Category Archives: Inventions

Saxophone

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Saxophone

“The potential for the saxophone is unlimited.” Steve Lacey

  • Saxophones are usually a curved, hollow, metal cylinder, with a bell, keys and a mouthpiece with a reed, and different variations and alterations can make different sounds.
  • A ‘Saxophone’ is also known as a ‘sax’, while those who play the instrument are known as ‘saxophonists’.
  • Saxophones are musical instruments of woodwind class, although though are generally made of brass.
  • In 1840, Adolphe Sax, an instrument maker from Belgium, invented the saxophone to bring balance to the combination of woodwinds, brass, and strings, and in the few years following, they were marketed in Paris.
  • Saxophones were first patented in 1846, with a range of 14 instruments that included an E flat and F sopranino, and an E flat and F contrabass, and also other instruments pitched in C and F, as well as the B flat and E flat saxophones that are commonly used today.

Saxophone, King 660, Gold, Silver, Alto, Ten Random Facts, Instrument, Woodwind, copper

  • Saxophones became the subject of modification from 1866, due to Sax’s expired patent; with multiple changes to the keys and a major addition of the F# key.
  • Saxophones are most commonly used in jazz and classical music genres, and are very commonly used in military bands and jazz bands.
  • There are nine instruments in the family of saxophones, all typically pitched in E or B flat, and the most common are, from smallest to largest, soprano, alto, tenor and baritone.
  • Saxophones are generally coated with an acrylic lacquer or often plated with silver to stop the brass from discolouring, but nickel and gold are also used to coat the instrument.
  • Soprano saxophones are usually straight, rather than the typical curved shape, and other straight sax instruments are also available, including the saxello, which has a curved top and a tilted bell.
Bibliography:
The History of the Saxophone, 2014, The Saxophone.com, http://www.the-saxophone.com/history-of-the-saxophone.html
Saxophone, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone

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Hourglass

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Hourglass

Hourglass… One of a boat captain’s saviours.

  • ‘Hourglasses’ are also known as ‘sandglasses’, ‘sand timers’, ‘egg timers’, ‘sand watches’ and ‘sand clocks’.
  • Hourglasses are usually made from blown glass that has a bulb at each end, joined by a ‘neck’, that is housed in a frame, enabling it to stand vertically, while the bulbs contain many fine grains, which drop from one bulb to another through the neck.
  • Hourglasses are used for time measurement, from minutes to hours, and even a year, and when the top bulb is empty, time is up.
  • The time an hourglass measures can be altered by changing the grain type, the grain amount, size of the bulb, size of the neck and the quality of the grains.
  • Hourglasses were most likely invented in Medieval Europe, possibly in the 700s by Luitprand, a monk in France, although evidence of the invention is not depicted until 1338.

Hourglass, Blue, Grain, Three minute, Water, Ten Random Facts, Sand timer

  • Hourglasses replaced waterclocks, as they did not spill in sudden movements or evaporate, condensate, or freeze, at certain temperatures like the waterclocks (clepsydra) were prone to do.
  • Hourglasses were favoured on ships, due to their ability to keep accurate time, despite the rocking of the vessel, and churches and households, for timing of events and cooking respectively.
  • The first versions of hourglasses had bulbs that did not attach with a neck, but instead were joined together by cord and wax.
  • Hourglasses in the modern era, are more commonly used for decorative purposes or timing something, such as cooking eggs or tasks in a board game, that do not need exact time measurements.
  • Hourglass ‘sand’ is often not real sand, but rock dust, marble dust, silica or fine glass beads, and the grains flow better when they are completely round, so angular grains are avoided.
Bibliography:
A History of the Hourglass, n.d, Online Clock.net, http://blog.onlineclock.net/history-of-the-hour-glass/
Hourglass, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hourglass

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Silicone Bakeware

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Silicone Bakeware

Your cookies will not stick with silicone bakeware!

  • Silicone bakeware is primarily made of silicone rubber, a synthetic compound, and used for baking or cooking purposes.
  • Silicone bakeware is often used as the cooking container or mould for flour-based products, such as cake, but also chocolate, ice or the like, and it is popular for its non-stick and long life properties.
  • Silicone bakeware is used as a replacement for metal bakeware, baking paper, and non-stick Teflon, the last of which can be a health hazard when used at considerably high temperatures.
  • Silicone bakeware can be treated to temperatures from -50°C to 260°C (-58°F to 500°F), which makes it suitable for refrigerator, freezer and oven use.
  • Silicone bakeware has been moulded into numerous shapes, and can be purchased in similar forms to typical bakeware, like flat sheets, round, square, or muffin tins, but also festive and other more intricately shaped moulds.

Silicon Bakeware, Cookware, Molds, Muffin, Pan, Star, Blue, red, Four, Ten Random Facts, Tupperware brand

  • Silicone bakeware comes in a very broad range of sizes and colourful colours.
  • Some manufacturers of silicone bakeware include impurities in their silicone products, which has negative effects, such as wear and bad odour, which can be detected as a white colour in the product when it is twisted or stretched.
  • Silicone bakeware has a flexible property that can make it easier to store, but this property can cause spillage or uneven baking, so it is recommended that the bakeware sit on a rigid tray when in use.
  • The Frenchman, Guy Demarle, a chemist, created non-stick silicone bakeware, when he coated baking sheets with silicone in the 1960s, and founded a cookware company named ‘Sasa Demarle Inc’.
  • Silicone bakeware became available for purchase in the 1980s in Europe, and its use spread to other countries by the 1990s.
Bibliography:
Campbell L, Silicone Bakeware the Hype and the Truth, 2007, Culinary Arts 360, http://www.culinaryarts360.com/index.php/silicone-bakeware-the-hype-and-the-truth-30503/
Chechar L, Silicon Cookware Dangers, 2014, EHow, http://www.ehow.com/about_5690548_silicon-cookware-dangers.html

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Pencil Sharpener

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Pencil Sharpener

Sharpen your brain with these pencil sharpener facts.

