History of Science 2008

2008-04-30T10:17:00.001-04:00

This is my last post.
Have a great summer everyone.

Camilo Aguilera

Assignment 5

2008-04-29T11:18:00.000-04:00

Willis Haviland Carrier was an American engineer and inventor. He was born in Angola, New York on November 26, 1876. In 1895 he went to Cornell University on a scholarship and graduated in 1901 with a degree in mechanical engineering. While working for the Buffalo Forge Company which manufactured heaters and air exhaust systems he devised a method to control heat and humidity for one of his clients, the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Company. The company’s need to control the heat and humidity in their building as it was having an effect on the paper and ink. Willis Carrier designed the first air conditioner for them in 1902. He received a patent for his 'Apparatus for Treating Air' in 1906. Carrier improved on his design in 1921 and again in 1928 when he created the first residential air conditioner for private homes called the 'Weathermaker.'

Willis Haviland Carrier:

http://z.about.com/d/inventors/1/0/W/3/17carrier.jpg

Assignment 4

2008-04-29T11:17:00.000-04:00

Sarah E. Goode was born in the 1850's as a slave. She gained her freedom after the American Civil War and eventually moved to Chicago. In Chicago she opened a furniture store. Many of her clients lived in the tiny apartments of the city and complained about not having enough room for a full size bed. Goode designed and constructed one of the first hideaway beds. Her bed was designed to fold into a cabinet with a roll-top desk and shelf. The design was so popular that she applied for a patent. She received her patent on July 14, 1885. Not only is she known as the inventor of the folding Cabinet Bed but she was also the first African American woman to receive a patent from the US Patent Office.

Goode's Cabinet Bed

http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/inventors/images/sarahgood2_big.jpg

Assignment 3

2008-04-29T11:16:00.000-04:00

Gaston Plante was born on April 22, 1834 in Orthez, France. In 1854 he worked in Paris at the Conservatory of Arts and Crafts as an assistant physics lecturer. In 1960 he became a Professor of Physics at the Polytechnic Association for the Development of Popular Instruction. His first discovery, which has nothing to do with why he is famous, was the discovery of the first fossils of a prehistoric flightless bird. While this was an exciting discovery at the time he is much better known for his invention of the first rechargeable battery.

In 1859 he created the first lead-acid battery. It consisted of two sheets of lead rolled into a spiral and separated by rubber strips. The lead sheets were then placed into a sulfuric acid solution. A year later he presented a nine cell version (nine lead sheet elements connected in parallel) of his battery to the Academy of Sciences. While Camille Faure would develop a more efficient version Plante is still known as the initial inventor of the rechargeable battery.

Gaston Plante:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Gaston_Plante.gif/150px-Gaston_Plante.gif

Gastons lead-acid battery

http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Biographies/images/batt2.jpg

In regards to the grading fiasco

2008-04-28T23:28:00.003-04:00

I think the root of the entire problem can be linked to the fact that an assignment was directly tied into a competitive event. If Ruane had instead made the competition into an individual event where one person would get dinner with him based on... say... the best Research Paper about World War I, then I feel that everyone would be a lot cooler about the situation.

Hell, if this wasn't a contest at all, I honestly think that people's built-in human drive of competition wouldn't be taking over right now. Trust me, I understand how everyone feels about the event, I thought our project deserved an A or at least the rankings be changed based on the time frame some other teams got that we didn't. But I'll take my B+ and scram!

I guess I dunno what I'm trying to get at here, but perhaps the best thing I could suggest for future classes is to exclude the prize-orientated nature of the assignment. I know that nobody cares more about the food than the grade, but lets face it, when we all built our machines, we felt that each of ours was better than anyone else's. No one goes into a 4x400 relay thinking their team is mediocre; they strive to beat everyone else. It's how we tick.

Anyway, I'm ranting now when I should be writing about DNA or something. Sorry for bumping the Final post down, but I just needed to get this off my chest.

Assignment 4- Richard Trevithick

2008-04-27T10:25:00.002-04:00

Late assignment: I don't believe we discussed him in class, but I'm not 100% sure. It sounds like we would have. No one discussed him in the blogs though.

Richard Trevithick was born April 13 1771 in Cornwall, England. He died April 22, 1883 in Kent, England. Trevithick was a mining engineer. His father was a mining captain and his mother was a daughter of a miner. He didn't do very well in school, except for math. His school teacher said he was very disobedient and frequently late or skipped class. Growing up around the mines, Trevithick was fascinated with steam engines. He even lived next door to the steam engine pioneer William Murdoch for a while. He realized that new boiler technology allowed safe production of high pressure steam, and that this could be made to move a piston in a steam engine, instead of "using a pressure of close to one atmosphere in a condensing engine". Murdoch has the idea first, but it was Trevithick who was the first to make the high pressure steam work in 1799. The high pressure steam engine allowed the use of a smaller cylinder saving space and weight. Originally he built a stationary steam engine, but soon after he attached one to a road carriage. The exhaust came out of a vertical pipe or chimney, which made it possible not to use a condenser and not "infringing" on Watt's patents. Trevithick also used a a crank instead of a beam. In1801 he built a full size steam locomotive. He called it the Puffing Devil, and on Christmas Eve, he proved it worked by carrying several men into the next town. Trevithick built a longer running steam powered road vehicle, but it was very uncomfortable for the passengers and far more expensive than horse and carriage, so he abandoned the idea. Trevithick invented more than just the locomotive, he also invented the Cornish boiler, portable room heaters, and he worked with water jet propulsion and refrigeration.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/Images2_R-Z/Richard
Trevithick_SteamEngine_2_small.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/Penydarren
Locomotive.htm&h=100&w=130&sz=47&tbnid=arpTieiZsKYJ:&tbnh=100&tbnw=130&prev=
/images%3Fq%3DRichard%2BTrevithick&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=imag
e&cd=3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Trevithick

Assignment 2 - Napoleon Bonapate

2008-04-27T09:23:00.002-04:00

This assignment is late, and was extremely hard to find someone who wasn't done already and wasn't talked about in class. (I should get some extra credit points for this one!)

Napoleon Bonaparte is known mostly for his military endeavors and being the self-proclaimed Emperor of the French (note not France because he wasn't an absolute monarch). However, it is the thins we don't know about him that make him a great person for this assignment. Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769 and died May 5, 1821. He was trained in France as an artillery officer and quickly rose to power as a general in the French revolution. In 1799, Napoleon held a coup d'etat and became First Consul. Five years later he became the Emperor of the French. He took over most of Europe through military victories, until he fought Russia in 1812. His troops were defeated and they exiled Napoleon to Elba. He returned to France and regained his power for 100 days, only to be permanently defeated. He was watched by the British at St. Helena until he died.

Interestingly, Napoleon was a mathematician. He discovered and proved Napoleon's Theorem. Napoleon's Theorem states "if we construct equilateral triangles on the sides of any triangle (all outward or all inward), the centers of those equilateral triangles themselves form an equilateral triangle".

Now it is said that this is the most re-discovered theorem in mathematics and many others, including Rutherford, have discovered it as well, making it hard to determine who actually first discovered it. However, Napoleon was good in math at school and he was very fond of proclaiming himself the ruler and creators of things. He also had inventions in military science, such as using artillery as batteries. He also developed the army corp, which is the standard model for all large modern armies. Napoleon also invented the Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic code was the French civil code turned into the first successful "codification", the "process of collecting and restating the law of a jurisdiction in certain areas, usually by subject, forming a legal code". There were a few legal "codes" before the Napoleonic code, in Bavaria and Prussia, but this was the first working one. This code became the foundation of the French State. Historians have said that this was "one of the few documents which have influenced the whole world".

http://www.mathpages.com/home/kmath270/kmath270.htm
http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24223
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Code

Truly disappointed

2008-04-26T17:43:00.002-04:00

I must admit i am disappointed at the fact that so many students were complaining after the initial grades to the project were posted. I am totally aware that my group did not succeed at the project but reducing my team's grade after Complaints from the group who finished below us initially is a bit unfair. The swing team clearly did not pass the project at hand, they could not even get past there second step. I must mention after there candle burnt out they did not start the project in the same manner and they were unable to trigger any of there other steps successfully. I am not contesting the grade C+ which my team got but i am contesting the fact that the swing team deserves a better grade than which we got. In future you may consider not giving the grades publicly to prevent this type of thing form happening again, in that case if a person or persons have issues with there grades they issue will be with there grades and not the other teams' grades. I am really sorry a seemingly fun class such as this had to be tainted childish behavior of poor participants.!!!!! Have a good day!!!!!!!!

Final Reposted

2008-04-26T17:26:00.002-04:00

Bumping this back to the top of the blog. Nothing has changed...

Final Exam

Here are the long awaited final exam questions. You must turn in a typed copy of your answers by 6 pm on Tuesday, April 29th. Late exams will be docked one letter grade for every hour they are late; no exam will be accepted past 6 pm. Please bring the exams to me personally or place in my mailbox opposite the elevators on the 6th floor of Crawford. Do not submit online!

The length of your answers may vary, depending on how well you decided to answer the questions. Any quotations need to be properly cited. Do not copy the answer from the book(s). These questions are usually part think piece, part historical. If you any questions, please send me an email.

YOU MUST ANSWER ONE QUESTION FROM EACH SECTION!

1.) Medicine and Modernity

A. Discuss the rise of tropical medicine as a speciality in the 19th and 20th centuries. What were some of the problems these new specialists had to face? How did exploration and travel in various parts of the world create new challenges for western medicine, not only a 100 years ago, but today as well?

B. By the end of the 20th century, medicine had become a "proverbial Leviathan" according to Roy Porter, comparable in size to that of the military as far as government intervention was concerned, and in many cases no less business- and money oriented than today's large corporation. How and why did medicine transform itself into a proverbial "industrial-medical" complex during the 20th century? Is this a good thing for western society?

2) Scientific Questions Big and Small

C. John Gribbin calls the "last hurrah of classical science" the transformation of geology into geophysics. Discuss this transformation in the 19th century, not only briefly explaining the transformative process, but also what was being discussed by these new scientists. How do discussions by scientists seeking to explain the ice ages give us insight into the current debate about global warming?

D. Discuss briefly the developments in biology, from Mendel to the Human Genome Project. How do these discoveries shape how we see ourselves? How might current research into DNA, RNA and genetic material effect Darwin's ideas about natural selection?

3) Global Technology

E. How do the Internet, McDonald's and Hollywood lead to the creation of a "Global Culture" based in part on technology and the benefits of science? What is this supposed global culture argued about by pundits from all sides of the political spectrum? Is there really a global technology and culture for the 21st century? Explain.

Assignment 4 : Theophilus Van Kannel

2008-04-26T14:28:00.005-04:00

In 1841 Theophilus Van Kannel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a Swiss-American who is known for inventing the revolving door. The revolving door usually is constructed of a center shaft that a set of 3 or 4 doors rotates around with in a circular enclosure. A main benefit of a revolving door is that it is energy efficient. It eliminates drafts that would normally come through a regular door. By eliminating these drafts cooling and heating requirements are reduced for the building that the revolving door is present in. Another benefit to the revolving door is that it allows more people to pass through it at the same time. These doors also can be required in skyscrapers for safety. In skyscrapers it has been said that a great volume of rushing air from a normal door is capable of blowing out windows with in the building. The door is also noiseless, so it causes less disturbance in whatever environment it is placed. Theophilus gained a US patent for the revolving door in 1888. Theophilus founded the Van Kannel Revolving Door Company. In 1907 this company was purchased by the International Steel Company. Von Kannel was awarded recognition for his invention from the Franklin Institute. He was given the "John Scott Legacy Medal" for the contribution of the revolving door.

Theophilus Van Kannel:
http://www.invent.org/images/images_hof/search/inventors/vanKannel1200h.jpg

Revolving door
http://www.madehow.com/images/hpm_0000_0007_0_img0091.jpg

http://www.usgates.com/images/mirrorfinishmaroon.jpg

http://www.funkypancake.com/blog/2007/01/DSC01641-thumb.jpg

Assignments

2008-04-26T14:26:00.002-04:00

Better late than never, although late isn't good either.

Assignment 1: Simon Stevin

Stevin was born at Bruges in 1548, and eventually became a book-keeper in Antwerp. Following this, he managed to gain a position at the Franc of Bruges. He traveled through several countries until he stayed in the Netherlands for the rest of his life, dying at Leyden in 1620. He began to learn mathematics and engineering here, as well as science. In 1582, he published his “Tables of Interest,” which provided an easy way of calculation for businessmen. He also later published “De Thiende,” which explained decimal calculus and is probably the oldest pamphlet to do so. He also published a book with theorems including: the hydrostatic paradox, equilibrium of bodies on inclined planes, and the parallelogram of forces.

Stevin: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Simon-stevin.jpeg

Assignment 2: John Montagu

In my honest opinion, John Montagu is one of the most important men that ever lived. Although there is some debate over whether he actually invented this item or not, it is still one of the best inventions EVER. It is also not technical, but I still think it's the best invention ever. Aside from maybe pizza. Montagu is said to have invented the sandwich. He makes me happy. Montagu was born in 1718 and died in 192. At the age of ten, he became the 4rd Earl of Sandwich. He studied at Cambridge, and later, in 1739 supported the Duke of Bedford. Eventually he became a colonel in the army. In 1748, he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Eventually he left his post to become a secretary of state, only to again become FLotA again. Aside from his hopping around throughout career paths, he was a married man with one son. His son eventually became 5th Earl. However, his wife’s health began to deteriorate, both physically and mentally. He eventually found another woman to spend his life with, Martha Ray, and they had several children. However, he could not reach a break—His first wife, Dorothy Fane had gone insane, and Ray was murdered in 1779. Another notable thing about him, besides the REAL sandwiches of course, were that James Cook presumably named the Sandwich islands after him.

His awesome invention: http://www.ntscblog.com/images/thumbnails/liverwurst.jpg (Or its anscestor)

Montague: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/images/700/BHC3009_700.jpg

Assignment 3: Louis Daguerre

Daguerre was born in 1787 in France. He apprenticed in architecture and theatre design, and he invented the Diorama in 1822. He died in 1851.

Daguerre did many things, including medicine and set designing. However, his most notable invention is the “daguerreotype.” He began experimentation on his own, but by 1833, he had been working with another man for four years. This was when his partner, Niepce, died. By 1839, Daguerre and his son had managed to create a method for producing photographs on a silvered copper plate. He took his invention to the Paris Academy of Science.

One of his images:http://www.energyhill.com/assets/louisDaguerre_720.jpg

Daguerre:http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/3271602.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=2C48553CC6AAB74C6BBB204B0E512BDFA55A1E4F32AD3138

Assignment 4: Elias Howe

Elias Howe was born in 1819 in Massachusetts. As a child, he was an apprentice at a textile factory. Howe invented an improved sewing machine and patented it in 1846. Unlike the previous sewing machines, his used two threads, not one. This two thread system was called the lockstitch design. One thread made a stitch that would unravel easily. With two threads, the sewing is much stronger-today we use two threads, one from a bobbin and one from the roll. Howe was forced to defend this design in 1854 against Isaac Singer, a European who had been selling sewing machines with these same methods. Howe won. Starting in 1862 until 1865, Howe was a private in the Civil War, Union side. After the war, he set up a company in Connecticut: the Howe Machine Company. He died in New York at the age of 48 in 1867.

Machine: http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=19170&rendTypeId=4

Howe:http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=19472&rendTypeId=4

Assignment 5: Heinrich Focke

Focke was born in 1890 in Bremen, Germany. He was the co-founder of the Focke-Wulf company. He began building gliders, but eventually in the 1930’s started working on helicopters. In 1936, he and Gerd Achgelis created the Focke-Achgelis Fa 61, which was considered to be the first working helicopter. It was essentially a biplane with blades on either side for lift. The craft was stable, and capable of hovering. It was a great start for helicopters. It could reach speeds of up to 76mphm and could fly for distances of 143 miles at a time in one hour and 20 minute flights. The altitude it could reach was 11,243 ft. Most importantly, the Fa 61 was sturdy and undamaged after this. Eventually Focke moved to Brazil, and five years later, to the US, where he helped in the helicopter industry. He died in 1979.

Fa 61: http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Rotary/Focke/HE5G3.htm

Focke: http://www.britannica.com/eb/art-59152/Heinrich-Focke

Assignment 5 - JP Knight

2008-04-26T10:11:00.001-04:00

JP Knight was a European Inventor who lived during the early 1900’s. He attended school Nottingham High School in London. Today, Knight is credited with inventing the first traffic light. The traffic light he created is not what we use today, but it has the same overall concept. His traffic light utilized a revolving gas powered lantern that used a red and green light. This original invention was first used near the British Houses of Parliament in London. Although the invention served its purpose, it was not reliable. At one time, the gas lantern exploded and injured people nearby.

The traffic light used today is a modified version of what JP Knight introduced. Today’s traffic lights are usually powered by electricity, so exploding gas lanterns are not an issue. The traffic light has evolved to use multiple lights to serve multiple purposes. Some traffic lights have been designed to incorporate 14 different signals.

Please visit the following link to view a picture of the traffic light designed by JP Knight:

http://www33.brinkster.com/iiiii/trfclt/hydra2.jpg

Percy Julian

2008-04-25T11:36:00.001-04:00

Percy Julian was born in 1899 in Montgomery, Alabama. He was one of six children and grew up during the time of the Jim Crow laws. African Americans were not generally encouraged to be educated beyond the 8^th grade in Alabama at this time in history, but Percy’s parents pushed all of their children to higher education. Percy went to several universities, graduating as valedictorian from DePauw University in 1920, getting his masters from Harvard in 1923, and receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1931. After obtaining his degrees, he returned to DePauw and made a name for himself there by synthesizing physostigmine from the Calabar bean in 1935. He then became the director of research for the Glidden Company which made paint and varnish.

