The first invention I learned about this week was Ether. It all started when one college student got high on Ether, a doctor was a party and saw a student high on Ether with a hurt leg. He rushed over there and saw the guy was in no pain and the next day, did not remember anything that happened including his leg. So Crawford Long pioneered using Ether as a general anesthetic. Ether is a chemical that creates euphoria and helps a patient forget the memory of surgery. A lot more safer drugs have replaced Ether in general anesthetic.
The second invention I learned about this week was the fax machine. Alexander Bain applied electricity for the practical purpose of inventing the fax machines in 1843. Fax machines transmit digital copies of documents over telephone lines in just seconds. Bain improved his version, and other inventors developed one innovation after another through the 1900s. The internet has largely replaced fax machines. Making the copying of documents cheap and instantaneous.
The third invention I learned about this week was the iron steam passenger ships. Isambard Brunel invented the iron steam passenger ship to carry cargo and people cheaply across the Atlantic. They could complete the journey in just 15 days. Maximizing fuel efficiency and lowering ticket costs. The demand for steam ships increased in the 1880s as 20 million European immigrants began coming to America.
The fourth invention I learned about this week was the ice cream maker. Nancy Johnson invented and patented the hand crank ice cream maker in 1843. It removed the need to manually pause and scrape the ice cream. Making the process easier and faster. She sold her patent rights, and ice cream stores began popping up that sold ice cream to the public. Large multi -million dollar companies now exist that mass -produce cheap ice cream for sale in grocery stores.
The most interesting thing I learned about this week was how Thomas Jefferson has his own ice cream recipe. Thomas Jefferson did not invented ice cream but he was the first person in America with a ice cream recipe. That is the most interesting thing I learned this week.
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