Salt and Pepper Shakers, Mason Jar, Pencil Eraser, Twine Binder

Salt is an ancient seasoning, used to preserve meat. Black pepper, used in Asian Cultures, rose in popularity during the middle ages. Salt and pepper shakers were invented in 1858 by John Mason. They were glass jars with screw top lids containing different-sized holes and were easily refilled. Sanitary ways of sharing the seasoning became popular when Mason's patent expired and dinners began using them.

Nicholas Appert invented the canning process. Appert was born in France in 1749. He became a chef in Paris in 1784 ad the age of 35. He canned all sorts of foods using champagne bottles in 1795, thanks to Napolean, who offered a price of 12,000 franks for anyone who could come up with a new way to can food to feed his army. Canning became important for American families in the 1830s. John Mason invented the Mason Jar in 1858. Primarily used for home canning, His patent expired in 1874.

Bread was a popular eraser through the 1700s. Graphite pencils became popular through the 1800s. This created the need for pencil erasers. Two men discovered rubber erasers in 1770. Edward Narine was a prolific English inventor. He accidentally discovered that rubber is a good eraser. Hymen Lipmann combined pencil and eraser in 1858. Lipmann sold his patent for $100,000 in 1851. Important to College too. "I Pencil" is a book written by Leonard Reed in 1958. It shows that no one knows how to make a pencil.

Condensed Milk, Sleeping Car, Toilet Paper, Washing Machine

Gail Borden Jr. was born in New York in 1801. He went to school for about a year in Indiana when he was just 15 to learn how to become a surveyor just like William Austin Burt. The same year he got married, his mom died from yellow fever. They had six children. His wife died from yellow fever in 1844. He witnessed children dying because of bad milk. He invented condensed milk in 1856. Heating the milk prevents spoilage. As a preservative, sugar is added. It is also useful for using in recipes and stores for a long time. He built a factory in 1864.

George Pullman was born in New York in 1831. He invented the Sleeping Car in 1865. It provides living space on a long train ride. The beds fold up during the day time for more space. There are on-board porters that serve customers. The porters were mostly freed slaves. After Abraham Lincoln's death, his body was transported in a Pullman Sleeping Car.

China invented many things early, including toilet paper. Romans used a sponge on a stick and American colonists used corn cobs. Joseph Gayettey re-invented toiletpaper and made it better. Toilet paper is made of tissue and used for cleaning. Factories turn raw pulp into toilet paper. Targeted customers with itchy pain warned customers of the risks of using other kinds of paper. Splinter free paper appeared in the 1930s. Almost 7 billion rolls are sold every year. People use it to pollute peoples' yards. Life is much better off with it than without it.

Washing clothes was a time-consuming job. Inventions began focusing on this problem in the 18th century. The Washboard made it easier to wash clothes by hand. Hamilton Smith invented the washing machine in 1858. An English machine was demonstrated at the World's Fair in 1862. Electricity applied in 1904.

Safety Elevator, Syringe, Bessemer Process, Egg-Beater

Elisha Otis was born in 1811 in Vermont. He got married and moved to a river town. His wife died around 1839, leaving him with two children. He opened his own business, but it failed. He invented the safety elevator in 1852. Elevators take people and supplies up and down. What happens if the cable snaps? It uses a backup ratchet system. Otis rented some space at the World's Fair in 1853. Otis' safety elevator made skyscrapers possible, now hundreds of feet tall.

Alexander Wood was born in Scotland in 1817. Wood trained in classical curriculum. He attended medical school at Edinburgh. He invented the syringe in 1853. It was inspired by the bee stinger. Doctors use hypodermic syringes. They are also used outside the medical industry. They were popularized in France.

Henry Bessmer was born in England in 1813. He was a prolific inventor like his dad. He grew interested in weapons due to the Crimean war. He invented the Bessmer process which converts pig iron into steel. Steel contains 2% carbon. Bessmer licensed his patent to five English makers. They couldn't understand his process, so he opened his own factory. It spread to America in 1862.

Ancient Egyptians invented a baking oven. Guilds arose and lasted through the middle ages. The Egg Beater was invented in 1856 by Ralph Collier. The eggbeater is a kitchen tool. It is a handheld device that makes mixing ingredients much easier. Eggbeaters are very useful.

Jackhammer, Pin-Tumbler Lock, Safety Pin, Gyroscopes

Johnathan Coach invented the modern Jackhammer in 1848. Coach was from Philadelphia. Jackhammers are hammer drills. Coach's assistant, Fowle, innovated the jackhammer to use compressed air. Buildings and even skyscrapers can be demolished using high-powered jackhammers. The jackhammer reduces the need for importation. The jackhammer also reduces delays during road construction.