  • Pencil sharpeners are stationery items that are used to sharpen pencils, and are also known as ‘parers’, ‘toppers’, ‘pointers’ and ‘sharpeners’.
  • Pencil sharpeners are available in electric, mechanical, or manual designs, and small manual sharpeners are the most common type used.
  • Pencil sharpeners replaced knives, which were historically used to shave or whittle pencils into a point.
  • Pencil sharpeners were first patented in 1828 by Bernand Lassimonne, a mathematician from France, and in 1847, they were made more practical by Therry des Estwaux, who is sometimes credited with the invention.
  • Pencil sharpeners are commonly fixed in a container that tidies and stores the pencil shavings, until the shavings are emptied in the garbage.

Sharpener, Green, Blue, Red, Silver, Grey, Metal, Plastic, Smiggle, Ten Random Facts,

  • The most common type of pencil sharpener is typically manufactured in the form of a rectangular prism made from plastic, metal, or wood, with a sharp metal blade that shaves the pencil as the pencil is revolved in the hole.
  • Electric powered pencil sharpeners were used as early as 1910, and were more commonly available from the 1940s.
  • Pencil sharpeners have been adapted to sharpen different sizes and shapes of pencil.
  • Pencil sharpener housings are manufactured into many different designs such as automobiles or animals, and are sometimes available as souvenirs or collectibles.
  • Some pencil sharpeners have disk cutters or cylindrical cutters, which are often bulkier, and usually have a crank handle.
Bibliography:
History, n.d, Sacapuntas Maquinetes Sharpeners, http://www.agirones.com/web/docs/4/2/carpeta,historia/hotel,/History.html
Inventor of the Pencil Sharpener, 2014, Lifetips, http://penpencils.lifetips.com/tip/93989/pencil-sharpeners/pencil-sharpener/inventor-of-the-pencil-sharpener.html
Pencil sharpener, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencil_sharpener

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Garden Hose

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Garden Hose

SNAKE!!! Oh… it is just a green garden hose.

  • ‘Garden hoses’ are also known as ‘hoses’, ‘water hoses’ and ‘hosepipes’, and are typically green in colour, but can be black, silver or blue, among others.
  • A garden hose is a portable and flexible tube that carries water from a water supply, typically around the garden.
  • Garden hoses commonly have a nozzle or sprinkler attached to focus or disperse water onto a particular area.
  • Garden hoses are generally made of waterproof materials like vinyl or rubber, or a combination of the two, with the addition of reinforcing to add strength.
  • Garden hose materials are typically hardy and strong, although they are not normally made for use with heated water.

Garden hose, lawn, grass, green, gardenpipe, pile, Ten Random Facts, Garden

  • The ends of garden hoses can generally be connected together to make a longer hose.
  • Garden hoses have their origins in fire fighting hoses, originally made from ox intestines from 400BC, and the invention of stitched together leather hoses were by the Dutch inventor (among other things), Jan van der Heyden in the 1600s.
  • In the 19th century, fire hoses saw numerous improvements to the materials and methods of production, that included cotton and rubber hoses, and by the 1900s, people were purchasing the new and improved hoses for garden hose use.
  • Some garden hoses leak poisonous chemicals into the transported water, and are therefore, not safe to drink from.
  • Garden hoses come in various lengths, thicknesses and weights, and it is important to consider these options before purchasing a hose, especially the weight, as some hoses can be quite heavy, especially if they contain rubber.
Bibliography:
Garden Hose, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_hose
Stackhouse J, How to Avoid Kinked Hoses, Homelife, http://www.homelife.com.au/gardening/features/how+to+avoid+kinked+hoses,5423
Swauger D, The Garden Hose, 2012, Snippets from Springdale, http://deannaswauger.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/garden-hose.html

 

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Christmas Tree Topper

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Christmas Tree Topper

These Christmas tree topper facts will top off your brain.

  • Christmas tree toppers are Christmas decorations that are typically positioned at the very top of a Christmas tree.
  • Christmas tree toppers are varied in appearance, but are generally shaped as an angel or a star.
  • Christmas tree toppers are often made of glass, plastic, or metal, but they can also be made of fabric, paper or the like.
  • Christmas tree toppers are sometimes fitted with Christmas lights, typically those made of plastic.
  • Christmas tree topper stars are symbolic for the Star of Bethlehem, while the angel represents Gabriel the Angel, as well as the Heavenly Host, all of which are part of the story of the Birth of Jesus Christ.

Tree topper

Star Tree Topper
Image courtesy of Flickr
  • During the later 1800s, the Union Jack was a popular Christmas tree topper, although more recently finials, Santa, ribbons, rosettes, crosses, owls, and even pineapple shaped ornaments can be seen on the top of Christmas trees.
  • In England, in the mid 1800s, Queen Victoria popularised the German tradition of Christmas tree toppers, and the first known topper of the Queen’s was an angel.
  • ‘Christmas tree toppers’ are also known as ‘tree-toppers’ and ‘treetoppers’.
  • Besides decorating trees, Christmas tree toppers can be used as centrepieces, as well as house decorations.
  • Christmas tree toppers can be easily bought from stores during the Christmas season, or they can be handmade, and sometimes they are family heirlooms.
Bibliography:
Tree-topper, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree-topper
Tree Topper Information, 2009, Christmas Tree Topper.com, http://www.christmastreetopper.com/category/info/

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