What is reverse swing?
When the ball becomes very old-around 40 or more overs old, it can begin to swing towards the polished side, rather than the rough side. This is known as reverse swing. Reverse swing is difficult to achieve consistently, as it relies on uneven wear of the ball, tends to occur mostly in hot, dry weather conditions, and requires bowling at high speed. Normal swing can be achieved at moderate bowling speeds, but only the fastest bowlers can regularly produce reverse swing. Notable practitioners of reverse swing have mostly been fast bowlers. Sarfraz Nafaz is generally credited as the first bowler to have used reverse swing. He passed on his knowledge to the legendary bowler Imran Khan. Wasim Akram of Pakistan was a master of reverse swing.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
What is reverse swing?
What is agricultural shot?
What is agricultural shot?
An agricultural shot is a swing across the line of the ball (resembling a scything motion) played without much technique. It’s a type of slog shot that often results in a chunk of the pitch being dug up by the bat! This term is thought to have originated in the city-country games in Australia, where the farmers normally had less technique, but more power than their city rivals.
In cricket terminology, what does ‘walking’ mean?
In cricket terminology, what does ‘walking’ mean?
This refers to the occurrence of a batsman, walking off the pitch, knowing or believing that he is out, rather than waiting for an umpire to give him out (giving up the chance that the umpire may give benefit of the doubt regarding a dismissal if he is not certain that the batsman is out). Walking is generally considered to be sporting behaviour, but is becoming increasingly rare in international cricket; Adam Gilchrist of Australia has declared himself a “walker”.
What is a supersub?
What is a supersub?
Under experimental One-day international rules introduced in July 2005, the twelfth man may be substituted for any player; with the substitute able to take over the substituted player’s batting and bowling duties. A twelfth man used as a substitute in this way is known as the supersub. The first supersub was Vikram Solanki, named as a super sub for Simon Jones at Headingley on 7 July 2005. However, as Solanki replaced Jones after England had bowled and England only lost one wicket in chasing down Australia’s target, Solanki did not get to play any part in the game. The ICC cancelled the experiment in February 2006.
What is a dead ball?
What is a dead ball?
There are several situations when a ball is ‘dead’ – when it is automatically ‘dead’, and when the umpire has to call ‘dead ball’.
The situations when a ball automatically becomes dead are when:
The ball is ‘finally’ settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or the bowler.
It goes for four or six.
It lodges in the batsman’s pad or clothes or the clothes of the umpire or in a fielder’s helmet.
A batsman is out.
A lost ball is called.
The ball is fielded illegally.
There is the call of ‘over’ or ‘time’.
The situations when the umpires should call ‘dead ball’ are when:
There are cases of unfair play and serious injury.
The batsman is not ready to take strike.
The bail falls from the striker’s wicket before the BAL arrives.
The bowler drops the ball before delivery, or does not let it go for some reason.
The umpire goes to consult the colleague.
The umpire disallows leg-byes.
Why is a sightscreen placed behind the boundary line?
Why is a sightscreen placed behind the boundary line?
A sight screen is a large white or black movable structure, usually made of wood or canvas. It is place close to and outside the boundary directly behind either the wickets. The purpose of the screen is to help the batsman by improving the visibility of the bowled ball.
Why is the term ‘silly’ associated with some fielding positions?
Why is the term ‘silly’ associated with some fielding positions?
The term ‘silly’ is normally used in combination with other fielding positions to indicate a modified position. The fielding positions with which it is used are point, mid-off and mid-on, which are considerably farther from the striker. But associated with ‘silly’ it denotes a position which is closer to the striker. Simply said, the term refers to the ‘silliness’ or stupidity of exposing oneself to such danger. In olden English, ‘silly’ also meant ‘defenceless’ – so in that sense too, the usage is appropriate
How did the fielding positions get their interesting names?
How did the fielding positions get their interesting names?
Although the fielding positions sound strange, it is a logical and highly flexible code that helps to describe with considerable accuracy any position occupied by a fielder covering the entire field. It consists of two distinct elements. The first element comprises of a set of basic markers which are related with the area and direction with respect to the batsman. Square and fine, backward and forward, wide and straight, deep and short are examples of this. The second element is a finite set of elements which denote precise positions in the field. These names have been evolved in an ad hoc way over the years and seems to lack any logic. Slips, cover, gully, mid-wicket etc. can be classified into this group. Combining both elements, we are able to pin-point to any particular part of the ground.
What is a Chinese cut?
What is a Chinese cut?
Chinese cut is the name given to the batting stroke that is made unintentionally by the batsman. This happens when the batsman playing an attacking shot, fails to read the line of the ball, and deflects it off the inside edge of the bat.
