Johannes Gutenberg (circa 1400 – February 3, 1468) was responsible for one of the pivotal inventions in all of history: the moveable-type printing press. That invention, more than any other, allowed mankind to begin to collect and disseminate its collective knowledge and progress into the scientific and industrial revolutions. It almost didn't happen. We owe... Continue Reading →
What do you do when you live in a high-rise city apartment building and your infant wants to get some fresh air? Why, you set the little crumb cruncher precariously in a flimsy contraption, let it hang out the window, and your problem is solved, of course. Not convinced? Maybe you're just not seeing the... Continue Reading →
In news that is sure to excite college students everywhere, a team of Scottish scientists announced the development of a pizza that is healthy enough to eat at every meal. Professor Mike Lean of Glasgow University and businessman Donnie Maclean worked with a team to produce the pizza which contains 30% of the recommended daily... Continue Reading →
We all know that pulling a fire alarm as a prank shows serious lack of judgment. When it comes a lack of judgment, however, few could surpass the inventor of the Fire Box Trap. Featured in the February 1938 issue of Modern Mechanix, the Fire Box Trap was designed to discourage pranksters from making false alarms.... Continue Reading →
Ritalin has only been available since the 1950's, but people have had difficulty with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) forever. Inventor Hugo Gernsback offered his solution for highly-distractable people when he invented The Isolator in 1925. Resembling the first appearance of Iron Man, The Isolator was a combination of a gas mask and a diving helmet.... Continue Reading →
February 14, 1876 was a big day for Elisha Gray. That was the day he filed his application for a patent for his revolutionary new invention. His device promised to unite the world as never before by allowing a person to speak to and hear another person miles away by sending the voices through a... Continue Reading →
Grave robbery was not something that just showed up in Frankenstein stories. In the last half of the 19th century, human corpses were in high demand by medical schools, and the body snatching market grew in response. No one's remains were considered off limits. Extraordinary measures had to be taken to protect the body of... Continue Reading →
From 1940 to 1945, if you wanted to acquire radioactive material in Germany, you didn't have to engage in cloak-and-dagger shenanigans; you simply had to go to the nearest pharmacy and purchase a tube of Doramad toothpaste. Doramad was produced with small quantities of radioactive thorium. This wasn't a manufacturing accident; it was an intentional... Continue Reading →
Benjamin Franklin is credited with some of the greatest ideas of all time. Not only was he the inventor of bifocal glasses, the Franklin stove, and lightning rod, but as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, his ideas surpassed scientific inquiry and helped create a nation. In fact, so wide were his... Continue Reading →
There is a perception among many that scientists collect facts in a calm, dispassionate manner and do not give in to bouts of irrational reaction. That perception is wrong. A perusal the Minutes of the Paris Academy of Sciences gives a telling account of the demonstration of the first phonograph: "No sooner had the machine emitted... Continue Reading →
It has been listed as one of the top causes of marital strife. It has divided families, torn friendships asunder, and generated more letters to advice columnist Ann Landers than any other topic. What could be such a controversial subject? The Presidential election? The latest Supreme Court opinion? The favored team for the World Series?... Continue Reading →
James A. Williams of Fredonia, Texas applied for a patent for a better mousetrap. Not content with something as mild as poison or a spring trap, Williams devised a means by which a Colt 1860 revolver could be linked to a pressure trigger, thus bringing a certain -- and noisy -- and to the unfortunate... Continue Reading →
The next time you use the phrase "the best thing since sliced bread," you might want to consider how recent of an invention that is. The first commercially-available device that made it possible to sell pre-sliced loaves in mass quantities was developed by Otto Frederick Rohwedder. His prototype was built in 1912, but it wasn't... Continue Reading →
1877 brought a new President to the White House and a new presidential perk: the Executive Mansion's first telephone. President Rutherford B. Hayes had the phone installed in the White House telegraph room. The first White House phone number was "1." Alexander Graham Bell had just invented the telephone a year earlier, so it should not... Continue Reading →
The next time you are tempted to complain about the price of a gallon of milk or even the cost of a new car, take a moment to give thanks that you don't have to buy bucky balls. Bucky balls -- also known as endohedral fullerenes or buckminsterfullerenes — are small, but their price isn't based on... Continue Reading →
