Tag Archives: Invention

Mahjong

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Mahjong

Mahjong requires a great deal of understanding to play due to its complexity.

  • Mahjong is a popular Chinese game that involves the use of tiles in a game of strategy, memory and skill.
  • ‘Mahjong’ is also known as ‘majiang’, ‘mah jong’, ‘ma jong’ and ma cheuk’.
  • A total of up to 144 tiles are typically used in a game of mahjong, featuring depictions of bamboo, circles and characters from numbers one to nine; as well as special symbols from seasons, winds, dragons and flowers.
  • The Chinese word ‘máquè’, was one of the earliest names for the game of mahjong, which literally means ‘sparrow’, however it’s significance is uncertain and other possible names and theories exist.
  • The origins of mahjong are quite disputed and it is possible that the Chinese teacher Confucius designed the game around 500 BC; or the Chinese military invented it in the later 1800s; or it simply grew or was created out of other similar styled games.

Mahjong, Trivia, Invention, Game, Ten Random Facts, Tiles, China, Chinese, Asia,

  • Mahjong has previously had a gambling component that resulted in the Chinese government banning the game in China from 1949 to 1985, and the game was later reinstated without that element.
  • Mahjong became known to the English-speaking world around 1895, and began being imported in  North America in the 1920’s, while the rules of the game were printed in English by various people causing the game to have many variations in the rules.
  • The general aim of the game is to score points primarily by ‘wooing’ or forming ‘mahjong’, which is done by achieving a specific set of combinations of tiles by picking them up, while others are discarded.
  • The first mahjong World Championships were held in Japan’s Mahjong Museum in 2002, and the competition was won by Mai Hatsune from Japan.
  • Generally a game of mahjong is played by four people over a series of rounds, although variants with two, three or even five players, are also played.
Bibliography:
A Brief History, 2011, Mah Jong Museum, http://www.mahjongmuseum.com/brief.htm
The History of Mah Jong, 2011, Mah Jong Sets, http://www.mahjongsets.co.uk/history-mahjong.html
Mahjong, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong

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Music Stand

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Music Stand

Music stands were once an item of little importance, and now they are a musical necessity.

  • Music stands are an invention used to hold music books or sheet music during a musical performance or practice.
  • Most often music stands are made of a metal material, although they are occasionally made of plastic or wood.
  • Music stands are commonly engineered with the ability to fold and collapse, particularly for compact storage or transport purposes.
  • A music stand is typically a central pole with legs, with a flat rectangle shaped head at the top which holds the music, and the head may be a solid rectangle, or one that has gaps or holes and is possibly collapsible.
  • Music stands range greatly in size, from small, portable versions used in marching bands, to larger versions reaching human height and used in orchestras.

Music Stand, Invention, Black, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Duty, Square, Chrome

  • It is thought that music stands originated in 200 BC in Ancient China, although they were not commonly used until the 1300s by European musicians from Germany and Switzerland.
  • Often a small shelf is part of the head of a music stand, which helps to hold the music on the stand and also allows for a pencil or other small items to rest there, while others have clips or other mechanisms to attach the music to the stand.
  • Generally music stands used for professional purposes are coloured black in a matte finish so that they are inconspicuous during a performance, however stands can be coated with chrome, or painted in a glossy black colour, or other alternative.
  • The column of a music stand is often adjustable in height, and the head is often tilted at an angle so the musician can view the music clearly and easily.
  • Music stands are available in different versions, from lightweight ones often used by amateurs, to heavy duty sturdy ones that are typically used by professionals and are able to hold heavy books.
Bibliography:
Music Stand, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_stand
What is a Music Stand?, 2015, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-music-stand.htm

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Safety Pin

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Safety Pin

Safety pins – whenever you need them, they are nowhere to be found.