Linas Yale Sr. was born in Connecticut in 1791. He opened a lock shop when he was in his forties. He invented the pin tumbler lock in 1843 to protect valuable stuff. The pin tumbler lock contains pins in a cylindrical drum. Key lines up pins to rotate the cylinder.  It was harder to pick than older locks. Linas Yale Jr, his son, continued his father's work. It is used in the common door lock.

Walter Hunt was born in New York in 1796. Hunt invented a version of the sewing machine in 1832. He had experience with needles and the sewing industry. He invented the safety pin in 1849. Safety pins are simple folding needles. Pins have sharp heads that can hurt if they stick you. Advertised to nurses and to wives for diapers and clothes. Safety pins are still used in the cloth industry today.

Leon Foucault was born in Paris in 1819. Foucault became interested in physics. He helped discover the speed of light. He experimented to prove the rotation of the earth in 1851. He invented the Gyroscope in 1852. Foucault proved the earth's rotation by using a gyroscope. He also helped put man on the moon. It made GPS possible.

Steel Plow, Steam Shovel, Postage Stamp, Vulcanized Rubber

John Deere was born in Vermont in 1804. He became a town blacksmith in 1825. The scratch plow was the first basic plow, but it didn't work in all the soils. So, John Deere invented the first steel plow in 1837. The soil did not stick to the polished steel. The steel plow was self-cleaning. John Deere tested his plow at his neighbor's farm. John Deere went into competition with his plow. John Deere's farm equipment is still used today.

William Otis Smith invented the Steam Shovel in 1835. The steam shovel is a steam-powered dirt-moving bucket. Steam engines are controlled by human operators. Like a movable crane. The steam-powered shovel made tall buildings possible like the empire state building. Road-building in the US used steam-powered shovels.

Rowland Hill was born in England in 1795. He invented the Postage Stamp in 1838. Before the postage stamp was invented, the cost of mail depended on how much it weighed. Also, the person receiving it would have to pay for it. Now the person sending it would have to pay the price for sending mail. Stamps were introduced in the US in 1947. The mail0order catalog developed in the late 1800s.

Charles Goodyear was born in Connecticut in 1800. He invented vulcanized rubber in 1839. It was very durable and not brittle. Goodyear died in 1860. The Goodyear company was formed in 1898. It produced bicycle tires and poker chips.

Electromechanical Relay, Revolver, Morse Code, Circuit Breaker

Joseph Henry was born in New York in 1797. He became a science professor in 1826 at the age of twenty-nine. Joseph Henry invented the electrical relay. The Electrical Relay uses an electromagnet to remotely drive a mechanical or electric switch. The relay made the telegraph possible. He created a device that would eventually turn into the electric doorbell. 

Samuel Colt was born in Connecticut in 1814. Samuel Colt invented the revolver after being inspired by the action of the steering wheel on ships. The revolver is a six-shooter gun. The revolver's name comes from the rotating cylinder. The first revolvers were front-loaded with powder. Colt patented his gun and sold hundreds. When Samuel Colt died, he was one of the richest men ever.

Samuel Morse was born in Massachusetts in 1791. Samuel Morse attended Yale and became a painter. In 1825, he received a sad message that his wife died. He developed Morse code around 1830. Morse code can develop around 30 words per minute. Morse code encodes the alphabet into a series of dots and dashes, somewhat similar to braille. Radiotelegraphy used Morse code in the 1890s.

Charles Grafton Page was born in Massachusetts in 1812. He was very excited about electricity as a kid. He went to a medical school and opened up his own office. He invented the circuit breaker around 1836. The circuit breaker protects cables from short circuit damage. Page patented his 1836 invention in 1867. Thomas Edison invented a circuit breaker in 1879.

Platform Scale, Railroad T-Rail, Multi-Coil Magnet, Mechanical Reaper

Thaddeus Fairbanks was born in Massachusetts. Thaddeus Fairbanks solved the problem of having counterweights that were too large. It was not easy to weigh heavy things because they only had tiny scales. He invented the platform in 1830. Fairbanks began selling the scales overseas. The platform scale changed how scales were used. Thadeus Fairbanks scales began to be sold throughout the world by the mid-1800s.

Robert Stevens was born in New Jersey in 1787. Robert Stevens invented the flanged t-rail after founding one of the first railroad companies in America in 1830. The t-rail is strong, durable, stable, and easy to install. The first railroad did not come to America until 1829. Railroads played an important role in the civil war.

