Electricity and The Light Bulb

The first public demonstration of Thomas Edison’s Lighting system was in 1879.  Contrary to popular belief, Thomas Edison’s electric light was not an invention, but an innovation.  The idea of incandescent light had been toyed with and improved upon for nearly a century before Edison made the most drastic and long lasting improvements, which are today part of the electric lighting we use in our homes.  Edison had to invent parts if the light bulb we use today  such as the durable light bulb, safety fuses, and light sockets with on and off switches. Edison’s invention of an electric light that can be used as everyday fixtures in our homes was possibly one of the most important inventions of the century.

1886: Coca-Cola Invented

In 1886, John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, which contained extracts of cocaine, and the caffeine-rich Kola nut until 1905.  Just prior to his death in 1888, Pemberton sold the recipe to Asa Candler for $2,300.00, and by the late 1890’s, the drink was one of the most popular fountain drinks in America.

1827-Matches

1827-John Walker on England invented modern matches.  Walker discovered using a certain combination of chemicals and letting them dry on the end of a small stick could light it by striking it anywhere.  He called these modern day matches “Congreves”, alluding to Congreve’s Rocket, invented in 1808.  The chemicals he used in the original mix were antimony sulfide, potassium chlorate, gum, and starch.  Not until 1855 was the safe match patented by Johan Edvard Lundstrom, who used red phosphorus on the striking paper of the match box and the other ingredients on the end of the match, so that the only safe way to light the match was on the designated surface.

1829-Braille

1829-Louis Braille of France invents Braille printing for the blind.  Braille is a system of raised dots that is read with the fingers, which, historically, has been embossed on paper.  The dots are a generally straightforward assignment of dot patterns to letters or words and punctuations.  Louis Braille was robbed of his sight around 3 years of age, though he passionately wanted to find a way to read, thus his invention of reading with your hands for the blind and semi-blind.  Today, it has been adapted to almost every language on earth.

Tin Can and Can Opener

1810- Peter Durand changes food preservation in major way with the invention and patent of the tin can, which is still used today. In 1813, the first factory dedicated to canning food was opened by John Hall and Bryan Dorkin. The first tin cans were so thick that they had to be hammered open, but as the cans became thinner during production, it led to:

1858- The first can opener made to accompany the tin can was patented by Ezra Warner.