The first invention I learned about was the pencil. In the past, people used to use the cuneiform, which pressed symbols into clay tablets. They then baked them into a tablet to hardened them. That is how a cuneiform is made. By the middle ages, people started to use ink pens and feathers. The British soon gained a monopoly in the 1500’s, when they found a large mine containing solid graphite, which was very unique in that time. The first graphite pencil that was invented had a wood case glued around the graphite. This made the first pencil possible. Later, Henry David Thoreau re-invented Conte’s clay-graphite process. He did this in the 1820’s, and it was a huge success.
The second invention I learned about was the stethoscope. Hospitals used to be built by churches for the sick and needy. Laennec invented the stethoscope when he was at a teaching hospital. He watched a children’s game and came up with the idea of the stethoscope. Laennec was too embarrassed to put his ear to a women’s chest so he then thought about the children’s game with the tube. He then rolled up a paper tube then put it to the women’s chest and could hear the heart beat just as clear as if you put the ear to the chest. Laennec published his invention and research in a book, his invention spread quickly. The stethoscope changed to improve diagnoses.
The third invention I learned about was the tunneling shield. The tunneling shield is a boring technique that consists of a shield (a protective metal cylinder) and trailing support mechanisms. It started with economic growth in Great Britain to create a need to tunnel under Thames river. Marc Brunel invented the tunneling shield inspired by the ship worm. The tunneling shield helped workers from getting caved in on. The tunneling shield helped produced more work. Some of the most famous subways in America were built using the tunneling shield.
The last invention I learned about was the paved road. John McAdam invented the modern paved road method in 1816. The road has layers of crushed rocks. Which is efficient and durable. McAdam posted his work in a book and it became very successful. Improvements in road building led to modern interstate systems. Which it impacted history by having great economic growth in our country.
The most interesting thing I learned about this week was how Henry David Thoreau was a phony. He wrote a book about how inventions were bad and ruined the forests. He also wrote about living off the land, but all of these were false. He would go home and his mom would do his laundry and he would work in his fathers shop on inventions. I found this interesting because people lied back then about who they were just like people do today.
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