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”"
Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)CRISPR is like a word processor for DNA. It allows easy and inexpensive gene editing. Edited genes are passed to future generations, making mutations permanent. Doudna and Charpentier Doudna and Charpentier worked on and invented the technology as a team. First, they worked on plants and, later, on animals. History becomes murkier with the involvement … Continue reading "Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)"
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"
Internal Combustion EngineFew innovations throughout history are as important as the internal combustion engine. In 1807, the Niepce brothers received a patent on an internal combustion engine but failed to commercialize it. The brothers also invented photography. The first known working internal combustion engine (ICE) belongs to Lenoir. He converted a steam engine to burn coal gas … Continue reading "Internal Combustion Engine"
Circular Saw1813 Tabitha Babbit In 1777, Samuel Miller patented the first circular saw. However, the wind-powered saw did not have enough power to be of practical use. In 1813, Tabitha Babbit, a Shaker, invented the circular. Her insight was that sawing back and forth wasted half the motion of a saw. In response, she created a … Continue reading "Circular Saw"
Stock ExchangeLike insurance, regulated stock exchanges opened the door to high-quality stock offerings which allowed businesses to procure financing. That both lowered the cost of capital and also spread both the risk and returns of an investment to a wider group of people. The Antwerp, formed in 1531, traded what today is called of government debt … Continue reading "Stock Exchange"
Traffic SignalA manually-controlled gas-powered light-switch on London Bridge was the first traffic signal. It was never popular and, in 1869, exploded and hurt the policeman controlling the switch. Subsequently, there were countless versions of semaphore lights to control traffic. None gained commercial acceptance. Morgan, who invented the gas mask, also invented and patented the modern traffic … Continue reading "Traffic Signal"
Kodak Brownie“You press the button, we do the rest” announced Kodak introducing the camera their first mass market camera. In May 1888, George Eastman invented and sold a camera packed with film for 100 photographs. Customers snapped their hundred photos then mailed the camera back to Kodak. Kodak mailed back the prints and the camera reloaded … Continue reading "Kodak Brownie"
Streaming VideoEarly streaming video was more science experiment than entertainment. Video over the internet wouldn’t become common for almost 20 more years after the first stream. Background However, computer companies, thinking about the early Internet, were interested in using it for television. These early transmissions required expensive and complicated computers and extremely expensive Internet connections to … Continue reading "Streaming Video"
NylonNylon is a popular low-cost high-strength silk alternative. It vastly lowered the cost of producing silk-like fabric. Carothers started undergraduate school, at Tarkio College in Missouri, as an English major but switched to chemistry due to an influential professor. He excelled, working as an instructor during his undergraduate years. He went on to earn a … Continue reading "Nylon"
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) turns a tiny bit of DNA into a much larger amount which can subsequently be sequenced. In 1983, Mullis figured out a way to multiply the tiniest piece of DNA by orders of magnitude, making millions of copies. This is how the smallest bit of DNA, from bacteria, viruses, historical artifacts, … Continue reading "Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)"
Three Phase PowerOne extra wire allows transmission of triple the amount of electricity via three-phase power. With three wires rather than two, electrical operators can transmit triple the electricity. “Polyphase” is another term for three-phase power. Three phase power usually transmits enormous amounts of electricity. These are the large transmission lines on tall polls. Electricity is converted … Continue reading "Three Phase Power"
Electric Arc FurnaceElectric arc furnaces are giant pots that melt steel. They enable the recycling of scrap steel. Recycled steel both costs far less than creating steel from raw materials and has a lower environmental impact. The process involves three-phase electrodes which create an arc that reaches about 3000°C (5400°F). Frenchman Paul Héroult (co-inventor of aluminum smelting) … Continue reading "Electric Arc Furnace"
Pneumatic Tools1871 Simon Ingersoll It’s not an exaggeration to say that pneumatic tools built the modern world. Wherever you’re reading this article: whether in a house, apartment, office or even on a street you can stare up and see something built with pneumatic tools. Reading in the middle of a forest? The device you’re reading on … Continue reading "Pneumatic Tools"
Air ConditioningCombining prior innovations and ideas, Carrier added his own ー related to humidity ー and created modern air conditioning. Tasked with controlling the humidity in a printing plant, because humidity affects paper, he found the connection between humidity and temperature. Carrier designed equipment to control humidity that also controlled temperature, modern air conditioning. By 1911, … Continue reading "Air Conditioning"