Tag Archives: Invention

Origami

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Origami

Did you know that there is an art to folding paper? Well, it is called origami.

  • Origami is the art of folding paper, generally without cutting or gluing, that is believed to have originally started in the first or second century AD, in China.
  • Origami generally involves folding a square piece of paper into a two or three dimensional object, while the most common or well known folded object is a paper crane (bird) or ‘orizuru’.
  • In the sixth century AD, origami was introduced to Japanese people, and it eventually became ingrained into the Japanese culture, so much so, that it has been, and is still strongly associated with Japan.
  • Origami paper sizes typically range from 2.5 to 25 centimetre (1 to 10 inch) squares, although they can be larger, and the most common size is 15 cm (5.9 inches).
  • Although folding paper in origami is typically performed by hand only on a smooth surface, tools including a scorer, embosser, paper clips and tweezers can be used for better folds or holds.

Origami Boxes, Coloured, Green, Purple, Bright, paper, Art, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Craft

  • Some origami models have moving mechanisms once interacted with, and designs include simple jumping frogs and flapping wings to complex models of a figure playing a paper instrument.
  • ‘Origami’ comes from the Japanese words ‘ori’ and ‘kami’ meaning ‘fold’ and ‘paper’ respectively.
  • The final design size of an origami model is dependent on the paper size; and a number of computer programs have been designed that can simulate the art of paper folding, and can also create designs.
  • Origami has a strong link to mathematics, and can be seen used in practical solutions such as airbags in vehicles, and it has been a common subject of copyright issues, as designs have been often stolen and republished.
  • Origami paper is available in a wide range of colours and patterns, that usually range between 55 to 90 gsm in weight, and the paper is often thin, allowing for ease of folding.
Bibliography:
History, n.d, Kid’s Web Japan, http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/origami/origami01.html
Origami, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origami

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Breakfast Cereal

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Breakfast Cereal

Remember to eat some breakfast cereal for a healthy start to your day!

  • Breakfast cereal, also known as ‘cereal’, is a processed grain-based food, usually eaten during the morning, often as the first dish of the day.
  • Breakfast cereal can be eaten both cold or hot, with milk, fruit, yoghurt and sometimes sweeteners added, and it is generally considered as a healthy breakfast option, however, some ready-to-eat cereals are high in sugar.
  • Read-to-eat breakfast cereal has been the subject of a constant increase in popularity, and over 500 cereals or variations have been manufactured throughout the world.
  • Porridge, a type of breakfast cereal, has been eaten since ancient times, and is made of ground, chopped or rolled oats, rice, corn, barley, semolina, wheat or other grains.
  • It is likely that the 1863 Granula breakfast cereal produced by a nutritionist from the United States, James Jackson, was the first to be invented, although the item required a period of soaking before consumption, making it impractical.

Breakfast Cereal, Bowl, Fruit, Flakes, Dry, Uncle Tobys Antioxidant, Ten Random Facts, Food,

  •  Breakfast cereal was originally scooped from large barrels for each customer, and around the late 1800s it started to become prepackaged in boxes that helped to increase its popularity.
  • Breakfast cereal was popularised around the late 1800s by the American, John Kellogg, a physician and the cofounder of Kellogg’s, along with his brother William, as well as Charles Post, a salesman who became a cereal manufacturer after visiting Kellogg’s sanitarium.
  • Breakfast cereal is available in a wide variety of shapes and colours, but is typically flaky or grainy in texture, and is generally brown to orange in colour, depending on the ingredients.
  • Breakfast cereal often has a high content of fibre, as well as many added vitamins, although some cereals contain a substantial quantity of sugar.
  • Breakfast cereal can be targeted specifically towards adults or children, and is often more sophisticated and healthy for adults, but sweeter, bright and more colourful for children.

 

Bibliography:
Avey T, What’s for Breakfast? Discover the History of Cereal, 2012, PBS, http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-of-cereal/
Breakfast Cereal, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast_cereal
History of Cereals, 2014, Ceereals, http://www.ceereal.eu/asp2/why_breakfast/l1.asp?doc_id=420

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Lawn Mower

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Lawn Mower

Now you can mow your lawn with knowledge with these lawn mower facts!

