The first invention I learned about this week was the microphone. Charles Wheatstone invented the concept of the microphone in 1827. Microphones convert sound waves into electric signals for amplification, storage, and transmission. Soon after Wheatstone furthered progress on the electric telegraph. The evolution into the telephone led Thomas Edison to invent the modern microphone at that time. The microphone transformed the way we communicate. It also lead to a faster pace of business.
The second invention I learned about this week was the typewriter. William Austin Burt invented the typewriter in 1829, but it was not commercially successful at this time. An American company Sholes and Glidden released a typewriter that was successful in 1874. Typewriters allowed people to type faster and neater, than they could with pen and pencil. Going from 30 words per minute to over 100 words per minute.
The third invention I learned about this week was the Braille writing system. Louis Braille lost his sight at his fathers leather shop at 3 years old. He Invented an improved version of Barbiers system. Braille uses 6 dots to encode the alphabet and enable the blind to read as fast as those who aren’t. Louis taught his method to students. Braille helps blind people all the time. It has helped bring people out of poverty and live productive lives.
The fourth invention I learned about this week was the sewing machine. Bart Thimonnier invented the sewing machine in 1829. The sewing machine made sewing fast and easy, but still high quality. The Americans were the most successful in developing sewing machines by the 1850s. Women gained more free time because they didn’t have to devote so much time making clothes.
The most interesting thing I learned about this week is how braille only has 6 bumps for all the alphabet. Also, braille has the 6 bumps for numbers too. I found this interesting because the whole alphabet has enough combinations for 6 buttons. I think this is also cool because you can read any book and write.
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