While working at the Glidden Company, Percy made several inventions. He developed Aerofoam, a liquid that could extinguish gasoline and oil fires, from soy protein extracts. He developed this during World War 2. Percy is most known for his synthesis of cortisone from soy beans. This greatly reduced the cost of it and made it much easier to produce for the treatment of inflammatory condition, such as arthritis.

Percy Julian died in 1975 and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1990.

Image of Percy Julian
http://www.chemistry.msu.edu/Portraits/images/julianc.jpg

Andrew Meikle

2008-04-25T10:52:00.001-04:00

Andrew Meikle was born in Scotland in 1719. He was said to be descended from a line of ingenious inventors, his father having actually created a kind of winnowing machine that was not very successful. Andrew Meikle worked as a millwright at the Houston Mill, an estate owned by John Rennie. After seeing the success of Meikle’s threshing machine at the Houston Mill, Rennie got his machines installed at other mills in Scotland. Unfortunately, Meikle did not receive much compensation for his invention and was quite poor in his old age. Luckily, Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster, who had been president of the board of agriculture, appreciated Meikle’s invention and raised money to help support him. Andrew died at the age of 92 in 1811.

Meikle’s most remembered for his creation of the threshing machine in 1786, used for getting rid of the outer husks of grain. Before creating the threshing machine, he made windmill spring sails. These could retract the fans on windmills quickly through the use of levers in case a storm was coming through.

Image of Andrew Meikle

http://www.todayinsci.com/R/Rennie_John/RennieJohnThm.jpg

Image of Threshing Machine
http://www.historylink101.com/lessons/farm-city/horse_powered_threshing_machine.jpg

Group Project Final Grades Redux

2008-04-25T09:18:00.003-04:00

Alright, this caused me a relatively sleepless night, and a morning exercise routine distracted thinking about the answers I would provide to soothe everyone's ruffled feathers. I don't think I can make everyone happen, and honestly, I have never, ever had to justify my grading decisions before. This is a first, and the last time, I am going to justify my decision making process to an entire class, but I know there were enough ruffled feathers and one or two of the criticisms made had me thinking. If you still have complaints about my decision process, come see me on Tuesday afternoon, from 12-3 during office hours.

Also remember, this project is still only 25% of the grade, and the team grade can still be modified up or down based on the information provided by team leaders about your individual contributions and by your own final report on the project. Remember, for the vast majority of you, with the grades (and the extra credit) already out there, the final exam has a bigger impact on what your final grade might be then this project will.

DO NOT CONSIDER THE TEAM GRADE TO BE YOUR OVERALL GRADE FOR THE PROJECT!

As for how the team grades were assigned:

First off, the Rube Goldberg machine rules indicate that the machine must function and be able to be reset and function again within a set period of time. Second, there are limited attempts to make it work, in this case 3 attempts. Third, it doesn't matter how complex the machine was, or how many steps involved, it still must function and be reset in the time period allowed.

So with the above in mind:

Group #1: Hit the Easy Button. Grade A
Fairly complex number of steps. Worked the first time, and was reset and worked the second time immediately thereafter. Obviously met the demands of the assignment and was a functioning Rube Goldberg device.

Group # 2: Click Pen. Grade B+
The only issues with this design was that it did not seem overly complex, with fewer steps than other projects, but it did work after failing the first time. It was reset and worked again.

Group #3: Swingline Group. New Grade B-/C+
This group got a bonus to their project despite failing to have the project complete its intended actions or work without outside help. In fact it only worked with outside assistance and the device hung up continually at a single failure point. Their bonus grade comes from the extensive presentation and the fact that they tried to tie each section of their design to something they learned in the course.

Group #4: Launch a Doggy Toy. Grade B+
Highly complex and intricately designed, but did not work the first time as was intended. Managed to make it work the second time and was able to be set up to work a third time, but time failed. Complexity boosted grade; grade diminished because it did not reset and run second time in allotted time frame.

Group #5: Bottle Pourers. Grade C
While individually the most complex of the designs, it ultimately failed to work as was intended. Yes the individual sections of the design seemed to work, this project was perhaps overly ambitious with numerous potential (and actual) failure points. What brought it down to the lowest grade, perhaps over the other two failed projects, is that they had the longest preparation time of any group (more than 40 minutes before their 20 minute allotted time began) and yet they still failed to have the device do what it was going to do even once. The only way the project even completed its final goal at the end of the allotted time was from the physical interaction of two of the team members in the machine's processes.

Group #6: Nosepicker. Grade A-
While it was not the most complex of designs (I think I counted 6-7 individual steps) and it was somewhat simple in its purpose, it did work as advertised the first time, and then immediately was set up to run a second time. While the most complex part of the design was spelling out my name in Dominos, they had the foresight to have a fall back plan in case that did not worked. It saved them the second time when the fall back option triggered the device the second time. Technically the only thing separating them from the other B+ grades was that it worked the first time and was reset to operate in the second try and did so successfully.

Group #7: Pick a Pen. New Grade C+
Obviously a design that they worked hard on, but the individual parts did seem to work as they were partially activated when triggered by the students. However, as was pointed out by numerous observers (and was in my notes), the design never did work as it was supposed to, and ultimately failed. Ran out of time to reset one more time for a third attempt.

Group Project Final Grades

2008-04-24T18:39:00.003-04:00

Note: Due to some valid comments from other groups and project leaders, I am going to revisit some of these grades tomorrow. The top three teams don't need to worry, but I am going to look at all of the team grades and provide some explanations as to why the teams got the grades they deserved. I know you may not think you deserve the grades you got, but I made notes, and I have some reasons for the grades I gave.

Okay, keeping in mind that I have to still read the final reports submitted by each team member, these are the working grades for each team. Remember, except for the team with the lowest grade, the team captain's gets a half letter grade higher than the rest of the team. For the lowest grade team, their team captain gets a half letter grade lower. There are some ties, for differing reasons, but I think you can pretty much figure out why the teams got the grades they did.

For the winning team, dinner will be provided at 6 pm ish on Tuesday. Meet at my office, 625 Crawford.

If you have any questions, please contact me through email or come see me in my office on Tuesday afternoon, from noon to 3 pm.

Winning team:

Group #1: Hit the Easy Button. Grade A
Group # 2: Click Pen. Grade B+
Group #3: Swingline Group. Grade C+
Group #4: Launch a Doggy Toy. Grade B+
Group #5: Bottle Pourers. Grade C
Group #6: Nosepicker. Grade A-
Group #7: Pick a Pen. Grade B-

Group #1 was the overall winner. Fairly complex set up. Worked the first time, and reset immediately to work the second time. Good job!

Assignment 5: Adolph (Adi) Dassler

2008-04-24T18:29:00.000-04:00

There was a duplicate of my blog entry because during the writing period another person had posted it. It all occurred within 30 minutes of each other. As the rules state, I was the second person to post it, so I will rewrite the blog with another European inventor. Sorry for the delay.

The next time you are jogging down a scenic path, playing basketball on a paved court, or even just walking out to get your mail remember that foot ware had to begin some where… There are so many name brand shoes out there, but one is recognized by almost anywhere in the world. This recognizable emblem is the three stripes of Adidas.
These shoes have been worn by Olympic track stars, boxers, and even entire soccer teams as uniforms. Adidas was the beginning of what today would be known as trend-setter designed shoes.
Adolph Dassler was born on November 3rd, 1900 in Herzogenaurach, Germany. He was the son of a factory shoe-maker and brother to other foot apparel designers. His brothers would go on to find the business of Puma, as well as other item lines. Adi’s son, Horst who would later help run his father’s business would be the founder of yet another line, Arena, for swimming gear. Well, Adolph’s journey began in his mother’s kitchen soon after World War 1. He was just 20 years old when he assembled the first model of Adidas which was made out of a leathery canvas. Adolph, Adi as he was called, had a mission with his shoes, to “provide every athlete with the best footwear for his respective discipline”. Adi would keep to his goal over the course of his successful career in the shoe industry.
By 1928, Adi’s shoes made their first appearance in the Olympic Games, which was held in Amsterdam. Over time though, his shoes became more and more catered to the athlete’s needs; this was apparent with the development of spike inserts. These spike inserts were used to help with gripping the surface of grassy or other slick ground material. These spiked shoes can be remembered for one really important event: the World Cup finals in soccer when German defeated Hungary with the help of these infamous shoes.
Adidas surprisingly didn’t get its name until 1948 when Adi deemed it a combination of both his first and his last names. A year after, the Adidas shoe would dawn it’s new logo: the Three Stripes. By this time, Adi had already made 30 different types of shoes for more than ten different sports. Within 20 years, unbeknownst to Adi, Adidas would become one of the world’s leading providers of shoes.
In the mid 1960s the Adidas campaign added to its solo shoe line…Apparel. This shoe company was now manufacturing both competition and training gear for all sports. The company was shocked though when Adi passed away in 1978, reaching the age of 78. This successful company would shift to new owners, his widow, Kathe and his youngest son, Horst. Horst would do only great things for this company in the years to come and soon it was a global leader in most areas of sports products and marketing. He would also spread Adidas to other countries such as France. Like his father, Horst died unexpectedly at the age of 51.
Soon after the Adidas Company hit a bit of a downward spiral as it tried to find targeting ages to sell their product too. By going back to it’s original model, the popularity began to sore and in 2006, the newly adapted company bought out Reebok and is now compared to other top names in the shoe business.
So next time you are out and about and see the Three Stripes, know that it has had the history and development behind it. Sometimes shoes made in the weirdest of places make the biggest impacts on society… hey, “if they shoe fits, wear it!”

Resources:
http://www.press.adidas.com/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-28/41_read-1203/
http://german.about.com/library/blerf_dassler.htm

Images:
Adolph Dassler:
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/images/OB-AD058_Dassle_20060915184042.jpg
http://www.sad-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/1184934861_0.jpg
Original Logo:
http://www.gemagema.tv/blogs/saverscreen/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/adi6.jpg

Video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e3AUrst64Y

Assignment 4 (Lewis Howard Latimer)

2008-04-23T13:32:00.002-04:00

Lewis Latimer was a African American inventor and draftsman who was born on September 4th 1848 in Chelsea Massachusetts. He was the youngest of four children from run away slaves. Latimer grew upa simple lifestyle and at the age of 15 he joined the United States Navy and remained there for approximately one year at which time he was granted and honorable discharge. After that time he joined a Patent Law firm this was where he gained his skills as a draftsman. Latimer was so skilled he was promoted to senior Drafts man at the firm in 1878. During his time working at the firm he worked on his own patents and in 1876 he co patented an improve toilet system for the trains. Also to notable mention in 1876 he was hired by Alexander Graham Bell to draft the necessary plans for the patenting of Bell's telephone. In 1879 he moved to Connecticut where he took the job as a manger and draftsman with the US Electric and lighting Company. In 1881 he designed and patented his most notable invention and improved Carbon filament for the light bulb. In 1884 he was hired by the Edison light Company in New York but he never worked directly for Thomas Edison in one of his Labs. Lewis Latimer died on December 11th 1928 succeeded by his wife and two children.

Final Exam

2008-04-22T18:23:00.002-04:00

Assignment 1

2008-04-21T17:02:00.002-04:00

Simon Stevin (1548-49 – 1620) was born in Belgium and accomplished many things throughout his life. He translated many mathematical terms into Dutch, allowing others to understand the theories without knowledge of Latin. He also invented the land yacht, which was many sails attached to a boat type mechanism that sailed between different islands such as Scheveningen and Petten. He also had a theory that Dutch would become the new scientific language, replacing Latin because it was easier to put terms into one syllable words than any other European language. He therefore did all of his scientific work in Dutch, so as to allow others to have to translate it into Latin or any other language. His work encompassed many different areas, such as music theory, book keeping, geometry, and physics in his work.

Picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Stevin

Assignment 2

2008-04-21T16:28:00.002-04:00

Louis-Sebastien Lenurmand was a French physicist and inventor. (May 25, 1757 – December 1937) He grew up as the son of a clock-maker and attended school studying chemistry and physics. During his school days he studied the properties of saltpeter and gun powder. After school, he returned back home to study the art of parachuting. He invented the parachute, and parachuted successfully from a tree and later a tall building. The parachute was 14 feet across with a wooden frame. Before trying the parachute himself, he would test the parachutes with different animals attached. After his parachutes were somewhat perfected, he became a monk to study "pure technology." Shortly thereafter, the French Revolution began, and he had to marry and move to a different town. He then became a technology professor at a new college. He began publishing books at this time on different subjects: bookbinding, a technology dictionary, and food stuff. After this brief stint of marriage, he decided to once again join the monastery, divorcing his wife and moving back to his hometown where he eventually passed away in 1937.

Picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9bastien_Lenormand

Assignment 4

2008-04-21T16:04:00.002-04:00

Henry Nicholas Bolander was an American botanist. He was the state botanist for California in 1864. He attended a Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio but never became a minister. His neighbor introduced him to botany while he was teaching English and German at a school. He then became ill and upon the advice of his doctor, moved to a different climate in California. At this time he became the state Botanist until the job was discontinued. He published two books, A Catalogue of Plants Growing in the Vicinity of San Francisco in 1870 along with chapters on the different grass in California in Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. He traveled to many different countries to study the plants there including Guatemala, Chile and Peru. After his travels, he began teaching English and botany at a school in Oregon until he passed away in 1897.

Picture:
http://www.huh.harvard.edu/libraries/archives/BOLANDER.html

Assignment 5

2008-04-21T15:52:00.002-04:00

Assignment 5
Ferdinand von Zeppelin founded the Zeppelin Airship company in Germany during the early 1900's. His interest in flying began as he attended many balloon shows throughout his life around the world. In 1899, he invented his own airship that would fly, and flew three times over the Bodensee sucessfully. He began his own foundation to raise the money to create such air crafts through lotteries and private donations. His ariships were primarlily used in military type operations including World War 1 until 1909, when civillians began using them as well. The airships provided transportation to many Germans throughout the time of the zeppelin's use. Ferdinand von Zeppelin died in 1917, 2 years before the end of WW1, when his ships were no longer needed for the German military forces. Many later air ships were named after him, along with the rock band Led Zeppelin.

Project Guidelines Posted

2008-04-16T18:27:00.001-04:00

History of Science 2, Spring 2008
Class Project Assignment

The class project is a team project and the final project is due on the date listed in the syllabus and below. There will be occasional progress reports due to ensure that sufficient and regular meetings and work is being undertaken before the end of the semester. The revised list of dates for these interim reports is presented below.

All teams will consist of five members (in a few situations six), randomly chosen in class. Members of the various teams are allowed to rearrange their composition of members, only if all involved agree to the switch. If there is any dispute about switching teams, no changes made be undertaken. Final team rosters are required to be posted on the blog site by 9 am, Wednesday, February 5, 2008. No changes may be made after this date without the instructor’s permission.

All team members will present individual progress reports and provide the instructor any criticism of other team members’ contributions or lack there of. Each progress report will also consist of a discussion about some aspect of the project undertaken by the teams. Teams should meet on a regular basis to discuss the progress of their design and any research that has gone into the design and building processes. Each team will also select a captain/leader who will ultimately be responsible for the success or failure of their team. Choose your captain/leader wisely.

The Assignment:
Each team will construct a Rube Goldberg device. Goldberg was a cartoonist who created complex machines to do the simplest of tasks. A trained engineer, his devices were often spoofs of other machines that were marketed to people to make their lives faster and easier, but actually did neither. The formal definition of a Rube Goldberg machine is:

A Rube Goldberg machine is an extremely complicated apparatus that performs a very simple, easy task in an indirect and convoluted way. The most horrible examples of his machines have an anticipation factor, as the machine makes slow but steady progress toward its goal.

Each team member will also have to contribute at most $20 dollars towards the construction of the final project. No budget for the project may exceed $100.00 in materials. At an engineering university, I expect you to not only equal previous devices built by other engineering schools, but also show ingenuity and creativity in your own designs and final projects. Please do not repeat any existing design! However, on the website below, there is a national contest and this year’s is to assemble a hamburger with a machine that involves no fewer than 20 steps and can be no bigger than 6’ by 6’! If anyone wants to do the national contest, feel free to do so as all the guidelines and rules are on the rube-goldberg.com website.

Important Dates:
Team Rosters due: 9 am, Wednesday, February 5, 2008
Report #1 (What design have you chosen & why? List of research sites examined) Due: February 20th
Report #2 (Construction budget & initial discussion of construction, materials, problems) Due: March 12th
Report #3 (Final design sketches, methodology & team progress) Due: April 2nd
Report #4 (Results of preliminary testing of your device & lessons learned) Due: April 16th
Final Project Report Due with Demonstrations: Week of April 24th

The average lengths of each of these reports (#2-final report) should be at least 2-3 pages typed, double-spaced. Report #1 can be posted to the blog.

Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt

2008-04-11T17:12:00.002-04:00

Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt developed the first Practical RADAR system. He is a Scottish born scientist born in Angus Scotland April 13th 1982. He is a descendant to James Watt the inventor of the first steam engine. Although the Radar System was initially developed before his system, he perfected it and made it functional and revolutionized the face of warfare. he improved invention was attributed to the allied forces against Germany. Bur before these accomplishments he graduated with a BS in engineering from University of St Andrews in Dundee Scotland. Upon hos graduation ffrom university he was awarded as assistantship by a professor Peddie and it was there he began his in depth work into radio or wireless telegraphy. He eventually joined the meteorological office where he used he knowledge to track thunderstorms. He contuinued his work whic eventually lead him to the development of the RADAR system based from existing technology of the time.

