Historic Inventions

Invention of the radio occurred early in the twentieth century and if you are wondering which inventor invented the radio it was Guiseppe Marconi. Back in the 1890’s he referred to radio as wireless telegraphy.

Because at the time this innovation was so radical in its nature Marconi could only see commercial opportunity for his invention in terms of ship-to-shore Morse code communication.

Through this avenue Marconi was able to launch a successful business which ultimately accredited him with saving many thousands of lives at sea, including seven hundred that survived the Titanic disaster of 1912.

The true commercial potential in terms of music being transmitted via radio didn’t occur until 1922.

From this point onwards the opportunities for radio got greater and greater with it eventually becoming a mainstream broadcasting medium for sharing news and entertainment with the public at large.

Paint brushes are cleaned quickly by means of a new electric whirling device.

A brush is first dipped in a cleansing solvent, and then attached by its handle to the whirler, as shown in the image. When the motor is switched on, the brush whirls at high speed, paint being automatically removed by means of centrifugal force.

Imagine how easy this would be to carry around the golf course! I wonder why it didn’t take off? I personally have never seen this in modern day golf.

One shaft and seven detachable heads housed in a lightweight canvas kit replace a whole golf bag full of heavy clubs, in a novel plan devised by a group of golfers based out of Chicago. In addition to the various screw-on club heads, carried conveniently in specially designed pockets, the canvas kit provides a compartment for golf balls and one for wooden tees.

Five iron and two wood heads are included in the kit, which is said to be considerably lighter than a conventional bag of clubs.

November 1963…

Parallel mainsails on the 15-foot British boat above were designed and patented by a retired Welsh naval commander. The two masts are half the usual height and the boom are linked by a crossbar. They apply a chimney effect to create a draft; Commander Guy Bagot can keep his craft moving when others are becalmed.

Do you have three boys or three girls and only a small room for them to sleep in? Then perhaps you need this great idea that I stumbled across…

A triple decker bunk bed – perfect for say a small room in your holiday home.

It’s clever, space saving design prevents your children from banging their heads when they sit up.

The picture above was from an article first published in the early 1960’s. Triple decker beds are actually quite common in more recent times. With many companies offering space saving beds for three or even four children.

If your ceilings are high enough to accommodate this type of bed then its a great way of getting more play area in a small room for your kids.

Your kids will love it too, all kids get excited about bunk beds – just place them well away from ceiling fans and windows!

Only Luck Can Win In New Electric Game Innovation
Pure chance controls an amusement device known as the “thyratron speed trap,” Recently designed by electrical engineers.

The object of the game is to roll a steel ball representing an automobile, down a runway without lighting any one of three lamps.

Should a player succeed, he is said to have escaped the “speed trap.” Usually however, a light flashes upon one of three figures bearing legends “Constable Thyra fines 10 dollars”, “Sheriff Thyra fines twenty dollars”, and “Judge Thyra fines thirty dollars.”

As the ball rolls down, it successively closes electric circuits leading to as many thyratron or vacuum tubes, which act as relays to operate the lamps.
Because of an ingenious combination of direct and alternating current supply coupled in series to each tube, whether the tube operates at all depends upon the point at which the ball catches the alternating current cycle. This changes sixty times a second, and luck alone determines whether it will reinforce or cancel the direct current at the moment the ball makes contact.

July 1963…

Abrasive gloves rub the skin off of potatoes. Wash potatoes or root vegetables with these German gloves on, and you can peel them in water running at the kitchen sink.

When the spud is worked under the tap like a cake of soap, emery particles vulcanized in the rubber rub off dirt and skin.

December 1963…

What does it feel like in space? Engineers working on Project Apollo at Honeywell’s Aeronautical Division in Minneapolis can find out by thrusting an arm into a pressure-suit glove set in a small Plexiglas vacuum chamber and working a hand control unit.

Experiencing the handicap of a pressurized space suit helps them in designing control equipment for astronauts.

July 1963…

This electroluminescent belt generates its own light.

Electroluminescent panels replace reflectors on a new Sam Browne traffic-safety belt. They emit flashes from a rechargeable battery at the side.

December 1963…

A 227-foot tower not only supplies the historic city of Roskilde, near Copenhagen, with water but contains a restaurant on top and a swimming pool at the bottom.

And Ford gets in a bit of advertising, too. The million-gallon water tank, 93 feet in diameter, is held up by eight T-shaped columns, each capable of supporting 1,500 tons. The outer cylindrical wall and roof are insulated. Each night the tank is pumped full to meet the community’s next day’s water requirements.