What is a short leg?
What is a short leg?
It is a close-in-fielding position (also used to describe the fielder in that position) in an arc between the leg slip and the silly mid-on. It is employed when the bowler brings the ball into the body of the batsman.
Is there a ‘gully’ and a ‘point’ in a cricket ground?
Is there a ‘gully’ and a ‘point’ in a cricket ground?
Gully is a fielding position adjacent to slips. Point is on the ‘off side’, and is five or six yards from the batsman. Backward point is slightly behind the wicket on the offside. Similarly ‘deep point’ is farter from the batsman, and ‘silly point’ is close to the batsman.
Gully and point are considered key positions, especially in One day cricket matches
What are slips?
What are slips?
Slip is a fielding position adjacent to the wicket keeper. Sometimes there are four slips, the first being nearest to the keeper
What is a sweep?
What is a sweep?
A sweep is a batting stroke in which the ball is struck into the area between the square leg and long leg with a long sweeping movement of a horizontal bat. While executing this stroke, the batsman assumes a half-kneeling position by advancing the front foot down the wicket and bending the other leg.
But a ‘sweeper’ in cricket is never one who sweeps the ground! He is in fact, a deep fielder who covers a large area close to the boundary. This term is borrowed from soccer, in which the player ‘sweeps’ the whole area behind the backs for creating and extra line of defence
What is a cow shot?
What is a cow shot?
Cow shot is a cross-batted heave played by the batsman to a ball pitching or outside the off stump and playing the ball to the leg side boundary. The batsman generally goes down on the knee when playing this shot.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Why do a batsman take ‘guard’ before facing his first ball?
Why do a batsman take ‘guard’ before facing his first ball?
Guard is the position adopted by the batsman in which the bat is held up-right in front of the wicket, inside the popping crease. The batsman usually takes guard at the beginning of an innings, or after a change in the bowler’s point of delivery. He asks the umpire to indicate the line from where he is standing to a stated point on the batsman’s wicket. He then marks this position with a blockhole. This helps him to access the ball’s line of flight and to ascertain his own position in relation to the wicket.
Why is a ‘popping line’ called so?
Why is a ‘popping line’ called so?
The popping crease is a line which is 4 feet in front of the stumps and marks the limit of the batsman’s ground. At the early stages of playing cricket, a hole was cut in the ground large enough to contain the ball and butt-end of the bat. When taking a run, the batsman was required to put his bat into the hole. To run a batsman out, the wicket keeper used to put the ball into the hole. This practice of popping the bat in the hole in order to completed a run led to many injuries. The popping crease got its name from this popping hole.
Why a ‘yorker’ is called so?
Why a ‘yorker’ is called so?
Yorker is straight ball that passes underneath the striker’s bat, especially by pitching right up to, or just inside the popping crease. It is usually meant to trick the batsman, who may misjudge the ball’s length and play it either as a half volley or full toss. Thus it is possible for a batsman to be yorked, even if his is a few yards out of his ground, so long as, in failing to read the ball’s length correctly, he allows it to pass underneath the bat.
A simple explanation of the origin of this type of delivery is that it originated in Yorkshire. But a more convincing explanation lies in the meaning of ‘york’. In the slang or colloquial usage, ‘to york’ or ‘put Yorkshire’ on someone meant to ‘trick’, cheat or ‘over-reach a person’ or ‘to deceive a person’. Some connection seems to lie in the meaning of ‘yarker’ or ‘yerker’ which according to the English Dialect Dictionary is ‘something that jerks or wrenches’. So perhaps it could denote a ball that goes under the bat and wrenches the stumps out of the ground. Thus, while there is no certainty of the origin, we can safely conclude that the term suggests the kind of trickery that is necessary for a successful Yorker.
What is a flipper?
What is a flipper?
A flipper is a relatively slow ball that acts more or less like a top-spinner. It is produced by gripping the ball mainly with the tips of the first and third fingers, and squeezing, of ‘flipping’ it out, so that it emerges from the back of the hand with some amount of top spin on it. If this has been effectively performed, it will hurry through without deviation, gaining pace as it pitches and keeping low.
What is a flipper?
What is a flipper?
A flipper is a relatively slow ball that acts more or less like a top-spinner. It is produced by gripping the ball mainly with the tips of the first and third fingers, and squeezing, of ‘flipping’ it out, so that it emerges from the back of the hand with some amount of top spin on it. If this has been effectively performed, it will hurry through without deviation, gaining pace as it pitches and keeping low.
What is a googly?
What is a googly?
