Lesson 36: Electromechanical Relay
The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787 to discuss revising the Articles of Confederation which was the law of the land at the time. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton wanted it gone and replaced with a constitution that said all states had to agree on going to war and there was no taxing power for the government. They used Shay’s rebellion to untruthfully write to George Washington and they said that the rebellion was a big problem so he came to the meeting. The Articles of Confederation was replaced with the U.S. Constitution and that led to George Washington becoming the first president of America. Joseph Henry was born in New York in 1797. He became a silversmith and was interested in Science. He became a engineer then a science Professor. He invented the multiple coil magnet in 1831 and the Relay in 1835. The Relay is a Electromechanical switch that allows a remote operation of circuits. It is powered by a electromagnet. Its function helped it spread initially and it spread quickly after 1837. The telephone also used Relays. It made the telegraph and telephones possible. And it protects the power grid from short circuits. It is used in automobiles and AC control.
Lesson 37: Revolver
Spain conquered the Aztecs in 1521 and Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808. Spain’s empire faltered and that led to Mexican then Texan independence. Samuel Colt was born in 1814 in Connecticut. He was fascinated with Science as a teenager and built a battery. He went to sea to learn to be a sailor and being inspired by a ships steering wheel he invented the Revolver in 1835. The Revolver is named for its rotating cylinder and the most important parts are the trigger and the hammer. There is a single and double action revolver and they are loaded with power. Later, reloading cartridges were made. The Revolver is reliable, safe and can fire Six shots rapidly. Colt was blocked from selling to state militias and was unsuccessful in securing purchases from Congress. So he sold to Florida Indian fighters. Samuel walker was impressed by the revolver and purchased some for his Texas rangers. They were called the most efficient guns in the world and stories were told. One, of a band of 30 rangers fighting off a band of 500 Mexicans. Colt spread the interchangeable parts industries through America and his guns led to cartridge type bullets. The M1911 defined the hand gun stile. This is the most interesting thing I learned this week because I have seen lots of movies with the Revolver but I did not know the story of how it was invented.
Lesson 38: Morse Code
The First Great Awakening began in the 1730s and lasted to the1770s. Samuel Morse was born in Massachusetts in 1791. His father was a Calvinist preacher and he became a painter. Samuel Morse painted John Adams and James Monroe. In 1835 he received a letter from his father that said his wife had been very ill but that she was getting better. The next day he received another letter from his father that said his wife had died. He rushed home as fast as he could but by the time he got home she had already been buried. He grieved for her and then invented Morse Code around 1836. He said no one should have to go through what he had. He wanted a way for news to travel faster. Morse Code takes advantage of the telegraph features and turns the Alphabet into a series of dots and dashes. For example the SOS is dit dit dit, dah dah dah, dit dit dit. Morse’s friend Alfred Vail improved the code and in 1844 Morse Sent the first telegraph message 40 miles, it said “What hath god wrought”. The code spread quickly and a transatlantic cable was built in 1866. Samuel Colt invented a water proof cable and went into business with Morse for a short while. At first the radio used Morse code. It was important during wars,and it enabled land armies to move quickly.
Lesson 39: Circuit Breaker
The Second Great Awakening happened and Calvinism Declined to Arminianism’s rise. Baptists and Methodists multiplied. Charles Grafton Page was born in 1812 in Massachusetts. He loved electricity as a boy and built a machine at ten years old that was static electric and he “shocked” his friends. He gained insight to electricity through experiments. He invented the Circuit Breaker to used in a generator around 1836. It protects cables from short circuits. High currents= Large forces. He patented it in 1867 but he died six weeks later. Before he died he had published a lot of articles that were read by Thomas Edison who invented another one in 1879. One was invented in Germany in 1914 that was a mini Circuit Breaker. The Circuit Breaker is a basic and crucial component to the power grid. It was involved in the great North-East Blackout in which 50,000,000,0 people lost power for 2 days!
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