Category Archives: Inventions

Paper Knife

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Paper Knife

One of the most decorated desk items – the paper knife.

  • A paper knife is an item used in a similar way to a typical knife, but is used to cut open folded papers, like envelopes and pages in a book.
  • ‘Paper knives’ are also known as ‘letter openers’, although originally they differed in appearance and purpose.
  • Paper knives typically consist of a blade and a handle, sometimes made of one material; and the blade is generally flat and blunt.
  • Paper knives became popular by the 1800s, when it became the norm to own the object as a standard desk item.
  • A paper knife commonly has a blade made from metal, like stainless steel, however the whole letter opener can also be made from ivory, wood or plastic, that is thinned out in the blade area to make it suitable for slitting paper.

Paper Knife, Letter Opener, Metal, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Desk, Stationary, Koala, Wood

  • Paper knives were used in Europe from the 1700s to open book pages that were not cut during the manufacturing process, and they replaced pen knives that were typically used to sharpen a quill, as pen knives would cut the paper inaccurately due to their very sharp blade.
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. was stabbed by Izola Curry, using a paper knife in 1958, ten years before he was assassinated, and the knife had to be surgically removed.
  • Paper knives were not used to open envelopes until the mid to late 1800s, and they were manufactured specifically for this purpose with a narrower and pointier blade than the original paper knives.
  • The handle of a paper knife is commonly ornamental, featuring an aesthetic pattern or sculptured depiction.
  • The primary concept of a paper knife has been translated into electronic machinery, that functions in much the same way.
Bibliography:
Kane K, A Paper Knife was not a Letter Opener, 2013, The Regency Redingote, http://regencyredingote.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/a-paper-knife-was-not-a-letter-opener/
Paper Knife, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_knife

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Christmas Wreath

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Christmas Wreath

Do you know the tradition of Christmas wreaths?

  • A Christmas wreath is an ornamental object that is used during the Christmas season, and its use today originates from a Christian-based custom.
  • Christmas wreaths are typically shaped as a ring, made with living, dried or imitation vegetation, including twigs, flowers and leaves, as well as ribbons and other Christmas-related objects.
  • ‘Christmas wreaths’ are also known as ‘Christmas crowns’, ‘advent crowns’ or ‘advent wreaths’.
  • The tradition of Christmas wreaths is said to have begun in Germany in the 1500s, by Lutherans, and the idea possibly stems from the use of wreaths in Ancient Greek and Roman times, that were used to crown those with significant achievements or community rank, or placed on their door.
  • Traditionally, Christmas wreaths contained four candles; three purple and a pink, with one lit each week in December, often on a Sunday; and a fifth white candle was sometimes also included.

Wreath, Christmas, Green, Purple, Pink, Door, Ten Random Facts, Season

  • The idea to use candles in Christmas wreaths to countdown the Advent, was possibly invented by a German pastor, Johann Wichern, in the mid 1800s, as a daily advent calendar for children.
  • The traditional idea of a Christmas wreath has became a popular Christmas decoration and they started being hung on doors by the 1900s, and are now commonly found on doors without candles.
  • Christmas wreaths are commercially available during the Christmas season, and the most common wreaths obtainable are factory made objects.
  • Christmas wreaths are often made with the colours of red, green, white or purple, traditionally symbolising Jesus’ blood, life, joy and sacrifice or forgiveness.
  • The making of Christmas wreaths is a common Christmas craft activity and the base can be made from wire, styrofoam, cane or other material, and other supplies can include fabric, wrapped lollies and candy, or numerous other items.
Bibliography:
Advent Wreath, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent_wreath
History of the Wreath, 2014, ProFlowers, http://www.proflowers.com/blog/history-of-the-wreath
History of the Wreath, n.d, Northwoods Inspirations, http://www.northwoodsinspirations.com/wreath%20History1.htm
Wilson G, History of the Christmas Wreath, n.d, Wilson Evergreens, http://www.wilsonevergreens.com/christmas-wreath-history/

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Refrigerator Magnet

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Refrigerator Magnet

Life is not complete without refrigerator magnets.

  • Refrigerator magnets are decorative objects that can be magnetically attached to flat metal surfaces such as fridges.
  • ‘Refrigerator magnets’ are also known as ‘fridge magnets’.
  • Refrigerator magnets are often used for decorative purposes as well as to hold objects in place, such as paper for convenience or as a reminder.
  • There is a very large diversity of refrigerator magnets, with various colours, images, designs, shapes and sizes.
  • The magnetic part of a refrigerator magnet is generally set out in a ‘Halbach array’, with both north and south poles in an alternate pattern on the same side, which adds to the magnet’s strength and is more cost effective.

Refridgerator Magnets, Collection, Flat, Square, Shapes, Note, Picture, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Decorative

  • Refrigerator magnets are collected by numerous people; and the largest collection in the world is owned by Louise Greenfarb from the United States’ Nevada, and in 2013 the collection consisted of at least 35,000 magnets.
  • The unofficial term for a refrigerator magnet collector is a ‘memomagnetist’, coined by an enthusiast from Russia.
  • Originally, the magnets of refrigerator magnets where manufactured in the shape of a rectangular prism or cylinder, but they are commonly now thinner and often more flexible.
  • Do-it-yourself refrigerator magnets can be easily made, due to the increasing availability of magnetic material suitable for this purpose, and it has become a common craft activity.
  • Some refrigerator magnets can be used for educational purposes, especially those that depict letters, to make words, and these have been available since the mid 1900s.

 

Bibliography:
Refrigerator Magnets, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator_magnet

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Ice Pack

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Ice Pack

It is never a good idea to eat an ice pack.

