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.