a … Continue reading "Synthetic Dye"
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"
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)"
Flash MemoryFlash memory stores and retrieves information more reliably and faster than hard drives. It works similar to RAM but is slower and far less expensive. It is fast, cheap, reliable, and virtually shock-proof. Fuio Masuoka was a Toshiba employee. He developed a better type of solid-state memory and filed a patent in 1981. His new … Continue reading "Flash Memory"
Electric MotorMore inspirational to future innovators than practical, the Faraday motor shows that electricity can do the same function as a steam engine, but without the smoke. Faraday’s DC motors, like modern DC motors, had limited functionality. But his innovation served as the first step towards electrification. Faraday has three major innovations, the electrical motor, generator … Continue reading "Electric Motor"
Cordless ToolsIn 1895, C&E Fein, a German company, invented the first electric tool. It was a handheld drill weighing 16.5 pounds. The drill was underpowered because it ran on DC electricity. It also required two people to operate. In 1910, Duncan Black sold his car for $600 and used the funds to open a machine shop … Continue reading "Cordless Tools"
Grocery Store Chain / Mass RetailerThe Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) showed that relying on massive scale could push down prices while running a company profitably. Relying on low prices A&P expanded rapidly. Early A&P stores were full-service. Shoppers, who typically arrived on foot to the neighborhood stores, would tell grocers what they wanted, and the grocers would … Continue reading "Grocery Store Chain / Mass Retailer"
TelephoneThe telephone vastly lowered the cost of communication by eliminating the need for Morse Code and enabling real-time voice conversations. Bell was a Scottish immigrant, a teacher for deaf children. The inventor of the telephone would go on to marry one of his students, a then 15-year-old deaf young woman. Due to his work with … Continue reading "Telephone"
Commercial Business Computer (EDVAC/UNIVAC)Mauchly and Eckert, inventors of the ENIAC, set out to create a commercial computer. They worked with government officials who needed fast computing, including military and census officials. Eventually, their employer, the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Engineering announced an intent to keep all patents produced by faculty. Henceforth, the two promptly resigned and … Continue reading "Commercial Business Computer (EDVAC/UNIVAC)"
Industrial RobotThough understated at the time, few inventions have had as much impact as the industrial robot. Industrial robots were invented by George Devol. A prolific innovator, Devol patented the “Unimate” – a term he coined – in 1954 to name his robot. Robots have existed in science fiction for ages, often as machines in human … Continue reading "Industrial Robot"
Container ShippingBefore container shipping, trucks were manually unloaded by longshoremen, loaded onto ships, and the process repeated at the destination. This added enormous cost, slowed shipping times and increased the risk of breakage. Inspired by WWII standardization, McLean designed containers that fit directly on ships. His standardized containers and ships enable faster and less expensive loading … Continue reading "Container Shipping"