Tag Archives: Invention

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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Yorkshire Pudding

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Yorkshire Pudding

When do you enjoy a Yorkshire pudding?

  • Yorkshire pudding is a flour-based culinary dish that has been commonly eaten in Great Britain in Europe.
  • Yorkshire pudding is typically made of a batter of eggs, flour and a liquid, commonly milk or water, or a combination of the two, and it is traditionally cooked in fat.
  • ‘Yorkshire pudding’ is a ‘batter pudding’, and it is also known as ‘dripping pudding’ due to it being originally cooked in dripping, a fat from meat, and it is believed to have originated in northern England.
  • Most often, Yorkshire puddings are served as a side with a main meal of roast beef, or other roasted meat, although they can be served as an entrée, a main meal in themselves, or even dessert.
  • There is evidence of a recipe of a Yorkshire pudding that was published in 1737, in the book The Whole Duty of a Woman, and it is one of the earliest known written records of the pudding.
Yorkshire Pudding, Wheat, Pile, Food, Culinary, Ten Random Facts, Trivia
Yorkshire Puddings
Image courtesy of Sam Greenhalgh/Flickr
  • Yorkshire puddings are often tall and have a puffy texture, while the early versions where quite flat in comparison.
  • Hannah Glasse, who wrote the book The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy in 1747, recorded her own version of the Yorkshire pudding.
  • Gravy or other sauces, especially those made for meat or from meat juices, are commonly eaten with Yorkshire pudding.
  • Yorkshire pudding varies in size and shape, although it commonly has a somewhat sunken middle and is often cooked in the oven in small tins for individual serves, that have sides to increase the height of the pudding.
  • Many peasant families ate Yorkshire pudding as the main meal due to its inexpensive nature, and it was usually served with a sauce, often a gravy made from roast meat.
Bibliography:
Challis C, The History of Yorkshire Pudding, 2015, BT, https://home.bt.com/lifestyle/the-history-of-the-yorkshire-pudding-11363958395461
Yorkshire Pudding, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_pudding
The Yorkshire Pudding- Where Did It All Begin?, 2014, Yorkshire Pudd, http://www.yorkshirepudd.co.uk/yorkshire-pudding-history/

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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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Domestic Power Plug

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Domestic Power Plug

Plug in and relax with the domestic power plug.

  • Domestic power plugs are an invention used to connect an external device to an electrical power source.
  • ‘Domestic power plugs’ are also known as ‘AC power plugs’, ‘plugs’, ‘power plugs’, ‘electrical plugs’, ‘power connectors’ and ‘plug tops’.
  • Two to three pins, commonly made of brass or other conducting material, are typically found on domestic power plugs, which are inserted into specific holes in a socket and when the plug is attached to an appliance, it completes an electrical circuit.
  • Domestic power plugs were invented in the 1880s, and T.T Smith of England is said to have invented one of the first plugs in 1883.
  • Domestic power plugs were invented as a response to the dangerous use of appliances with sockets designed for light bulbs.

Domestic Power Plug, Invention, Assortment, Variety, American, Australia, A, B, Trivia, Ten Random Facts

 

  • As a safety precaution and to prevent electrical shocks, many domestic power plugs feature a pin that directs current away from an appliance during a fault, and may also feature insulators around the pins’ upper section or the plugs themselves.
  • There are at least fourteen differently pinned domestic power plugs, with around twelve of those commonly used across the globe, and the plugs are categorised by letters from ‘A’ to ‘N’, and the pins range from the rectangular shapes of American plugs to the circular shapes of those in Europe.
  • Domestic power plug housings vary greatly in shape and size, and come in varying colours, commonly black, white or grey, and are generally made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or other insulating material.
  • A globalised standard of domestic power plugs has been seen as a beneficial project, and while the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and others have promoted the idea, and despite persistent efforts to reach an international standard for many years, some of which were hampered by World War II, adoption of such has been so far unsuccessful.
  • Universal domestic power plug adapters are available, and these have various pin and socket options so that travellers can use their own power appliances in countries with different socket options.
Bibliography:
AC Power Plugs and Sockets, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets
J Herrman, Giz Explains: Why Every Country Has a Different F#$%ing Plug, 2009, Gizmodo, http://gizmodo.com/5391271/giz-explains-why-every-country-has-a-different-fing-plug
World Plugs, 2015, International Electrotechnical Commission, http://www.iec.ch/worldplugs/map.htm

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Vinegar

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Vinegar

Versatile vinegar!

