Tag Archives: Invention

Aircraft Boneyard

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Aircraft Boneyard

Just imagine a film set in an aircraft boneyard.

  • Aircraft boneyards are areas of land that hold aircraft that have been abandoned, retired from service, or are non-functional.
  • ‘Aircraft boneyards’ are also known as ‘aircraft graveyards’, and they are located in a number of countries around the world, including Russia, the United States, and Australia.
  • Aircraft boneyards are generally used as a space to store excess planes, or as a holding area for aircraft waiting to be recycled, and they can also include a maintenance facility.
  • Most commonly, aircraft boneyards are situated in desert areas, as plane corrosion is less likely, and the ground is usually firm and solid.
  • The largest aircraft boneyard in the world is ‘the Boneyard’, formally known as the ‘309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group’ (AMARG).
Aeroplane Boneyard, Aircraft Graveyard, Ten Random Facts, Tucson, America, Aerial, Birds Eye, Flickr
Aircraft Boneyard at Tuscon
Image courtesy of Daniel Lobo/Flickr
  • Common reasons for aircraft abandonment include war damage, aging, lower demand during wars, and increasing economical expenses.
  • Large quantities of aircraft were left abandoned in aircraft boneyards after World War II, during aircraft upgrades to jet engines in the 1970s, in the 9/11 disaster aftermath in 2001, and during economic problems from 2007.
  • Aircraft sent to aircraft boneyards are generally preserved and sealed by being coated in a layer of latex mixture, which protects the interior and reflects heat, while oil is used to fill tanks and preserve the engines.
  • Some planes in aircraft boneyards can be used again in the future, so aircraft inspections often occur at intervals of around four years, while other planes are commonly used for spare parts.
  • Most aircraft boneyards are not open to the public, although some large facilities may open for visitors, and these sometimes have a museum onsite with planes on display.
Bibliography:
Aircraft Boneyard, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_boneyard
Field Guide to Aircraft Boneyards, 2009, John A Weeks III, http://www.johnweeks.com/boneyard/
List and Map of Active and Post-WWII Aircraft Boneyards and Storage Facilities, 2015, AirplaneBoneyards.com, http://www.airplaneboneyards.com/airplane-boneyards-list-and-map.htm
Zentner J, Airplane Graveyards, 2015, DesertUSA, http://www.desertusa.com/arizona-desert/airplane-graveyards.html

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Toilet Paper

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Toilet Paper

Could you live without toilet paper?

  • Toilet paper is an invention typically used to clean body waste off oneself, without using direct hand contact.
  • Light and soft pulped paper is the typical material of toilet paper, and it may be layered one to three times, making it one to three ply paper.
  • Toilet paper generally breaks down in sewage systems, making it moderately environmentally friendly, although it is not always the case with the product manufacturing process.
  • ‘Toilet paper’ is also known as ‘toilet roll’, ‘dunny paper’, ‘bathroom tissue’, ’tissue’, and ‘bathroom paper’, and the product is commonly stored in a bathroom, on a rod attached to a wall or a floor base, as a dispenser.
  • Generally, a sheet of toilet paper is almost square in shape and is usually around 10 centimetres (4 inches) across, or a little longer than it is wide.

Toilet Paper, White, Ten Random Facts, Lavender, Pattern, Invention, Bathroom, Hook,

  • Paper, similar to toilet paper for wiping body waste, has been evident since 500 AD in Chinese culture.
  • Although most often white in colour, toilet paper can depict a printed pattern, or it can be other bright colours, such as purple, blue or green; and it is usually purchased as a continuous length, rolled onto a cardboard tube that is sometimes scented.
  • One of the costs of producing toilet paper around the world is the loss of 27,000 trees each day, the amount required to produce approximately 83 million rolls.
  • Modern toilet paper is commonly accepted to have been invented in 1857 by Joseph Gayetty, from the United State’s New York, although the invention was largely ignored until the prominence of indoor toilets in the 1900s.
  • Toilet paper substitutes that have been used in the past include corn cobs, snow, water, wool, vegetation, rags, lace, wood shavings, seashells and sponges, although in the early stages, the modern invention was not without its hazards, as splinters from the product were not uncommon.
Bibliography:
Huskey D, Toilet Paper wasn’t Commonly Used in the United States Until the Early 20th Century, 2012, Today I Found Out, http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/07/toilet-paper-wasnt-commonly-used-in-the-united-states-until-the-early-20th-century/
McRobbie L, Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe, 2009, Mental Floss, http://mentalfloss.com/article/23210/toilet-paper-history-how-america-convinced-world-wipe
Toilet Paper, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_paper

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Oven

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Oven

What would you do without an oven?