Assignment #5 George de Mestral

2008-04-11T16:34:00.005-04:00

George de Mestral was a Swiss electrical engineer and inventor born June 19, 1907 in Colombier Switzerland. When he was twelve years old, he designed and patented a toy airplane. After graduating from a Swiss polytechnic university, he got a job in a machine shop of an engineering company. In his free time, he enjoyed outdoor activities like hiking in the nearby mountains. Oftentimes, George would return home with many burrs stuck to his own clothes and the fur of his dog. He looked at the burrs through a microscope and found that there were tiny little hooks that enabled them to cling to animals for relocation.
George de Mestral was able to manufacture artificial strips of burrs and intended to use them as a sort of fastener, much like a zipper. Although there was some early public resistance to the idea of Velcro, the product sold enough for George to start his own company earning him millions of dollars. In 1951, he successfully patented the material and would sell about 55,000 kilometers annually. Eventually, Velcro would become a household term and product, although it is a trademarked name. Today, velcro can be found on things like shoes, clothes, football and other sports equipment, pocket flaps, and book bags among countless other things.

http://www.velcro.com/about/history.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_de_mestral

Assignment 5 - Georges Claude

2008-04-11T15:54:00.002-04:00

Georges Claude was born in Paris, France in 1870. He is credited as being an inventor, engineer, and chemist. In 1902 he created the first neon lamp by applying an electrical discharge to a sealed tube filled with neon gas. In 1902 he also co-founded the French company Air Liquide, which produced oxygen by liquefying air.

The world saw the first public display of neon light in Paris in December of 1910 at the Paris Motor Show. However, no one was interested in using his lights to light their homes. In response he developed a way to bend the tubes and form different shapes. In 1915 he received a U.S. patent for the neon tubes used for lighting. In 1923 he introduced neon signs to the U.S. The first signs belonged to a car dealership in Los Angeles. People were so fascinated by the 'liquid fire' signs that they would stop and stare at them. The signs read "Packard". It did not take long for the signs to catch on for outdoor advertising. The signs eventually made it to Las Vegas where they took over the city. The signs were originally red, being the natural color of neon. Today the signs are available in over 150 different colors. Georges Claude died in 1960.

http://inventors.about.com/od/qstartinventions/a/neon.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Claude

Assignment 5- Hedy Lamarr

2008-04-11T15:22:00.003-04:00

Hedwig Eva Maria Keisler, better known as the film star Hedy Lamarr, was born in Vienna, Austria on November 9, 1913 (died January 18, 2000). After attending an acting school owned by a man named Max Reinhardt (famous director of the era--http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0718121/) , Lamarr landed a role in Extase (or Ecstasy), which was controversial, mainly because of its graphic sexual nature. Appearing in this film did not stop Lamarr from becoming a leading lady of the silver screen in Europe, and in 1937, she would emigrate to the United States and work for MGM in Hollywood, where her stage name, "Hedy Lamarr" would be given to her by Louis B. Mayer himself.

Throughout her life, Hedy Lamarr could be known for three things: her acting, her number of marriages (six), and her inventions. Most notable, was Lamarr's first marraige to a military industrialist named Fritz Mandal. Fritz Mandal's company manufactured artillery, such as shells and granades, but conducted research on control systems, mainly for aircraft. Though the marraige did not last, the knowledge Lamarr gained would make an impression on the world forever. In 1940, Hedy Lamarr met George Antheil, a musician who would be her co-inventor. Together, Lamarr and Antheil came up with the idea of "frequency hopping" and the synchronization between the transmitter and reciever. The general idea of frequency hopping is that commands are sent out over changing frequencies, to which the receiver is tuned to switch to at the same time they are transmitted, to get the whole message. Lamarr and Antheil wanted to use this as a torpedo guidance system. Their basic design was that of a player piano, where the tapes have slots in them that the piano 'reads' to play the music. The US Navy rejected the idea, even though, in 1942, Lamarr and Antheil were granted a patent. The ironic part is, in 1957, the project was taken up again by Sylvania and became wildly successful in torpedo guidance after the papers with slots were upgraded to electronics. (http://www.inventions.org/culture/female/lamarr.html)This method is still used today, and is known as 'spread spectrum' technology. The scattering of the commands or communications makes them less susceptible to jamming or interception. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spread_spectrum)

The Leading Lady:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hedy_Lamarr_in_Dishonored_Lady_7.jpg

Her Co-Inventor:
www.antheil.org/photos_hires/Antheil1927.jpg

Player Piano:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_piano

Sir James Dewar

2008-04-11T15:05:00.002-04:00

James Dewar was born in 1842 in Kincaide, Scotland. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh and later became a professor of experimental natural philosophy at the University of Cambridge in England. In 1877 he became a professor of chemistry at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. He did quite a bit of work dealing with chemical structures and was the first person to produce liquid hydrogen (1898) and to solidify it (1899). In 1891 he made a machine that could make liquid oxygen in large amounts. Working with Sir Frederick Abel in 1889, he helped to invent cordite, a smokeless gunpowder. He was knighted for his many discoveries and his work in chemistry in 1904.

Perhaps what James Dewar was most known for was his creation of Dewar Flask in 1892. More commonly known as a thermos, a dewar flask consists of two flasks, on inside the other, with a vacuum in the space between them. This greatly cuts down on any transfer of heat to whatever is inside the thermos. He created it to help with all his work with various kinds of gas. It became manufactured for commercial and home use in 1904.

Link to a picture of James Dewar
http://www.absolutezerocampaign.org/get_involved/short_bios/images/dewar.jpg

Link to a picture of a Dewar Flask
http://www.finemech.com/kgw_isotherm/spherical_flasks.gif

Dennis Gabor

2008-04-11T12:13:00.002-04:00

Dennis Gabor was a European inventor who lived in Europe during the time period of 1900 – 1950. He was born in Budapest, Hungary. His father was a mining director. His passion for physics began at an early age. He was eager to go to college. Once he got to collage, the microscope and color photography amazed him. Dennis and his brother set up a small laboratory in their home where they could repeat the experiments that they were interested in. Some of these experiments included X-Rays and radioactivity. He received his degree in electrical engineering even though his true work was mostly done in applied physics. He worked on his doctorate work involving high speed cathode ray oscillographs. In 1927 He went to work for the Siemens Company.

In 1933 when Hitler came into office Dr. Gabor left Germany to go to England. In England, he worked at British Thomson-Houston Co. In his studies of wave front reconstruction, Gabor accidently invented the hologram. The original goal was to improve the electron microscope to see single atoms. After some collaboration with the AEI Research Laboratory, the idea was slowly becoming a success. Optical holography became a huge success after the invention of the laser. In January of 1949 Dennis Gabor went to work at the imperial Collage of Science and Technology in London where he worked as a professor of Applied Electron physics. There he worked on many theories including plasma theory, magnetron theory, and fusion. He also contributed to inventions such as the holographic microscope, a new electron-velocity spectroscope, and a flat thin color television tube.

After Gabor retired in 1967 he moved to Connecticut to work at CBS Laboratories. Dennis Gabor was a fellow member of the Royal Society. In 1971 he received the Nobel Prize in physics. He died in 1979.

Please visit these sites for pictures of Dennis Gabor and his invention:

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562367/Dennis_Gabor.html

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1971/gabor-autobio.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography
\

Assignment 5-Erik Rotheim

2008-04-11T11:17:00.002-04:00

Without Erik Rotheim our lives might have been incomplete without hairspray, domestic cleaners or spray paint. Our atmosphere, however, may have also been a little cleaner. Erik Rotheim (1898-1938), a Norwegian engineer, is famous for his invention of the aerosol can. On February 9, 1926 he produced the first spray can to hold and dispense liquids. It was refillable and had a valve and propellant system. He would patent this invention in 1927, and sold the rights to America. He would also later revise his original design to include hydrocarbons as the propellant gas with a spray nozzle. The Norwegian post office would issue a stamp celebrating the invention of the spray can in 1998.
However, the invention would not be fully used until World War II. During the war it was used by the Americans to hold an insecticide, mainly against bugs carrying malaria. After this, its' potential was realized and was utilized more frequently, especially to dispense insecticides for killing disease-carrying insects. Lyle Goodhue and William Sullivan often get the credit for the invention when they worked for the Department of Agriculture, as they invented a small version in 1943 which was pressurized with a flurocarbon.

Original illustration included with his patent:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/aerosol-can.htm

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1899181,00.html
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/Cambridge/entries/050/Erik-Rotheim.html
http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/aerosol.htm

Assignment 5: Jacques-Yves Cousteau

2008-04-10T23:58:00.000-04:00

Every invention has the purpose of simplifying some commonality in this world. For all underwater adventurers, the aqualung contributed to their underwater exploration. Before this period of time, people were expected to hold there breath for as long as they could, hoping not to pass out before they reached the waters surface. The aqualung was device that helped humans breathe air without being exposed to the direct atmosphere. It was technology that transformed the exploration of the deep blue.
The inventor of this amazing aquatic device was a French man by the name of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. He was born on June 11th 1910 in Saint-Andre-de-Cubzac, France, to a Daniel and Elizabeth Cousteau. As a young boy it soon became apparent that Jacques had a fascination with water, as well as, everything involved with machines. In his early teens he built both a model crane and a battery-powered vehicle. Surprisingly enough, the young Jacques wasn’t content with studying just machines and water, so he decided to purchase a camera and shoot home films. By his high school years, it was clear that Jacques was becoming bored with school as he caused trouble. His parents sent them to a stricter private school where he learned to excel. After completing his high school education, he attended Ecole Navale, a Naval Academy.
At the age of 23, Jacques acquired the title of a gunnery officer in the French Navy. It was at this point that he truly began his exploration in the area of the deep blue. He began to work on various ideas which would eventually transform into the aqualung.
By 1937, Jacques had married a woman by the name of Simone Melchior and together they had two sons. Jean-Michel was the eldest born in 1938, followed by Phillipe born in 1940. Jacques would have two more children after Simone passes 1991 from cancer with a woman by the name of Francine Triplet.
Just a few years after Simone and Jacques married he left to fight in World War II, where he was a spy among other things. During his reign he met a French engineer by the name of Emile Gagnan, who helped Jacques perfect his designs for the aqualung. In the 1940s the aquatic device was actually built and used in the field to remove enemy mines. This Aqualung was a device consisting of a pressurized driving cylinder and a regulator. It’s purpose was to supply the diver with an air supply to breathe during deep aquatic explorations.
Over the next few years, Jacques advanced up though the ranks of the French Navy. He also became the president of the French Oceanographic Campaigns.
Returning back to his childhood fantasies Jacques traveled on a ship called the Calypso and began to produce a large number of books and films as well as a TV show.Some of the films he made were: The Silent World and The World Without Sun. Because of the many tasks he took on in his life, Jacques eventually retired from the Navy and continued his aquatic pursuit. He would eventually become a member of many non-profit groups to help the ocean life and receive a Medal of Freedom.
Jacques accomplished so much in his life: he was an officer, a scientist, an inventor and an activist. In 1997, at the age of 87 he passed from a heart attack due to complications during his recovery of a respiratory illness.

Related Websites:
http://www.nndb.com/people/250/000085992/
http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Cousteau.html
http://www.terrace.qld.edu.au/academic/lote/french/yr5cous.htm
Photos of Jacque-Yves Cousteau:
http://www.wylandfoundation.org/icon/images/icons/JaquesYvesCousteau.jpg
http://www.medaloffreedom.com/JacquesCousteau_RonaldReagan.jpg

Photos of Aqualung:
http://www.gomanzanillo.com/features/scuba-50%20years/jacques&simone.jpg

Assignment 5: Jacques-Yves Cousteau

2008-04-10T23:09:00.002-04:00

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a lover and pioneer of the sea, was born in St Andre-de-Dubze in France on June 11th, 1910. His most recognized work was the co-invention of the aqualung in 1943 with Emile Gagnan but is also recognized as a great explorer. From a young age he showed his creative talents as he built machines such as a model crane and a battery powered car. In 1930 he attended Ecole Navale in Brest where he first found his love for the sea and began his work on the aqualung. While serving the navy during the war he continued his work and finally completed the device that would allow a diver to stay underwater for a couple of hours. His device was later used to remove mines after the end of the war. The Aqualung was the precedent for modern underwater breathing apparatus. He was named Captaine de Corvette of the French navy, and led the oceanographic campaign. He ran a research vessel known as Calypso, and was able to fund his research by making films about the unknowns of the seas. One of his more popular films "The Silent World" was shown at the Cannes film festival in 1956. In 1974, Cousteau founded a non-profit organization called the Cousteau Society dedicated to the conservation of marine life. Jacque Cousteau died in June 1997, a legend of the seas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cousteau
http://www.gomanzanillo.com/features/scuba-50%20years/index.htm

Ludwig Prandtl - Assignment # 5

2008-04-10T22:27:00.000-04:00

A little known physicist, by the name of Ludwig Prandtl, is considered the father of modern aerodynamics. He was born Feb. 2, 1875 to Alexander Prandtl, a professor of surveying and engineering at the agricultural college at Weihenstphanand. He spent most of his time with his engineer father because of his mother’s lengthy illness. He grew up as an only child because two earlier children died at birth. He graduated from Technische Hochschule Munich in 1900 after only spending 6 years to obtain his Bachelors, Masters, and PhD in Solid Mechanics.

At the age of 29, he was a professor at his alma mater and presented at the Third International Mathematics Congress. His ten minute presentation introduced the concept of boundary layer flow over a surface. This presentation, which revolutionized the understanding and analysis of fluid dynamics, was published in only 8 pages. The work he did helped the Germans develop more sophisticated airplanes in WWI. He theorized that an effect of friction was to cause fluid immediately adjacent to the surface to stick to the surface, assuming a no-slip condition on the surface and thusly only experienced in the boundary layer, a thin region near the surface. This boundary layer has very large velocity gradients thusly the skin-friction drag force is the majority of the drag on the body. Prandtl was never awarded a Nobel Prize for his work in fluid dynamics because rumor had it that the Committee was reluctant to award the prize for work in classical physics.

The Lanchester-Prandtl wing theory, mathematical tool for analyzing lift from “real world” wings, was published in 1918-1919. The first theories about supersonic shock waves and flow came from Prandtl and Theodore Meyer, one of his students, in 1908. He didn’t continue working on the theory till the 1920s. Adolf Buseman worked with Prandtl to developed a method for designing a supersonic nozzle in 1929. Prandtl worked with Riech’s Air Ministry, particularly Hermann Goring earlier to and during World War II. He also worked in such areas meteorology, plasticity, and structural mechanics. He died in 1953 on August 15th.

A PDF about Ludwig Prandtl’s Boundary Layer, biography of his life, and pictures of the man can be found at: http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/~krasny/math654_prandtl.pdf

Additional information about his life’s contributions can be found here: http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1539.htm

Assingment 5- Peter Reijnders

2008-04-10T08:47:00.004-04:00

Peter Reijnders, born Petrus Lambertus Wilhelmus (Peter) Reijnders on July 24th, 1900, was a Dutch inventor, photographer, and film director.
He was born in 's-Hertogenbosch and found his love for photography and film early on. By the end of his life he directed over 58 films; winning awards and world recognition for many of them and his photography became just as well known. It was this passion that brought him to work with a now famous Dutch company...Philips (Yes, who invented the CD and makes awesome electronics. With Philips, he helped to invent many of the little gadgets that made Philips famous after their very popular radio sold over 100million units. Gadgets like the new electric razors with heads that moved to fit to your face better; Philips made transistors, helped to reinvent the lightbulb, and would go on to invent the first compact audio device; the tape.
But Reijnders is even more famous for what he decided to work on once he left Philips- the first modern themepark. Philips had created the Eindhovense Stadswandelpark to celebrate their 60th anniversary- where a public park and its nearby forest was turned into a (Grimm) fairy tale; castles, shops, story tellers, haunted woods... When Philips dismantled the entire set up at the end of the season, Reijnders quit Philips and decided he wanted to built a permanent park there- where the lavish gardens and heavy wood would be the perfect set up for what would be called the "Efteling".
In this park, before it opened in 1952, parts was build, demolished, and rebuilt because they were built too well. The houses of elves were straight (They should be crooked!!) pathways were even and it simply wouldn't do for the aurora Reijnders and others wanted to deliver. After an investment of nearly 1 million gilders and then a last minute crunch to redo another area of the park; it opened and was widely successful- having won hundreds of awards and even the award for best theme park in the world on several occasions. Walt Disney himself based much of his original Disney Land park off of the Efteling; shouting delightfully that this was how a theme park was supposed to be- where everyone was happy, the food was good, the rides were fun, it gave an air of mystery, and employees played their part in the park.

http://www.usa.philips.com/about/company/local/history/index.page

http://www.friso.addr.com/index.htm?http&&&www.friso.addr.com/informatie.htm?http&&&www.friso.addr.com/geschiedenis/decennium1952.htm

http://www.usa.philips.com/about/company/local/history/index.page

http://www.cultuurwijzer.nl/www.cultuurwijs.nl/cultuurwijs.nl/cultuurwijs.nl/i000800.html

Percy Shaw

2008-04-10T08:27:00.002-04:00

Percy Shaw was one of many born in 1890 in the Lee Mount area of Halifax. Coming from a rather large family of 14 children, Shaw spent much of his time working with his brothers to support the family selling their garden vegetables in Boothtown. Eventually the family's financial situation progressed to him having to leave school at the age of 13 to work. For the next few years Shaw held several random jobs which gave him the experience to open a blacksmith's forge with this father Jimmy. His new shop allowed him the flexibility needed to begin a career as an inventor. Shaw began his understanding of inventions by putting rubber backing on carpets and rugs. He is even acknowledged for a horribly failed attempt to create a petrol pump. It wasn't until the 1930s when Shaw's career started to grow.

