The first invention I learned about this week was the steel plow. 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 couldn’t get polished so, the soil wouldn’t stick. Farmers became excited over the plow because it worked how the ad advertised it. The plow allowed them to finally and conveniently farm in the fertile plains soil. The plow enabled Western Expansion, led to modern crop production; but wrongly was blamed for the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged buildings and other things. It was thought that the plow churned up all of the dust that was thrown around in the storm.
The second invention I learned about this week was the steam shovel. William Otis Smith invented the steam shovel in 1835 to apply steam to dig machinery. It increased the pace that dirt could be moved and holes could be easily cut out of the earth. Railroads demanded for the technology at first and this increased the development of skyscrapers and early road systems. Construction like the panama canal, was made possible by the steam shovel and it had permanent impacts.
The third invention I learned about this week was the postage stamp. Roland Hill invented the postage stamp in 1838 as a part of his over all plan to reform the postal system. The postage stamp visually certifies that the sender has paid. Which is based on weight, not distance. His reforms were pushed through Parliament with the help of merchants . The price of mail delivery declined. Stamps made there way to America, which helped Westward Expansion, and led to the department store.
The fourth invention I learned about this week was Vulcanized Rubber. Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber by accident. Vulcanized rubber improves rubber durability, prevents it from melting and breaking, and requires heat. Good year died practically bankrupt, but a rubber company was founded a generation later named in his honor. Goodyear is among top 10 rubber companies today. Industry relies on heavily on rubber seals.
The most interesting thing I learned this week was how vulcanized rubber was a mistake. He had been trying to create a weatherproof rubber for years. He was only successful in doing so when he accidentally dropped some regular rubber, mixed with sulfur onto a hot stove and found that it still maintained it’s structure. I found this interesting because it was a mistake, but one of the best tire brands now.
WB School Blog 