  • An oven is an appliance that is mostly an enclosed compartment that has the primary purpose to cook food using a heat source.
  • An oven made specifically for use in metalwork is known as a ‘furnace’, and one that is used to fire ceramics and other items is called a ‘kiln’.
  • Ovens have been used for thousands of years, and evidence of their ancient use has been found in various locations in Europe.
  • The heat source of ovens can be generated using coal, iron, wood, gas, microwaves, or, most commonly, electricity.
  • Ancient Greeks used ovens mainly to make bread, and they also made small, portable ovens that were used as early as the 1600s BC.

Oven, Black, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Cooking, Digital, Electric,

  • Ovens in modern homes are often situated in a custom-sized space in an open cupboard or wall, around waist height, and the appliance is often a rectangular prism in shape.
  • In medieval Europe, the use of cauldrons and fireplaces were commonplace, while it wasn’t until around the 1700s when more practical and modern ovens became common, although they were often more like a stove.
  • In recent times, there has been a resurgence of wood-fired ovens that are either purchased or made, and they are generally situated in outdoor living areas and are used to cook pizzas and baked goods.
  • Modern style ovens generally feature a door, dials and other buttons to control the heat intensity produced, and sometimes other features are included, like ‘self-cleaning’.
  • Ovens often produce heat from either the base or the top, and commonly feature a fan to spread the heat more evenly.
Bibliography:
Bellis M, History of the Ovens from Cast Iron to Electric, 2015, About Money, http://inventors.about.com/od/ofamousinventions/a/oven.htm
Oven, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oven

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Broom

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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/

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Cadbury Heroes and Cadbury Favourites

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Cadbury Heroes and Cadbury Favourites

Which chocolate in the Cadbury Heroes or Favourites box is your favourite?

  • The confectionery, Cadbury ‘Heroes’ and Cadbury ‘Favourites’ are an assortment of chocolates that are usually packaged in a purple box or tin.
  • ‘Cadbury Heroes’ were originally known as ‘Cadbury Miniature Heroes’, and the chocolates are made by the Cadbury confectionery company.
  • ‘Cadbury Heroes’ is the British version of the confectionery product, while the Australian and New Zealand version is known as ‘Cadbury Favourites’.
  • Cadbury Heroes and Cadbury Favourites contain smaller versions of popular Cadbury chocolate bars, while boxes of these are available in small and large sizes.
  • The production of Cadbury Heroes is said to have been prompted by a similar confectionery assortment created by the Mars company, known as ‘Celebrations’.

Cadbury Favourites

  • Cadbury Favourites contain a different assortment of chocolates to the Cadbury Heroes chocolates; and the former has a wider selection.
  • Popular chocolates that have been featured in the assortments of Cadbury Heroes and/or Cadbury Favourites include Crunchies, Twirls, Dairy Milks, Dreams, Picnics, Time Outs, Boosts, Eclairs and Cherry Ripes.
  • Cadbury Favourites and Cadbury Heroes were released in 1998 and 1999 respectively, and quickly became a hit among chocolate fans.
  • Cadbury Heroes and Cadbury Favourites range from 7 to 12 varieties of chocolate per box, and they are available in packages that contain generally between 300 and 800 grams (10.5 and 28 ounces) of mini chocolate bars.
  • In 2008, the British Cadbury Heroes swapped their popular Crunchie chocolates, as well as Dreams, for other less popular chocolates, causing much outrage by the public.
Bibliography:
Cadbury Heroes, n.d, Cadbury, https://www.cadbury.co.uk/products/Heroes-2410?p=2410
Heroes (Confectionary), 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_(confectionery)
Smillie S, Heroes to Zeroes, 2008, The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2008/dec/19/cadbury-heroes-picnic-dream-bournville

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Plastic Wrap

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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

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