When driving down the road one day in 1933, Shaw suffered a car crash near Bradford, England. Frustrated that his accident was caused by the inability to view the sharp drop on the side of the road due to the fact that the tram tracks that are typically used for direction were not visible, Shaw became determined to create a new invention to warn drivers of the dangers on the road. While sitting on the side on the road in though, Shaw saw the reflection of his car's headlights in the eyes of a cat, which sparked his new ideas.

Unfortunately the story of the cat eyes cannot be assured to be true, since many stories were passed around to tell about Shaw's inspiration. Nevertheless, the inspiration came to create a reflective road marker to warn travelers of the road. This invention took several years to create due to the fact that there wasn't many materials available that would be bright enough to be seen during the night, severe weather, and even the bright lights of other vehicles. In 1934 Shaw patented a design of four glass beads which faced in opposition directions in a rubber cast. This rubber was molded onto a cast iron base which was then buried into the road with asphalt. His patent even included a maintenance free, or lazy free, way to clean itself by collecting water to clean the beads once the dome was pushed into the group when cars would drive over it. With the hit of his patent, Shat started the Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd company one year later in Boothtown. He received many skeptical comments about the device, and so he installed 50 "Catseyes" on a road known famous for its accidents. Miraculously, the frequency of accidents quickly fell which created fame for his invention.

Later in 1937 the Department for Transport hired Percy Shaw to mass produce the Catseyes for the roads in England. It wasn't until WWII, however, that his inventions were actually used during the blackouts. This caused a peak in production and caused the company to expand to a 130 staff, 20 acre facility. His Catseye Reflector quickly spread across the world which created a life of luxury for him and his family. However, Shaw never married and spent the remainder of his life taking care of his siblings. He eventually died on September 1st 1976 in Boothtown where he lived since he was 2 years old.

Mr. Percy Shaw: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/11/30/ftcatseye130.xml

The location of his "inspiration": http://www.designmuseum.org/media/item/5246/-1/150_2.jpg

The actual catseye: http://www.designmuseum.org/media/item/5249/-1/150_5.jpg

Picture of the catseye at night: http://www.designmuseum.org/media/item/5251/-1/150_7.jpg

His 20 acre facility is Boothtown: http://www.designmuseum.org/media/item/5252/-1/150_8.jpg

Assignment 5: Konrad Zuse

2008-04-10T00:53:00.001-04:00

Konrad Zuse was born in Berlin on June 22,1910. He worked as a construction engineer for the Henschel Aircraft Company in Berlin, Germany at the beginning of WWII. Konrad Zuse earned the title of "inventor of the modern computer" for his series of automatic calculators. He invented these calculators to aid him with his lengthy engineering calculations. Zuse did not accept this title. He held the notion that many of the inventions of his contemporaries and successors were equally if not more important than his own. One of the most difficult aspects of performing a large calculation with either a mere slide rule or a mechanical adding machine is keeping track of all of the results of the intermediate calculations and using them at the right time or the in the right order. Zuse set out to remedy that difficulty.

He realized that an automatic-calculator would require a control, memory, and a calculator for the arithmetic. In 1936, Zuse made a mechanical calculator called the Z1. The Z1 was the first binary computer. Zuse used it to explore several revolutionary technologies in calculator development. These included floating-point arithmetic, high-capacity memory and modules or relays operating on the yes/no principle. Zuse's ideas succeeded more with each Z prototype. By 1939 Zuse had completed the Z2, the first fully functioning electro-mechanical computer. Konrad Zuse completed the Z3 in 1941. He did this with recycled materials donated by fellow university staff and students. The Z3 was the world's first electronic, fully programmable digital computer based on a binary floating-point number and switching system. Zuse used old movie film to store programs and data rather than using paper tape or punched cards. At this point in time paper was in short supply in Germany due to the war. The block structure of the Z3 is very much like that of a modern computer. The Z3 consisted of separate units, such as a punch tape reader, control unit, floating-point arithmetic unit, and input/output devices. Konrad Zuse wrote the first algorithmic programming language called 'Plankalkül' in 1946. He used his language to program his computers. Zuse wrote the world's first chess-playing program using Plankalkül. Zuse was unsuccessful at convincing the Nazi government to support his work for a computer based on electronic valves. The Germans thought they were close to winning the War and, as a result, felt no need to support further research. The models of the Z1 through Z3 were destroyed during the war along with Zuse Apparatebau, the first computer company that Zuse formed in 1940. They were later rebuilt in 1960 and 1984. Konrad Zuse died on December 18, 1995.

Image of Konrad Zuse: http://free.pages.at/webarchiv/zuse/bilder/konradZuse.jpg

Image of his Z1: http://www.kerryr.net/images/pioneers/gallery/z1_lg.jpg

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konrad_Zuse

http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa050298.htm

Assignment 5: Fritz Haber

2008-04-09T21:38:00.004-04:00

Fritz Haber (1868 - 1934) was a German chemist who received a noble prize for chemistry in the development of fixation of nitrogen from the air; synthetic ammonia; publishing a book on thermodynamics of technical gas reactions. He is recognized as the father of chemical warfare where he was appointed a consultant to the German War Office in developing gases and organizing attacks with gases such a chlorine in World War I. He studied in the University of Heidelberg, Berlin, and Charlottenburg. During 1904 he researched on electrolysis of solid salts. In addition he studied loss of energy by steam engines, turbines, and motors driven by fuel. Haber also produced a firedamp whistle for the protection of miners, quartz thread manometer for low gas pressures, and observed that "adsorption powers can be due to unsaturated valence forces of a solid body, which Langmuir fournded his theory of adsorption." Haber had knowledge in not just science but politics, history, and economics. Haber died of an illness in Basle in 1934.

For picture and article:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1918/haber-bio.html

Assignment 5 - Dr. Hans J. von Ohain

2008-04-08T21:04:00.002-04:00

Dr. Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain was born in 1911 in Dessau, Germany. He received a doctorate in physics and aerodynamics at Goettingen in 1935. He was employed by the German Heinkel-Hirth Company, where in 1936 he received a company patent for his development of the first aircraft turbine engine. He was a firm believer that sophisticated testing and development were essential before practical application was possible. In 1937, his work resulted in the first successful sustained operation of an aircraft turbine engine. It was fueled by gaseous hydrogen. He soon produced an engine that ran on liquid hydrocarbon fuels. On August 27, 1939, the Heinkel HE-178 became the first aircraft to fly with a turbine engine. This engine ran on liquid hydrocarbon fuel. While at Heinkel-Hirth Company, Dr. Ohain was credited with more than 50 company patents. His continued development of the gas-turbine engine during World War II resulted in the abandonment of the centrifugal flow concept. Instead, the axial flow compressor type engine was adapted. Dr. Ohain and Sir Frank Whittle are now both regarded as the co-inventors of the jet engine.

In 1947, Dr. Ohain came to the United States, and became a research scientist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. During his 32 years working for the US government, he published more than 30 technical papers, and registered 19 US patents. While working for the government, he developed new ideas in the fields of propulsion and power generation, electrofluid dynamics, advanced diffusers and ejectors, dynamic energy transfer, and V/STOL aircraft. He received many awards for his work, including the coveted Goddard Award of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He retired in 1979 and moved to Melbourne, Florida with his wife, where he died in 1998. He is survived by his four children.

Sources:
http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/encounter/vonbio.htm

http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/ohain.htm

Photo of Ohain:
http://www.pr.afrl.af.mil/focus/ohain.jpg

Jet engine:
http://www.energie-consult.com/img/jet-1.jpg

Assignment 5- Wernher Von Braun

2008-04-08T19:50:00.002-04:00

It's not like it's rocket science! But for Wernher Von Braun this statement would have been true. He lived in Germany from 1912-1977 and was one of the most important rocket developers around in the 1930s-1970s. In 1932 he went to work for the German army to develop ballistic missiles. In July of 1934 while still engaged in his work he earned a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Berlin and continued to help develop rockets for the German army through the 1930s. He worked in a secret laboratory on the V-2 Rocket which came right before similar ones used in the space exploration programs in the United States and the Soviet Union. By the beginning of 1945 it became apparent to Wernher that the Germans would not win the war against the Allies so he orchestrated the surrender of himself and 500 other top rocket scientists to the Americans. For fifteen years after the end of WW2 he would work with the United States Army to develop ballistic missiles. He then worked in Alabama with the Army Redstone Arsenal team on the Explorer project because the US realized that he was the leading rocket scientist in the world. This is all after Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union, consequently just 50 years ago this past October in 2007. Explorer was the first United States earth satellite sent out into space. In 1962, he was on of the people that started working on the Saturn 5 rocket which eventually took people to the moon. Interestingly enough, Wernher was a technical advisor on three space-related television films that Walt Disney produced in the 1950s. By working together these two men were able to portray the possibilities of this new technology. He worked on the Collier's series, the television show Man in Space and also helped design Tomorrowland in Disneyland in California which had posed quite a problem for original designers. He died in Alexandria, Virginia in 1977.
This really was rocket science!

For images:
http://www.moonhoax.com/images/von%20braun%20nasa.jpg
http://eobglossary.gsfc.nasa.gov/Library/Giants/vonBraun/Images/rocket_firsts.jpg
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u166/bocktherobber/wernher%20von%20braun/von_braun_15.jpg

Assignment # 5

2008-04-08T16:24:00.002-04:00

Lazlo and Georg Biro

In 1935 Hungarian brothers Lazlo and Georg Biro invented the first non leaking ballpoint pen. Lazlo was a chemist and Biro was a newspaper editor.Lazlo Biro applied for patents in 1938 and 1940 with the European Patent Office. In 1938, the newly formed Eterpen Company manufactured the Biro pen. Lazlo eventually sold the patents to Eversharp. The ballpoint pen was first invented and patented in 1888 by John Laud. Laud's was too course for letter writing but could be used on rough surfaces and it leaked. Lazlo noticed that the type of ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper dry and smudge-free. He decided to create a pen using quick-drying ink instead of India ink. The thicker ink, though, would not flow from an ordinary pen nib and Biro had to devise a new type of point.The ballpoint pen, commonly called the 'biro' became popular in Great Britain during the late 1930s. As Biro had neglected to obtain a North American patent for the pen, he missed the lucrative opportunity of manufacturing the pen in the US. In addition, this enabled the British government to purchase the licensing rights.In 1939, the Royal Air Force needed a new type of pen because the conventional fountain pen leaked when fighter planes flew at high altitudes with reduced pressure. During World War II, the ballpoint pen was widely used by the military forces because of its toughness and ability to survive the battle environment. By the mid-1940s, pens of this type were widely used throughout much of the world. The press hailed the success of the biro because you could write for a year with it without refilling. Since none of the inventors or Eversharp patented this in the U.S they became the second to largely produce ballpoint pens and it came into a high competition between Parker Pens and Eversharp. Once these pens were massed produced a lot leaked and many were returned. It would not be until 1945 when frenchman Bich would come along and discover the real potential for the ball point pen.

pen picture:

http://cache.eb.com/eb/thumb?id=62971

pen design:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/gifs/Ballpointpen.GIF

Assignment #5 Hans Wilsdorf

2008-04-08T16:00:00.002-04:00

Hans Wilsdorf was born in Bavaria, Germany in 1881. His parent were iron monger and they died when he was 12. He then lived with his Aunt in Uncle and they sent him to Boarding school in Coburg, Germany. There he learned English there. Eventually he got fed up with the school and left for Geneva, Switzerland and worked for a pearl merchant whole bought pearls and sold them without actually doing anything to them and still made a lot of money. He later got a job with Cuno-Korten a pocket watch company in Switzerland. He got the job because he could speak and write English to The British Empire and America.
While at this company he picked up on how the watches worked. He partnered up with Alfred Davis and the started a watch company. The contacted a company that would create watches movements that were small enough to fit on the wrist. In 1908, he registered the name Rolex. These watches were known to keep time extremely well. In 1926 he made the watch waterproof and called it the Oyster. He used convinced Mercedes Glietz to wear the Rolex Oyster on her 15 hour swim through the English Channel and said it would keep perfect time, and it did. This helped to make his watch famous around the world. Before he died, he set up a foundation that held all his share in the company and to this day it makes donations to orphanages around the world. His wife died in 1944 after a 14 day illness and he died in 1960.

https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Montres-Rolex-SA-Company-History.html
http://www.watchmasters.net/the-rolex-story-hans-wilsdorf.html

Assignment #5: Alexander Fleming

2008-04-08T13:16:00.002-04:00

Sir Alexander Fleming lived from 1881 until 1955. He was a Scottish scientist that specialized in biology and pharmocology throughout his life. He is best known for his discovery of the antibiotic Penicillin and then his innovative methods for mass producing a stable form of the antibiotic for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Fleming's accidental discovery and isolation of penicillin in September 1928 marked the start of modern antibiotics.
Fleming served throughout World War I as a captain in the Army Medical Corps. After the war and all of the disease and death he had witnessed as a result of infected wounds, Fleming began searching for anti-bacterial agents. In 1922 he discovered the enzyme Lysosome which he referred to as the “body’s own antibiotic. In 1928 he accidentally discovered the antibiotic Penicillin. He published his findings in the British Journal of Experimental Pathology by 1929, but little attention was paid to it. This was mostly due to the fact that actually cultivating and using Penicillin was very difficult. By the 1940’s his work along with chemists finally created a usable form of Penicillin. He was quoted as later saying, "When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer, but I guess that was exactly what I did." By 1945 just in time for D-day, they had invented a method for mass production and distribution of the antibiotic, and they had enough to treat all of the wounded allied forces.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Faroe_stamp_079_europe_%28fleming%29.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Alexander_Fleming.jpg

Assignment 5: John Logie Baird

2008-04-08T12:53:00.002-04:00

John Logie Baird (1888 - 1946) was an engineer from Scotland, best remembered for inventing the first electromechanical television system. Born in Helensburgh, studied in Glasgow, degree was interrupted by World War One, and never finished. Baird experimented transmitting pictures from one place to another, he was the first to successfully transmit a live, moving image in halftones from reflected light. Baird improved the photoelectric cell and managing the photoelectric cell and video amplifier. On October 2nd 1925 he transmitted a ventriloquists dummy producing a 30 line vertically scanned image at 5 pictures per second. The first ever TV appearance fee was half a crown or 12.5 pence in today's money. Baird made the fist transatlantic television transmission from London to New York in 1928 as well as the first television program for the BBC. In 1944 he demonstrated the world's first fully electronic colour television. In post war Britain he pursuaded the government to adopt the 1000 line Telechrome electronic color system, quality comparable to todays modern HDTV, but didn't workout due to competition of resources. Baird suffered a stroke in 1946 and died in his home.

For article:
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/abc/johnlogiebaird.html

For images:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cache.eb.com/eb/image%3Fid%3D70015%26rendTypeId%3D4&imgrefurl=http://www.britannica.com/eb/art-60151/John-Logie-Baird-standing-next-to-his-television-transmitter-of&h=300&w=444&sz=89&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=imLbI9Eg_it_SM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djohn%2Blogie%2Bbaird%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Assignment 5

2008-04-08T12:35:00.002-04:00

John Logie Baird (1888-1946), a scottish inventor and engineer. He was born on August 13, 1888 in Helensburgh, Argyll, Scotland. He was educated at the Larchfield school in Helensburgh. He attended college at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College. He was not able to graduate because of the interuption of World War I. He was a pioneer in this field becuse he was the first person to develope the mechanical television in 1924. At this time he was able to show ojects in the form of an outline. By 1925, after the object outlines he began to televise human faces. In 1926, he began the first person to advance even more into showing objects that are in motion. After taking the initial steps to becoming the inventor of a mechanical television, Baird wanted to start and some how show TV shows and movies. In 1930, Baird made the first broadcast of a TV show. He made the show from his studio and passed it to the London Coliseum Cinema for the public to see. The cinema screen was a small 6-ft by 3-ft array with around 2000 tiny flashlamp bulbs. This was a great advancement in the development of the television. In 1928, Baird also worked on developing a color version of the television. Baird's original mechanical television was replaced by the more advanced electronic televison which he also helped work on. Before Baird passed away he also worked on a version of the stereo televison. Barid died on June 14, 1946 of a stroke.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/1900a.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Logie_Baird

#5 Harry Brearley

2008-04-08T10:26:00.004-04:00

Harry Brearley (1871-1948) was born in Ramsden's Yard in Sheffield, England and is famous for inventing stainless steel.

His father was a steel melter at Firth's crucible steel furnaces and this strongly influenced his life. At twelve years of age Harry left school to became a cellar boy for at his father's crucible steel workshop. After some time they relocated him to the chemical laboratory where he became a general assistant and then later an apprenticed laboratory assistant. At this time he also studied at home and then took formal evening classes where he studied steel production techniques and associated chemical analysis methods. In 1901 Brearley left his job at Firth's to begin a new laboratory at Kayser Ellison's steel works. However, in 1903 he returned to Firth's to become a works manager of a steel plant they started in Riga, Russia. Brearly returned to Sheffield, England in 1907 where he oversaw the Brown-Firth Research Laboratory. This laboratory was jointly created by two steel companies for to promote steel inventions.

