Category Archives: Inventions

Suitcase

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Suitcase

Do suitcases suit your travelling well?

  • Suitcases are a specific type of luggage that is, like all luggage, used to transport possessions and other items while travelling.
  • ‘Suitcases’ may also be referred to as ‘luggage’ or ‘baggage’, and when they were first used on a wide basis in the late 1800s, they were used primarily to carry actual suits.
  • Suitcases come in a variety of sizes, and those that are smaller in size and suitable for airplane cabin compartments are often known as ‘cabin’ or ‘carry-on’ baggage or luggage.
  • Sturdy materials are usually the common substances utilised to make suitcases, that can include plastic, wood, leather, and metal, although fabric may be used.
  • Generally suitcases are a rectangular shape that open in half, or open to reveal a main compartment and a lid, and sometimes they feature extra compartments or pockets.

Suitcase, Invention, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Assortment, Roll, Blue, Red

  • Suitcases ended up replacing trunks, which were quite rigid, heavy and bulky, making them quite difficult to transport; and they began being made from durable cardboard in the early 1900s, and plastic also became a popular material.
  • Suitcases usually feature a handle so that the item can be carried, and they typically have zips or latches to enable closing, though to prevent unwanted opening or tampering, a locking mechanism is often included.
  • Suitcases often have wheels attached at the base for greater ease in transporting, of which variants are sometimes called ‘trolley cases’ or ‘roll alongs’, and they frequently have an extendable handle that allows for easier movement.
  • Despite various ideas for wheeling luggage in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until Bernard Sadow attached four rollers to the base of a suitcase and patented the idea in 1970 as ‘rolling luggage’, that the world embraced the idea of a wheeled version, although initial uptake of the invention was slow.
  • Suitcases are sometimes personalised to highlight the piece among other baggage, particularly when bulk luggage is transported, and an identification tag with the owner’s name and other details is commonly attached to the handle.
Bibliography:
Gross D, The History of the Humble Suitcase, 2014, Smithsonian, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-humble-suitcase-180951376/?no-ist
Suitcase, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase

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Buckle

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Buckle

Do you take the invention of the buckle for granted?

  • Buckles are inventions with the primary purpose of linking the ends of two objects, usually strips.
  • Buckles are commonly used in fashion either to decorate and/or fasten an item, like belts, sandals or other shoes, and bags, although they can be used to hold strings, strips or other items together, and are used on straps for safety purposes when restraining children in car seats, prams, shopping trolleys, and high chairs.
  • ‘Buckles’ are also known as ‘clasps’ and they are available in numerous designs, sizes and colours.
  • The term ‘buckle’ comes from the Latin word ‘buccula’, which translates as ‘cheek strap’, referring to helmet straps.
  • Buckles were used in Ancient Rome where soldiers utilised the item to fasten together armour, and knights from the Middle Ages also used this invention for a similar purpose.

Buckle, Invention, Trivia, Random Facts, Fashion, Belt, Metal, Traditional

  • Originally buckles were reserved for soldiers or those with lots of money due to the expensive manufacturing process, until the 1400s when methods were created to make the process less expensive.
  • Traditional buckles are made of a chape to hold the invention in place on an object, a prong used to secure the opposite end of an object, and a frame and a bar used to support the said parts.
  • Buckles were originally made of a metal, normally bronze, while today they can also be made of shell, wood, plastic, and leather.
  • Before the invention of the zipper, buckles were one of the main ways to clasp an item together.
  • Many modern buckles typically made of plastic, have two ends that snap securely and snugly together, and are perhaps more common than the traditional version, and they are often known as ‘snap fit’ or ‘side release’.
Bibliography:
Buckle, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckle
History of belt buckles, 2013, Fort Tumbleweed, http://www.forttumbleweed.net/beltbucklehistory.html

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Spirit Level

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Spirit Level

Did you go for the laser level? Well, spirit levels will be with you in spirit.

