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Jan 1, 1440
Printing Press
Around the 1440’s Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press. Before the printing press was invented, people used block printing, in which a printer carved words on a wooden block, dipped in ink, and then stamped it on paper. This was very insufficient, but the printing press was able to produce hundreds of a single work faster and cheaper. Finally, books were cheap enough for people to buy. Printers mainly focused on religious works, but soon after, they provided books on a variety of subject -
Sir Isaac Newton (reflecting telescope)
Benjamin Franklin was a famous inventor, scientist, and politician who is known as one of our founding fathers. In 1752, Franklin made the discovery of electricity. He did this through his invention of the lightning rod. He also invented bifocals This allows people to see near and far by cutting and putting back together two different lenses. Ben also invented the Franklin stove. This invention was put into many homes. He even invented the odometer, which kept track of distance. -
Fahrenheit Scale
In 1724, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit introduced the Fahrenheit Scale that shows the accurate changes in temperature of the weather. Daniel based the scale on the temperature of the human body. The Fahrenheit scale divided the freezing and boiling points of water into 180 degrees. Today, the most common country that bases their thermometer on the Fahrenheit Scale is the United States. -
Benjamin Franklin (lightning rod)
Benjamin Franklin was a famous inventor, scientist, and politician who is known as one of our founding fathers. In 1752, Franklin made the discovery of electricity. He did this through his invention of the lightning rod. He also invented bifocals This allows people to see near and far by cutting and putting back together two different lenses. Ben also invented the Franklin stove. This invention was put into many homes. He even invented the odometer, which kept track of distance. -
Watt’s Steam Engine (separate condenser)
Coal miners used steam-powered pumps to remove water from deep mine shafts. This early steam engine was very expensive because it required a lot of fuel. James Watt solved this problem in 1765 by creating the separate condenser. He made a chamber separate from the cylinder which allowed the piston cylinder to stay the same temperature with no energy wasted. Therefore, he made the steam engine work faster and more efficiently while burning less fuel. -
Spinning Mule
Cotton was very popular in the 1800’s, but the past spinning machines were inefficient and was made by hand. In 1779, Samuel Crompton invented the spinning mule to speed up the process. The spinning mule had features of the moving carriage from the spinning jenny and the rollers from the water frame. The spinning mule made thread that was stronger, finer, and more consistent than earlier spinning machines. This machine also gave more control to the spinner as they weaved the thread. -
First Factory in USA
Originally, England was the only country with access to the information to build these factories. The first factory in the United States of America was in 1789 by Samuel Slater. This was a mill that produced textiles of cloth. Samuel Slater was able to figure out how the mills worked, allowing production in the United States of America. This allowed America's economy to take off and created many more jobs. -
Guillotine
Invented by Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin, this killing machine sprouted a time of Terror France. While this type of capital punishment sounds cruel to us now, it was actually a much more efficient and humane way of executing people than what had existed before. The guillotine was introduced to the French people in 1792. -
Cotton Gin
In the 1790’s removing seeds from the raw cotton by hand was hard work. In 1793, Eli Whitney invented a machine called the cotton gin to solve this problem. The cotton gin multiplied the amount of cotton that could be cleaned. Thanks to Whitney’s invention, the cotton production skyrocketed from 1.5 million pounds in 1790 to 85 million pounds in 1810. -
Stethoscope
In 1816, Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec invented the stethoscope which allowed doctors to listen to the heart, lungs, stomach, or any other sounds produced by a human or an animal. Most are made of rubber tubing which allow sound to enter from one end, travel through the tubes, and out to the ear pieces. Stethoscopes are very useful because doctors can detect if there is a problem with someone’s heartbeat. -
Rabies Vaccine
In 1882, Louis Pasteur invented the first vaccine for Rabies. Pasteur first experimented on rabbits, but ended up killing many of the infected animals. His failure only encouraged him to work on his invention. In 1885 his vaccine worked. Pasteur cured a young boy who was bitten by a rabid dog. Louis Pasteur was very successful and continues to save infected victims today. -
Radioactivity by Madame Curie
Radioactivity was discovered by Madame Curie in 1901. She was the first person to discover radioactive elements with the help of her husband. She discovered radium and polonium. Madame Curie researched and studied the x-rays that these elements gave off. She found that these x-rays can be used to kill tumors.
