Tag Archives: Invention

Chandelier

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Chandelier

An important addition to all spectacular homes: a chandelier.

  • Chandeliers are large decorative light fittings, usually able to hold multiple bulbs or candles, and are hung from ceilings.
  • ‘Chandelier’ comes from the old French word ‘chandelabre’, that has its origins in the word ‘candelabrum’, a Latin word meaning ‘candlestick’.
  • The first chandeliers were originally wooden cross-sections that held candles during the Middle Ages.
  • Chandeliers are typically used for decoration and luminescence, and add a feeling of luxury, although they are not so common as they once were one or two centuries ago.
  • The largest Bohemian crystal chandelier in existence today weighs 6 tonnes (4.5 tons) and was given to Dolmabahçe Palace in Turkey, by Queen Victoria in the 19th century, however, larger crystal chandeliers can be seen, including a Swarovski crystal one in the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Oman, which is 8 metres wide and has a height of 14 metres.

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  • Chandeliers were historically made from wood, brass, iron and other metals, and glass and crystal were added to spectacularly disperse and reflect light throughout the room.
  • Chandeliers were originally only owned by the higher classes and were a symbol of wealth, and Dolmabahçe Palace in Turkey has one of the most extensive chandelier collections in the world.
  • Chandeliers were often powered by gas and electricity from the 1800s, and during that time, crystals were sometimes included.
  • Authentic chandeliers originating from the Middle Ages are quite rare, as most hung in churches and were destroyed in the 1500s due to the reformation.
  • Chandeliers have been produced in numerous different styles, and the largest chandelier in the world in 2010, called ‘Reflective Flow’ is a non-traditional chandelier that holds 165,000 LED lights, has a weight of 18, 000 kg (39, 683 lb), is 5.8 m (19 ft) tall, 12.5 m (41 ft) wide, and 38.5 m (126 ft 4 in) long, and hangs in the atrium of the Al Hitmi office building in Doha, Qatar.
Bibliography:
Chandelier, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandelier
History of Pendant Lamps – the Chandelier, 2010, Designboom, http://www.designboom.com/history/p_chandelier.html

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Sewing Machine

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Sewing Machine

Make clothes ten times faster using sewing machines.

  • Sewing machines are appliances that use fabric and thread, along with human guidance, to sew textiles together.
  • The first patent for a sewing machine is evidenced by a diagram, by the inventor Thomas Saint, and Englishman, in 1790, although there is a possibility that Charles Weisenthal, a German had already invented a machine 35 years earlier to go with a machine needle he had patented.
  • The inventors Isaac Singer and Elias Howe from the United States, significantly improved the early designs of sewing machines in the 1840s and 1850s, and are often credited as the inventors of the appliance.
  • Sewing machine production began in earnest in the 1850s, with the first saleable machines being those made by Isaac Singer, and they were used commercially.
  • Sewing machines were first purchased by the general public in the 1860s, often by women, which cut down their sewing time from approximately 14.5 hours by hand, to 1 hour using the machine and by 1863, the Singer Manufacturing Company were selling 20,000 machines a year for home use.

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  • The first feasible electric sewing machine was invented in 1889, originally being powered by a bulky, outer motor, and by the early 1900s, they were a popular item in homes.
  • Sewing machines usually have the ability to sew various stitches, and will generally include the two main basic stitches, straight stitch and zigzag stitch, and the stitch one chooses will depend on the type of fabric, the purpose of the stitch and the look of the stitch.
  • Sewing machines are primarily used to create clothes, but can be used to make other textile items like furnishings, toys and books.
  • Sewing machines normally include a foot pedal; needle; presser foot; bobbin winder; hand wheel; feed dogs and a number of other parts that are visible, as well as numerous parts inside the machine, including the motor.
  • Sewing machines replaced the significant, time consuming, hand sewing that was required to make clothes and other furnishings before the machine was invented, and this has significantly changed the clothing industry due to the speed in which clothes can be made, as well as the cost in making the garments, and it has also impacted greatly on the home, as women no longer need to make clothes as they can be bought so cheaply from shops, which has helped to give women the freedom to work outside the home.
Bibliography:
Sewing Machine, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewing_machine
Tague A, Sewing Machine Fact Sheet, 2013, Overstock, http://www.overstock.com/guides/sewing-machines-fact-sheet

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Compass (Mathematical)

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Compass (Mathematical)

Draw the best circles with compasses!

  • Compasses are stationery items that are primarily used to draw accurate circles and curves.
  • Compasses have previously been used to draw accurate diagrams, although in modern times, computer technology is more often used.
  • Today, compasses are often used in teaching, particularly in geometry subjects in mathematics.
  • Compasses are typically produced from materials of metal and plastic.
  • Compasses generally have two small rods, one with a point and one with a pencil holder, which are connected with a hinge, that gives the ability to change the angle of the rods.

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  • Compasses are used to draw circles by placing the point and the pencil on the paper, pivoting it on the point, and putting pressure on the pencil.
  • Sizes of circles and curves can be altered by adjusting the angle of the compass.
  • Sometimes a compass has two pointed ends, and can be used as a ruler replacement, as a measurement tool particularly for maps.
  • Compasses are sometimes used as a symbol of accuracy and judgement.
  • It is believed the Greek mathematician, Euclid, from 300 BC, made use of a type of compass, and the Italian mathematician, Galileo, in the late 1500s or early 1600s, designed a compass, and sold them with an accompanying book.
Bibliography:
Compass (Drafting), 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass_(drafting)

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                     Compass Drawings (Book)

Knitting Needles

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Knitting Needles

Knit one, purl one!

