Lesson 86: Postcard
The postal stamp made mail cheaper to send. They reached America in the 1840s.
The Postcard was patented by John .P. Charlton in 1861.Charlton was helped by the inventor of the eraser Hyman Lipman. Not much is known about John Charlton.
The postcard is a piece of paper with a drawing or a photo on it. They are simple and allow you to send cheap messages.
Hyman Lipman helped Charlton sell his postcard and it came to England in 1870. The postal card golden age was between 1907 and 1915.
Today, people collect postcards but instant messaging has mostly replaced it. It is still used today though to send a friendly message of a business advertisement.
Lesson 87: Gatling Gun
In the 1800s the most powerful weapons in the world were cannons. Volley guns fired multipule cannon balls at once but the firing was too slow.
Richard Gatling was born in 1818 in North Carolina. At age27 he invented a propellant for steam engine and then he became a store owner, doctor and an inventor. He invented a wheat drill and then got small pox. He got married and invented the Gatling Gun in 1861. He was inspired by the Civil War; He wanted to reduce the number of solders needed for the war.
The Gatling gun is a multi-barrel rapid firing gun. It is featured in a lot of movies. It could fire 500 bullets rapidly. It does not over heat because the barrels rotate allowing them to cool off. It is hand cranked.
Gatling built a company in 1862 but had set backs. But, after a demonstration to the army the gun spread. He slowly increased the rate of fire to 1,500 and added an electric motor. Then people started buying them all over the world.
The British used them to expand their territory. And they were used in the battle of San-won-hill. Modern versions fire 4,000 rounds per minute.
Lesson 88: Linoleum
In the days before AC wall hangings were used to keep in heat and the Greeks and Romans used smooth stones for flooring.
Frederick Walton was born in 1834 in England. He was a prolific inventor and he noticed that linseed oil dried into a rubber like consistency. He patented Linoleum in 1863.
Linoleum is a durable, water proof flooring. You can print designs on it and it can resemble wood. It is made of cork dust saw dust and linseed oil.
Walton founded a company in 1864 but for 5 years there were almost no sales. Then he open stores and things picked up a little. In 1872 cheap imitations appeared and then he expanded to America. He opened factories there and linoleum became a trademark.
It was a popular flooring until the 1950s and then it was replaced with PVC flooring. It was the flooring of the early 1900s.
Lesson 89: Ratcheting Wrench
In 1814 The Scientific American magazine came out. It was a weekly 4 page paper. It published patents for inventors. The wrench was really not a new invention. It was used by ancient cultures.
The first Ratcheting Wrench was patented by J.J. Richardson in 1863 in Vermont.
The wrench only allows motion in one direction at a time and it allows quick tightening. It saves time and can fit into small spaces easier than your hand; you also can swap out wrench sizes. It is very useful.
Richardson used the Scientific American magazine to advertise his patent and it was seen by other inventors and improved.
It is a standard tool in any toolbox.
The ratcheting wrench was the most interesting thing I learned about this week. I liked the invention because I use the ratcheting wrench sometimes but never thought about its backstory.
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