Normally a right-arm leg spin bowler turns the ball from right to left; that is from the leg side to offside of a right-hand batsman who is facing the ball. This ball is called a leg break. Googly is turned in the opposite direction. That is , Googly is a ball bowled by a right-arm wrist-spin bowler that breaks from off to leg. The googly is associated with the name of Bosanquet, who played for Oxford, Middlesex. He is said to have used it first in 1900. Although earlier players may have used the technique, it was Bosanquet who gave perfection to the delivery and used it regularly. As to how this word came into being, the explanation is that the googly was a ball that baffled the batsman and made him ‘goggle’ or ‘google’
What is a Chinaman?
What is a Chinaman?
A Chinaman is not a person, but rather a ball bowled by a left-arm wrist spin bowler that breaks from leg to off when bowled to a right-handed batsman.
The term is supposed to have been named after Ellis Achong, a Trinidadian left-arm bowler of Chinese descent who played six tests for the West Indies between 1929 and 1933. The story goes that Walter Robins, when stumped off Achong’s bowling, turned to Learie Constantine and thundered ‘Fancy getting out to a chinaman!’
What is a top spin?
What is a top spin?
This is a type of wrist spin, in which the direction given to the ball is the same as the direction in which the ball is traveling. This makes it ‘hurry’ off the wicket after pitching. There is a considerable increase in speed, but there is very little deviation
When did ‘spin bowling’ begin?
When did ‘spin bowling’ begin?
A spin bowler applies a spin to the ball by the movement of fingers, or wrist at the moment of delivery. Although bowlers of any pace can put a spin on the ball, the term is normally used to describe the technique of the slower bowlers. Spin bowling was already in use in the days of underarm bowling. Until the late 18th century, bowlers who spun the ball, generally made it turn from leg to off. Around 1780, when a bowler named Lamborn mastered the art of spinning the ball the other way, his opponents had a tough time. Half a century later, when over arm bowling came into vogue, off-spin became the norm. However in recent days, spin bowling has declined in importance to a variety of reasons
What is round-arm bowling?
What is round-arm bowling?
Round-arm is a style of bowling in which the ball is delivered with the hand not above shoulder height, but above the normal elbow height. Round-arm action was commonly used between 1835 and 1864. This was superseded in 1864 by the legalization of over arm bowling
How did the bowling action develop?
How did the bowling action develop?
The growth of cricket has been decided to a large extent by developments in bowling, rather than batting. In the earliest days or cricket, the ball was bowled along the ground with an underhand delivery. The last part of the 18th century saw improvements in bowling techniques that revolutionized the game. It was during this period that the ‘length ball’ was perfected. The length ball, is a well-pitched ball that bounced only once before reaching the striker. Hambledon player David Harris was its biggest promoter. Harris’s technique of bowling demanded changes in batting techniques and cricket slowly became a defensive game as well.
The next major change was the introduction of ‘round arm’ or ‘straight arm’ bowling, in which the ball is delivered with the arm extended more or less horizontally. The pioneer of this style was John Willes. In spite of initial protests from ex-players and attempts to bring laws against it, this style became very popular. In 1835, a law was passed that allowed the bowler’s hand to be raised as high as the shoulder. However it was clear that the straight-arm delivery would be more effective if the arm was raised above the level of the shoulder. Thus it was only a matter of time before the transition to the modern-style over arm delivery to take place
What is a short run?
What is a short run?
It occurs when one or both the batsmen fail to complete the run properly by grounding the bat or a part of the body over the popping crease before turning to take another run. Here, once the ball is dead, the umpire calls ‘one short’ and signals to the scorers not to credit the run to the batsman, though they do not cross back
What is military medium and why is it called so?
What is military medium and why is it called so?
Bowling of a steady medium pace is called military medium. This type of bowling has a military-like character, brisk and no-nonsense, and its chief merits are efficiency and reliability. Therefore the name ‘military medium’ is very apt indeed.
Why ‘no-score’ is called ‘duck’?
Why ‘no-score’ is called ‘duck’?
A batsman’s no-score is called a duck because of the resemblance between a duck’s egg, and the figure of ‘0’ in the scorebook! Scoring nothing would naturally be something of embarrassment to a batsman: so ‘duck’ would be a humorous term that was coined to avoid that embarrassment. The earliest recorded usage of ‘duck’ is in 1863
What are extras?
What are extras?
Extras are runs scored by means other than when a batsman hits the ball. Extras are not credited to any batsman, and are recorded by the scorer separately. The total number of runs for the innings is equal to the sums of the individual batsmen’s scores plus the extras. There are four types of extras: no balls, wides, byes and leg byes.
