Tag Archives: Invention

Vanilla Extract

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Vanilla Extract

Do you use pure or imitation vanilla extract.

  • Vanilla extract is a flavouring mixture that largely contains vanillin, which generally comes from the vanilla bean that grows on an orchid plant called Vanilla planifolia.
  • Pure vanilla extract is made be steeping 100 grams of vanilla beans in a litre of water mixed with 35% alcohol, (for each gallon of liquid, 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans) and the final liquid is usually purchased in a small bottle.
  • Vanilla extract is the most frequently used type of vanilla flavouring and is typically dark brown in colour, and pure vanilla extract has a more distinct smell and flavour than the more bitter imitations.
  • ‘Vanilla extract’ is also known as ‘vanilla essence’ and unnatural or synthetic vanilla flavouring extract or essence is known as ‘imitation’ vanilla.
  • Some people are allergic to vanilla extract and can develop migraines from it due to its vanillin content.

Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Essence, Queens, pure, Ten Random Facts, Flavour, Lid

  • Vanilla extract is popularly used in flavouring baked wheat products, sweets and desserts, particularly custard and ice cream.
  • Vanilla extract can be expensive, particularly when typhoons hit the main producing countries, causing significant losses.
  • The main producer of vanilla extract is Africa’s Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean, although the plant is native to Mexico.
  • Vanilla extract may vaporise when heated as a liquid, due to its alcohol content, and will generally result in the loss of some vanilla flavour.
  • Vanilla extract was first developed as a commercial liquid product in the 1847s in the United States by an American chemist Joseph Burnett, after a request from a customer.
Bibliography:
History of Vanilla, n.d, Plain Vanilla, http://www.indepthinfo.com/vanilla/history.shtml
Martinez C, What is the Origin of Vanilla Extract, n.d, http://www.ehow.com/info_12012268_origin-vanilla-extract.html
Vanilla, 2014, Joy of Baking, http://www.joyofbaking.com/Vanilla.html
Vanilla Extract, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla_extract

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Wrench

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Wrench

Tighten your brain with these wrench facts.

  • Wrenches are gripping tools used to tighten or loosen objects by rotating them, particularly nuts and bolts.
  • ‘Wrench’, the typical American term, is also known as a ‘spanner’, especially in British English or a ‘spanner wrench’.
  • Wrenches have a long history and have been used for various purposes including the straightening of spear shafts and similar, and the term was used before 1790, while the word ‘spanner’ has been used from as early as 1630.
  • Special alloy steel is typically used to make high quality wrenches and are typically plated with chrome for corrosion prevention.
  • The first patent of a wrench is commonly attributed to Solymon Merrick in the United States in 1834, however, an earlier patent of a similar one was granted in 1832 to Henry King from Springfield, Massachusetts, in the United States, and King’s wrench was an ‘improvement in the rack wrench’.

Wrench, Silver, Monkey, Box End, Open End, Combination, Silver, Small, Big, Chrome, 14mm, 15mm, Kinchrome, ten Random Facts

  • Wrenches commonly have an end with either a c or u shaped opening and/or a notched hole, which is used to grip the nut or bolt.
  • Popular wrenches include box-end, combination, open-end, flare nut and adjustable, with the latter having a movable clamp.
  • Wrenches can cause injury, particularly by slipping, if used incorrectly such as by using on a incorrect angle or a different nut size.
  • Wrenches come in a range of sizes that have the size usually stamped on the tool, with imperial tools numbered in fractions of inches and metric tools in millimetres.
  • Wrenches with nut-shaped sockets can have 6, 8, 12 or 16 sided holes for gripping.

 

Bibliography:
Crawford P, Spanner Jaw Sizes, 2013, Dundee Satellite Receiving Station, http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~psc/spanner_jaw.html
Wrench, 2014, Encyclopaedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/649432/wrench
Wrench, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrench

 

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Electrical Battery

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Electrical Battery

Store up facts like a battery.

  • Batteries are a power storage cell that are used to store power in the form of chemical or electrical energy to create electricity when placed in a circuit.
  • Batteries have a positive (+) and negative (-) pole to allow electricity to flow out of the battery.
  • Approximately USD $48 billion was spent globally in the battery industry in 2005.
  • Batteries were invented by Italian Alessandro Volta, a physicist, in 1800, who designed a structure of plates of copper, zinc and brine-soaked paper that is known as the voltaic pile.
  • The original battery invention was not suitable for everyday use, leading to more practical liquid wet cell designs in 1836, and, later in the 1800s, dry cell designs that use a gel substance instead of liquid.

Battery, 3 volt, 203E. AA+, AAA+, Circle, Reusable, Rechargeable, Green, Pink, Energizer, Industrial, Varta, Dry Cell, Electrical,

  • Batteries function by multiple electromagnetic reactions creating electrons in the negative pole, transferring into electricity in the positive pole.
  • There are two main types of batteries – disposable single use batteries; or rechargeable multiple use batteries that can be charged to restore power in the battery.
  • Disposable batteries can discharge by themselves, losing up to 20% each year when stored at recommended room temperature.
  • Batteries can be very dangerous, or even fatal, if used incorrectly, as can cause explosions via short circuiting, leak toxic chemicals, or cause tissue damage if swallowed.
  • Batteries can be made at home, but produce impractical currents, using everyday items such as potatoes, coins, vinegar or salt water.

 

Bibliography:
Battery (Electrical), 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(electricity)
Brain M, Bryant C & Pumphrey C, How Batteries Work, 2011, How Stuff Works, http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/battery1.htm

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Hook and Loop Fastener

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Hook and Loop Fastener

Hook into these facts about hook and loop fasteners.