Joseph Henry was born in New York in 1797. Henry became interested in Science at age 16. He became a Science professor in 1826 Henry built the world's strongest electromagnet for Yale University. electromagnets relay power. They made the telegraph possible. Joseph Henry improved the electromagnet by using insulated wire in 1830. He invented the multiple pole magnet in 1831.

Cyrus McCormick was born in Virginia in 1809. Cyrus' father, Robert, spent years trying to develop a mechanical reaper. Cyrus took inspiration from a British type. Cyrus invented the mechanical reaper. His reaper was patented in 1834. Pulled by a horse, it drastically increased the amount of crop that a worker could reap in a day.

Microphone, Typewriter, Braille, Sewing Machine

People have been trying to make sounds louder since Ancient Greece. Charles Wheat Stone was born in 1802. Charles Wheat Stone had the idea of inventing the microphone in 1827. The invention of the telephone by Thomas Edison in 1870 led to the invention of the microphone in 1877. Microphones make podcasts and cheap communication possible.

William Austin Burt was born in Massachusettes in 1792. William Austin Burt invented the typewriter in 1829, but it was not successful. Not many people purchased it. Type Writers imprint neat handwriting into paper. Type Writers make words neater than using pencils and paper. Writers began using Type Writers. Women entered the workforce as typists. Type Writers gave way to the word processing software.

Louis Braille was born in 1809. Louis Braille, after losing his eyesight beginning when he was three, invented an improved version of Burbier's system. The Braille reading system lets blind people read 200 words per minute, the same as those who aren't blind. The Braille language uses a series of raised dots to show different words and letters. The Braille system is still used today.

Barthelemy Thimonnier was born in 1793. Thimonnier invented the sewing machine in 1829. He opened a factory to produce Military uniforms for the military. His factory almost survived 200 years. Sewing machines stitch fabric together mechanically. Before sewing machines were invented, housewives spent most of their time sewing. The sewing machine makes it fast and easy to make high-quality, strong fabric clothes.

Portland Cement, Electromagnets, Passenger Rail, Matches

Romans used concrete in many of the things they made. Cement is a primary ingredient in concrete. The other ingredients in concrete are water and aggregate, which rock, sand, or gravel. Concrete fell out of use when Rome fell. Concrete was brought back to life by the British who were building lighthouses. Most modern structures rely on concrete that uses Portland cement. "Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout." The Hoover dam was built with Portland cement. 

William Sturgeon invented the electromagnet in 1824. Joseph Henry improved Sturgeon's magnet in 1830. This invention quickly spread as others became interested by the idea. Iron is easily magnetized. Electromagnets can create stronger magnetic fields with just the touch of a button.

George Stephenson was born in 1781. George Stephenson invented the passenger rail after spending years developing railroad lines. Passenger rail carried people over long distances. Stephenson's success helped the industry grow. He also trained Americans all how to build successful railroads too. Before Passenger rails were invented, it would take several months to get across the country. Passenger rails made it possible to get across the country in only a week.

John Walker was born in 1781. He became a pharmacist and invented matches almost by accident in 1826. Several improvements were made without a patent leading to the invention of the matchbook in 1890. Matches start fires quickly.

Pencil, Stethoscope, Tunneling Shield, Paved Roads

Ancient people, like the Egyptians, used writing instruments. Ancient Egyptians used writing instruments for writing on clay tablets. The Egyptians' writing system was called hieroglyphics. Today, we use a writing instrument called the pencil. The American pencil was invented by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau worked at his father's factory. He wrote a book saying he hated inventions. Pencils are cheap to make and easy to use.

The first hospital was built in France in 651 A.D. The invention of the stethoscope was a turning point in medicine. Hospitals were built by churches to provide charity for the sick and needy. Charity is a free gift. "The stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultation or listening to the internal sounds of an animal or human body." The stethoscope provides a non-intrusive way of investigating the inside of our body.

Marc Isambard Brunel was born in France in 1769. He patented a tunneling shield inspired by the shipworm. Shipworms are called "termites of the sea". A tunneling shield protects men who are digging tunnels. Brunel was most famous for building the Thames Tunnel.

John McAdams was born in Scotland in 1756. John McAdams invented the Modern Paved Road method in 1816. The Ancient Romans built the best roads. John McAdam began experimenting with new road-building ideas. "improvements in road building led to the modern interstate system which is the backbone of our modern economy."