If the striker misses a ball and the wicket keeper fails to gather it cleanly, the batsman may take runs. These runs are called byes, and are scored as extras. If the striker, in attempting to play s shot, deflects the ball with part of his body, the batsmen may attempt to take a run such runs are called leg byes. If the striker did not attempt to play a shot with his bat, leg byes may not be taken.
The umpire adjudicates by signaling a dead ball if the batsmen attempt to run when, in his opinion no attempt was made to play a shot. Batsmen may be run out as usual while running byes and leg byes. If, while running, either form of bye, the ball reaches the boundary, four byes (of the appropriate type) are scored
How can a ball be called a ‘no-ball’?
How can a ball be called a ‘no-ball’?
No-ball is a delivery judged by the umpire to be unfair. When a no-ball is bowled, the umpire calls ‘no-ball’ and signals to the scorer by extending one arm horizontally.
A variety of decisive factors is used to ascertain whether a delivery is fair or not. The main ones are:
1. The position of the bowler’s foot when the delivery is made – some part of the front foot, whether in the air or grounded, must be behind the ‘popping crease’ and the back foot must land inside the line of the return crease.
2. The movement of the bowler’s arm-the bowler must not throw the ball, i.e. he must not straighten the arm just before delivering the ball.
3. The mode of delivery-the bowler has to inform the umpire how he intends to bowl-left or right-handed, over the wicket or round the wicket etc. Any change in the mode of delivery made without informing the umpire is deemed as unfair.
Some other factors also constitute to determine whether the delivery is fair, although these are not directly within the bowler’s control. For instance, it is unfair when the wicket keeper is not completely behind the line of the stumps when the ball is bowled or in the case when the field setting rules are ignored. In all these situations, the ball will be considered unfair.
What is leg-bye?
What is leg-bye?
A run scored from a ball (which is not a wide or no ball) that is deflected off some part of the striker’s body is a leg-bye. This is apart from his hand bolding the bat, when he is attempting either to hit the ball with the bat, or to avoid being hit by the ball. If these two conditions are not met, that is, if the umpire believes the batsman used his body on purpose to deflect the ball, then he should call ‘dead ball’ and no runs are allowed. Any runs coming as leg-byes are credited to the batting side as ‘extras’ but not to the individual batsman. The umpire signals a leg-bye to the scorers by lifting a leg, and touching the knee with his hand.
How all can a ball be ‘wide’?
How all can a ball be ‘wide’?
The law states that a wide or a wide ball is a ball bowled ‘so high over or so wide off the wicket that it passes out of reach of the striker, standing in a normal guard position’. When a wide is bowled, the umpire calls ‘wide’ and signals to the scorers by extending both arms horizontally. A wide nodes not count as one of the six balls of the over. One run is given to the batting side, unless the batsmen actually run more runs, or the ball goes to the boundary. In that case, any runs scored are credited to extras as wides.
What is swing bowling?
What is swing bowling?
The sideways movement of the ball, while in flight, which causes it to have a curving, instead of a straight route, is known as swing. When the ball is bowled with a swing, it is known as swing bowling. The swing occurs as a result of uneven distribution of pressure on the two sides of the ball as it passes through air. This can be attained by holding the ball with the seam towards the direction in which the bowler wants the ball to swing. When a bowler skillfully imparts a swing to the ball, batting becomes difficult.
The technique of swing bowling was used in the early 19th century. But it was only by the end of that century that swing bowling was recognized as a major development in the art of bowling.
What is seam bowling?
What is seam bowling?
The seam of a cricket ball is the ridge formed by the rows of stitching that join the two halves of the leather outer case.
Seam bowling is a style of bowling adopted by fast or medium paced bowlers. It is marked by the deviation of the ball off the wicket when the seam touches the ground. Seam bowling has become very popular nowadays, leading to a decline in slow bowling. The demand of one-day cricket is one of the reasons for the rise in importance of seam bowling.
What are the different meanings of the word ‘wicket’ in Cricket?
What are the different meanings of the word ‘wicket’ in Cricket?
Surprisingly, in cricket the word ‘wicket’ is used in different contexts.
Wicket is either of the two targets at which the ball is bowled. The batsman defends it with his bat. Each wicket is made up of three stumps fixed to the ground, and tow bails are placed on top of it. The whole structure measures 28 inches (71.1 cms) high by 9 inches (22.86 cms) wide. The two wickets are opposite and parallel to each other and have a distance of 22 yards (20.12 mts) between the centres of the two middle stumps. The ball is bowled from one wicket, which is the bowler’s wicket, to the other one which is the batman’s wicket. After each ‘over’, the bowler’s and batsman’s wickets interchange.
