This week in history I learned about the steel plow, steam shovel, and the postage.
First, I learned about the steel plow. The plow had evolved over time as new soil conditions challenged old designs. John Deere invented the steel plow in 1837 to help farmers plow the sticky soil of the Great Plains. Deere used steel for his plow because it could be polished so the soil wouldn’t stick. Farmers became excited over the plow because it worked just as advertised and allowed them to conveniently farm in the fertile plains soil. The plow enabled. Western expansion, led to modern crop production, and was wrongly blamed for the Dust Bowl.
Second, I learned about the steam shovel. Construction equipment until the 1800s was powered by people or animals. William Otis Smith invented the steam shovel in 1835 to apply steam power to digging machinery. It increased the pace that dirt could be moved, and holes could be easily cut out of the earth Railroads increased with the development of sky scrapers and early road systems. Construction projects like the Panama Canal, made possible by the steam shovel, had permanent impacts on history.
Third, I learned about the postage stamp. The postage system in the UK was biased towards the rich and political classes, but also suffered from fraud. Rowland Hill invented the postage stamp in 1838 as a part of his overall plan to reform the system. The postage stamp visually certifies that the sender has paid the postage, which is based on weight not distance. His reforms were pushed through parliament with the help of merchants, and the price of mail delivery declined. Stamps made their way to America, which helped Westward expansion and led to the department store.
The most interesting thing I learned about this week was the postage stamp. It helped with mail and they are also fun to collect because they have beautiful pictures and even some of the have real gold and silk! The inventions I learned about this week helped with farming. construction, and postage!
Leave a Reply