I find these kind of things to be fascinating because they directly influenced the way people lived. And I enjoy writing about the old West but I wouldn't want to go back and live then. Of course, no one expected the house to be as clean and neat as we attempt to keep ours today because they didn't have the things to keep a home as clean.
The 1800’s were filled with inventions. A few people who
love to study such things claim that we really didn’t have many inventions during
the 1900’s - we just figured out how to make things better, cheaper, and
smaller. Here’s a quick overview of inventions, around the world, during the 1800’s. You might
find a few surprises.
1801 Jacquard Loom (programmable loom)
1806 Percolator
1809 Tin Can
1817 Draisine (bicycle with no pedals)
1820 Stethoscope
1824 Portland Cement
1827 Photography/Lawnmower/Fountain Pen
1829 Braille
1830 Electromagnetic Motor
1831 Safety Fuse for Explosives
1832 Electrical Motor
1833 Analytical Engine (computer)
1834 Combine
Harvester/Refrigerator
1837 Electric Telegraph
1838 Morse Code
1843 Vulcanized Rubber/Paper from
Wood/Christmas Cards
1845 Rubber Band
1846 Sewing Machine with
Lockstitch
1847 Candy Bar
1849 Safety Pin/Telephone
1850 Bunsen Burner
1853 Kerosene Lamp
1857 Aniline Dyes/Milk
Chocolate/Commercialized Toilet Paper
1858 Can Opener
1859 Escalator
1860 Internal Combustion
Engine/Vacuum Cleaner
1861 Color Photograph/
Solar-powered Engine
1863 Quad Roller Skates/Granula
Cereal (commercial no cooking required cereal)
1864 Pasteurization
1866 Dynamite/Winchester Rifle
1869 Motorbike
1873 Denim Trousers
1876 Four-Stroke Engine/Telephone
(US Patent)
1877 Phonograph
1879 Electric Light Bulb
1884 Steam Turbine/Peanut Butter
1885 Anthrax Vaccine/Rabies
Vaccine/Photographic Film
1886 Coca-Cola
1888 Modern Day Air Tires/Mass
Produced Box Camera
1889 Motorwagen (Automobile)
1891 Basketball/Escalator (an
amusement ride)/Incandescent Lamp
1892 Dewar flask (Thermos)
1895 Hearing Aid
1897 Jell-O
It took almost fifty years before
someone figured out we needed a can opener to open those tin cans? Don’t you
think that someone should have worked on that invention a little sooner? I seriously doubt that opening such a can with a hammer (yes, hammer) was a fun job.
I can remember my dad opening a can with his pocketknife when we couldn't find the can opener. My mom was good at misplacing things, often with my younger brother's help. I was surprised at some of the things on the list.
ReplyDeleteI remember penknives having that pointed hook-thing that was sharp. It was supposed to be for opening cans. My dad let me try it a few times and eventually I could do it, but wasn't easy. I think I was most surprised at the vaccines and amused about the escalator.
DeleteWhat a fun list. Thanks. Doris
ReplyDeleteI probably could have listed over a thousand things that were developed in the 1800's. It was age of modernization. Some of it was so fast that three or more people applied for virtually the same patent at the same time. And a year later someone improved upon it. But each step became a major leap for way people lived. That's where my interests lie.
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