The term wicket is also used to denote the area of the ground in between the two sets of stumps. This measures 22 yards (20.12 mts) and 10 feet (3.04 mts) wide.
Wicket is also something that the batting side tries to keep, and which the fielding side attempts to take. While the batsman is in, the wicket remains ‘standing’ and when he is out or dismissed, the wicket ‘falls’ or is ‘taken’. When ten of its eleven wickets fall, a team is ‘all out’ and the ‘innings’ is completed.
What is an over?
What is an over?
An over is the collection of six deliveries that a bowler sends down to the batsman. In English first class cricket, the number of balls per over was not six, but 4 until 1888. Then it became five per over until 1899. Since 1900 it has been six. The ‘over-rate’ is the number of overs bowled per hour. Eight balls per over were tried in the 1939 season.
What is a cricket pitch?
What is a cricket pitch?
A cricket pitch is the central strip of the cricket field, between the ‘wickets’. The pitch is 22 yards (20.12 m) ling and 10 feet (3 m) wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass; though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the pitch.
In amateur matches, artificial pitches are commonly used. These can be a slab of concrete overlaid with a coir mat, or artificial turf. Artificial pitches area rare and in professional cricket, and are only used when exhibition matches are played in regions where cricket is not a common sport.
The pitch has very specific markings delineating the creases as specified by the Laws of Cricket. The word ‘wicket’ is often used to refer to the pitch
What is a run? Who is a runner?
What is a run? Who is a runner?
A run is the scoring unit in cricket. It is added to the total score of the team or an individual batsman. Runs are scored in the following ways:
a) By running from one crease to the other by both batsmen simultaneously
b) When the ball crosses the boundary while in play and
c) When penalties namely ‘extras’ area awarded such as ‘no-ball’ or ‘wide’.
A ‘runner’ is a player who is allowed to take runs on behalf of an injured batsman.
A member of the batting side, usually one who has already batted and got out, performs the job of a runner.
What is the structure of a cricket team?
What is the structure of a cricket team?
A cricket team consists of eleven players. Depending on his or her primary skills, a player may be classified as a specialist batsman or bowler. A balanced team usually has five or six specialist batsmen, and four or five specialist bowlers. Teams nearly always include a specialist wicket keeper because of the importance of this fielding position. A player who excels in both batting and bowling is known as an all-rounder. One who excels as a batsman and wicket keeper is known as a wicket-keeper/batsman, sometimes regarded as a type of all-rounder. True all – rounders are rare and valuable players.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Who proposed the idea of teleportation?
Who proposed the idea of teleportation?
The idea of teleportation isn’t new. Our mythical gods used it to travel around the world. In 1993, this idea moved out of the realm of fiction, and into the world of theoretical possibility, when physicist Charles Bennett and a team of researchers at IBM confirmed that quantum teleportation was possible. However, they revealed that it would succeed only if the original object being teleported was destroyed. Since then, experiments have proven that teleportation is in fact possible.
In October 2006, Professor Eugene Polzik and his team at Copenhagen University, Denmark, made a breakthrough in this field.
“Nature”, a weekly science magazine reported that for the first time, Polzik and his team conducted a teleportation experiment successfully, where they made two samples of trillions of atom interact at a distance, without any physical contact
What is teleportation?
What is teleportation?
Ever since the wheel was invented 6, 000 years ago, people have been inventing new ways to travel faster from one point to another. The chariot, bicycle, automobile and airplane were all life-changing inventions in their time. Yet, each of these forms of transportation share the same flaw- they require us to cross a physical distance, taking time.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could go from one place to another without having to use any kind of transport? Scientists are working right now on such a technique called “teleportation”, which combines the properties of telecommunications and transportation.
Teleportation involves dematerializing an object at one point, and sending the details of that object’s precise atomic configuration to another location, where it will be reconstructed. So, a teleportation machine would work rather like a fax machine – instead of the person traveling through time and space himself, a perfect duplicate of him would be made at the other end! We could be transported to any location instantly, without actually crossing a physical distance
Who created the first vacuum cleaner?
Who created the first vacuum cleaner?
Hubert Cecil Booth, a British engineer, received a British patent for a vacuum cleaner on august 30th 1901. This unwieldy machine took the form of a large, horse-drawn, petrol-driven unit which was parked outside the building to be cleaned with long hoses being fed through the windows.
