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Revolver, Samuel Colt
On this date, the US government granted Samuel Colt the first patent on his Colt Revolver. This would eventually lead to the creation of the Colt's Manufacturing Company. Also in this year, Colt creates other models of firearms and costructed his first manufacturing plant in Paterson, NJ. Colt's innovative designs spread to England and are eventually sent to the US Ordnance Dept. and are first put into use in the Civil War. The company continued to grow after Colt's death. -
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Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
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Sewing Machine, Isaac Singer
After seeing the original design of the sewing machine, Isaac Singer had many ideas to improve the invention. He called this innovation the lockstitch sewing machine. Shortly after this in 1851, Singer founded his first lockstitch sewing machine company, I.M. Singer & Company with New York lawyer Edward C. Clark. -
Elevator w/ Brakes, Elisha Graves Otis
In 1853, inventor Elisha Graves Otis created a new type of elevator with a safety stopping device in case the main cable should break. This eventually led to the creation of his company, the Otis Elevator Company. -
Manned Glider, George Cayley
In 1804, Cayley had developed a flying machine with a layout similar to our modern airplanes. At some time around 1849, Cayley developed a biplane. Lastly in 1853, along with an engineer and his grandson, also named George Cayley, developed a large-scale glide. They flew this in front of Wydale Hall in New York. -
Bessemer Process, Henry Bessemer
In Sir Henry Bessemer's autobiography, he states that military interests started increasing amongst inventors after the Crimean War. Steel was needed to make weapons, but at that time steel was too expensive to make anything more than small tools such as knives. In 1955, Bessemer began experimenting with wasy to more inexpensively produce steel in large quantities. In that year, Bessemer filed his first patent of the Bessemer Process. -
Bicycle, Pierre Michaux
Pierre Michaux was a blacksmith who was originally known for making carriage pieces in Paris. He supposedly attached foot pedals to a draisine and created the first "bicycle", although it was arguably invented by one of his sons. Later in the 1860's, he formed a partnership with the Olivier Bros. to create Michaux and Company, the first major bike manufacturer. -
Dynamite, Alfred Nobel
Swedish engineer Alfred Noble built many bridges and buildings in his career. This work inspired new ways of exploding and blasting rock. Because of this need, Nobel began experimenting with different chemicals to find a way to make a better explosive. He started on a small scale, filing for patents for the detonar and blasting caps made from nitroglycerine. In 1866, however, he figured out that if nitroglycerine was combined with silica would create a paste. this paste was dynamite. -
Transatlantic Telegraph completed, Cyrus West Field
Prior to its first successful completion, many transatlantic cables were laid but all of them either malfunctioned while being laid, or stopped working shortly after their installment. Field was persistent in lobbying for Congress to pass the Atlnatic Cable Act. This act was passed through legislation by one vote, and on his last day in office, President Franklin Pierce signed the act.. The first fully operational line was run from Canada to the UK, with a land connection to the US. -
Barbed Wire, Joseph Glidden
After in original creation and patent, Glidden's original design proved to be unsuccessful. Two other inventors then tried adding points to smooth wire, which also failed. It wasn't until Glidden's creation of two zinc-coated steel wires wrapped together with sharp point protruding at certain intervals was the idea fully adopted. The invention was perfect for building protective fences to keep cattle or other animals contained. It was later adopted by the military to use in combat. -
Internal Cumbustion Engine, Nicholaus August Otto
Despite the patent for the internal combustion engine being under Otto's name, he actually spent about a decade developing different engines with a man named Eugen Langen. Thier free piston atmospheric engine won the grand prize at the Paris World Exhibition of 1867. However, the engine took up too much space and could not provide sufficient horse power. Otto and Langen soon parted ways and Otto went back to one of his first designs and later produced a more efficient internal combustion engine. -
Telephone, Alexander Graham Bell
Though credit is given to Alexander Graham Bell, the original inventor of the telephone can be disputed. However, it is confirmed that Bell had the first patent. The telephone was revolutionary in long distance communication, and many people would go on to further develop the device after its release. Other inventors that worked on the telephone originally include Innocenzo Manzetti, Elisha Gray, Antonio Meucci, Johann Reis, and Thomas Edison. -
Refrigerated Train Cars, Gustavus Swift
Refigerated train cars have been in nonstop use since their creation. The demand for effective and conditioned food transport was on the rise, especially after the boom of the meat packing industry in Chicago. The original design of the refrigerator car was edited many times, but were specifically known for their debut on the Swift Refrigerator Line. -
Light Bulb and Direct Current
Edison did not invent the first electric lightbulb, but he did invent the first commercially practical one. Edison's quote "I have no failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work" is usually associated with his invention of the lightbulb. Edison lightbulb could last around 1200 hours and revolutionized lighting. Edison's idea of promoting Direct Current brought about widespread industrial use of DC because of its capability of withstanding higher voltages. -
Induction Electric Motor, Nikola Tesla
The induction motor used alternating magnetic fields to power. This was a unique, innovative, and effective way of using electricity to power a motor, instead of using fuel or manpower. Tesla's 2 phase induction motor, meaning it has two sources of electricity, caused the polarity to constantly switch between North and South. This cause the rotor to spin, thus generating torque. The induction motor used alternating current to its full potential. -
Diesel Engine, Rudolf Diesel
The diesel engine is powered by the heat of compression, as opposed to the ignition of gasses as found in a tradiotional internal combustion engine. The diesel engine is optimum for larger machines and vehicles due to its durability and typically higher horse power. It has been modified and near perfected now and is now in international use in freight trucks and lots of cargo ships. -
Alternating Current, George Westinghouse
The introduction of the alternating current brought about widespread household and commercial use. It became the basis a crucial part of some inventions such as Tesla's induction motor. Alternating current is when the flow of electric charge is periodically reversed, as opposed to direct current which as a constant flow in one direction. Alternating current is optimum for small buildings and lower voltages. -
Motion Picture, Lumiere Brothers
The Lumiere brothers revolutionized the entertainment industry. Motion pictures, or movies, allowed both artists and movie makers alike to share their creations with the world. The original motion picture camera made movies by taking lots of pictures in quick succession and putting them on film. These negatives were then developed and run in front of a light and projected onto a screen. Today videos are recorded digitally. -
First Successful Airplane, Wright Brothers
The Wright brothers famous first flight in Kitty Hawk, NC was the beginning of a new era. However, they were most certainly not the first to dream of air travel. George Cayley's manned glider, among others did come first. But the Wright brothers wanted, sustained, fast air travel. The picture attached shows the take off of their first successful flight. The biplane was later perfected and used in war. Now, propeller planes are aging out and jets are dominating our skies. -
Model-T, Henry Ford
The Model-T was the first commercially released and produced automobile. Henry Ford, the namesake of the car company Ford, was the first to use the assembly line in his manufacturing plant. The became a popular and effective method for mass producing products. It utilizes an internal combustion engine. The Model-T was an inspiration to lots of car makers and started the era of widespread automoblies.