  • Lawn mowers are mechanical or robotic devices used to cut grass, often lawns or grass fields, using blades.
  • Lawn mowers can be powered by hand, electricity or a fuel motor.
  • Lawn mower blades generally spin on a vertical or horizontal axis, and are named ‘rotary mowers’ and ‘reel mowers’ respectively.
  • Lawn mowers were first patented in 1830, by Englishman Edwin Budding, from England’s Gloucestershire in Europe, to replace the scythe, and Budding’s invention was inspired by the cloth cross-cutting machines that were used in the local mills.
  • Reel lawn mowers often have three to seven ribbon like blades that are connected together in a cylindrical formation, while those with rotary blades are typically limited to one relatively flat blade that attaches to the underneath of the machine.

Lawn Mower, Red, Black, Mechanical, Fuel, Lawn, Mow, Grass, Ten Random Facts, Backyard, hand

  • Steam powered lawn mowers were first patented in 1893 by James Sumner in England, although they could only be used after a few hours of heating to allow for pressure buildup.
  • Lawn mowers can propel items like stones, at high speed, that can cause damage, and while many other mowing related injuries can be prevented from wearing correct footwear, in 2004, at least 80,000 people in the United States were injured by mowers or mowing activity.
  • Many lawn mowers emit high quantities of pollution, comparable to domestic cars, and often produce loud noises that can be irritating and damage hearing.
  • Lawn mowers often consist of a motor, blades and a box called a ‘catcher’ that collects grass cuttings, although hand powered reel bladed machines typically have blades and a handle, and sometimes a catcher, although a motor is absent.
  • Ride-on mowers, that allow for a person to sit on the machine, are useful for mowing large areas, while robotic lawn mowers are becoming increasingly popular and only require minimal human interaction.
Bibliography:
Lawn Mower, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_mower
Mower History, 2014, The Old Lawn Mower Club, http://www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk/mowinfo/mowhist.htm

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Cream of Tartar

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Cream of Tartar

Do not take an overdose of potassium with richly filled cream of tartar.

  • Cream of tartar is a white compound of powdered potassium acid salt that is derived from tartaric acid.
  • Crystallised cream of tartar forms inside barrels of fermenting grape juice and sometimes in bottles of wine, that have been cooled at 10°C (50°F) or lower.
  • Cream of tartar is often used for culinary purposes as a stabiliser, to boost the volume of egg whites and their resilience to heat; to keep the fluffiness of whipped cream; to stop crystallisation of sugar based liquids; and to stabilise colour enzymes of vegetables so that they keep their colour.
  • Cream of tartar is often used to make baking powder as well as in salt replacements that require limited or no sodium.
  • Cream of tartar is a combination of potassium, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen in the chemical makeup of KC4H5O6.

Cream of Tartar, Powder, White, Acid, Potassium, Ten Random Facts, Culinary, Australia

  • ‘Cream of tartar’ is officially known as ‘potassium bitartrate’, and is also called  ‘potassium hydrogen tartrate’, ‘potassium acid tartrate’ and ‘monopotassium tartrate’.
  • A mixture of dissolved cream of tartar in either an acid solution or water can be used for cleaning; the former for metals including aluminium, brass and copper and the latter for most other objects.
  • Cream of tartar was originally made in wine barrels, until a modern method was produced by CW Scheele, a chemist from Sweden in 1769, and characteristics of the substance were documented in 1832 by Jean-Baptiste Biot, a French physicist.
  • Cream of tartar is very high in potassium, so consuming large quantities of the powder can lead to potassium-related illnesses such as hyperkalemia, and women that are pregnant and elderly people should be careful about ingesting it.
  • ‘Tartar’ of ‘cream of tartar’ has been used since the 1300s, and is originally from the Greek word ‘tartaron’, and later the Medieval Latin word ‘tartarum’.
Bibliography:
Cream of Tartar: What is it anyway?, 2012, Huffpost Taste, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/19/cream-of-tar-tar_n_2322569.html
Potassium Bitartrate, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bitartrate
What is the History of Cream of Tartar?, 2013, Innovate Us, http://www.innovateus.net/food/what-history-cream-tartar

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Shaving Cream

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Shaving Cream

Have you ever thought about the invention of shaving cream?

