MotorcycleAfter engineering a buggy that runs on four wheels it didn’t take long to realize a motorized bicycle would work well. Motorcycles are more efficient than cars: they use less fuel and take less space. However, they’re more dangerous than cars, offering far less protection in the event of a crash. They’re also fun. In … Continue reading "Motorcycle"
Nuclear Aircraft CarrierNuclear aircraft carriers are enormous ships capable of traveling the world indefinitely. Indeed, the ships feature relatively large flight-decks capable of launching and landing fixed-wing aircraft, typically fighters. At 1,123 ft. (342 m.) the USS Enterprise is an enormous ship. In contrast, only oil supertankers are larger. The Enterprise supported 4,600 service members. First launched … Continue reading "Nuclear Aircraft Carrier"
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"
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"
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"
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"
AirshipSporting both bodacious name, mustache, and title of nobility, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin forever changed air travel. Zeppelin wasn’t the first to try making hot air balloons more maneuverable. That honor belonged to Frenchman Henri Giffard. Basically, a big cigar-shaped balloon, Giffard’s airship was the first aircraft that enabled navigation. In 1882, with declining health, … Continue reading "Airship"
Speech RecognitionSpeech recognition is the ability of a computer to recognize the spoken word. “Alexa: read me something interesting from Innowiki.” “Duh human, everything on Innowiki is interesting or it wouldn’t be there.” Today, inexpensive pocket-sized phones connect to centralized servers and understand the spoken word in countless languages. Not so long ago, that was science … Continue reading "Speech Recognition"
Intrauterine Device (IUD)Intrauterine Devices (IUD’s) are long-lasting passive birth control for women. Once inserted they work anywhere from ten years to life. IUD’s are the most common birth-control method in the world. Background IUD’s were first developed in 1909 by Richard Richter of Waldenburg, Germany. Ernst Gräfenberg also supported the devices. He is the doctor the “G-Spot” … Continue reading "Intrauterine Device (IUD)"
High Strength, Mass Produced Steel (Bessemer Steel)Vastly increased the quality and decreased the price of steel. Unlike the iron furnaces, that created small amounts of high strength iron, the Bessemer process created enormous amounts of much stronger steel. The Bessemer process is still in use today. On Aug. 24, 1856, Bessemer described the process of forcing air through steel that dramatically … Continue reading "High Strength, Mass Produced Steel (Bessemer Steel)"
Screw PropellerScrew Propellers vastly reduced the amount of power needed to move ships. The propellers look like fans and work on similar principles except they displace water instead of air. Countless people, from James Watt onward, claim to have invented the screw propeller. Early experiments, in the late 1700s and early 1800s, functioned but propelled ships … Continue reading "Screw Propeller"
Tetraethyllead (Leaded Gasoline)Leaded gasoline prevented engine ping, making driving safer and more pleasant. Correspondingly, it also caused an enormous amount of extremely toxic pollution. Working for GM under the direct supervision of Charles Kettering at Dayton Research Laboratory, Midgley discovered the benefits of adding lead to gasoline. They named their innovation Tetraethyllead, avoiding any mention of lead, … Continue reading "Tetraethyllead (Leaded Gasoline)"
FM RadioHistory In 1906, Lee de Forest invented the “three-electrode Audion” cathode ray tube. However, by his own admission, saw no use for it in radio. During his time at Columbia, Armstrong worked with Audion tubes and realized they could recycle a radio signal, amplifying it by sending it repeatedly through the tube. Further, by reversing … Continue reading "FM Radio"
Synthetic Drugs via Genetic Manipulation (Biotech)Synthetic hormones via genetic manipulation allow for new and improved drugs. For example, insulin that remains stable at room temperature, growth hormones grown in a vat instead of harvested from cadavers, and countless others. Background Herbert Boyer was a scientist working on synthesizing DNA, one of many. Robert Swanson was a venture capitalist. He left … Continue reading "Synthetic Drugs via Genetic Manipulation (Biotech)"
RefrigerationFor centuries ice boxes and ice houses kept food cold in warm weather. Businesses cut the ice into blocks in winter and stored it in underground caverns. Afterward, in warmer months, businesses delivered ice pieces to insulated boxes in homes, “ice boxes,” the original refrigerators. Early Systems William Cullen claimed to create the first artificial … Continue reading "Refrigeration"