Category Archives: Inventions

Broom

By | |
Leave a comment
Broom

Sweep the broom here and there.

  • Brooms are inventions typically used on a floor to sweep messes, dust and dirt into a pile for disposal.
  • Brooms usually consist of a brush, used to sweep; and a stick handle, that is generally long and cylindrical.
  • The bristles in the brush of a broom are typically made of plastic, straw, animal hair or other plant fibres.
  • In the early 1900s, the number of factories in the United States that manufactured brooms reached over 1000, although later, this number dropped by at least two thirds.
  • Brooms created before the 1800s were generally made by people at home, and were often impractical bundles of branches, grass and other fragile objects that collapsed under a few uses; however they became more sturdy during the 19th century due to improvements in construction, and machinery built for the purpose.

Broom, Many, Brush, Sweep, Ten Random Facts, Black, Blue, Pan, Invention

  • Witches are commonly associated with ‘besom’ style brooms, that have a long handle protruding from the centre of a bundle of bristles, as they are said to ride on them for transport purposes.
  • Levi Dickenson, a Massachusetts’ farmer in the United States, is credited with inventing a broom in 1797, that used fibres that functioned significantly better than others, and it quickly became a popular fibre for the tool.
  • The material that Levi Dickenson used in his broom was a species of sorghum, Sorghum vulgare, that became known as ‘broom corn’, and it became one of the most common fibres used for making the tool in the 1800s, and the plant is still used for this purpose today.
  • A broom is generally used by holding the handle and using a sweeping or dusting motion, while those with a handle at a slight angle to the broader, but shorter, bristled brush, allows the tool to pull or push dirt along the floor.
  • Brooms are commonly used in a metaphorical sense in poetic literature, and are often used symbolically for other purposes.
Bibliography:
Broom, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broom
Early American Brooms, n.d, Broom Shop, http://broomshop.com/history/

Amazon:       

Plastic Wrap

By | |
Leave a comment
Plastic Wrap

Do you get frustrated wrapping up food with plastic wrap?

  • Plastic wrap is an invention that is generally used to cover food objects and keep them airtight, or to bundle loose items.
  • ‘Plastic wrap’ is also known as ‘Glad wrap’, ‘cling film’, ‘Saran wrap’, ‘cling wrap’ and ‘food wrap’.
  • Typically, plastic wrap is rolled around a cylinder that is purchased in a box, that generally features an attached, toothed metal bar for cutting.
  • Plastic wrap was originally made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which is notoriously hard to recycle and its toxicity has been questionable, however low density polyethylene (LDPE) is becoming more common, and manufacturers have been continually improving their products to create totally non-toxic food wraps.
  • Plastic wrap is commonly used to cover plates, bowls or other dishes, especially leftovers, to protect and seal the food they contain, often for storage in the refrigerator.

Glad Wrap, Plastic, Thin, Cover, Roll, Clear, Transparent, Ten Random Facts, Food, Culinary, Invention

  • The accidental invention of plastic wrap in 1933 is attributed to Ralph Wiley from Dow Chemical, and the substance was originally used by the military as a spray on planes and other vehicles, to protect them from rust and other deterioration.
  • Plastic wrap usually sticks to itself, and it also generally adheres to smooth surfaces, making it a flexible system for sealing all sorts of items of varying shapes and sizes; and wrap with similar qualities is used to bind items as small as a rolled newspaper, or as a large as a pallet-load of goods.
  • Plastic wrap was not developed as a food wrap until 1949, when it was first used in the food industry, and it was not until 1953 that it was available for home use.
  • Plastic wrap boxes usually have tabs on either end of the box, that can be pushed inside the box to hold the roll in place as the wrap is pulled from the roll.
  • Plastic wrap for home use usually comes in rolls that are 29 to 33 cm (11.5 to 13 inches) wide, and in varying lengths from 15 to 150 metres (16.4 to 164 yards), although much wider and longer rolls are available in the catering industry.
Bibliography:
Plastic Wrap, 2015, MadeHow, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Plastic-Wrap.html
Plastic Wrap, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_wrap
What is Plastic Wrap, 2015, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-plastic-wrap.htm
Who Invented Plastic Wrap, 2015, Who Invented It?, http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-plastic-wrap.html

Amazon:     

Colander

By | |
Leave a comment
Colander

The most efficient liquid remover is the colander.

  • A colander is a type of sieve, that is an invention used for culinary purposes, to separate liquid from other food.
  • ‘Colander’ comes from the word ‘colum’, which means ‘strainer’ or ‘sieve’ in Latin, and they are also known as ‘kitchen sieves’, ‘strainers’ and ‘pasta strainers’.
  • Most commonly, colanders are used to strain pasta, and canned items; as well as to rinse or wash vegetables and fruit.
  • Common materials used to make colanders include aluminium, ceramic, plastic, silicone and stainless steel.
  • Generally, colanders are found in the shape of a bowl, that is often deep, and sometimes they have small legs at the base.

Colander, Tupperware, Plastic, White, Black, Deep, Shallow, Culinary, Food, Invention, Ten Random Facts, Strainer

  • Colanders feature many holes or slots at the base for liquid to drain, that can range from small to large in size.
  • Colanders have been used for thousands of years, and specimens have been found that date back to at least 1300 BC.
  • Colanders are typically used over a sink, although a catcher, that is sometimes especially designed and paired with the colander, may be used if liquid flavouring or the like is wanted for other purposes.
  • Care should be taken when draining food via a colander, as steam can rise from boiling or hot liquids, and scald.
  • Colanders have been used by some religious organisations, notably those that ‘worship’ the Flying Spaghetti Monster from the Pastafarianism organisation, as head coverings.
Bibliography:
Colander, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colander
How Did the Colander Get Its Name?, 2012, CulinaryLore.com, http://www.culinarylore.com/food-history:origin-of-word-colander
What is a Colander?, 2015, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-colander.htm

Amazon:      

Street Name

By | |
Leave a comment
Street Name

Did you remember that street name?