After WWI arms manufacturing increased dramatically in England, but there were many practical problems from erosion of the internal surfaces of gun barrels due to wear and tear. Because this errotion was caused by high temperatures Brearley began to add chromium to steel. Chromium was already known to raise steel's melting point much higher than the standard carbon steels. It was through this process that he created a chrome alloy steel that was more rust resistant than any steel previously known. Brearley was also well aware of all the different types of food applications (pans, canning, etc.) that this new high heat resistant steel could be used for. Much of his experiments were centered around this.

His invention caused much conflict at Firth's company. Firth's believed they were entitled to the rights of the invention because he worked at their firm. Bearly believed he should have rights to at least half of the ownership. This argument lead to his resignation from the firm in 1915. After this he took at job as the works manager at Brown Bayley's Steel Works in Sheffield. There he continued his work developing and producing stainless steel. He received the Iron and Steel Institute's Bessemer Gold Metal in 1920 for his outstanding contributions. In 1925 he became the director at Brown Bayley.

Brearley's chrome steel has stood the test of time is still the basis for all the different types of widely used stainless and specialty steel today. He died in Torquay in 1948 and the Brown-Firth Laboratory later made a monument in his honor.

http://www.tilthammer.com/bio/brear.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Brearley

Assignment 5: Harry Brearley

2008-04-08T09:39:00.002-04:00

Born in Sheffield, England, Harry Brearley (1871-1948) was the son of a steel melter and was most well known for his invention of "rustless steel," or stainless steel. Brearley grew up around metallurgy, and left school at the age of twelve to work at one of the city's steelworks. In 1908, two of Sheffield's biggest steel companies formed a joint research laboratory and placed Brearly in charge.
Brearley's rustless steel was created in response to rifle manufacturers complaining of the rapid erosion of the inside of their rifle barrels due to high temperatures and hostile gases. Although other people had correlated the addition of chromium to carbon steel with higher resistance to corrosive chemicals, Brearly was the first to make the first true stainless steel in 1913, which was composed of .24% carbon and 12.8% chromium. He noticed the alloys unusual resistance when performing a standard etching experiment to closely examine the grain structure. The etching required the surface of the metal to be cleaned with an acid, usually nitric acid. When the new alloy's surface would not give way to the acid, Brearly realized the useful implications.
Brearley paved the way for later metalurgists to revise his alloy, and today there are over 150 grades of stainless steel, used in everything from cutlery to marine applications.

Assignment #5 : Sir Robert Watson-Watt

2008-04-07T17:46:00.000-04:00

Do you know what a Radio Detection and Ranging system is? I will give you a clue, most congested airports today wouldn’t be able to function at all without this invention by Sir Robert Watson-Watt. Not yet? A Radio Detection and Ranging system is a device known today as a RADAR that uses radio waves and echoes of those waves to locate objects in the sky. Although some work on using radio echoes for detection purposes had already been done by other engineers prior to Watson-Watt, it was this Scottish man’s work and contribution what paved the way to the invention of the first practical radar system.

Sir Robert Watson was born on April 13th, 1892 in Brechin, Scotland. He graduated with a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from St. Andrews University in 1912. After graduation, he started working with Professor William Peddie, and became interested in the study of radio waves. Later on, Watson-Watt got interested in meteorology because he realized he could employ his knowledge on radio waves to detect thunderstorms. He went to work for the Royal Aircraft Factory of England in 1915 where he did research on how to warn pilots of potentially dangerous weather conditions. The initial conclusions drawn from his experiments were that he needed to find a way to display and record the radio signals he was using.

In 1933, Watson-Watt became superintendent of a government radio department in Teddington. Hitler had just come to power in Germany by that time and threatened Europe with a “death ray” based on radio waves that “would be able to destroy towns and kill people”. As an employee of the government, Watson-Watt was forced to work on a project to come up with a way to attack German airplanes using radio waves in case Hitler decided to attack. Watson-Watt thought that destroying airplanes with radio waves was not feasible, but he believed that radio waves could be used to detect enemy airplanes at far away distances. With the economic aid of the British government, he moved to Daventry in Leicestershire in 1935 where he experimented with a shortwave radio transmitter and was able to detect an airplane at distance of 27 km. Essentially, this system would become the predecessor of the modern radar, which basically uses a powerful transmitter to shoot out high frequency radio waves and then uses a receiver to listen for an echo of the radio waves impacting an object in the air. Given the speed of a radio wave to be close to the speed of light and a measurement of the Doppler shift of the echo, the system can locate an airplane and calculate how far away it is.

Given Watson-Watt initial success, he used a more powerful transmitter and was able to locate airplanes flying as far as 120 km away from the radar. This invention would become invaluable when World War II broke 4 years later.

For more information on his biography and a picture of Sir Robert Watson-Watt go to:
http://www.radarpages.co.uk/people/watson-watt/watson-watt.htm

More details on his invention and biography:
http://www.wdc.rl.ac.uk/ionosondes/history/watsonwatt.html
http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/robertwatsonwatt.html

Assignment 5: Ole Evinrude

2008-04-07T11:58:00.003-04:00

Ole Evinrude was a Norwegian inventor who designed the first outboard motor for boats. One of the most popular outboard motor companies today is named after this inventor. He first created the design in 1900. His idea came to him while he was rowing a boat with his girlfriend. By 1912 evinrude was part of a sucessful company with more than 300 workers.

In 1919 Evinrude created a lighter and more efficient outboard motor. He sold his part of the Clemick and Evinrude company and created his own company, the ELTO Outboard Motor Company. He had some tough competition but made his way through the years making a living with his company until he died in 1934. His son took over the company. An interesting fact is that even though Evinrude is Norwegian his family emigrated to the United States. That is why evinrude is a popular motor in the US.

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Evinrude
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAevinrude.htm

assignment 5

2008-04-06T21:05:00.002-04:00

Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor who lived from April 1874 to July 1937. He si best known for his work on wireless telegraphy. In December of 1901 he succeeded in sending the first transatlantic radio signal which was received in Canada.

Later in life Marconi became a supporter of the Italian fascist party and Mussolini appointed him to the fascist Grand Council. He died at the age of 63 and was given a state funeral. Radio stations around the world observed 2 minutes of silence as a tribute to his legacy.

Assignment 5 - Robert Oppenheimer

2008-04-06T11:01:00.002-04:00

Who many may consider to be the father of modern day atomic weaponry, J. Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904 in New York City to German immigrants. Throughout his early studied, Oppenheimer focused his energy on ethics rather than science. After being accepted into Harvard University, he took many courses in Greek, art, literature, and the classics, but formally majored in Chemistry. It was this that led him to his developing interest in physics and thermodynamics.

After a few mishaps in the labs, his teachers told him that perhaps experimental physics and chemistry wasn't his forte and to focus his ideas on the newly developing Quantum Theories. He began studying at the University of Göttingen in 1926, becoming friends with Fermi, Teller, and Heisenberg. After obtaining his Ph. D. when he was 22, he moved out to California to teach mathematics at Caltech researching nuclear physics, quantum field theory, and theoretical astronomy.

In 1941, Oppenheimer was approached to take the helm of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret initiative in Los Alamos, New Mexico to develop a functional nuclear weapon before the Nazis did. After being appointed Scientific Director, he formed a small team to calculate the many variables involved with nuclear reactions and feared that the explosion of an atomic bomb might ignite the entire atmosphere.

On July 16, 1945, the test bomb "Trinity" was set off, sparking in the nuclear age. Many years after the war, Oppenheimer was interviewed on television and stated "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavadgita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty, and to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another."

Although he never won a Nobel Prize, scientists hold Oppenheimer in high regard, considering him the inventor of Theoretical and Nuclear Physics.

Assignment 5 - Jacques Edwin Brandenberger

2008-04-06T09:53:00.004-04:00

Jacques Edwin Brandenberger was born October 19, 1872 in Zurich, Switzerland. In his youth, he was known for being very business oriented, and extremely motivated. He received his doctorate in Chemistry at the age of 22 from Bern University, making him the youngest doctor in all of Switzerland at the time. Brandenberger focused his experimentation towards discovering a way to water-proof cloth. He manufactured a thin, transparent, protective film to be applied to cloth fabric, hoping it would render the fabric impervious to water. However, the cloth with film bonded to it became brittle and was nearly useless.

Brandenberger then realized he could peel the film off of the cloth and use the flexible film by itself for other purposes. He had invented Composite Cellulose Film, soon to be known as Cellophane. By 1917, Brandenberger had opened a factory in Paris to mass produce cellophane as a packaging material. In 1923, Brandenberger sold the rights to cellophane to the DuPont company, where it was improved by their resident chemists, finally making it 100% water proof and more durable by 1927. Brandenberger's invention of cellophane earned him the Franklin Institute's Gold Medal, and also placed him in the National Inventor's Hall of Fame. Jacques Brandenberger died in Zurich, Switzerland in 1954.

References:
1. Enchanted Learning - Inventors from 1901-1950. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/1900a.shtml

2. National Inventors Hall of Fame. http://www.invent.org/Hall_Of_Fame/253.html
3. Dr. J.E. Brandenberger Foundation. http://www.stiftungbrandenberger.ch/drbrd_e.htm

Rube Goldberg Machine Contest Thing

2008-04-06T03:09:00.000-04:00

For what its worth, someone put this up online:

http://flickr.com/photos/hoosierillusion/sets/72157604402946527/

Burger making machines!

assignment 5

2008-04-05T18:20:00.001-04:00

Ferdinand Adolf August Heinrich von Zeppelin, (Count)
B.July 8, 1838- D March 8, 1917 i

He lived in Germany at the end of the war and had a keen interest in balloon flight and devoted himself to the design and construction of airships. He was married, in 1869, to Isaballa Freiin von Wolff from Livonia. He had a daughter, Hella, born in Ulm in 1879. In 1887, he published a comprehensive plan for a civil air transportation system based on large lighter-then-air ships. . He subsequently founded an airship factory at Friedrichshafen using his own funds. Zeppelin devoted the remainder of his life to the design and construction an invention of engine-powered dirigibles. He patented the plans in 1899 and completed his first rigid dirigible in 1900. This ship had a rigid frame and served as the prototype of many subsequent models. The first zeppelin airship consisted of a row of 17 gas cells each individually covered in rubberized cloth. It was about 420 ft long and 38 ft in diameter; the hydrogen-gas capacity totaled 399,000 cu ft. The ship was steered by rudders in front and back, and was driven by two 15-hp Daimler internal-combustion engines, each rotating two propellers. Passengers, crew, and engine were carried in two aluminum gondolas suspended forward and aft. At its first flight on July 2, 1900, the airship carried five persons; it attained an altitude of 1300 ft and flew a distance of 3.75 miles in 17 minutes.

Having financed his own invention there were manyl setbacks but, Zeppelin continued his research and in 1908 he established at Friederichshafen the Zeppelin Foundation for the development of aerial navigation and the manufacture of airships. That same year, his airships provided the first commercial air service for passengers they made routine commercial mail runs and passenger flights over Germany, with a remarkable safety record despite the risks in using highly flammable hydrogen gas to inflate the airships. Up until 1914 the German Aviation Association (Deutsche Luftschifffahrtsgesellschaft or DELAG) transported nearly 35,000 people on over 1500 flights without an incident. During World War I, zeppelins were used in German air raids over Britain and France but were found to be vulnerable to antiaircraft fire. Zeppelin aircraft were effectively removed from front line service at Verdun in 1916, as improved Allied aircraft succeeded in achieving a higher destruction rate. The crash of the Hindenburg in 1937 brought on the end of the zeppelin's popularity.

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/zeppelin.htm
.

Assignment 5: Eduard Haas

2008-04-03T17:26:00.004-04:00

In 1897, Eduard Haas III was born near Vienna, Austria to an enterprise family. Eduard's father and grandfather both had educations in medical fields. Eduard Haas I, his grandfather, discovered a new baking powder that was used to make cakes lighter. Eduard's father became the owner of a business that sold wholesale groceries. This seems quite odd since they both obtained educations in the field of medicine. Eduard III did not fall far from the tree. In 1927 he started to dabble in confectionaries and started to create candies. Mixing different ingredients together he came up with a peppermint candy he called "Pfefferminze" or "Pez" for short. These candies became popular among his friends and family and eventually the world. They were originally packaged in a tin that was small and easy to carry. As we all know they are no longer packaged like that. Instead there are many different Pez dispensers in all shapes and sizes. His original idea for these was to try to make the dispenser look like a lighter because he wanted to help smokers quit smoking. Their first advertisments for the product used themes aimed towards adults like "Pez girls". When it came time to export the product to the US they realized that the Pez candy was more popular with young children instead of adults. This is when they changed the designs of the dispensers to cartoon characters and they created new flavors for the candies such as orange and strawberry. The new designs became a hit immediately after they released them.

http://www.edhaas.hu/images/eduardi.jpg

http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/images/haasinv.gif

http://www.theplaymakers.com/welcome/archives/Pez_lineup.jpg

Assignment 5

2008-04-03T14:40:00.000-04:00

This assignment is due by Friday, April 11th, by 5 pm. Late assignments will be docked 5 points per hour they are late. Please post early and on time. Also, where applicable, provide a link to any website or information you use--do not post images directly to the blog.

Assignment 5.

Briefly discuss an inventor/engineer (not discussed in class) who lived in Europe (NOTE: Do not use any non-European inventors) between 1900 and 1950. Give a brief synopsis of their life and the invention/design/creation they are famous for. Provide a link to any images of 1) the inventor/engineer and 2) what they invented.

Do not copy anyone from the first four assignments!

Do not simply copy and paste anything from another website. This is supposed to be in your own words and should be written as paragraphs, not just bullet points or a list. The average length should be a full paragraph or two.

Assignment 4 - Isaac Singer

2008-03-25T14:39:00.002-04:00

Isaac Merritt Singer was born in 1811 in New York state. His parent's were German immigrants. He first worked in his older brother's machine shop where he became familiar with various machines and he learned skills he would later used to develop improved machinery. He married Catherine Haley in 1830. The couple had two children. Despite his skills and knowledge as a machinist be became an actor in 1836. Through his acting career he met Mary Ann Sponseler. In 1837 he fathered two children, one with his wife Catherine and another with Mary Ann. Isaac and his wife separated but did not officially divorce until years later. In 1839 he designed a rock drilling machine for which he received a patent.in 1849 he designed a machine for carving both wood and metal, for which he received another patent. In 1851 he designed a sewing machine more efficient than the already existing sewing machine. The difference between the designs is that the original sewing machine sewed in a circle, whereas Singer's design went in a straight line. He established the company I.M. Singer & Company which became the first American based multinational corporations. He moved to England and lived the last years of his life in Europe. He is said to have had children by 5 different women and this is thought to be a large reason he moved from America. He died in England in 1875.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Singer

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyrensse/bio206.htm

http://www.150.si.edu/150trav/remember/r822.htm

http://www.sewalot.com/singer_history.htm

Garrett Morgan

2008-03-25T00:04:00.002-04:00

Garrett Morgan was an African American inventor who lived in the 1800's. He was born in Kentucky, to parents who had at one time both been slaves. He grew up working on a farm, but later moved to Ohio to find a job. He became a repair man and later opened up his own sewing machine repair shop. He worked on various sewing machines and tested new things to try and improve them. With this work, he accidentally discovered a liquid that could straighten hair.

Garrett Morgan is more well known for inventing a safety hood. In order to get people to buy his product however, he often had to have a white man sell it for him. This invention won him several awards and saved many lives. His invention was later developed into a better gas mask.

Go to the following link to view a picture of Garrett Morgan:
http://tti.tamu.edu/publications/researcher/v43n1/images/morgan_lg.jpg

Go to the following link to view a picture of the safety hood:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/images/t_morgan.jpg

Assignment 4- Maria Mitchell

2008-03-24T19:41:00.002-04:00

Maria Mitchell was an American astronomer, who, while famous for science, also made great strides in the area of women's rights. Maria was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1818 to a Quaker family. She went to a school for young ladies run by a minister named Cyrus Pierce, but only after she had attended schools that her father had run. Maria's father was primarily responsible for her start in astronomy, although she held other jobs before her professional astronomy career. She was originally a teaching assistant to Cyrus Pierce, which she eventually gave up to open her own school, but that too, was short-lived, after she was offered a job as a librarian at the Athenium Library in Nantucket. Maria's big break in astronomy was in 1848, when her father got a job with the Pacific Bank and mounted a telescope on top of the building in which he lived. This telescope was the one in which Maria discovered "Miss Mitchell's Comet"

"Miss Mitchell's Comet" was one of the first comets discovered with a telescope. Now, the reason this comet made Maria famous, was because the King of Denmark would issue a prize for any comet found with the telescope. Francesco de Vico found the comet later, but reported it earlier, though the prize was eventually rewarded to Maria, the reason being, the news of her discovery was delayed coming to Europe. The only other woman to have discovered a comet at this time was Caroline Hershel. Maria was then established as a professional astronomer, and a year after her comet discovery, she was named the first female member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The year was 1848. Maria studied sunspots, the planets and eventually was instituted as an astronomy professor at Vassar College in 1865. Later, in 1869, she was the first woman elected to the American Philosophical Society. In 1873, she helped found one of the great institutions promoting women's suffrage, and served as its president 1874-1876. She eventually fell ill and died in 1889, in Lynn, Massachusetts.