James Murray Spangler, a janitor in an Ohio department store, realized that the carpet sweeper he used was creating his cough. He found an old fan motor, and attached it to a soapbox stapled to a broom handle. Using a pillowcase a dust collector on the contraption, Spangler invented a portable electric vacuum cleaner in 1907. He then improved his basic model first to use both a cloth filter bag and cleaning attachment. He received a patent for his invention in 1908, and formed the Electric Suction Sweeper Company. One of his first buyers was a cousin whose husband, William H. Hoover, later became the president of Hoover Company which made vacuum cleaners, with Spangler as superintendent. William Hoover began to make electric cleaners in 1908
Who invented voting machines?
Who invented voting machines?
Jacob C Myers invented the first mechanical voting machine in an election in Lockport, in New York in 1892. W. Sumpter Black, a machinist and draftsman from Baltimore, USA also invented a voting machine.
In 1893, Black’s invention of a “perfected and improved ballot box” caught the attention of The New York Times. By the 1965 general election in the USA, a bill had been passed, making the use of voting machines mandatory
Who invented the sewing machine?
Who invented the sewing machine?
Barthelemy Thimonnier, a French tailor, invented the first functional sewing machine in 1830. This machine used only one thread, and a hooked needle that made the same chain stitch used with embroidery. The inventor was almost killed by an enraged group of French tailors who burnt down his factory because they feared unemployment as a result of his new invention.
Walter Hunt built America’s first fairly successful sewing machine in 1834. They eye pointed needle sewing machine was reinvented and patented by Elias Howe of USA in 1846.
Sewing machines did not go into mass production until the 1850’s when Isaac Singer built the first commercially successful machine. Singer built the first sewing machine where the needle moved up and down rather than the side-to-side, and a foot treadle powered it.
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Who invented the lamp?
Who invented the lamp?
The first artificial lamp came from fire. Then some 20, 000 years ago, people realized that they could get light by burning oil. Lamps with vegetable fibres as wicks, were first made in 1000BC. Candles appeared about 2000 years ago. In 1859, drilling for petroleum oil began, and the kerosene lamp was first introduced in 1853 in Germany. Coal gas was first used as lighting fuel as early as 1784. A German inventor Freidrich Winzer was the first person to patent coal gas lighting in 1804.
Peter Cooper Hewitt of United States of America patented the mercury vapour lamp in 1901. Georges Claude from France invented the neon lamp in 1911. Irving Langmuir of United States of America invented tungsten filament in 1915. Hans Spaner, Edmund Germer ad Friedrich Meyer patented a fluorescent lamp in 1927.
Who invented the paper clip?
Who invented the paper clip?
The Byzantines had a type of expensive brass paper clip to hold imperial documents invented paper clips in ancient times. However, the inexpensive modern paper clip with rounded edges was produced in Great Britain in the 1890’s by ‘The Gem manufacturing Company’, which is why these clips are even today often referred to as ‘gem clips’. A Norwegian inventor, Johan Vaaler patented another version of the paperclip in 1899. Vaaler got a lot of publicity in Norway for his invention, and during World War II, the humble paper clip became a symbol of resistance against the Germans.
Who invented the zipper?
Who invented the zipper?
It’s been a long journey for the humble zipper, the mechanical wonder that has kept so much in our lives ‘together’. It has passed through the hands several dedicated inventors. The magazine and fashion industry made the novel zipper the popular item it is today but this happened nearly eighty years after the zipper’s first appearance. A Swedish-born Canadian emigrant Gideon Sundback, an electrical engineer was hired to work for the Universal Fastener Company. He went on to become the head designer there, and in December 1913, he designed the modern zipper. Sundback increased the number of fastening elements fro four per inch to ten or eleven, had two facing-rows of teeth that pulled into a single piece by the slider, and increased the opening for the teeth guided by the slider. The patent for the ‘Separable Fastener’ was issued in 1917. Sundback also created a machine for making the new zipper. The ‘S-L’ or scrap less machine took a special Y-shaped wire and cut scoops from it, then punched the scoop dimple and nib, and clamped each scoop on a cloth tape to produce a continuous zipper chain.
Who invented cellophane?
Who invented cellophane?
Jacques Brandenberger, a Swiss textile engineer was dining at a restaurant when he saw a bottle of wine being spilt al over the tablecloth. That was in 1908. Brandenberger thought that it would be a good idea to develop a material that he could coat over cloth to make it waterproof. He experimented and finally came up with a way to apply liquid viscose over cloth. But he found that this combination did not work, as the new material made the cloth too stiff and clumsy. But the new clear material which was like a thin film, could easily be separated from the cloth, and its amazing possibilities were immediately apparent to him.
Today, cellophane is widely used in industry, to package food and to make products we use every day like cello tape
How did stamps come to exist?
