This week in history I learned about the microphone, the typewriter, the braille writing system, and the sewing machine.
First, I learned abort the microphone. Attempts to amplify sound have been ongoing since Ancient Greece. Charles Wheatstone invented the concept of the microphone in 1827. Microphones convert sound waves into electric signals for amplification, storage, and transmission. After Wheatstone made progress on the electric telegraph, its evolution into the telephone led Thomas Edison to invent the modern microphone. The microphone transformed the way we communicate and increased the pace of business and commerce.
Second, I learned about the typewriter. America was expanding economically in the 1800s following the advent of the US Constitution. Wiliam Austin Burt invented the typewriter in 1829, but it wasn’t commercially successful. Typewriters allow people to write faster and neater than they can with pen and pencil. American company Sholes and Glidden released a typewriter in 1874 that succeeded. Along with the rise of World War II, they helped transform the American labor force and the roles women played in the economy.
Third, I learned about the braille writing system. Captain Chareles Barbier devised a coded system of writing during the Napoleonic War in France. Louis Braille, after losing his eyesight beginning when he was 3, invented an improved version of Barbier’s system. Braille uses 6 dots to encode the alphabet and enable the blind to read as fast as those who aren’t. Braille published his books and taught his system to his students, who then took it out into the world. Braille became practically a world standard by 1916. Braille helps blind people escape poverty and live productive fulfilling lives because they can read and write.
Fourth, I learned about the sewing machine. Revolutionary France was the culmination of Enlightenment thought that attempted to replace Christianity. Bart Thimonnier, in France, invented the sewing machine in 1829. The sewing machine makes it fast and easy to make high quality, strong fabric, and clothing. The American inventors found the most success in developing sewing machines by the 1850s. Women gained more free time with the sewing machine because they didn’t have to devote so much time to making clothes.
This week the inventions I learned about bring us entertainment and wealth.
Leave a Reply