Of course, there are many more than just three inventors who have made our culture and society what it was today. It all started with the wheel, or with language, or perhaps with the first ape-like who started walking on two feet. Where it all started is hard to say. What we can tell something about is the inventors of particular commonly used inventions, phenomena or machinations. The inventors listed below all have one thing in common; they have all contributed to the comfort that we can experience today. Where would we be today without a computer, electricity and planes!? Exactly, not much further than the Middle Ages.
Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. He was the youngest of seven, and never a star at school. Only officially taught for three months, and in those three months, Edison managed to draw the blood of the teacher's nails, because Thomas Edison always asked questions and never did what he was asked to do. He managed to generate his genius mainly by reading a lot himself. At the age of twelve, he read the tracts of Sir Isaac Newton. And not only did he read this work, but he was also convinced that it was superfluously complex and that he could make it simpler.
He managed to save money to pay for a chemistry set via several stubborn side jobs. Edison started working on this. Another good luck also benefited him, after he had managed to save a boy from an inevitable collision with a steam locomotive, Edison was offered a position as a telegraph operator by the grateful father. During his work, he also experimented thoroughly with his chemistry kit (and blew up a wagon with it). He was, of course, fired and could, therefore, devote 100% to inventions.
His first patent was registered in 1869 for a so-called stock ticker. In subsequent years, he sold more patents and managed to raise capital to pay for real experiments. In 1877 he developed a phonograph, a precursor to the gramophone record player, in turn, a precursor to the CD player! A year later he launched the first light bulb, together with his co-designer William Joseph Hammer (who has fallen into oblivion over the years). Of course, electricity was needed for such a light bulb, and Edison was also involved.
A fact is that Edison never (or consciously) developed a weapon in his life or contributed to it. He was a strong advocate of pacifism and non-aggression. He died of diabetes on October 18, 1931, at a respectable age of 84, leaving six children behind.
The Wright brothers were Orville (1871 to 1948) and Wilbur (1667 - 1912), and are known as the inventors of the first aircraft that was not itself lighter than air (as a balloon). Orville and Wilbur had two older brothers and a younger sister, and their father was a bishop, so there was nothing to suggest that these two would become world-famous, and make a contribution to society that we all enjoy immensely. Who doesn't wish to fly in the air, and do some shopping in Manhattan or discover the outback of Australia?
The Wrights were encouraged by their father to read as much as possible and to be creative, and this paid off. With a small helicopter as a gift from dad, the passion in Wilbur and Orville was sparked. In 1889 they were the first (one has to start small) to invent a new printing press that could print news magazines much faster. Three years later, in 1892, they opened a bicycle shop and earned some extra money. It was time for the real thing.
There was a lot of interest in the flight at that time, but most inventors focused primarily on motorless machines. The Wrights, however, wanted to have an engine under their control, so they developed the first flying machine in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. And yes, on December 17, 1903, the first historically registered aircraft flight took place, called "The Flyer." This first flight was exactly twelve seconds long, and brought the flying machine 37 meters far, at around 11 kilometres per hour. No chilling speeds, so. But it was soon clear that more could be achieved, and the fourth flight took more than a minute.
In 1909, Wilbur demonstrated a flying machine to a large crowd by flying around the Statue of Liberty. In 33 minutes, more than a million New Yorkers could see the Wrights floating in the air. Unfortunately, they had difficulty obtaining a patent. Wilbur died of typhoid fever in this period. Orville died many years later, at the age of 77, of a heart attack. Neither of them died in the air. Nor did they get married, because, Wilbur thought, they had no time for either a woman or an aeroplane! After all, priorities must be set ...
Benjamin Franklin was an American who lived from January 17, 1706 (note, North America was not yet an independent country at the time) until April 17, 1790, and thus turned 84. He came from a low-income family and had 17 farmers and sisters (his father needed two women in total). He grew up in the family business, candle maker, and his brother's print store. Like previous inventors, however, Ben was an avid reader and read everything lose and stuck, from Sophocles to modern science. He also started writing his articles at a very young age. He has published under a pseudonym and has maintained this throughout his life. Only after some publications did he confess to his father that he had written them.
Ben's little supportive father gave him a beating for his disobedience, and Benjamin saw that as a reason to leave his family and move to Philadelphia. There he was successful as a writer, he managed to write both humorous and satirical. Of course, this also raised concern among those in power, including William Keith. In a masterful strategic move, William offered to offer young Ben a position in England. Benjamin saw his chance and embarked. Once in England, however, William abandoned the young inventor.
However, he did not leave it at that and nevertheless found a job with a publisher. He was known there as the water American because he drank water instead of the regular beer. It was a pleasant experience, but he returned to Philadelphia when he was given the opportunity in 1726.
As a hobbyist, Benjamin invented some essential things. For example, he discovered that electricity and lightning are the same things utilizing a kite with a key tied to the armor. He invented a urine catheter, a harmonica glass, bifocal spectacle glasses and, finally, the Franklin stove, a mechanism for distributing heat throughout a room.
At a later age Benjamin became a significant player in the political field, and among other things was one of the essential characters in the war of independence between the United States and England. And last but not least: unlike most of today's debaters, Ben was also a significant speaker, but rarely gave in to aggressive confrontations and condemnation. He preferred to participate by asking tricky questions and dropping the opponent into his pitfalls!
I Shehbaz Malik am aeronautical associated engineering blogger and SEO professional. Education plays a key role in the progress of a man that results in a strong nation. Being a blogger I utter my sound at Ultra tech reviews, a standout source of technological information over the internet.