  • Knitting needles are tools that are used in hand-knitting to make garments or other knitted items, with yarn, and are believed to have their origin in Egypt in the 11th century.
  • ‘Knitting needles’ are also known as ‘knitting pins’ and there are three main types of knitting needles: single-pointed, double-pointed and circular.
  • Knitting needles are typically long sticks with a blunt spike at one or two ends, and the size of the knitted stitches depends on the size of the diameter of the needle, as well as the thickness of the yarn.
  • A pair of knitting needles are typically used to create stitches of yarn and hold stitches of yarn together, and using various techniques which include different movements and placement of the needles as well as the yarn, one can create different patterns in the knitted garment.
  • Knitting needles are generally classified by their diameter, generally ranging from 2 to 25 millimetres in the metric system, although larger and smaller gauge needles are available.

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  • Single pointed knitting needles have one pointed end and one end with a knob to stop stitches coming off, and range between 25-40 cm (10-16 inches) in length and are usually purchased as a pair.
  • Double-pointed knitting needles have two pointed ends that are often used for circular knitting or for knitting cables, and are usually purchased in sets of 4 to 6 needles and are generally between 13-20 cm (5-8 inches) long.
  • In 1918, circular knitting needles were patented, and these types of needles have a flexible line joining the two pointed ends, therefore requiring only one piece of equipment, but also allowing knitting ‘in the round’ which is a continuous form of knitting that produces a tube.
  • The largest knitting needles used for knitting in the world, were 6.5 centimetres in diameter and 3.5 metres in length, used by Julia Hopson from the United Kingdom, who stitched 100 stiches with them in 2006.
  • Knitting needles are typically made from wood, steel or aluminium, plastic or glass, while some antiques are made of ivory, shell or tusks as well as wood and metal.
Bibliography:
Knitting Needle, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knitting_needle
Parkes C, Tools of the Trade: Knitting Needles, 2013, Knitter’s Review, http://www.knittersreview.com/article_tool.asp?article=/review/profile/010405_a.asp

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Sausage

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Sausage

Will these sausage facts make you lose your appetite?

  • Sausages are edible food products typically made of encased ground meat and often include seasonings, and thousands of years ago were originally used as a way to preserve meat, typically with salt.
  • Sausage casings were first made using cleaned intestines and hollow stomachs from the animals that were killed for their meat – generally sheep, cows, goats and pigs although other animals have been used.
  • ‘Sausage’ comes from the old French word ‘saussiche’, which has its origin in the Latin word ‘salsus’, which means ‘salted’.
  • Modern sausage casings are often manmade and the options include cellulose, collagen and plastic, although plastic casings are not usually used due to health concerns.
  • Sausage varieties can be made with different methods of salting, cooking, drying and smoking, or they can be raw and are edible due to a fermentation process.

Sausage, Long, Uncooked, Raw, Pink, Beef, Pile, Meat, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Some countries in Europe are the home of thousands of different sausage varieties that range in size, shape, taste, or other attributes.
  • Sausages can be made without a casing, and can be made vegetarian, with nuts, soya products, vegetables and tofu, and include ingredients that hold the sausage together when cooked.
  • Sausages generally have a significant fat content that makes up 20 to 50 percent of its weight, and they usually need at least 20% fat to stay moist after cooking.
  • Sausages are called many different names, depending on their method of production and their ingredients, and they include ‘hot dogs’, ‘salami’, ‘saveloys’, ‘pepperoni’, ‘bratwurst’, ‘cabanossi’ and many others.
  • Sausage casings are generally filled with meat, and then twisted at intervals to section off the big long casing tube, often into the size of an individual portion.
Bibliography:
Sausage, 2003, Encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/sausage.aspx
Sausage, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sausage

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Yahtzee

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Yahtzee

“The classic shake and score dice game!” – Yahtzee slogan.

  • Yahtzee is a dice game that is primarily based on luck and probability and it was first trademarked on 19 April, 1956 by the E.S. Lowe Company.
  • Yahtzee is based on a number of historical dice games, including Yacht, Yogi, Generala, and Cheerio, and has had a few names in the past including ‘Yatzie’.
  • Yahtzee is played by rolling five dice, up to three times per turn, and creating combinations that score points.
  • Not including bonuses, the largest scoring combination is a ‘Yahtzee’, occurring when five of the same number is rolled in a turn.
  • Yahtzee remains popular and 50 million copies of the game are sold every year, and approximately 100 million people play the game around the world.

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  • It is said that Yahtzee was invented by a rich Canadian couple who used to play the game on their yacht, who then wanted to give some sets to their friends who enjoyed the game, and so they approached Edwin Lowe, who made them 1,000 sets for the rights of the game.
  • In 1973, the rights for Yahtzee were bought from the E.S. Lowe Company by the Milton Bradley Company, and Hasbro later became the owners.
  • There are thirteen dice combinations listed on the scoresheet, and the largest possible score without bonuses is 375 points, while with bonuses the largest score exceeds 1000.
  • Many games have been derived from Yahtzee, with the first being ‘Triple Yahtzee’, and another variation was ‘Word Yahtzee’.
  • Yahtzee was not popular when it was first marketed, until parties based around the dice game were held.
Bibliography:
Yahtzee, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee
Yahtzee History, 2013, Yahtzee Online, http://www.yahtzeeonline.org/yahtzee-history.php

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