  • Hook and loop fasteners are two different textile strips or shapes that have numerous tiny hooks on one strip or shape, that grip onto tiny loops on the other strip or shape.
  • ‘Hook and loop fasteners’ are also known as ‘touch fasteners’, and are also commonly referred to by the original brand name of the product, ‘Velcro’.
  • Hook and loop fasteners hold together by pressure or can be detached from each other by force, and make a sound of ‘ripping’ when being detached.
  • Hook and loop fasteners were invented in Switzerland by native George de Mestral, an engineer, with the idea being born in 1941, although it took him ten years to produce a successful mechanical process to make the product and he applied for a patent for it in 1951.
  • Hook and loop fasteners are based on natural burr seeds, said to be from burdock plants (Arctium), that hook with strength on clothing and animal fur, and the brand name ‘Velcro’ comes from the French words ‘velours’, meaning ‘velvet’ and ‘crochet’ which means ‘hook’.

Hook and loop fastener, velcro, black, white, strips, rectangular, Ten Random Facts, Invention

  • Some brands of hook and loop fasteners can hold 79 kilograms (175 pounds) with only 26 square centimetres (4 square inches) of the material.
  • Hook and loop fasteners are generally made from nylon, usually with the addition of polyester, although they can be made from other materials like Teflon for special purposes.
  • Hook and loop fasteners sometimes have a self adhesive backing and can be attached to items with this method or other glue, or they can be sewn onto fabrics with thread, and sometimes they have hooks on one side and loops on the back.
  • Hook and loop fasteners did not become significantly popular until the 1970s and 1980s, and can now be found in most homes, on clothes, shoes and bags, although it has numerous other uses, in vehicles, toys, furniture, space shuttles, hospitals and more.
  • Hook and loop fasteners can unintentionally collect dirt, hair and fluff, and the loops and hooks can wear after excessive use.
Bibliography:
The History of Hook and Loop Fasteners, n.d, Speedtech International, Inc, http://www.speedtechinternational.com/history-of-velcro.aspx
Hook and Loop Fastener, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_and_loop_fastener
Velcro, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velcro

 

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Cabinet

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Cabinet

Every home needs a cabinet.

  • Cabinets are generally rectangular pieces of furniture that are primarily used to store items such as valuables, clothes and food items.
  • Cabinets are traditionally made of wood, but can be made of materials that are synthetic.
  • Cabinets are often called ‘cupboards’ and those that store clothes are also known as ‘wardrobes,’ ‘closets’ and ‘armoires’.
  • The word ‘cabinet’ in French originally meant ‘small room’ and in the 1600s, the term referred to such a room which often contained books and art, and ‘cabinets of curiosities’, rooms full of interesting collections, also emerged around this time.
  • Cabinets were originally boxes or chests, invented to store paper documents or things of value.

Cabinet, glass, speaker, wooden, Ten Random facts, Cupboard, drawers, doors

  • Until 1650, cabinets were not commonplace, and were generally owned only by the elite, due to the cost and the lack of perceived need.
  • Cabinets, during the Industrial Revolution from the 1700s through to the 1800s, entered mass production, making them more affordable and popular.
  • Cabinets usually have compartments that either have doors, drawers, or are left open.
  • Cabinet making became a favoured hobby after World War II, and those that make cabinets are known as ‘cabinet makers’.
  • Cabinets are sometimes carved with a relief pattern or design, or have a workbench at the top or side, and they can be built into a structure or stand alone.
Bibliography:
Blackburn G, A Short History of Cabinets, 2005, Fine Wood Working, https://www.finewoodworking.com/woodworking-plans/article/a-short-history-of-cabinets.aspx
Cabinetry, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinetry

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Dictionary

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Dictionary

An excerpt from a dictionary:
fact (fakt) – noun
1. A thing that is known or proven to be true.

  • Dictionaries are typically a collection or book of words that usually give the definition, pronunciation, etymologies and/or phonetics of words.
  • Dictionaries are often dedicated to one or two particular languages of words and are generally alphabetically arranged.
  • The oldest dictionaries known to have existed were on stone tablets from the Semitic empire, around 2300 BC, which were discovered in Syria, West Asia, and were lists of words in both Akkadian and Sumerian languages.
  • The term ‘dictionary’ came from the word ‘dictionarius’ with the Latin meaning ‘of words’, which is believed to have been invented in 1220 by John of Garland (also known as Johannes de Garlandia), and English philologist.
  • The first reliable and significantly influential dictionary in English was called ‘A Dictionary of the English Language’ and also known as ‘Johnson’s Dictionary’, by writer Samuel Johnson of Great Britain, in 1755, who took nine years to complete the task single-handedly.

Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary, Words, Words, Book, Ten Random Facts, Open

  • It wasn’t until 1884 that the next great dictionary was written and released in sections, known as the ‘Oxford English Dictionary’ by Oxford University Press, which took until 1928 to be completed, and was then published in 12 volumes, that continues to be updated every three months, and is still considered to be the most comprehensive source on words in English.
  • Dictionaries are traditionally printed in book form but more recently are available digitally and via the internet.
  • There are two main types of dictionaries, specialised and defining, with the first a dictionary of technical words and the latter of simple, generally used words.
  • ‘Dictionaries’ are also known as ‘lexicons’, and ‘lexicography’ is the activity of compiling or writing a dictionary.
  • Comprehensive dictionaries generally contain all or most words in use in the language, however, most printed forms of a dictionary contain only the most generally used words to keep the book size and cost manageable, as comprehensive ones like the Oxford English Dictionary contain over 21, pages.
Bibliography:
Dictionary, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionary
Our modern age has dictionaries of all kinds and sizes, 2014, Wyzant, http://www.wyzant.com/resources/lessons/english/etymology/words-mod-dictionaries

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