Vapor-Compression Theory, Flour Mill, Percussion Ignition, Canning Process

John Gorrie built the first Vapor Compressor in 1842. A guy by the name of Thaddeus Lowe put a refrigerator unit on food ships in 1869. Food ships carry food from one place to another. It was important to keep food cold and fresh, so it would not rot. Ice houses stored ice during the Summertime. The first refrigerators for the home appeared in 1913.

The flour milling industry was growing rapidly in young America. A flour mill grinds wheat into flour. It had been a long time since anyone had made improvements on the flour mill. Oliver Evans was born in Delaware in 1755. Evan invented an automated flour mill called the Evans System. George Washington used the Evans System to bring flour at his mine, Mount Vernon. I have visited Mt. Vernon with my family, but we have not seen the flour mill.

John Forsyth was born in Scottland in 1769. He enjoyed duck hunting, but every time he fired the gun would let out smoke before he could shut the duck. It would also make a loud noise that would scare the ducks and so he invented a new ignition for his gun called the percussion ignition. It fired better than the old system, produced less smoke, and worked in wet weather.

Tin cans replaced glass jars by 1812. Canned food is important during times when there is fresh food. Mason jars were invented in 1858. You can food in mason jars too.

Suspension Bridge, Fire Hydrant, Locomotive

My History teacher said that inventions are tools that increase our efficiency, letting us do more work in less time. One of these inventions is the Suspension Bridge. The Romans were the great bridge builders of the ancient world. Ancient bridges were heavy and had several limitations. James Finley was born in 1756. James Finley invented the first suspension bridge. Suspension bridges were a good invention because they do not cost a lot of money. They do not weigh a lot but they are very strong. They make work easier, so you do not have to go all the way around a lake, a river, or a valley.

Big cities needed a way to get rid of waste. They buried trees underground as pipes to carry away water. They used elm trees because they do not rot. When there was a fire, the firefighters would drill a hole in a wooden pipe to let out water to put on the fire. They used wooden fireplugs. Fredrick Graff was from Pennsylvania, and he intended the iron fireplug, also known as the fire hydrant. 

The first rails in a railroad were made of wood. By 1700, miners began using iron and metal railroads instead of wooden ones. Also in the 1700s, miners used low-pressure steam engines to pump water out of the mines. Richard Trevithick built the first locomotive used in high-pressure steam engine in 1801. He named his first locomotive the Puffing Devil. The high-pressure steam engine could pull heavy loads like coal, ore, and even people.

Vaccine, Battery, Arc Light, Atoms

Smallpox is caused by a virus. A vaccine is a cure for or treatment of a disease. The vaccine was introduced in America in 1780. Massachusetts required mandatory vaccination in 1809.

Volta was born in Italy in 1745. Batteries have (+) and (-) terminals. Volta submitted a paper to the Royal Society. Voltage is named after Volta.

Arc light is extremely bright. The light is bright enough to light up large buildings and streets. Generators by 1815 were built to power the arc light. It did not take off quickly.

John Dalton was born in England in 1766. Dalton published his theory in a book. Dalton's Atomic Theory proposed that "all matter was composed of atoms: indivisible, indestructible building blocks." Dalton became a Professor and private tutor.

Visual Telegraph, Cotton Gin, Hydraulic Press

Claude Chappe was born in France in 1763. The Chappe Brothers designed visual telegraphs for use during the war in France. The idea was transformed into the electric telegraph that ended the pony express, strengthening the railroad industry.

Eli Whitney was born in 1765 in Massachusetts. He went to Yale for college. He couldn't go to law school because he ran out of money. Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin. Different people groups tried removing seeds from cotton by hand. When the Cotton Gin was invented, it sped up cotton processing approximately 20 times. The Cotton Gin led to the civil war and the rise of American manufacturing.

The Hydraulic Press spread throughout the machine tool industry. The press was used in America to process certain crops. The press helped turn soybeans into a major American food crop.

Steamboats, Argand Lamps, Power Looms

Steamboat history begins with Denis Papin. Large steamships led to the transatlantic steamship industry. Adding steam engines to boats wasn't a new idea, but John Fitch finally succeded with a 30 passenger boat in 1787.

Robert Fulton was born in 1765 in America. Fulton moved to Europe in 1788. Steamboats multiplied in America. A series of wars began by the end of the 1700s leading to the war of 1812 in America.

Oil lamps have been in use for thousands of years. Argand lamps are much brighter than candles. American Winslow Lewis copied it for use in lighthouses.

Power looms weave fabric using steam engines. The invention inspired further development in weaving. The power loom produced paying jobs for unskilled workers.

