The Book of Invention December 30, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Home & Garden, Humor, People.Tags: Books, Humor, Inventions, Remote control, Science, Vending machine
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The Book of Invention, by Thomas J. Craughwell, is a fascinating look at 250 of the most important inventions through the ages.
In between the invention of Paint for pre-historic cave paintings (circa 30,000 B.C.) and more modern inventions like the Internet (1983) and DNA Fingerprinting (1984), the author addresses 247 other inventions and their inventors.
Here they are . . . in chronological order:
Inventions B.C.: Pottery, Sewing Needle, Boomerang, Oil Lamps, Baskets, Bricks, Mirror, Sugar, Clock, Loom, Sauna, Wheel, Wigs, Sundial, Plow, Bronze, Oven, Alphabet, Buttons, Candle, Charcoal, Ink, Paper, Sewer System, Silk, Veneer, Umbrella, Bells, Glass, Rivet, Soap, Porcelain, Scissors, Carts and Chariots, False Teeth, Saddle, Coins, Aqueduct, Arch, Stirrups, Aspirin, Catapult, Paved Roads, Lighthouse, Wallpaper, Clothes Iron, Cement, Compass
1st – 10th Centuries, A.D.: Easel, Vending Machine (to dispense holy water at an Egyptian Shrine), Dome, Fork, Carousel, Horseshoes, Windmill, Paper Money, Chimney, Gunpowder, Fireworks
11th – 18th Centuries: Ambulance, Cannon, Flying Buttress, Hourglass, Printing Press, Globe (1492), Screw, Sawmill, Newspaper, Telescope, Barometer, Combination Lock, Microscope, Steam Engine, Thermometer, Dental Braces, Flush Toilet, Franklin Stove, Glue, Lightning Rod, Bifocals, Jigsaw Puzzle, Submarine, Balloon, Guillotine, Battery, Cotton Gin, Corkscrew, Pencil, Vaccination, Ball Bearings, Parachute
19th Century: Locomotive, Matches, Tin Can, Stethoscope, Fire Extinguisher, Elastic Fabric, Braille, Lawnmower, Mechanical Reaper, Dry Ice, Colt Revolver, Morse Code, Bicycle, Camera, Postage Stamp, Anesthesia, Vulcanized Rubber, Rubber Band, Sewing Machine, Suspension Bridge, Antiseptics, Odometer, Safety Pin, Milking Machine, Elevator, Syringe, Lifejacket, Pasteurization, Toilet Paper, Oil Well, Window Screens, Torpedo, Underground Trains, Dynamite, Periodic Table of Elements, Square-Bottom Paper Bag, Typewriter, Air Brakes, Can Opener, Blue Jeans, Barbed Wire, Internal Combustion Engine, Telephone, Microphone, Phonograph, Refrigerator, Light Bulb, Cash Register, Shower, Stapler, Player Piano, Electric Fan, Skyscraper, Automobile, Dishwasher, Contact Lenses, Paper Drinking Straw, Pneumatic Tires, Motion Pictures, Escalator, Carborundum, Slot Machine, Radio, X-Ray, Mousetrap, Hearing Aid, Paper Clip
1900 – 1925: Washing Machine, Air Conditioning, Safety Razor, Vacuum Cleaner, Flashlight, Airplane, Coat Hanger, Colored Crayons, Windshield Wiper, Fly Swatter, Outboard Motor, Plastic, Aluminum Foil, Geiger Counter, Nutcracker, Stainless Steel, Turn and Brake Signals, Armored Combat Tank, Wristwatch, Drywall, Adhesive Bandage, Zipper, Pop-Up Toaster, Traffic Light, Cotton Swabs, Frozen Food, Adhesive Tape, Fax Machine
1926 – 1950: Liquid-Fueled Rocket, Aerosol Spray, Respirator, Television, Bread-Slicing Machine, Penicillin, Chain Saw, Sunglasses, Saran Wrap, Answering Machine, Nylon, Parking Meter, Radar, Sunscreen, Aluminum Siding, Nonreflecting Glass, Photocopier, Shopping Cart, Teflon, Toothbrush, Ballpoint Pen, Helicopter, Paperback Book, Duct Tape, Aqualung, Atomic Bomb, Microwave Oven, Kitty Litter, Transistor, Frisbee, Zamboni, Artificial Cardiac Pacemaker, Credit Card, Disposable Diapers
1951 – 1984: Bar Code, Fiber Optics, Calculator, Robot, Synthetic Diamond, Hovercraft, Velcro, Television Remote Control, Satellite, Laser, Three-Point Seat Belt, Ultrasound Imaging, In Vitro Fertilization, Artificial Turf, Athletic Shoe, Kevlar, ATM, Air Bags, Computer Mouse, Smoke Detector, Compact Disk, E-mail, Space Shuttle, Early Pregnancy Test, Personal Computer, Post-it Notes, GPS, Internet, DNA Fingerprinting
Wow! That’s a long list! And a surprising one.