  • Shaving cream is a foamy mixture placed on the body, typically the face, during the process of removing, or shaving, hairs.
  • ‘Shaving cream’ is also known as ‘shaving foam’.
  • Shaving cream is typically used with a razor to create an easier and smoother cutting process and to help protect the skin from the razor blade.
  • Before shaving cream, a type of soap made from animal fat and wood ash was used in a similar way, and was invented thousands of years ago in Mesopotamia, now modern day Middle East, by Sumerians.
  • Shaving cream was originally manufactured as a solid prism, like soap blocks, and an early foaming soap for shaving purposes was produced in 1840, while in the 1900s the products became more foamy and were generally applied by brush.

Shaving Cream, Bottle, Purple, Green, Cillette, Rapid Shave, Foam, White, Cans, Pressure, Ten Random Facts, Men, Hygiene

  • Modern day shaving cream is most often bought in cylindrical cans, that are pressurised, and have a spray function and nozzle.
  • Shaving cream that expands against a change of pressure was invented in 1949 by the American healthcare company Carter-Wallace, and quickly became very popular, although gases emitted from the pressurised cans were later considered environmentally unfriendly, so the propellants were eventually changed.
  • Shaving cream is generally made of water, oils, soap and other agents used primarily for hygiene.
  • Shaving cream is usually white in colour and has a texture of cream or foam, and it can also be a gel-like substance.
  • Shaving cream products need to be tested before being being released to customers, for the size of the foam once emitted, rate of absorption, water purity, and pH levels, and the standards are set by agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Bibliography:
Shaving Cream, 2014, How Products are Made, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Shaving-Cream.html
Shaving Cream, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaving_cream
History of Shaving Cream, Part 1 (of 1), 2012, Perfect Shave, http://perfectshave.com/history-of-shaving-cream-part-1-of-1/

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Curry Powder

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Curry Powder

Do not let the curry powder burn your mouth… or these facts burn your brain.

  • Curry powder is a preparation of spices used primarily in dishes to add flavour and a pleasant smell.
  • Curry powder is made primarily of spices, most often turmeric, cumin and coriander, but the mixture also often contains chilli and fenugreek, and sometimes garlic and ginger.
  • Curry powder typically produces both a flavour and a curry similar to foods from Asia’s south and it is often spicy.
  • Curry powder is often used in curry sauces, but also dishes that require a distinct flavour, and the mixture can be homemade or commonly available in supermarkets or Asian grocery stores.
  • Curry powder most likely arrived in European society in 1771, and an advertisement for the product appeared in a British newspaper, dated 1784.

Curry Powder, Orange, Brown, Spicy, Ten Random Facts, Flavour, Australia, Food, Asian Culinary

  • Curry powder became common in the 1800s and 1900s after the introduction of machines that can mass produce, as well as becoming a widespread and popular export.
  • Curry powder became increasingly popular in 1960s to 1970s with the demand and supply of Indian cuisine.
  • Curry powder is typically coloured yellow, orange, red, grey or brown, depending on the spice mix, and the powder particles are often very fine, but vary in size.
  • Commercially bought curry powder often loses its prominent taste and strength after lengthy storage times, and usually starts deteriorating from six months.
  • Curry powder is high in fibre, vitamin E, vitamin K, iron and manganese, and is said to help protect against inflammation and cancer.

 

Bibliography:
Breslin F, Currying Flavor, 2012, Cook for Your Life, http://www.cookforyourlife.org/ingredients/90-curry-powder
Curry Powder, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_powder
History of Spice and Curry Powder, n.d, Vijay, http://www.vijaymasala.com/?page_id=364
Kelley L, The Origins of Curry Powder, 2013, Silk Road Gourmet, http://www.silkroadgourmet.com/curry-powder/

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