Benjamin Thompson, Gas Lights, Screw Cutting Lathes

Benjamin Thompson was born in Massachusetts. He experimented with cannons and gunpowder. He drew designs for warships. The American Academy of Arts and Science made him a member.

William Murdoch was born in 1754. William walked 300 miles to go to work for James Watt. Murdoch's biggest invention was gas lighting. Gas lightning spread rapidly because it wasn't patented. Gas companies installed gas lines through the cities. Murdoch lit the outside of the Soho Foundry in 1802. Theaters helped spur the rapid adoption of electric light. AC power replaced DC power.

Screw cutting lathes had been in the early stages of invention in the middle ages. It made it easy to make screws.

Lightning Rod, Glass Harmonica, Swivel Chair

Over 400,000 people have been killed by lightning. Benjamin Franklin noticed static electricity sparks looked like lightning. Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod. The lightning rod is a metal stick that is at least 12 inches tall. It goes on top of buildings, churches, and houses.

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1706. Benjamin Franklin was an inventor. He invented the lightning rod. He invented the lightning rod after learning of the Liden jar and studying electricity. 

Benjamin Franklin's instrument produced a sweet sound. Benjamin Franklin invented the glass harmonica. It sat on its side and spun using a foot pedal. Thousands had been sold by the time Franklin died in 1790.

Thomas Jefferson was born in Virginia in 1743. Thomas Jefferson invented the swivel chair. The swivel chair is a chair with wheels. The swivel choir is in lots of offices.

Parachute, Selective Breeding, Electrolysis, Mechanical Reaper

Skydiving began in the Russian military in 1930. A parachute is a large cloth shaped like an umbrella. Parachutes slow down your descent to the ground. Parachutes let people and objects to be safely dropped from an airplane. Charles Broadwick build models for the US military.

Robert Bakewell was born in 1725. Selective breeding is the process of choosing only plants and animals with desirable characteristics to reproduce. The eating habits of people changed. Bakewell sold his animals at a market.

Electrolysis breaks compounds into elements. Humphrey's assistant, Faraday, played a major roll in developing modern electoral theory. Rocket fuel is produced using electrolysis. 

Wheat was a fundamental crop in the 17th century. Harvesting requires reaping, threshing, and winnowing. Meikle invented the threshing machine. Harvesting wheat faster was important because the population grew 700% from 1700 to 1900.

Soda Water, Oxygen, Balance, Boring Machine

Englishmen were making sparkling water. Joseph Priestly invented soda water while investigating air in 1767. Soda water is water infused with carbon dioxide. Drinks are kept under pressure by filling the bottle with CO2.

Joseph Priestly was born in England in 1733. He discovered oxygen around 1775. Scientific interest in the study of air began picking up by the 1700s.

Balances have been used since the beginning of mankind. Scales measure weight. The spring scale invented by Salter made rapid weight measurements possible.

Wilkinson's Boring Machine was used to make Watt's steam engine. Additional machine tool improvements were made by Henry Maudslay beginning of the 1800s. The French were suffering from weapon problems. Every time they tried to shoot a cannonball, the cannon blew up.

Lead Chamber Process, Spinning Jenny, Wigs, Watt Steam Engine

John Roebuck was educated in Scottland. John Roebuck invented the lead chamber process for making sulfuric acid. Coal mining prompted John Roebuck to find better steam engines.

James Hargrave was born in 1721 in England. Weaving was a family business. James Hargrave's sister knocked down his family's spinning wheel and he noticed that the spinning wheel could still spin on its side, and that's when he got the idea of the Spinning Jenny.

t was born in 1732 in England. In the old days, men wore long white wigs. Richard Arkwright invented a waterproof gel that they could put on wigs.

James Watt had a friend that introduced him to the power of steam in 1759. He improved the steam engine in 1776. His improved steam engine led to the invention of the locomotive.

Flying Shuttle Marine Chronometer, Anders Celsius, Leyden Jar

The Flying Shuttle

John Kayo invented the flying shuttle after a flash of insight. John Kay began manufacturing his new invention. Pirates used his shuttle and nearly bankrupted him through patent lawsuits.

Marine Chronometer

The marine chronometer is a fine-crafted precision machine. John Arnold built an improved model in the late 1700s. Harrison refined his design for the next 30 years.

Anders Celsius was born in 1701. He promoted the gregorian calendar. He founded Uppsala Observatory in 1741. Anders Celsius came from a family of scientists, and he continued in the family business.

Layden Jar

Two scientists invented the Layden Jar. Batteries power much modern technology. He got a huge shock from the jar he built