It’s hard to believe that the Atomic Bomb came before Kitty Litter . . . that Submarines pre-dated the Guillotine . . . that Airplanes came before Coat Hangers . . . that we had a Space Shuttle before we had Post-it Notes . . . that Escalators and X-rays arrived before Mouse Traps and Paper Clips . . . that Air Conditioning came before Fly Swatters.
But, perhaps most surprising of all, is the following timeline:
* 5,000 years ago, the village of Skara Brae in Scotland’s Orkney Islands had a sewer system connected to small toilet chambers in their houses.
* In 1596, Sir John Harrington (1561-1612) designed and built a flush toilet for his cousin, England’s Queen Elizabeth I. The cascade of water made so much noise, Elizabeth refused to use it.
* The first valve-operated toilet arrived in 1738 in France.
* But it wasn’t until 1857 that Joseph Gayetty of New York produced the first roll of “Therapeutic Paper for use in the loo. It contained aloe.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Any surprises on the list for you?
All I want to know is, who invented cake? And can I give them a high-five?
Really cool post.
Cake, pizza, and chocolate must be in Vol. 2:
The Book of IMPORTANT Inventions: FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD.
Whoa! That is lots to take in. I think I will come back when I am more awake and firing all brain cells Nancy.
You should have seen the list BEFORE I separated it into time periods. Talk about a head splitting read.
The timing of many of these inventions is certainly surprising! Also surprising are some of the choices for mention. He seems to have a hygiene fixation, for one thing. Also, I would hardly have regarded the paper clip as a really significant and life-changing item.
Aah . . . but before the paper clip, office workers often became “buried alive” in mountains of ill-behaved paperwork. Also, they often cut themselves using earlier fasteners . . . creating a bloody mess that required extra typing. Hard to accomplish with bandaged fingers.
*unconvinced* They could have reverted to the Stone Age – pebble paperweights. That controlls unruly sheets admirably.
The ONLY fasteners ON my desk are paper clips . . . the stapler is about a yard away, same with the rubber bands.
How about you?
Likewise, in the kitchen, we use paper clips and binder clips to close bags of chips, pretzels, crackers, and cereal.
Rubber bands are rarely used in the kitchen . . . and staples NEVER (I’d be too afraid that we’d end up swallowing it).
That said, it does seem odd to have “paper clips” on the same list as the steam engine, airplanes, and atomic bombs.
Sounds just my kind of book, Nancy! The post must have taken a lot of patience to compile!!
We gave the book to my brother-in-law (an inventor) for Christmas . . . but we had to poke our noses into its table of contents first. Fascinating read, Kate. Right up your alley.
What a neat book. Funny all of the items that we take for granted.
Definitely a great book to flip through for inspiration.
Love this post,Nancy…I have always been fascinated with the timeline of inventions…and the people who did the inventing.:) I’ll have to try to get a copy of this..but your awesome list makes for a great read in itself!
Yes, the person who invented cake deserves a high-five…and the person who ‘invented’ calories deserves…….:)
Have a wonderful New Year, Nancy…it’s been an exciting year,,great in many ways…horrible for some in others…I look forward to 2013 with eager anticipation…I am now OFFICIALLY RETIRED!
CONGRATULATIONS! You’re retired . . . from work, not life. Now you have the whole of the NOW at your beck and call. And, soon, you shall wonder how you ever found the time to work at all.
My husband says that exact thing, Nancy…he wonders how he had time to do anything while he was working.:)
Thanks for the good wishes…I’m excited and happy.:)
Speaking of happy….Happy New Year!
My personal favorite, the camera.
Not so favorite, fireworks!
I gotta tell you though TP is right up there. And it has to be OVER not UNDER!!!…
Good pick, Pix. Cameras capture “Kodak Moments” and allow us to share them.
I could live without paper towels, paper napkins, paper cups, and paper plates . . . but I want my TP in convenient soft and absorbant rolls.
What a lengthy list. The surprise to me was the vending machine to dispense holy water! Isn’t that an interesting thought! I wonder if younger people realize we didn’t have credit cards until the 50′s. I don’t think my parents had one until mid-sixties. And toothbrushes weren’t invented until between 1926 and 1950? That is shocking to me…I would have presumed they’d been around for centuries. Maybe not in bright, kid-friendly colors, but good dental hygiene! Interesting post, Nancy. Happy, healthy new year, my friend!
You’re right about toothbrushes, Debra . . . our current style of nylon toothbrushes is the 20th century invention. Before that, people used willow branches or pine needles (or something like that) to brush their less-than-pearly whites.
Tonight, eat chocolate for good luck in the coming year
Laugh this evening and 2013 will overflow with good cheer
Happy New Year!