How did stamps come to exist?
Rowland Hill, a schoolmaster invented the adhesive postage stamp in England in 1837. Through his efforts, the first adhesive stamp in the world was issued in England in 1840. Before the use of adhesive paper stamps, letters were hand stamped or postmarked with ink.
Postmarks were the invention of Henry Bishop and were at first called ‘Bishop Mark’ after the inventor. Bishop marks were first used in 1661 at the London General Post Office. They marked the day and month the letter was mailed. Roland Hill also created the first uniform postage that were based on weight rather than size. Hill’s stamps made the prepayment of mail postage possible and practical
Who invented the calendar?
Who invented the calendar?
Celestial bodies, the sun, moon, planets and stars have provided man with a reference for measuring the passage of time throughout our existence. Ancient civilizations relied upon the apparent motion of these bodies through the sky to determine seasons, months and years.
Five thousand years ago Sumerians in the Euphrates – Tigris valley in today’s Iraq had a calendar that divided the year into 30-day months, divided the day into 12 periods (each corresponding to 2 of our hours), and divided these periods into 30 parts (each like 4 of our minutes).
There are no written records of the creating of Stonehenge, built over 4000 years ago in England, but its alignments show its purposes apparently included the determination of seasonal or celestial events such as lunar eclipses, solstices and so on.
The earliest Egyptian calendar was based on the moon’s cycles, but later the Egyptians realized that the “Dog Star” in Canis Major, which is now called Sirius, rose next to the sun every 365 days, about when the annual inundation of the Nile began. Base on this knowledge, they devised a 365-day calendar that seems to have begun in 4236 BC, the earliest recorded year in history. In Babylonia, again in Iraq, a year of 12 alternating 29-day and 30-day lunar months was observed before 2000 BC giving a 354-day year.
How did chewing gum come to be manufactured?
How did chewing gum come to be manufactured?
During the early history of modern America colonists learnt form local Red Indians how to chew the gum-like resin formed on spruce trees when the bark was cut. Lumbs of spruce gum were sold in the eastern US in the early 1800’s, making it the first crude commercial chewing gum sold. Modern day gum products appeared in the US around the middle of the 19th century. An exiled Mexican general, Santa Ana who chewed chicle, introduced it to an inventor called Thomas Adams, who began to try and use it as a substitute for rubber. Adams tried to make toys, masks and even rain boots out of chicle, but all his experiments failed. In despair, one day, he popped a piece of chicle into his mouth as he had seen Santa Anna do, and as he chewed resignedly, he suddenly had a brainwave. Why couldn’t the add flavour to the chicle and sell the product as a kind of candy? He did so, and soon the world’s first chewing gum factory was born!
By the early 20th century Americans could not get enough of the confection called chewing gum invented by Thomas Adams.
Who invented matches?
Who invented matches?
A match consists of three basic parts – a head, which initiates combustion via various materials like phosphorous, a tinder substance to pick up and burn the flame, usually a piece of wood or cardboard, and a handle, often the same as the tinder. In 1669, after phosphorous was discovered, it was soon used in match heads.
In 1680, Robert Boyle, an Irish physicist coated a small piece of paper with phosphorous and coated a small piece of wood across the paper, and created a fire. However, Robert Boyle did not make a useable match. In 1827, John Walker, English chemist and apothecary, discovered that if he coated the end of a stick with certain chemicals and let them dry, he could start a fire by striking the stick anywhere. These were the first friction matches. One Samuel Jones saw Walker’s ‘Congreves’ and decided to market them, calling his matches ‘Lucifers’. Lucifers became popular, especially among smokers, but they had a bad burning odor.
Johan Edward Lundstrom of Sweden, in 1855, patented safety matches. Lundstrom put red phosphorus on the sandpaper outside the box and the other ingredients on the match head, creating a match that could only be safely lit off the prepared, special striking, surface. In 1889, Joshua Pusey invented the matchbook, and called his matchbook matches ‘flexibilities’
How was the safety pin invented?
How was the safety pin invented?
The safety pin was invented while Walter Hunt was twisting a piece of wire, trying to think of something that would help him pay off a fifteen-dollar debt. On April 10, 1849, the safety pin was patented. Walter Hunt thought so little of his safety pin as an invention that he sold off the patent for hundred dollars
Who invented plastic?
Who invented plastic?
Alexander Parkes created the first man-made plastic. He publicly demonstrated his material called “Parkesine” at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. Parkesine was an organic material derived from cellulose that once heated could be moulded, and it retained its shape when cooled.