  • Vinegar is an acidic liquid made of water and acetic acid, which has the chemical formula C2H4O2.
  • Vinegar is made by allowing wine, juice or cider to sit exposed to oxygen and aerobic bacteria, and the process can take many months or years, depending on the circumstances, although quick methods can result in the final product in three days.
  • Among the first discoverers of vinegar were the Babylonians in the Middle East, who are said to have used it before or about 5000 BC for its preserving, cleaning and perceived medicinal properties.
  • Vinegar can be made from a variety of substances, including but not limited to barley, rice, palm fruits including coconuts and dates, grapes and apples.
  • In the food industry, vinegar is used to add flavour or as a liquid base, and it is frequently used in condiments like salad dressings, is found in some drinks, is used for pickling particular vegetables, and is sometimes sprinkled onto potato chips or other vegetables.

Vinegar, Assortment, Chinese, Yellow, Black, Glass, Bottles, Culinary, Food, Acid, Ten Random Facts, Trivia

  • Vinegar has been used throughout history to treat ulcers, coughs, fevers, and bacteria, and as a neutraliser for certain jellyfish stings.
  • The acidic nature of vinegar is enough to cause teeth to decay, and remove sticky residue, among other substances, and is often used in conjunction with water to clean items, and the product is also able to kill mould.
  • Vinegar can be used to kill weeds, although a stronger dose may be required to completely destroy some plants, and the liquid can be used for various other purposes in the garden including killing or deterring pests including snails, slugs and ants.
  • Vinegar can vary in colour, and can be brown, deep red, black, yellow or colourless, depending on its origins.
  • There are various methods of producing commercial vinegar, and some produce more acetic acid than others, while bottles of the liquid commonly found in supermarkets usually contain up to 5% of the acid.
Bibliography:
Know how vinegar came into existence, n.d, The Human Touch of Chemistry, http://humantouchofchemistry.com/know-how-vinegar-came-into-existence.htm
Vinegar, 2015, How Products Are Made, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-7/Vinegar.html
Vinegar, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar
Vinegar History, 2015, Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits, http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/vinegar-history.html

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Plastic Shopping Bag

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Plastic Shopping Bag

Do you understand the harm of plastic shopping bags?

  • Plastic shopping bags are strong cheap plastic bags primarily used to carry groceries or other items bought from retail outlets.
  • ‘Plastic shopping bags’ are called ‘plastic grocery bags’ and ‘carrier bags’, and they are also known by the generic terms ‘bags’, ‘shopping bags’ and ‘plastic bags’.
  • Plastic shopping bags are most commonly made of polyethylene, although bags can be made of bioplastic that originates from vegetable sources and is said to decompose safely when exposed to sunlight and oxygen.
  • Plastic bags were invented after the introduction of polyethylene in the 1930s, and in 1962, engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin of Sweden filed a patent for a one-piece plastic shopping bag with an integrated handle for the Celloplast company, and this style of bag is said to be the basis of most modern designs.
  • Commercially used plastic shopping bags became highly popular worldwide by the 1980s, acting as a replacement to paper bags which were originally used for purchased goods.

Plastic Shopping Bag, Grey, Grocery, Target, Just Jeans, Ten Random Facts, Trivia, Inventions, Handle, Assorted

  • The cited number of plastic bags produced worldwide varies by source, with suggestions of 500 to 1,000 billion per year, with over 100 billion used in the United States in 2009 and approximately 13 billion used in the United Kingdom in 2008.
  • Plastic shopping bags come in a wide variety of colours, made with the addition of different chemicals, and common colours include white, and grey, while words, logos, and other designs are often printed on the bags.
  • Plastic shopping bags generally take a hundred years or more to breakdown, and therefore are significant polluters of the environment, killing thousands of marine wildlife yearly, and even causing drain blockages that cause flooding, especially in poor countries.
  • Caution should be taken with plastic shopping bags, as they can cause suffocation in children, especially those of a young age, and warning information has been in place on some types of bags in some countries since 1959.
  • Stores, nations and even countries like China, Rwanda and Bangladesh, have been banning, limiting or discouraging the use of plastic shopping bags for environmental reasons, including the large quantities of resources required to create the bags in the first place.
Bibliography:
Keller A, History of the Plastic Bag, 2011, Bag Monster, http://www.bagmonster.com/2011/05/history-of-the-plastic-bag.html
Plastic Shopping Bag, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_shopping_bag
Polythene’s story: The accidental birth of plastic bags, 2008, The Independent, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/polythenes-story-the-accidental-birth-of-plastic-bags-800602.html

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