  • Spirit levels are an invention typically used to determine if either a vertical or horizontal platform is exactly aligned.
  • ‘Spirit levels’ are also known as ‘bubble levels’, ‘levels’ and ‘spirits’, and they are commonly used in the construction industry.
  • Spirit levels are typically made of a tube and a holder, and the tube is generally made of glass or plastic, while the holder is commonly made of plastic, wood, aluminium or other metal.
  • Typically, the tube containing the liquid in a spirit level is cylindrical, rectangular or crescent-shaped, and is marked with a central point and/or into sections, and the tube is deliberately filled with a small air space which creates a bubble.
  • When the bubble inside a spirit level sits centrally, rather than off-centre, the platform or object sitting parallel to the spirit will be level, or if it is sitting perpendicular to the spirit, it will be aligned vertically.
Spirit Level
Spirit Level
Image courtesy of David Jones/Flickr
  • The coloured liquid used in spirit levels is generally alcoholic, hence the level’s name, which is commonly ethanol dyed green or yellow; and alcohol is used instead of water as the latter freezes more easily and provides more friction, preventing smooth bubble movement.
  • To establish the accuracy of a spirit level, the bubble should have an increment from the centre, equal to when the level is rotated 180° on the same surface.
  • The spirit level is said to have been invented in the mid 1600s by the wealthy Frenchman Melchisedech Thevenot, who had studied science duruing his life; however they did not become popular until the 1700s.
  • Spirit levels are said to have replaced water bottles that were used for similar purposes, and these levels are being slowly replaced by laser-based levels that are generally more accurate and can measure in three dimensions.
  • The accuracy of a spirit level depends on the liquid container’s shape, the bubble size and liquid type, as these all contribute to a level’s sensitivity.
Bibliography:
Spirit Level, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_level
Spirit Level, 2015, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-spirit-level.htm#
Spirit Level Information, 2015, Johnson, http://www.johnsonlevel.com/News/SpiritLevelInformation

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Drinking Straw

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Drinking Straw

Slurping loudly with a drinking straw is half the fun.

  • A drinking straw is a thin, hollow tube used primarily to move a liquid from a container into one’s mouth using suction principles, and they are typically disposable, although reusable straws are available.
  • Drinking straws work by sucking in air using the mouth, and as a result lower the air pressure, which in turn pulls the liquid through the tube.
  • The shape of drinking straws range widely in diameter and length, although they are typically cylindrical, however some straws have crazy, twisted shapes primarily to entertain, or they may have an adjustable, bendy top, while others contain flavouring ingredients, and yet others include a spoon shaped end to generally scoop crushed ice into one’s mouth.
  • The earliest known drinking straw, dating back to 2000 to 3000 BC, was found in a tomb belonging to Sumerians, located in modern day Iraq in the Middle East, and was made of gold and precious stone, while a seal found in the same tomb depicts straws used to drink a beverage, most likely beer.
  • The 1800s saw the escalating use of drinking straws, in the form of rye grass, that notoriously disintegrated and left a rye residue and therefore a grassy taste in the beverage.

Drinking Straw, Assortment, Colourful, Plastic, Paper, Variety, Invention, Ten Random Facts

  • Modern drinking straws were invented by Marvin Chester Stone from Ohio in the United States, who is said to have created a glued paper tube in the 1880s after drinking a beverage unpleasantly tainted with rye residue, and eventually patented his idea in 1888 after refining it.
  • Drinking straws with an adjustable upper bend, known as ‘bendy straws’, ‘articulated straws’, or ‘flexi straws’, made their appearance in the 1930s, created and patented in 1937 by American Joseph Friedman after his young daughter had difficulty drinking through a straight straw in her milkshake.
  • Plastic drinking straws started infiltrating the market in the 1960s and became so popular that by the 1970s they had made paper straws redundant, however they are not environmentally friendly, taking years to break down, hence paper straws have made a small comeback, although in a reinvented sturdier version than the original.
  • In America, large quantities of drinking straws are used daily, numbering around 500 million, and while they are typically made from plastic; metal, glass and paper are also used; and in some instances they are used for craft purposes, while in Uganda they are recycled to make useful woven items like bags.
  • Drinking straws are said to lower the incidence of tooth decay caused by acids in beverages such as carbonated drinks, as they channel the drink more directly into the throat, bypassing more teeth.
Bibliography:
Drinking Straw, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_straw
Hollander C, A Brief History of the Straw, 2014, Bon Appétit, http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/history-of-the-straw
Thompson B, The Amazing History and the Strange Invention of the Bendy Straw, 2011, The Atlantic, http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/11/the-amazing-history-and-the-strange-invention-of-the-bendy-straw/248923/

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Umbrella

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Umbrella

Do you look petite with a parasol or formal with an umbrella?