  • Street names, also known as ‘road names’ or ‘odonyms’, are names that most commonly have two parts, used to identify and classify a street or road.
  • Typically, a street name has a unique or ‘specific’ name, such as ‘Clyde’, as well as a classifying or ‘generic’ name, such as ‘Street’.
  • Street names may include a direction in the name, such as ‘north’, often used to describe separate parts of the street.
  • Commonly, the specific part of street names originates from notable people’s surnames, vegetation, natural items or numbers.
  • A single road may receive multiple street names, commonly referring to the same street within two different areas, sections or boundaries.

Street Name, Sign Post, Luck Street, Australia, Multi, Sky, Up, Ten Random Facts, Odonym, Invention

  • Occasionally, highways and main streets are left unnamed, but instead are referred to by a number.
  • Common classifications of street names include drives, roads, streets, avenues, lanes, highways, boulevards, courts, crescents, freeways and expressways.
  • Street names are typically presented on a sign, known as a ‘street sign’, at the intersections, and the signs may be colour coded, as a further identifier.
  • The generic part of a street name generally refers to the size, shape, function, or surrounding geography of the road.
  • Sometimes streets are renamed, and this can be for a variety of different reasons, from political to language changes, or a negative association.
Bibliography:
History of Street Names and Street Naming in North America, 2009, Potifos, http://potifos.com/streetname.html
Soniak M, What’s the Difference Between a Street and a Road?, 2012, Mental Floss, http://mentalfloss.com/article/30020/whats-difference-between-street-and-road
Street or Road Name, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_or_road_name

Amazon:     

Ballot

By | |
Leave a comment
Ballot

Did you remember to complete your ballot paper?

  • Ballots are items used in elections to perform confidential voting in a public environment, and are a common way to choose a government and other leaders.
  • A ‘ballot’ is also known as a ‘ballot paper’ and the term can also refer to the act of voting.
  • Ballots are generally in the form of paper slips, or in electronic form, while small white and black balls were historically used.
  • The ancient Greeks wrote names on broken ceramics, called ‘ostraca’, and the pieces were used like a ballot to privately banish someone from a town, hence the term ‘ostracised’; while in India, they used palm leaves to elect assemblies, from the tenth century AD.
  • Ballots may involve choosing candidates by preference, or choosing a single party or person, and the process varies in different organisations, states and countries.

Ballot paper, Australia, Box, Paper, Slip, Rectangle, Three, Parties

  • Romans began using a secret ballot system in 139 BC, via a writing tablet or document; while it is said that the first time Americans cast a vote using paper was in 1629.
  • Ballots can require the writing of specific names, marking boxes, entering data using a machine, or entering information via the internet.
  • Ballot papers, especially in government elections, are often submitted into a box that is located at a polling location.
  • The term ‘ballot’ originates from Italy’s Venice, in Europe, from the words ‘ballotta’ and ‘pallotte’, meaning ‘small ball used for voting’ when translated from Italian.
  • Each submitted ballot paper in government elections is usually checked, to see if it is a ‘formal’ or valid vote, or ‘informal’ or invalid vote, because ‘informal’ votes, those with insufficient or incorrect markings, are disqualified from being counted.
Bibliography:
Fact Sheet – Ballot Papers, 2015, Elections ACT, http://www.elections.act.gov.au/education/act_electoral_commission_fact_sheets/fact_sheets_-_general_html/elections_act_factsheet_ballot_papers
Ballot, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballot

Amazon:     

Basket

By | |
Leave a comment
Basket

Have you looked inside the wicker basket recently?

  • Baskets are receptacles used for the primary purpose of storing objects, or for holding objects so that they can be easily moved.
  • Baskets are typically woven, and can range from an open-weave form to a solid-walled structure, and materials commonly used include leaves, grass, wicker, cane, wood, straw, bamboo, plastic, metal and horse hair.
  • Many baskets can be woven with an attached or removable lid, or often they have no lid at all.
  • Baskets can be used ornamentally; in cooking; as a trap; for holding laundry; as a rattle; and they are also sometimes used for traditional religious purposes.
  • Baskets were originally intended for carrying loose items so that that could easily be transported.

Basket, Brown, Wicker, Ten Random Facts, Two, Assortment, Size, Large, Handles, invention

  • The first baskets were said to be originally short-lived because they were made of bark; and the containers were later supported with woven fibres to further extend their use.
  • Baskets have been in use for thousands of years and the remains of well preserved baskets have been discovered from possibly as early as 5000 BC.
  • Baskets can come in numerous varieties of shapes, sizes, colours and patterns and they can range from 0.6 to 90 centimetres (0.24 to 35.4 inches) in diameter, or more; and in many circumstances they can be considered to be an art.
  • Baskets may feature handles for ease of carrying with one’s hands, and some can be placed on one’s head to carry, which is a common traditional practice.
  • Nearly every ancient culture has made an abundance of baskets throughout history, including Egyptian, Chinese, Roman, Greek, Japanese, and Native American, while the latter are particularly well known for their baskets.
Bibliography:
Basket, 2015, Made How, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Basket.html
Basket, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basket

Amazon:     

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...