  • Safety pins are an invention consisting of a clasp and a pin, and is a variant of a pin.
  • While safety pins have many uses, they are frequently used to attach fabric items to each other, without the danger of accidentally stabbing one’s self with the pin.
  • Safety pins are generally made of a metal wire such as stainless steel or brass, and the length of wire is curled in the middle to form a basic spring.
  • The ancestor of the safety pin, called a ‘fibula’, is thought to have been an invention of the Ancient Greek Mycenaean community, and it was used as a brooch, as well as a pin to hold clothes together.
  • The safety pin was invented in 1849 by the American Walter Hunt, a mechanic, who created it while fiddling with a length of wire.

Safety Pin, Invention, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Metal, Assortment, Invention

  • The safety pin patent was sold for $400 USD, which equates to roughly $10,000 USD in 2008 to W R Grace Company in 1849, while Hunt is said to have used some of the money to pay a small debt owed to a friend.
  • The clasp of a safety pin is used to secure the pin closed and prevent it from poking the user.
  • From the 1970s, safety pins were a common item worn by those who embraced punk fashion, both on clothes and as piercings.
  • In countries such as Turkey, where good luck charms are made with beads attached to safety pins, there is a high incidence of ingesting the pins by young children, who accidentally swallow them.
  • Numerous improvements to safety pins were made during the late 1800s and early 1900s, although it wasn’t until 1907, that pins had a clasps similar to the modern style clasp.
Bibliography:
Kershner K, Who invented the safety pin?, 2015, HowStuffWorks, http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/who-invented-the-safety-pin1.htm
Safety Pin, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_pin
A Visual History of the Safety Pin, n.d, The Museums of Everyday Design, http://museumofeverydaylife.org/exhibitions-collections/current-exhibitions/a-visual-history-of-the-safety-pin

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Backgammon

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Backgammon

Backgammon is a classic lucky game of skill, or a skilled game of luck.

  • Backgammon is game that involves moving playing pieces around a board according to dice rolls, and is played by two people.
  • The typical aim of backgammon is to move one’s own fifteen pieces, or counters, from a starting point to an end point and then off the board, before one’s opponent does the same with their own set of pieces.
  • The board of backgammon has two sections with six evenly spread elongated triangles, or points, on each side of each section, alternating in light and dark colours, to make a total of 24.
  • Counters are moved around the board in a U-shape, in turns across points using the roll of two dice, and generally a counter is chosen and moved the number shown on one dice, and another counter chosen and moved the number shown on the other, although counters cannot land on a point where two or more counters of the opposition are situated.
  • In 1982, in the United States, a court case about backgammon commenced, the prosecutor stating the game was primarily gambling and should not become competitive, although eventually it was ruled as a game that uses skill.

Backgammon, Board Game, Brown, Set, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Strategy

  • In 1967, backgammon world championships were held for the first time and won by Tim Holland, and were played in Nevada’s Las Vegas, in the United States.
  • The origins of backgammon are uncertain, however a game extremely similar to the modern version was played from the first century AD by Romans and Greeks, and was known as ‘Tabula’, literally translated as ‘table’.
  • The first online real-time server to accommodate backgammon was opened in July 1992, known as the First Internet Backgammon Server, or FIBS.
  • During game play of backgammon, if a counter is sitting alone on the board, an opponent may land on the same space, and as a result send the counter back to the ‘bar’, off the board, so that it is required to re-enter the game.
  • The term ‘backgammon’, or more literally ‘back game’, is said to originate from the Middle English words ‘back’ and ‘gamen’, in reference to the counters that go back to the ‘bar’.
Bibliography:
Backgammon, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backgammon
Driver M, A History of Backgammon, n.d, Backgammon Galore!, http://www.bkgm.com/articles/GOL/Nov00/mark.htm

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Pillow

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Pillow

Can you imagine sleeping on a literally rock hard pillow?

