The first invention I learned about this week was the salt and pepper shakers. John Mason invented the salt and pepper shakers in 1858. Made of glass jars with removable, screw top lids, they make it convenient to sprinkle the seasonings on food. Manufactures avoided making them until Mason’s patent expired. It then trigged renewed interest. Their convenience increased the demand of salt and pepper. They are the basic components of our diet.
The second invention I learned about this week was the mason jar. John Mason’s jar was patented in 1858 and was primarily intended to be used for the canning process. Mason jars are made of glass with a screw top and metal lid which improved safety of home canning. They were used heavily in World Wars and American settlers. Home canning allows families to store fruits and vegetables grown.
The third invention I learned about this week was the pencil eraser. Hyman Lipman combined the pencil and eraser to make the pencil eraser in 1858. It’s an immensely convenient tool that allows a writer to quickly erase their mistakes and keep writing. It was publicized through the Supreme Court case that nullified Lipman’s patent and signaled and opportunity for pencil manufactures. They are used in classrooms, collages, and at work now we use the pencil eraser almost every day.
The fourth invention I learned about this week was the twine binder. John Appleby invented the twine binder in 1858 to overcome this problem. When attached to a reaper, it automatically bundled the sheaves of wheat as they were swept of the reaper. Appleby licensed his patent to McCormick and Deering, large manufacturers of reapers. They merged to become Internation harvester, which became the biggest farm equipment manufactures.
The most interesting thing That I learned about this week was how the same inventor works on multiple projects. The reason I find this interesting is because he works on really important inventions at once and you still can see at has the best quality.
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