  • An ice pack is generally a sealed pouch that contains liquid or a semi-liquid substance, such as water or gel, that emits cold temperatures for extended periods of time, generally after freezing the pack.
  • ‘Ice packs’ are also known as ‘gel packs’ and ‘cold packs’, while ‘ice bricks’ are often used for the same purpose, although they usually have a rigid casing.
  • Ice packs are typically used to keep items at low temperatures, like food items in a cooler or portable ice box, or a shipping container; as well as for medical purposes, like reducing swelling and pain from minor injuries.
  • Ice packs are usually soft, plastic pouches, often rectangular in shape, but various other shapes are also available, and their advantage over ice bricks is that they are often more flexible, allowing them to be moulded around a human limb.
  • Some ice packs can be permanently stored at room temperatures, and can be ‘cracked’ when needed, to create a chemical reaction that releases cool temperatures.

Ice Pack, Gel, Ten Random Facts, Blue, Hot and Cold, Reusable

  • The substance in ice packs can be toxic and potentially fatal, and toxic gels include ethylene or diethylene glycol, which can be illegal in some countries.
  • Common, safe gels used in ice packs include hydroxyethyl cellulose or silica gel, and they are most often coloured blue, but come in a variety of colours.
  • Often ice pack’s contain gel, however, when the pouch contains a liquid, the liquid will still usually contain chemicals that assist with keeping the pack colder for longer.
  • One of the earliest ice pack patents was filed in 1938, by Claude Brown from Chicago, in the United States, and ice packs were available for purchase in 1948.
  • Some ice packs can also be heated to be used for similar purposes, except they emit hot temperatures instead of cold.

 

Bibliography:
Ice Pack, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_pack
M Rehak, Who Made That Ice Pack?, 2014, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/magazine/who-made-that-ice-pack.html?_r=0

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Cheque

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Cheque

Do you consider cheques ancient or commonplace?

  • A cheque is a slip of paper that directs a bank to give the payee money, from the bank account of a person, known as the ‘drawer’, who issued the slip.
  • ‘Cheque’ is a British English term, and it is known in the United States as a ‘check’, and it is also considered as a type of ‘bill of exchange’.
  • Cheques were invented as an easy and relatively safe way to obtain and hold money of large quantities, and they were originally known as ‘drawn notes’.
  • Early types of cheques were in use in 321 to 185 BC in India, Asia, named ‘adeshas’, and were particularly similar to the modern invention, and a similar idea was used in Ancient Rome from around 100 BC.
  • The first use of early cheques in European society were in Europe’s Venice in the 1200s, for trade purposes, and the practice of issuing bills of exchange became more widespread a few hundred years later, and were very common by the 1700s when banks were more commonplace.
Cheques, America, Fake, 3D, Ten Random Facts, Money, Invention, Illustration
Cheques
Image courtesy of DonkeyHotey/Flickr
  • Cheques are commonly obtained in a booklet form, generally with pre-printed details of the drawer, and this practice emerged in the early 1800s.
  • With the introduction of more practical, efficient and cost effective technology, cheque use is decreasing rapidly and they are no longer used in some countries.
  • Cheques generally have the details of the drawer’s bank account number, the person the money is to be given to, the bank that issued the slip, and the amount of money to be given.
  • Cheques often expire after a certain time frame, ranging typically from 6 months to 15 months, if they have not been banked or cashed.
  • Cheques are usually smaller than a standard size piece of paper, although the largest one issued spanned 12 by 25 metres (39 by 82 feet), although large ones are usually for display and promotional purposes.
Bibliography:
Cheque, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheque
THE ROLE OF CHEQUES IN AN EVOLVING PAYMENTS SYSTEM, 2011, Australian Payments Clearing Association, http://www.apca.com.au/docs/role-of-cheques—consultations/future-of-cheques.pdf

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Smarties

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Smarties

“Only Smarties have the answer” – the brand’s slogan in Europe.

  • Smarties are food items produced by Nestlé, and are made primarily of chocolate that has been coated in a coloured shell made of sugar and other ingredients.
  • Smarties are particularly common in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany, Italy and Netherlands.
  • Smarties are circular in shape, and they are like a flat sphere, generally 15 millimetres (0.6 inches) in diameter and approximately 5 mm high.
  • Smarties typically come in the eight colours of green, yellow, orange, mauve, red, pink, brown and blue, while the latter has been previously substituted with white.
  • Smarties are not commonly found in the United States, as the name has already been trademarked by another company for a candy that looks like a tablet or pill.

Smarties, Food, Colourful, Chocolate, Confectionary, Bowl, Ten Random Facts, Company, Handful

  • Smarties were invented in 1882 by Rowntree’s of York, an English confectionery company which Nestlé bought in 1988, however, they are no longer manufactured in York, but they are produced in other countries, including Germany, Canada, and Australia.
  • Smarties were not named as such until 1937, and they were originally called ‘chocolate beans’, although variations of this former term have been used as names for other brands of similar candy not produced by Nestlé.
  • From 2006, Smarties produced in various countries gradually changed from artificial to natural colours, causing blue to be changed to white, until a natural replacement was found.
  • Smarties are commonly eaten as a sweet snack, and are sometimes used as a topping with ice-cream, or for decorative baking purposes.
  • Smarties can be commercially bought in cylindrical or hexagonal containers, packets, or boxes, or purchased combined with ice-cream, chocolate or other confectionery.

 

Bibliography:
Smarties, 2014, Nestle, http://www.nestle.co.uk/brands/chocolate_and_confectionery/chocolate/smarties
Smarties, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties

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