The Woman Herself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Mitchell

My Resource:
http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/mitchell.html

More On Maria Mitchell:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Mitchell
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/mitc-mar.htm
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95aug/mitchell.html

The Observatory That Holds Her Namesake
www.mmo.org

Assignment number 4

2008-03-24T13:08:00.002-04:00

George Washington Carver was a famous black scientist who lived between 1864 and 1943. He is best known for his pioneering use of peanuts for which he found over 100 uses including dyes and various food products. Most of the inventions attributed to him, including peanut butter, were not actually his doing.

Carver also helped southern planters with depleted fields by suggesting and pushing for crop rotation so that the nutrients could return and headed the agricultural department at the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute.

James Ritty

2008-03-24T00:02:00.001-04:00

Throughout the years there are have been many famous inventions, the light bulb, electricity, cotton-gin, etc that have been engrained into children’s minds as the prime examples for American History. Very little is mentioned about the small, one-hit wonder inventors that created objects and machines that improved the lives of millions. James Ritty is one of those one-hit wonders.

On October 29^th 1836, James was born in the middle of the prospering city of Dayton, Ohio. Born from illegal immigrants native to Alsace Lorraine, Germany, he became one of 5 brothers in the family. Through pursuance of his father, James continued his education in the medical field until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. The introduction of the war caused James to enlist for 4 years as a first lieutenant of the Fourth Ohio Volunteer Calvary. He finally ended his service in 1864.

While James was in the war, many of his brothers created prospering inventions of farm machinery. His return from the war was not a warm-welcome due to the lack of his education, so instead of continuing the family trend of inventions James opened up a saloon in Dayton. For many years his saloon thrived in the city, however he still lost profit due to the temptations of dishonest bartenders. Overcome with distress and grief over his loss of funds, James booked a voyage to Europe for a vacation in 1878. While on the trip, James took an interest to the machines required to run the mechanics of the ship, and focused on a machine that counted the revolutions of the propellers. With this machine in mind, he returned to his saloon in the United States with the intent to create a machine that recorded money and sales.

With the assistance of his brother John, the “Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier” was created. The machine aided James in recording the number and amount of each sale. The machine consisted of keys, which filled two rows of the front of the machine with each key being a set price of the item that was sold. The total amount was then recorded on a clock-shaped face. The machine did not have the capacity to hold money, and so a cash drawer was not included in the patent given on November 4^th, 1879. The brothers ended up creating 5 versions of the cash register before a final product, which included a cash drawer and a paper roll, was released to the market. With anticipated popularity, James opened a manufacture company for the machine. His business, located on 10 South Main st. in Dayton, sold the machines all over the country. Unfortunately, the public was not as receptive to the machine as predicted, and the company had to be shutdown quickly after opening due to a lack of funds. With the failure of his machine, James quickly sold his patents to a rising inventor John H. Patterson who, using this machine, created the National Cash Register Company in 1884. His company quickly thrived and left Patterson in the life of luxury.

James continued his business in saloons, and opened the Pony House in 1882. Due to heart trouble, he retired in 1885 and later died on March 29^th, 1918. However, without his original image and ideas the modern cash register, which is used in almost every money-revenue used today, would not be available.

Image of Mr. James Ritty himself: http://www.geocities.com/pic_of_month/Oct2546/cash03.jpg

Image of his saloon: http://www.ncr.org.uk/images/no100001.jpg

Image of his first cash-register: http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/images2/cashregister.JPG

Image of his final cash-register: http://www.ncr.org.uk/pictures/cl10001.jpg

Assignment 4 Melville Bissell

2008-03-23T22:08:00.002-04:00

Melville Bissell was born on September 15, 1813 in Hartwick, New York and died March 15, 1889 in Grand Rapid s Michigan. With the help of his wife Anna, invented a carpet sweeper in their Grand Rapids, Michigan crockery shop out of pure necessity in 1876 which would eventually lead to the modern day vacuum. They frequently got deliveries of fragile things and the boxes were packed with sawdust which often got on the floor and in the carpet. He could not sweep up the sawdust with a broom and dust pan easily because it would fall down into the carpet. There were other carpet sweepers out at the time but they had several deficiencies that Melville thought he could fix. While Anna was at home overseeing the making of the first carpet sweepers, Melville was out traveling marketing his new invention. He would throw dust on the floor and then sweep it up automatically, thus having a new customer. By 1883 the first Bissell manufacturing plant was established in Grand Rapids because they had grown so popular with housewives everywhere. In 1889 Melville died and Anna took over the company becoming the first woman corporate CEO in America. Today it has grown into not only a vacuum production company, but a whole carpet cleaning empire.

For pictures go to:
http://www.bissell.com/Page_id/88/History.aspx
http://www.bissell.com/images/Products/3120-L.gif

Assignment #4 Richard Jordan Gatling

2008-03-23T14:12:00.002-04:00

Richard J. Gatling was born in North Carolina in 1818. Before he was able to devote all of his time to his inventions, he earned a living as a fisherman, court clerk, teacher, and shopkeeper. His first successful invention was a seed-sowing device to plant rice, called a “rice planter”. He later converted his machine to plant wheat and called it a “wheat drill.” Gatling was able to make enough money selling this device to quit his shop-keeping job and focus on inventing. Gatling kept busy with his mechanical, labor-reducing inventions; and in 1860 alone he was granted patents for five new inventions. His most famous invention was the Gatling gun a new form of a machine gun which was capable of firing 150 to 200 rounds per minute. Although there were other “machine guns” available, such as the organ gun and the coffee mill gun, none would come close to the Gatling gun’s reliability and safety (for the user). Gatling patented his gun in 1862 and attempted to market it to Union forces during the Civil War, even writing to President Lincoln, but most generals were weary of experimenting with new equipment during time of war. The Gatling gun’s massive firepower ability would not be properly understood until decades later during the Spanish-American War of 1898 and World War I. Dr. Richard Gatling died in New York City on February 26, 1903.

Walter Reed

2008-03-22T00:48:00.004-04:00

Walter Reed was born in 1851 to Lemuel Sutton Reed and Pharaba White Reed. He was the youngest of five children. At age 16, he enrolled at the University of Virginia and obtained an M.D. degree at the age of 17. He is still the youngest person to ever graduate from the medical school at UVA. Once he graduated, he enrolled at the Bellevue Hospital Medical College in Manhattan, where he obtained a second M.D. degree in 1870. In 1873, he became the assistant sanitary officer for the Brooklyn Board of Health. This position gave him firsthand experience in dealing with the many various diseases that immigrants had brought into the city. This sparked a lifelong interest in public health. After becoming bored with his job, Reed joined the Army Medical Corps, both for the professional opportunities it offered immediately and for the modest financial security it provided. He would be a member of the Army Medical Corps for the rest of his life. In 1875, he was assigned his first military assignment at the military base on Willet’s Point, New York Harbor, but soon began going around to posts all around the American West. In 1876, he married Emilie Lawrence before leaving for his first western post. The couple would have two children, both born while Walter and Emilie were out west. In 1890, Reed returned to the east coast and studied pathology and bacteriology in the Johns Hopkins University Hospital Pathology Laboratory. In 1893, he returned from his last trip out west. He joined the faculty of the Army Medical School in Washington DC, where he became a professor of bacterial and clinical microscopy. He also became curator of the Army Medical Museum and joined the faculty at the Columbian University in Washington. Through his positions, he actively pursued medical research projects. He was especially interested in erysipelas, cholera, typhoid, malaria, and yellow fever. In 1896, Reed travelled to Key West to investigate a small pox outbreak. While there, he befriended Jefferson Randolph Kean, who would later establish the Walter Reed Memorial Association after Reed’s death. In 1899, Reed went to Cuba to study typhoid in the army encampments of the US forces. He left Cuba, but soon returned as head of an Army board charged by Surgeon General George Miller Sternberg to examine tropical diseases, including yellow fever.

Reed and his team focused specifically on yellow fever, and in 1900, performed groundbreaking experiments that would greatly improve the understanding of the disease. He established a quarantined experimental station called Camp Lazear on leased farm land. Two small wood-framed buildings were constructed, and tents were set up for volunteers. Building Number One was known as the Infected Clothing Building, which was built tightly with no ventilation to contain as much foul air as possible. Building Number Two was known as the Infected Mosquito Building, and was very well ventilated. Reed used immune and non-immune volunteers to study yellow fever. His objective was to show that yellow fever is transmitted through mosquitoes, not through human contact. This theory had been proposed 20 years earlier by a Cuban doctor and scientist named Carlos Finlay, but had never been proved. Through his experiments, Reed was able to prove this theory. However, it led to three questions:

1) How could a building become infected?

2) When does a mosquito develop the ability to transmit the disease?

3) Over what length of time can a mosquito retain this capacity to infect?

By performing more thorough experiments with his human subjects, Reed was able to answer these questions. He found that the infection of a building depends on only the presence of mosquitoes. The degree of sanitation, previously considered critical, was irrelevant. His next set of experiments showed that it takes a mosquito at least 11 days to be able to transmit the disease. In another experiment, he showed that mosquitoes retain their capacity to infect for at least 2 months. Although all of the volunteers made a full recovery, the use of human volunteers in experimenting with yellow fever was somewhat controversial. However, the research was extraordinarily important, because understanding the transmission of yellow fever led to a major decrease in the disease in Cuba, and it also helped to allow the Panama Canal to be finished, as employees had before been getting sick with the disease.

Reed died in 1902 after his appendix burst.

A picture of Walter Reed:
http://www.gloucesterva.info/museum/images/img5.gif

One of the buildings at Camp Lazear:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/fever/peopleevents/images/p_lazear_03.jpg

Sources:
http://etext.virginia.edu/healthsci/reed/reed.html
http://etext.virginia.edu/healthsci/reed/commission.html

Jacob Perkins

2008-03-19T22:08:00.002-04:00

Jacob Perkins (1766-1849) was born in Massachusetts. His career as an inventor started off at a young age when he took on an apprenticeship with a goldsmith. His first invention was designing a metal plate buckle for shoes, followed by an invention to cut the heads off of nails. In 1815, he designed the central heating system for the Massachusetts Medical College. His concept involved the use of one heating source and a series of pipes that were fed into every room. His ideas then led him to planning a cooling system which led to the conception of the refrigerator machine. In 1819, Jacob then moved to England as an alternate business plan; to engrave and sell bank notes with his English business partner. He gained some success but never stopped with his inventions. He experimented a lot with steam engines and invented the first uniflow steam engine in 1827 which was used as a locomotive on railways. Some of his other inventions include the pleometer used to measure the speed at which vessels move through the water, and the bathometer used to measure the depth of water. His achievements were recognized when he was elected to become a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in February 1821.

http://www.hevac-heritage.org/victorian_engineers/perkins/perkins.htm

Andrew Douglass

2008-03-19T12:35:00.002-04:00

Andrew Ellicott Douglass lived from 1867 - 19 62. He was an astronomer who worked at the Lowell observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, which coincendentally FIT uses periodacally throughout the year. Douglass is famous for discovering dendrochronology, meaning tree-ring dating, or counting the rings in the tree trunks to determine the tree's age. While working at the observatory, Douglass realized there was a relationship between climate and plant growth. He started to count the rings of trees, pine and fir. In 1911, he found similar findings in nearby trees. He wrote three volumes of Climates Cycles and Tree Growth. Douglass's work with tree rings has become a prime way for archeologists to date prehistoric remains. Also, because of Douglass's work, there is the labratory of tree-ring research at Minnesota State University. It is the largest collection of tree-ring samples.

Dendrochronology is the study of reading the rings in tree trunks to decipher accurate dates that the tree and/or things around it began, and/or things that happened to the tree and its surroundings, such as when the tree fell or was cut down. The rings are made of xylem, which is a transport tissue used mainly to transport water from the root to the tree. Once a year, usually in the spring or summer, a new layer of xylem is formed, adding another year to the existing rings. Tree rings are never the same. In moister climates, the rings are wider, and in more arid climates, the rings are more narrow.

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/abcde/douglass_andrew.html

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/dating/dat_dendro.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylem

Robert Fulton

2008-03-19T12:06:00.001-04:00

Robert Fulton was an American engineer who was the first engineer to successfully create a steamboat. He began the steamboat industry when he set the first steamboat down the Hudson River in 1807. This invention was very beneficial for carrying goods and people down the river.
He became interested in steamboats when he was 12. This is when he visited England and learned about Watt’s steam engine. Fulton attended school in England where he studied painting. There he met James Rumsey, who was also a great contributor to the steamboat industry. Rumsey had already launched a steamboat in West Virginia. Fulton also met a man named Robert Livingston who helped to collaborate ideas with him about steamboats.
In 1807 Fulton and Livingston constructed the first commercial steamboat. It was called the North River Steamboat. The North river steamboat carried passengers from Albany to New York City. It was a fast and efficient was to transport. Once the steamboat industry started, it took off. Communication and transportation was now cheaper and faster. Robert Fulton was a great contributor in his day!

To view pictures of Robert Fulton, or his invention: the steamboat, please visit one of these sites:

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_50_1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Fulton

Assignment 4 - Edward Bouchet

2008-03-19T10:38:00.000-04:00

Renowned for being the first African-American to earn a Ph.D in the United States, Edward Bouchet was Connecticut native who attended Yale University in the 1870s. After struggling to attend a grade school in his surrounding area while growing up, he was chosen to attend the Hopkins Grammar School in 1868. Hopkins was a private institution that allowed students to prepare for Yale before attending. After graduating top of his class, he was accepted to the University and became the first Black to ever graduate from it in 1874.

With the aid of Philidelphia philanthropist Alfred Cope, Bouchet entered Yale's graduate program and published his dissertation on Geometrical Optics, a relatively new topic in the science field. By doing so, he became the first Black person to ever earn a Ph.D from an American university.

Bouchet tought at the Institute for Colored Youth and established multiple science programs at the school. He moved back and forth throughout America to other universities over the next 20 years until he retired in 1913 due to arteriosclerosis. He then lived out the rest of his life in his childhood home before dying in 1916.

Assignment 4: Mary Dixon Kies

2008-03-18T21:58:00.002-04:00

Mary Dixon Kies was a female American inventor that lived in Connecticut from 1752 until 1837. She invented a new process for weaving straw with silk and thread. This new technique gave a boost to the nation’s hat industry at the time. Straw weaving and hat making was a vital industry in the American economy, and her invention helped to make cost-effective straw bonnets that could be worn by women for fashion purposes or for working in the field. This came at a perfect time due to the European embargo when New England’s economy needed all he help it could get. Straw bonnets manufactured in Massachusetts alone in 1810 had an estimated profit of more than $500,000 or over $4.7 million by today's standards. Unfortunately, Mary Dixon Kies was unable to make a profit from her straw weaving process, especially after the fashions of the day changed and straw bonnets were no longer desirable. Her family and friends lost a lot of the money that they had invested and she died penniless.
The Patent Act of 1790 opened the door for anyone to protect his or her invention with a patent. Unfortunately, because women could not legally own property in most states, many women inventors didn't even bother to patent their inventions. Mary Dixon Kies was the first woman in the United States to apply for and receive a patent for her invention. She received a patent on May 5, 1809, signed by President James A. Madison. Until about 1840, only 20 other patents were issued to women. A monument now stands in the Old South Killingly cemetery in her memory.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blkeis.htm

Assignment #4 Granville T. Woods

2008-03-18T18:32:00.002-04:00

Granville T. Woods was a black american inventor who was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1856 and died in 1910 in New York. Most of his inventions were related to the rail road industry.
Woods attended school until he was 10 years old and then started work in the same trade as his father. They worked at a machine shop that made carriage equipment and also repaired rail road equipment and machines. From this hands on experience, Woods began making his own modifications that improved rail road equipment. He was very interested in different types of equipment and actually paid other workers to teach him more about various aspects of the trade. Woods also went to night school and took private lessons. He was an excellent student and absorbed the knowledge that would later help him with his inventions. At the age of 16 he became a fireman and then an engineer with the Danville and Southern Railroad in Missouri. Although no one knows where, it is clear that he did attend college. He also spent his free time studying electronics. In 1874 he worked at a rolling mill in Springfield Illinois. Later in 1878 he worked on a British steamer and was promoted to become the chief engineer after two years. After another two years he operated a steam locomotive for D&S Railroads. Unfortunately Woods was never able to advance to more meaningful jobs because of his race. In 1884, probably frustrated with his inability to advance, he founded his own company with his Brother Lyates. They called it Woods Railway Telegraph Co. and they manufactured telephones, telegraphs, and other electrical equipment. Eventually Woods settled in Cincinnati, Ohio.
A sample of his inventions are described here. In 1884 he patented a steam boiler furnace and a telephone transmitter. In 1885 he invented telegraphony. This was a system that carried voice signals through telegraph lines. In 1887 he patented an induction telegraph system that sent and recieved messages from moving trains. In 1887 he invented electromechanical and electromagnetic brakes for electric railways, several relay instruments, and a telephone system superior to Bell's. In 1888 he invented a wheeled trolley that drew power for streetcars from overhead wires. In 1889 he invented a safety cutout to protect from accidentally contacting live wires. Although he manufactured and sold his inventions through his company, he later sold his patents to the General Electric Company. He continued inventing and in 1890 he and his brother patented emergeny braking systems and other devices. In 1896 he invented a device that dimmed lights in theaters and another device that altered motor speed. In 1899 he invented someting like an electric race car and in 1900 he invented an egg incubator.

