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.