  • Pillows are objects that allow the head and neck, or limbs to rest or be kept elevated, although they are sometimes used for decorative purposes, but they are typically used on a bed.
  • Modern pillows are generally made of a fabric case with an internal stuffing of feathers, latex, foam, or synthetic or natural fibres, although inflatable ones are available and they are filled with air.
  • ‘Pillows’ are also known as ‘cushions’, although this term is more often used for similar items that are positioned on seats.
  • Although stereotypically softer today, pillows of the past where often hard, made of wood or stone among other materials.
  • Pillows are generally rectangular in shape, although they are often circular or square; while others fit around the neck, and they come in a variety of colours and patterns.

Pillow, Invention, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Fluffy, White, Stuffed, Black, Blue, Assortment

  • In 7000 BC in Ancient Mesopotamia, pillows, said to be made of stone, were used by the wealthy, and a greater quantity of the items in one’s possession, generally signified a person of greater rank.
  • Pillows are available in many different sizes, from small travel ones to king size, and standard sizes vary depending on the country, but they are often between 40 to 48 centimetres by 60 to 73 centimetres (16 to 19 inches by 24 to 29 inches).
  • The Ancient Romans and Greeks designed some of the earliest ‘soft’ pillows, using straw, reeds or other materials as the stuffing.
  • A pillow is commonly covered with a fabric case that is easily removable for the purpose of washing, while some people also use a protector under the case to help prevent stains on the item.
  • In early times, a common reason for the use of pillows was to lessen or prevent insects disturbing or entering the body via the head while sleeping.
Bibliography:
The History of the Pillow, 2013, SleepCity, http://sleepcity.com/the-history-of-the-pillow/
Pillow, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillow

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Snakes and Ladders

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Snakes and Ladders

A bit of luck will give you fame in Snakes and Ladders!

  • Snakes and Ladders is a luck based board game with the aim to advance from the lowest square to the highest square by climbing ladders and avoiding snakes.
  • The board of Snakes and Ladders is a grid of squares, often 10 by 10, and the head and tail of snakes and the top and bottom of ladders that are typically pictured on the board, touch two separate squares per object.
  • The number of squares, ladders, and snakes, as well as their positions on the game board, each vary across different Snakes and Ladders boards, however the game is usually played with a dice or spinner, and a playing piece per person.
  • Landing on a snake head in Snakes and Ladders will usually cause the player to move to the respective snake tail, while landing at the base of a ladder will allow the player to move their piece to the top of the ladder.
  • There are numerous versions of the Snakes and Ladders game, featuring other objects to fall or slide down, or climb up, and the game is also known as ‘Chutes and Ladders’, particularly in America, where snakes were replaced with slides.

Snakes and Ladder, Board Games, Ten Random Facts, Trivia, Checkered, Counters, Assortment

  • Snakes and Ladders is derived from an Ancient Indian Hindu game that was possibly played as early as the 100s BC, where the game was used to illustrate the good and bad deeds of life, and was called ‘Moksha Patamu’ or similar.
  • The game of Snakes and Ladders generally features an equal or greater number of ladders than snakes, compared to the Indian game which had more snakes than ladders, and the ladders are or were, generally associated with a positive action and consequence, while the snakes were usually associated with negative actions and consequences.
  • In the late 1800s, the Indian version of the Snakes and Ladders game was introduced to England, and it has been modified over the years to exclude moral or religious perspectives, though some versions have an educational purpose.
  • Milton Bradley recreated the Snakes and Ladders game in 1943, which was popular in Europe at the time, to suit an American audience, renaming it ‘Chutes and Ladders’, with the theme of playground equipment.
  • The player that moves first in the 100-square Milton Bradley version of Snakes and Ladders has a 50.9% chance of winning the game if two players are playing, while a game is completed, on average, after 48 turns.
Bibliography:
Snakes and Ladders, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakes_and_Ladders
Who invented the board game Snakes and Ladders?, 2008, The Times of India, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/Who-invented-the-board-game-Snakes-and-Ladders/articleshow/3585003.cms

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