  • Umbrellas are typically handheld inventions used primarily to provide a portable way to protect the user from weather or provide shade.
  • ‘Umbrellas’ are also known as ‘parasols’, and they are sometimes called ‘rainshades’, ‘sunshades’, ‘brollies’, ‘bumbershoots’, ‘gamps’ and ‘parapetuies’.
  • The term ‘umbrella’ is used more often in referring to the item as a water shield, while the term ‘parasol’ is normally reserved for those used as a heat shield, although both terms are used loosely.
  • ‘Umbrella’ comes from the Latin word ‘umbra’ which means shadow or shade, while ‘parasol’ is of Italian origin and combines the words ‘para’ and ‘sole’, which mean ‘to protect against’ and ‘sun’ respectively.
  • The Middle Eastern ancient civilisation of Nineveh were possibly the first users of umbrellas, most likely used for shade purposes, and reserved only for the monarchy, however there is evidence of other ancient societies, including Egypt, Rome, Greece and India, producing their own versions.

Umbrella, Invention, Trivia, Random Facts, Assortment, Open, Closed

  • China has the earliest known record of a foldable umbrella, dating back to 21 AD, which was purposed for a carriage.
  • Europeans began to use umbrellas to block rain in the 1700s, and they slowly replaced the cloak that was commonly used for that purpose.
  • While China produced the first retractable umbrella, a modern version that weighed significantly less than others was designed in 1710 by Jean Marius, a merchant from France.
  • Umbrellas are typically made of cotton, nylon, plastic or other synthetic materials, and historically silk or leaves were used.
  • Umbrellas come in a wide variety of colours, shapes and sizes, although generally they have a domed top and a wire frame work attached to a handle that is straight or in the shape of a ‘J’.
Bibliography:
History of Umbrella and Parasol, n.d, Umbrella History, http://www.umbrellahistory.net/
Umbrella, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella

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Hand Truck

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Hand Truck

Hand trucks may not be as big as trucks, but they are certainly easier to move.

  • Hand trucks are inventions used to allow a single person to lift multiple large objects at once, or items of heavy weight, with a reduced possibility of injury.
  • ‘Hand trucks’ are also known as ‘stack trucks’, ‘sack trucks’, ‘two-wheelers’, ‘box carts’, ‘dollies’, ‘trundlers’, ‘bag barrows’, ‘trolleys’ and ‘sack barrows’.
  • The materials hand trucks are made from vary widely, though they commonly include some form of heavy duty metal, often tubular in shape, and they can include materials like aluminium, steel or plastic.
  • To lift heavy objects, hand trucks uses the principle of levers – and in this case a ‘Class 1’ lever, with the wheels acting as the fulcrum in the middle.
  • Objects that are lifted at the most efficiency are generally a maximum height of three times the length of the hand truck’s plate.

Hand Truck, Red, Single, Wheels, Invention, Tool, Ten Random Facts

  • Hand trucks are made up of a plate which is attached perpendicular to a framework that includes a long handle, while the wheels generally sit at the base behind the framework.
  • Although hand trucks are generally much taller than their depth and width, some trucks can be flipped so the depth is larger than the height, which usually contributes to better stability in transporting some objects.
  • While it is not certain who invented the hand truck, patents exist from the mid to late 1800s for the invention, and it has been suggested that its origins possibly date back as far as ancient times when the concept of levers was already known.
  • Hand trucks transport loads using wheels, which vary greatly in size and the tool may be equipped with stair climbers.
  • Hand trucks are popularly used in transport stations, to move customer’s belongings; in retail, to move stock; and households, especially during house moving.

 

Bibliography:
Hand Truck, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_truck
What is a Hand Truck?, 2015 WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hand-truck.html

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