Overall Woods held 35 patents for his inventions. Most of them related to advancements in transportation and communication. Once again, because of his race he had trouble marketing his inventions and ended up selling them to larger companies like General Electric and American Bell Telephone. Woods died in poverty while he fought in court for the rights to his inventions.

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_762510598/Granville_T_Woods.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Woods

Assignment 4: George Crum

2008-03-18T16:17:00.001-04:00

Every year in the month of January a major event takes place… SUPERBOWL. The recipe for a good game viewing experience generally includes: (1) A big screen TV and (2) Chips and dip, wings, and pizza. Well, if it wasn’t for a man by the name of George Crum we wouldn’t even know what a chip was. I am sure the absence of them during the game would hinder our overall experience. Not much is known about George’s history and his childhood except that he was born in 1822 in Saratoga Lake, New York. He was of Native American decent and he soon found a love for cooking. By the 1850s George was working as a chef at Moon Lake Lodge. He was famous for his “French-fried potatoes” and that is what everyone came for when they visited his restaurant, but one day that would all change. In the summer of 1853, a man came into the restaurant and flat out rejected George’s fries. He complained they were too thick to be enjoyable and when George made them smaller, the customer still wouldn’t accept. In annoyance mostly, George marched back to the kitchen were he would create such a thin, crispy concoction that there would be no possible pleasure in eating the fries. Well, to his surprise these thin, crispy potato slices were a smashing success. Soon “Saratoga Chips” were printed into the menu and people were coming to taste test these greasy morsels from miles around. As the success rate began to sky-rocket the idea of selling these “Saratoga Chips” began to come in and out of thought, as they were quickly on the market in New England. Soon after his booming success, George opened up his own restaurant on Malta Ave. in Saratoga Lake and became very successful as he served to numerous famous cliental. George Crum was able to see what a success his chips had become but in 1914, at late age of 92 he passed away. George Crum didn’t travel much from the town of Saratoga Lake as that was where he was finally put to rest. Just a few short years later, people would come to produce the potato peeler which would have helped the process of making chips more enjoyable.
Overall, I feel that George Crum made a completely successful and enjoyable food product. Today the chip industry is booming and people around the world enjoy “Saratoga Chips” on a daily basis because “once you pop, the fun don’t stop!”

Resources:
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/crum.htm
http://www.history.rochester.edu/Scientific_American/mystery/crum.htm

Photo of George Crum:
http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/snacks/images/GeorgeCrum.gif

Photo of Saratoga Chips:
http://www.leeandlow.com/images/books2/chip0.jpg
http://ralp.net/potatoes/img/kettlechips.jpg

Linus Yale, Jr.

2008-03-18T09:34:00.000-04:00

Linus Yale, Jr was born in Salisbury, NY on April 4, 1821. He started out painting portraits but eventually helped his father’s lock business. His father began designing and manufacturing locks at his shop in Newport, NY in 1840, specializing in handmade bank locks. Almost ten years later, Linus Yale, Jr. opened his own shop in Shelburne Falls, MA manufacturing his own locks. In 1851, Yale, Jr. patented the first “double lock” that held two locks in one case and opened by key. In 1862, Yale, Jr. introduced the “Monitor Bank Lock” which became the first known dial combination lock and is still used today. The year before, Yale, Jr. perfected and patented his father’s pin tumbler lock. This perfected model was based off the Egyptians mechanism used almost 4000 years before. The pin tumbler lock incorporates the use of a flat key with serrated edges that when inserted in the lock, pushes the pins in the right position. The correct positioning of the pins allows the user to turn the key and unlock the lock. In 1863, Yale patented the Yale Double Dial Bank Lock and patented his improved cylinder lock in 1865 that today is still the basis of Yale locks. In 1868, he partnered with Henry Robinson Towne and his father John H. Towne to build a second factory in Stamford, CT specifically for cylinder locks while his original workshop in MA was busy making bank locks. Linus Yale, Jr. died once the CT factory began production. Linus Yale, Jr. was the locking expert of his time.

For a picture of the pin tumbler lock and pictures of Linus Yale, Jr. : http://www.yalelock.com/Yale/Templates/GlobalNormalWithMenu____142.aspx

Assignment 4: George Westinghouse

2008-03-17T20:42:00.001-04:00

George Westinghouse was an inventor, engineer, manufacturer and entrepreneur that changed the course of technological advancement, particularly in the railway and electricity fronts. He was responsible for founding and directing over 60 companies, and by the end of his life had 360 patents to his name (he received one more four years after his death).
Born in New York in 1846, Westinghouse grew up in his father's factory where they manufactured agricultural machinery. Because of his mechanical inclination, he was able to receive his first patent in 1865 at just 19 years of age for a rotary steam engine. By 1867, he had created a devise which made it easier to replace derailed train cars back on the tracks, and soon after founded a company to manufacture his invention. In 1869, he made one of his most significant contributions to the railway industry with his invention of the air brake, which used compressed air in a system controlled by the head train engineer to stop each car of the train. Previously, each car had to be manually stopped by a person on that car, a system that lead to many disasters. A version of Westinghouse's air brake system is still used on trains today.
In 1884, Westinghouse founded Westinghouse Electric Company after realizing the huge potential of the AC system developed by Nikola Tesla and the general shift towards electricity. By 1888, he had obtained exclusive rights to Tesla's system, along with persuading Tesla himself to work for Westinghouse Electric. Despite much controversy with the public and Thomas Edison (proponent of DC), Westinghouse eventually proved his system at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 by providing the lighting system for the entire event. Obviously, AC beat DC.
Some other notable achievements were harnessing energy from Niagra Falls to power parts of New York using three enormous generators, creating the first single phase electric railway system, and owning companies with a net worth of over $120 million by the turn of the century.

Josiah Willard Gibbs

2008-03-16T23:51:00.002-04:00

Josiah Willard Gibbs was born in February 11, 1839 in New Haven, CT. Gibbs was born to a very well known family, with his father known for being a professor of sacred literature and being involved in the Amistad trials. Gibbs himself began his term at Yale College at age 15 studying mathematics and Latin, graduating in 1858 at the top of his class and went on to get his Ph.D. in engineering from the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale in 1863. In 1871, he returned to Yale and became a professor of Mathematical physics, a job which he would hold for the rest of his life. Gibbs’s first work began with a collection of papers called On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances which deeply covered the field of physical chemistry. He applied the laws of thermodynamics, wrote about the concepts of chemical potential and free energy, and developed the Gibbisan ensemble ideal and the Gibbs phase rule. The Gibbs phase rule was the prominent rule on phase diagrams stated: F = 2 − π + C. He also wrote a paper on thermodynamics in 1873, where he wrote about the geometric representation of thermodynamic quantities as well as his Gibbs free energy law which became thoroughly well known in physics.
Gibbs then continued working at Yale, though John Hopkins University offered him a position, and on his vector analysis which was designed to clarify and advance mathematical physics. He also worked on statistical mechanics to help make a foundation for quantum theory and later physicists. He wrote textbooks on these subjects that were published at his alma mater shortly before his death. Finally he also worked on crystallography and using his vector analysis to determine orbits of planets and orbits. He was awarded the Copley medal from the Royal Society of London his work in chemistry, electricity, and thermal energy.
Gibbs died in 1903 but post-death, his work was still prominent at Yale and in the science community. Great scientists like Paul Samuelson praised him as a great physicist and in 1950; he even was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans.

What he looked like:
http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Biographies/images/gibbs.jpg

Free (available) energy law:
http://www.geol.ucsb.edu/faculty/hacker/geo124T/GandHvsT.jpg

Group 7

2008-03-16T10:47:00.002-04:00

Having recently discovered, for the most part, what we are going to do- our group has decided to make a machine that lifts a pencil from the ground to a table or what would be the hight of your arm when you're ditting at a desk.
Upon our initial trip to Goodwill, we discovered many little things in the toys section; such as a plastic jeep, a swiviling cat toy, and even a board game of mouse trap that we have considered incorperating into the machine itself if they are still when it comes time for the big day of purchasing, which should be within the next two weeks. The end will require a pully, but this machine will be epic when completed.
We intend to use our entire budget, as extra steps could always be added for fun if we've got enough money to cover it. One of the biggest problems is that all of our group members are part of different clubs and whatnot across campus; so most of our times conflict with each other. We found that friday works reasonably well; but being so close to the evening, most of us wouldn't really like to do school work on a friday night. So random snippets of time can be found throughout the week and friday is only reserved for larger chunks of time, as needed.

Assignment 4: Norbert Rillieux

2008-03-16T05:08:00.006-04:00

Norbert Rillieux was an African American inventor who was born on March 17, 1806 in New Orleans. His father was a French engineer and a plantation farmer, and his mother a His father sent him to École Centrale, a famous school in Paris school in France where he studied engineering. At the age of 24, he became the youngest teacher in the school that taught applied mechanics and published papers on improved design and uses for the steam engine. After returning to New Orleans, in the early 1830’s Rillieux invented and patented his vacuum evaporation system by 1843. His sugar processing evaporator improved the sugar refining process and saved both time and money in the making of sugar from sugar beets or sugar cane. His evaporator was designed to evaporate the liquid from sugar cane juice more efficiently. This design was safer and less expensive than the open-kettle method that was used at the time. His improvement the existing process was stacking multiple pans inside a vacuum chamber. The vacuum allowed the liquids to boil at a much lower temperature than in sea-level air. When the pans were heated the steam rose up from the lower pans to the higher ones which meant that this process only required one heat source. He was also a competent blacksmith, then became an expert machinist and fluent in French. Rillieux later returned to France where he lived in Paris and continued working on his inventing and published papers on the uses of steam and the steam engine. Norbert Rillieux found it difficult to convince sugar cane farmers that his invention was worth much but in 1843 he finally was able to use the system at a plantation owned by Theodore Packwood. This meant success after many failed attempts. Norbert Rillieux died in Paris on October 8, 1894.

Resources:

http://www.150.si.edu/150trav/remember/r820.htm

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blrillieux.htm

Image of evaporator:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norbert_Rillieux

Image of Norbert Rillieux:

www.frenchcreoles.com/Pictures/sugarman.jpg

Assignment#4: Charles Goodyear

2008-03-15T16:43:00.003-04:00

Most of you wouldn’t be able to drive your cars without the invention of vulcanization of rubber by Charles Goodyear. Goodyear was an American born in Connecticut in December 29, 1800, who discovered that through a process later on known as vulcanization, rubber could be strengthen to resist hot and cold temperatures.

The rubber industry in the 1830’s was about to collapse when people got tired of how rubber would freeze to become a very hard, messy substance in the winter and how during the summer it would become a glue-like substance. This made Goodyear particularly interested in rubber and in its properties to the point that he sought a way to improve the material and spent 10 years of his life in his attempt. He was very poor and did not have access to large amounts of rubber to experiment with, and so one day, while running out of rubber, he decided to recycle some of it. He added nitric acid to remove bronze from a piece made of rubber he needed. The piece turned black and although at first he thought it was absolutely useless, he soon found out that the rubber also became smooth and dry as cloth. This new improved material was also resistant to cold environments but it would still melt at high temperatures.

Although poverty always stood in the way of Goodyear, he was a very perseverant guy and continued with his experiments. His great discovery happened in 1839 when he decided to work with sulfur by adding it to rubber and one of his samples was accidentally thrown on a hot stove. When Goodyear reached to scrape it off, he saw how the material had charred like leather and around the charred area there was a brown elastic substance. This brown substance was weatherproof rubber and the process of burning a combination of sulfur and rubber he had just discovered would become what is known today as the process of rubber vulcanization.

It took him a while to find a business man to have faith in his invention but he finally did and in 1844, after having perfected his technique, he was able to get a patent for the vulcanization of rubber. This process would revolutionize the rubber industry in later years although Goodyear was never able to benefit financially from his discovery and would die as a poor man in 1860. His invention would allow the manufacturing of all sorts of things made with rubber, but specially rubber tires used today in cars.

An image of Charles Goodyear can be seen in:

users.wfu.edu/jameam5/Serendipity.htm

More details on his life and invention can be found in:

http://www.goodyear.com/corporate/history/history_story.html

Assignment 4 - Cyrus McCormick

2008-03-15T11:06:00.003-04:00

Cyrus McCormick was an American inventor and industrialist born in 1809, in Virginia. He is often called "The Father of Modern Agriculture". Cyrus McCormick was born into a family of farmers in the Shenandoah Valley. His father, Robert Hall McCormick, was an inventor as well, and worked for 16 years to develop a horse drawn reaper to harvest wheat, but was unsuccessful and passed the project on to his son. Cyrus finished his working design of the reaper in 2 months, and had it patented in 1831.

Cyrus moved to Chicago in 1839 and opened a factory to mass produce his invention. The reaper sold extremely well, and soon Cyrus founded the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, later to become a part of the International Harvester Company. The spread of McCormick's reapers were aided by the recent advancements in the railroads, which allowed him to send units nearly anywhere in the U.S.

Cyrus McCormick died in 1884 in Chicago. Control of his company was passed to his grandson. One of Cyrus McCormick's son's married a daughter of John D. Rockefeller, and another funded the research for the first birth control pill.

Information from:
1. Cyrus McCormick - The Reaper. At http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blmccormick.htm

2. Cyrus McCormick. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_McCormick

Assignment 4 Josephine Cochran

2008-03-13T21:37:00.002-04:00

DISHWASHER
The first working automatic dishwasher was invented by Mrs. Josephine Garis (W. A.) Cochran, of Shelbyville, Illinois, in 1889. She was a rich socialite who hated washing dishes but when her good china ended up with chips in it she was upset with her servants and she decided to wash her own dishes. She eventually decided she would invent a washing machine for dishes. Her first invented dishwasher was a wooden tub with a wire basket in it. The washing tub also had rollers pipes and blocks and had a handle on the tub which was turned as hot, soapy water was sprayed into the tub through the pipes and cleaned the dishes. As the dishes sat in the basket with hot water being sprayed on them they were rotated so all surfaces were cleaned. Mrs. Cochrane applied for the patents on the dishwasher and received it on December 28, 1886. Josephine Cochran's machine was first shown at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois. She formed her own company and named it Cochran's Crescent Washing Machine Company. She manufactured the machines which were only initially sold mainly to hotels and restaurants. Cochran's Crescent Washing Machine Company would eventually became known as Kitchen Aid Company. Josephine Cochrane died in 1913.
C:\Documents and Settings\susie\Desktop\AmericanHeritage_com - The Woman Who Invented the Dishwasher.mht.
Drawing of her washing machine
C:\Documents and Settings\susie\Desktop\josephine cochrane.mht

Group 6 - Report 2

2008-03-12T20:50:00.000-04:00

Automatic Nose Picker Steps:

1. marble is dropped into marble maze and goes trough maze
2. marble come out and knocks dominoes set up on a table/something flat over
3. the last domino is tied to a string; the string is the end of a bow; the
domino falls off the table, pulling the bow apart
4. the other end of the bow is attached to a hammer; the hammer slides down
the string after the domino falls
5. the hammer knocks a ball on a table
6. the ball rolls off the table, down a ramp, into a cup; the cup is on a
scale; the weight of the ball pushes down the scale
7. and pushes the other side up; on the other side of the scale is a glove
with a finger pointing up taht goes up into the nose
8. in the cup on the scale, there is a mini maze; the ball goes through the
mini maze and out at the whole on the bottom; the decrease in weight
causes it to go up, pushing the other side down, thus removing the finger
from the nose

Materials:

marble, marble maze, several dominoes, string, hammer, golf ball, pvc pipe or balsa wood for the ramp, plastic cup, plastic/foam/wood chips for the mini maze, scale, gak, glove, glue, old newspaper, paint and chicken wire for the nose

We estimate to be slightly under budget, at about $85, since we are using mostly common, cheap materials. The most expensive item would probably be the scale. We might make it, and if we did that would put our budget at about$100. Someone has the marble maze, which we estimate to be worth $10, from looking at similar toys. The gak is about $8. The rest of the materials are pretty cheap, for exapmle balsa wood, pvc pipe, chicken wire, etc.

The biggest problem we foresee would be building a structure for our steps to go on and be stable.

Group 3 Budget

2008-03-12T16:16:00.000-04:00

As previously mentioned, this Rube Goldberg device will be a complex machine incorporating many different simple steps. The proposed materials on the list mentioned will be used to constuct the steps, some of which will be tumbling dominoes, rolling marble tracks, falling articles, swings steps which allow for hitting other objects, as well as, a completely functioning stapler. The objective of the entire device will be to staple the final paper so that it is ready to be passed in. There may also be an entertaining spin to incorporate all the intermediate steps of this devices, a story that ties it all together. The materials will be bought this coming weekend and the assembly will begin shortly there after. Some potential problems that we may face include: assembling an enclosed Rude Goldberg device, making sure all the steps function properly and independent of human interaction minus the initial step, and staying within budget limitations. Otherwise, we feel that this project has a lot of potential to be a success.

Here is our preliminary budget arranged by the various objects that we plan to incorporate into our design. It is possible that future items not shown here will be incorporated into the final machine or that some items currently shown will not be. Prices are estimated, when cheaper products can be found they will be bought.

dominoes-$5
candle-$2
string-$3
spring (slinky?)-$4
pool ball-$2
marble drop set-$20
weights-$15
hammer-$5
hardware (hinges, nails, glue, etc...) -$20
board-$10
bouncy ball-$1
paper clips-$2
wooden dowels-$5
stapler-$5
paper towel tubes -$1

Total = $100

Group Four Stuff

2008-03-12T15:11:00.002-04:00

Our machine will roughly cost about $90, although we already had a lot of the stuff we would be using. Some interesting ideas have come to mind, a lot of them haven't been featured in a Rube Goldberg design that we've seen before, so we don't really want to list them out in full detail. Ultimately, a doggy toy will be launched for one of our group member's dogs to chase after.

2008-03-12T13:19:00.005-04:00

Assignment #4 Thomas Davenport

2008-03-12T10:08:00.002-04:00

Thomas Davenport was born in Vermont in 1802. His education was limited and he apprenticed as a blacksmith at age 14 for seven years in exchange for six weeks of rural schooling. He had a passion for music and books. In 1833 Thomas had heard that Penfield and Hammond Iron Works was using a new method of separating ore by using magnetized spikes, this sparked his interest in electromagnetism and he started to collect books and journals about it. He also had heard about a magnet that was strong enough to lift a blacksmith's anvil. He and his brother traveled to Crown Point and traded for a magnetic. He studied the magnet and learned how to make his own. In 1835 he invented the first rotary engine run by using electricity and magnets. A magnet was set on a wheel and another was set on a stationary point. Electricity was added and the magnets would cause the wheel to move continuously. He used this motor to do various tasks in his shop. He then moved on to a electric model train run by electromagnetism. His machine finally got a patent in 1837 after showing it to many professors and selling his first machine to the first engineering university in New York. He used his electric motor to drive a printing press. He moved to Wall Street to try and sell the idea of and electric train, but because chemical batteries were so unpredictable at the time, he went bankrupt. He moved back to Vermont and wrote books on what had learned and also experimented on electricity with musical instruments, later he died of a fatal illness in 1852.

http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/july99/features/blacksmith/blacksmith.html
http://www.famousamericans.net/thomasdavenport/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/1800a.shtml

Assignment 4 - John Stith Pemberton

2008-03-11T23:45:00.004-04:00

John Stith Pemberton (1831-1888) was a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia. He fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the 3rd Georgia Cavalry. He was fascinated by the coca-leaf which was chewed by natives of Bolivia and Peru, which acted as a stimulant and aid for digestion, among other things. His invention of the first drink was Pemberton's French Wine Coca, which included the coca-leaf, he recommended this drink to soldiers to overcome morphine addiction which was common during the war, even Pemberton himself had a serious morphine addiction. Improving his drink, and partnering with Frank Robinson, Pemberton created a new formula of a drink called Coca-Cola in 1886, renaming the previous drink due to prohibition laws, removing wine and sweetining with sugar. Pemberton died poor in 1888, selling most of his shares before his death. The coca ingrediant was later removed. The formula is still secret till this day.

For picture and article:
http://www.cocaine.org/coca-cola/index.html

Group 2 Report 2

2008-03-11T19:05:00.002-04:00

Our construction budget is $80 with most of the supplies already in our possession, so not too much shopping will have to be done. The materials that will be used will be common household productslike string, buckets, etc. with the possibility of having to buy cheap wood to make some of the pieces. We have a preliminary design drawing that looks very interesting and we hope to be able to have the project fashioned in the shape of a circle with the end result of the pen clicking happening in the middle of the circle. There have been no construction problems so far in this project.

Assignment 4

2008-03-11T16:16:00.000-04:00

Assignmet 4

Jesse W. Reno

Jesse W. Reno was born in 1861 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. His father was American Civil War military man, Jesse L. Reno. His father went to Lehigh University in 1883 and obtained a engineering degree. Jesse W. Reno invented the first working escalator in 1891. It was patented on March 15, 1892. It consisted of a stationary handrail and inclined at an angle of 25 degrees. A version with a moving handrail was introduced during the same year it was invented. This invention provided transportation for passengers riding on cleats that were attached to the belt. His invention was known as the “inclined elevator”. His invention became a ride at Coney Island in New York City. This invention first served for amusement and later as practical transport. The elevator was later re-designed by Charles Seeberger in 1897, which came up with the name escalator.

Jesse W. Reno Picture

http://www.chronicas.com/bearings-images/Jesse-W-Reno.jpg

Partial Invention Image

http://www.chronicas.com/bearings-images/reno-escalator-london.jpg

Assignment 4-Samuel Colt

2008-03-10T23:18:00.001-04:00

Samuel Colt (1814-1862) was born in Hartford, Connecticut to Christopher Colt and Sarah Caldwell. His mother died when he was only 2, and he had six siblings. His three sisters would all die either in childhood or by suicide. He was then raised by his step-mother, Olive Sargeant. He became fascinated with guns when he read the Compendium of Knowledge, which included articles on Robert Fulton. Later in 1829 when he worked in a textile plant in Massachusetts, he had access to the necessary resources to build a galvanic gunpowder battery, which he exploded in Ware Lake.

In 1832 when his father financed his invention of two pistols, he ultimately failed because of poor mechanics. However, after a brief trip across the U.S. giving nitrous oxide demonstrations to raise money, he started using better gunsmiths. At the age of 18 he applied for a patent for his revolver. He then traveled to England where he received a patent for his revolver, and then on to France. He would then return to the U.S. and finally received the patent for his revolver. He would become famous for his use of interchangeable parts in the guns. He next founded Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company in New Jersey. He also invented the first underwater telegraph cable. Later in his life he went on to establish a factory in Connecticut and took steps to improve his employee’s work conditions. He established a 10 hour work day with a mandatory 1 hour lunch break. He also built the Charter Oak Hall, a club for his employees. In 1856 he married Elizabeth Jarvis and had a son.

http://www.netstate.com/states/peop/people/ct_sc.htm

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1B1-361184.html

http://www.colt.com/mil/history.asp

Assignment #4 - David Alter

2008-03-10T18:20:00.004-04:00

David Alter, who lived from 1807-1881, was a scientist, doctor, and one of the most productive, yet often unmentioned, inventors in American history. Starting off as a Medical Doctor in the 1830's in Pennsylvania, Alter was married, had a house, and was living the perfect life by all present definitions of the term.

In 1836, however, his first major invention was created- the electric telegraph. Created a year before that of Morse's design, this telegraph was constructed between his house and his barn. Many inventors have disregarded this invention; saying that it was too similar to that of Morse's; even if it did predate it. He responded simply by saying that the main difference between them was that he had heard of Morse's invention because of its popularity; but Morse could not say the same for Alter's invention.

In the 1840's, Alter remarried, manufactured Bromine, and was one of the first photographers for Freeport, Pennsylvania. During this time, he was still working as a physician and he also manned a weather station (yay weather!!).

In 1852, he discovered Spectral Analysis; so Chemists and Mechanical Engineers: you totally have him to thank for that! (He "discovered" it when he found a shard of melted glass after a huge fire.) He also created an electric clock; made a short range telephone much earlier than Alexander Graham Bell did, and invented the electric buggy- an early car.

http://www.akvhs.org/DavidAlter.htm <- Includes a few pictures, just surf around :]

http://www.answers.com/topic/david-alter

Assignment #4

2008-03-10T15:58:00.002-04:00

This assignment is due by Monday, March 24th, by 8 pm. Late assignments will be docked 5 points per hour they are late. Please post early and on time. Also, where applicable, provide a link to any website or information you use--do not post images directly to the blog.

Assignment 4.

Briefly discuss a scientist/inventor/engineer (not discussed in class) who lived in America (NOTE: Do not use any non-American inventors) between 1800 and 1900. Give a brief synopsis of their life and the discovery/invention/design/creation they are famous for. Provide a link to any images of 1) the individual and 2) what they discovered/invented.

Do not copy anyone from the first three assignments!

Do not simply copy and paste anything from another website. This is supposed to be in your own words and should be written as paragraphs, not just bullet points or a list. The average length should be a full paragraph or two.

Good luck!

Karl Benz

2008-02-29T16:54:00.006-05:00

Karl Benz was a German -born engineer who is credited with inventing the first gas-powered car. Benz was born in Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany on November 24, 1844. After losing his father at the age of 2, he lived with his mother in a not-so-wealthy setting. His mother ensured that he received an education, and this was only to his benefit, as Karl was an extremely bright student, who went on to attend what would now be referred to as a magnet school for science. When Karl turned 15, he Karlsruhe Polytechnic University, where he studied locksmithing, but then changed his studies to locomotive engineering. After Karl left the university, he tried his hand at various jobs in the mechanical engineering field, none of which suited him. In 1871, Benz opened a mechanical work shop with a man named August Ritter. Around the same time, he married Bertha Ringer, and produced five children. Benz faced ups and downs with his initial business, which got him to thinking about other ways to make money, and hence, the two-cycle engine and the "speed regulation system" were born.

An interesting note about Karl Benz is that he invented and received patents for all of the systems leading up to the car. He didn't call it the car of course, he labeled it the "Benz Patent Motorwagen." Benz made a transition from his original company, mainly because he wasn't allowed a very big role in how it was run and his design ideas weren't being considered. He then founded Benz & Company Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik (Benz and Company Rhine Gas-Motor Fabrication) otherwise noted as Benz and Cie. Benz and Cie. would market the Motorwagen and eventually expand and market the first truck. Benz would also found Benz Sons, after leaving Benz and Cie. These companies would continue to manufacture up into the twentieth century manufacturing for the war effort and eventually merged with Daimler, their main comptetior in 1926.

Karl Benz died in 1926, but his wife and son would carry on his work.

Karl Benz
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbenz.htm

His Inventions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Benz

Joseph Aspdin

2008-02-29T12:41:00.001-05:00

Joseph Aspdin was a cement manufacturer born in 1778 in England. His father was a bricklayer in Yorkshire and Joseph followed his father into his trade. He worked for his father until 1817 when he set up his own business in Leeds. On October 21^st, 1874 he received a patent for a new mixture of stone he had created that he called Portland cement. Portland cement was named after a stone mined from a quarry on the coast of England on the isle of Portland. Stone from there was known at the time to be the very highest quality of stone around.

Joseph Aspdin soon joined into a partnership with William Beverly after getting his patent. They set up a plant in Wakefield to produce the cement and continued to do so there until 1838 when a railroad company bought the land and removed the building to allow for tracks to be laid. The plant was moved to another site in Wakefield and continued production under Joseph until he retired in 1844 and gave the business to his eldest son James.

Images of Jospeh Aspdin

http://www.concretethinker.com/Content/ImageLib/history1_275p.jpg

Kirkpatrick Macmillan

2008-02-28T21:03:00.001-05:00

Though the beginning of transportation and wheels might have started with cavemen back in the day, it wasn’t until the 1800s when the ideas of bicycles came around for everyday use. In 1813 Kirkpatrick Macmillan was born in the small town Keir in southwest Scotland. He grew up working various jobs and quickly became the prospective son of a blacksmith. Kirkpatrick grew up with a vivid imagination that sparked when he witnessed a hobbyhorse on the streets of Scotland. He quickly became determined to recreate this invention with some major improvements. By eliminating the idea of pushing the vehicle forward by one’s own feet, pedals were added onto the invention to create the first bicycle in 1839. This petal-bicycle was a very large invention that proved to be heavy and cumbersome. However, Kirkpatrick was determined and mastered the vehicle, riding it throughout the city. It has actually been recorded that he was fined 5 shillings for running over a small girl at a total of 8 miles per hour! Like many inventors, he never thought to patent his ideas. His bicycle was quickly stolen, patented, and made a heavy profit to many people. A reproduction of Kirkpatrick’s invention can be found at the Transport Museum in Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall. Later in 1854, he married a young woman named Elsie Gordie and had six children. Kirkpatrick Macmillan passed away on January 26^th 1878 at the young age of 65.

A picture of his invention: http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/images/lallement.jpg

http://www.ba-gb.com/images/velocipe.jpg

The man himself: http://www.futuremuseum.co.uk/images/cache/Img2510S1000.jpg

Power Outage and Papers

2008-02-26T14:58:00.002-05:00

Due to a power outage on campus and the campus being closed on Tuesday, please turn in the exams tomorrow, Wednesday, by 5pm. When you get off the elevators of the 6th floor of Crawford, you will find a series of mailboxes. Leave it in the one with my name.

Matt

campus closed

2008-02-26T14:04:00.000-05:00

With campus being closed due to the power failure, should we just turn in our papers tomorrow?

2008-02-22T23:04:00.002-05:00

Pellegrino Turri was the Itallian inventor of the first working typewriter in 1808. He created this machine for his blind lover, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzono. The problem was that she had no way of writing him letters when they were away from each other because she didn’t know if she was writing in a straight line or if she even had ink on her quill. Turri also invented carbon paper in 1806, which was used with the typewriter. Before Turri’s invention, there was a patent application for a machine that was meant to do the work of a typewriter around 1714; however, there is no record of it having been created. The typewriter was not put into commercial production until 1870 and the Qwerty keyboard layout, which is still used today, was designed by Christopher Sholes in 1874.

Example of an early typewriter (“writing ball” invented by Malling Hansen in 1870).

George de Mestral (Velcro)

2008-02-22T14:38:00.006-05:00

George de Mestral was born June 19th 1907 in Nyon (Switzerland) he was always considered to be an intelligent boy at the age twelve eh developed an airplane and patented it. He attended the (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (EPFL) that is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Laussane Switzerland. De Martel was a very adventurous person and his hobbies displayed his love for adventure and love of the outdoors. He was an amateur mountaineer and participated in this every opportunity he had. After he graduated he worked in the machine shop of an engineering company where he continued his love of design and engineering. But it was love of nature which lead him to the discovery of Velcro. On his nature walks he often took his dog with him and he also wore wool pants. After the trips he and his dogs would be covered in burrs he studied the way the burrs attached to himself and his dog. He began experimenting with the burrs and eventually developed a synthetic material to mimic the effect of the burrs and he called this material Velcro. He was first meet with great amount of resistance of the new product but eventually he patent the product in 1955 which eventually turned into a billion dollar product and industry
http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/iap/inventors_dem.html

Assignment 3; Willem Einthoven

2008-02-21T21:04:00.010-05:00

Willem Einthoven was born on May 21, 1860 and was a Dutch physiologist, doctor, and inventor. He invented the first (working and practical) electrocardiogram (also known as an EKG or an ECG) in 1903 and in 1924, won the noble prize for his research. As we learned in class, scientists knew that the heart sent out little electrical pulses when it beat, but no one could prove it without taking the heart out of someone (Temple of doom style?) and hooking it up to electrodes and pumping small currents thought it again.

In 1885, Einthoven had earned a medical degree from the University of Utrecht and in 1886, he became a professor at the University of Leiden, where he preformed some of his research. In 1901, Einthoven began creating small electromagnetic fields when current passed through filament wire on a galvanometer that he had reinvented to be sensitive enough to measure heart beats and block out the "white noise" of flesh and bones, et cetera. A patients hands and feet were stuck in huge buckets of a very strong salt water solution to help with electricity conduction.

Einthoven passed away on September 29th, 1927 in Leiden and is buried at 6 Haarlemmerstraatweg in Oegstgeest. And yes, I can prenounce that. :]

His EKG weighed in at about 600 pounds and took 5 people to make it work as the water required cooling in order to work. Medical students should recognize his name from the term "Einthoven's Triangle" which is an imaginary triangle drawn when an EKG is given to a patient.

http://hamradio.nikhef.nl/afd/woerden/art/enthoven.hti

http://www.einthoven.nl/Einthoven-algemeen/einthoven_historical_pictures.html

Assignment 3: Jean Bernard Leon Foucault

2008-02-21T20:48:00.004-05:00

Jean Bernard Leon Foucault was born on September 18, 1819 in Paris, France. He was a physicist. While growing up, Jean had been educated mainly at home where he studied medicine. He began to grow an interest in physics as he grew older because he had a fear of blood. Alfred Donne took Jean as an assistant on microscopic anatomy for three years. He then moved on to work with A. Fizeau where they investigated light intensity and of the sun. Jean compared his findings with the carbon from an arc lamp. From this he made his own measurement of the speed of light. Foucault is best known for the invention of the Foucault pendulum. In 1851 he performed a demonstration in the Pantheon in Paris of the diurnal motion of earth. This consisted of a freely suspended pendulum that rotated in a plane of oscillation which was related to the Earth’s surface. This was the first time anyone proved the Earth’s rotation on its axis. Foucault was later made a member of the Royal Society in 1864. On February 11, 1868 he died from a case of multiple sclerosis and was laid to rest in the Cimetiere de Monmartre.

Midterm

2008-02-21T18:19:00.001-05:00

History of Science Midterm
February 21, 2008

You must turn in a typed copy of your answers, in class, by 5pm on Tuesday, February 26th. Late exams will be docked one letter grade for every hour they are late; no exam will be accepted past 8 pm.

The length of your answers may vary, depending on how well you decided to answer the questions. Any quotations need to be properly cited. Do not copy the answer from the book(s). Answers may be either typed single space or double spaced. These questions are usually part-think piece, part historical. If you have any questions, please send me an email, or preferably, post it on the blog comment section of this question.

YOU MUST ANSWER ONE QUESTION FROM EACH SECTION!

Section One: General

1) Discuss the progression of scientific advances in one of the following fields: astronomy/physics, chemistry, or the natural world (biology/zoology), from the Renaissance to the early 19th century.

2) Discuss the progression of medical advances in one of the following professions: physician, surgeon, or psychiatrist, from the Renaissance to the late 18th century.

Section Two: Specific

3) What is "phlogiston theory"? Who was responsible for advancing this theory, what were their claims, and how was it eventually discredited?

4) Who were Buffon and Fourier? What contributions did they make to advance science in the 18th century? How did later scientists view their contributions?