Leo Hendrik Baekland is also considered to be the father of modern plastic. He invented ‘Bakelite’, the first completely synthetic plastic material. The name ‘Bakelite’ was coined by the Belgian-born inventor to describe the amber-coloured synthetic resin made by the condensation of phenol and formaldehyde in the presence of a catalyst
Who invented the eraser?
Who invented the eraser?
In 1770, Sir Joseph Priestley (the discoverer of oxygen) noted “I have seen a substance excellently adapted to the purpose of wiping from paper the mark of black lead pencil”. Europeans were rubbing out pencil marks with small cubes of rubber. The first patent for attaching an eraser to a pencil was issued in 1858 to a man from Philadelphia named Hyman Lipman. This patent was later held to be invalid because it was merely the combination of two things, without a new use!
Who invented the first pencil sharpener?
Who invented the first pencil sharpener?
At first penknives, were used to sharpen pencils. They got their name from the fact that they were first used to shape feather quills used as early pens.
In 1828, Bernard Lassimone, a French mathematician applied for a patent for an invention to sharpen pencils. However, it was until 1847 that Therry des Estwaux first invented the manual pencil sharpener, as we know it
Where was the pencil invented?
Where was the pencil invented?
Graphite is a form of carbon, first discovered in the Seathwaite Valley on the side of the mountain Seathwaite Fell in Borrowdale, near Keswick, England, about 1564 by an unknown person. Shortly after this the first pencils were made in the same area.
The breakthrough in pencil technology came when French chemist Nicolas Conte developed and patented the process used to make pencils in 1795. He used a mixture of clay and graphite that was fired before it was put in a wooden case. The pencils he made were cylindrical with a slot. The square lead was glued into the slot, and a thin strip of wood was used to full the rest of the slot. Conte’s method of kiln firing powdered graphite and clay allowed pencils to be made to any hardness or softness – very important to artists and draftsmen.
How did the umbrella originated?
How did the umbrella originated?
The basic umbrella was invented over four thousand years ago. There is evidence of umbrella s in the ancient art and artifacts of Egypt, Assyria, Greece and China. These ancient umbrellas or parasols were first designed to provide shade from the sun. The Chinese were the first to water-proof their umbrellas for use as rain protection. They waxed and lacquered their paper parasols in order to use them for rain. By the 16th century, the umbrella became popular. At first, it was considered as an accessory only suitable for women. A Persian traveler and writer, Jonas Hanway, carried and used an umbrella publicly in England for 30 years, and he popularized umbrella use among men. English gentleman often referred to their umbrellas as a “Hanway”. Compact collapsible umbrellas were the next major technical innovation in umbrella manufacture, over a century later.
Who invented the ball-point pen?
Who invented the ball-point pen?
A Hungarian journalist named Laszlo Biro invented the first ballpoint pen in 1938. Biro had noticed that the type of ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper dry and smudge-free. He decided to create a pen using the same type of ink. The thicker ink would not flow from a regular pen nib, and Biro had to devise a new type of point. He did so by fitting his pen with a tiny ball bearing in its tip. As the pen moved along the paper, the ball rotated, picking up ink from the ink cartridge, and leaving it on the paper. This principle of the ballpoint pen actually dates back to an 1888 patent owned by John J. Loud for a product to mark leather. However, this patent was commercially unexploited
Who invented the fountain pen?
Who invented the fountain pen?
The fountain pen’s design came after a thousand years of using quill-pens. Early inventors observed the apparent natural in k reserve found in the hollow channel of a bird’s feather, and tried to produce a similar effect, with a man-made pen that would hold more ink and not require constant dipping into the inkwell. However, a feather is not a pen, only a natural object modified to suit man’s needs. Filling a long thing reservoir made of hard rubber with ink and sticking a metal ‘nib’ at the bottom was not enough to produce a smooth writing instrument.
Lewis Waterman, an insurance salesman, was inspired to improve the early fountain pen designs after destroying a valuable sales contract with leaky-pen ink. Lewis Waterman’s idea was to add an air-hole in the nib and three grooves inside the feed mechanism. Lewis Waterman patented the first practical fountain pen in 1884.
Writing instruments designed to carry their own supply of ink had existed in principle for over one hundred years before Waterman’s patent. For example, the oldest known fountain pen that has survived today was designed by a Frenchman named M. Bion and dated 1702.
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Who made the first synthetic fibre?
Who made the first synthetic fibre?
The Dupont Company of the USA patented the discovery of the first synthetic fibre called polymer, and this was presented to the world at a trade fair in New York in 1939. The fibre which took the first letters ‘NY’ from New York’s initials, came to be called ‘nylon’ and took the world by storm. The first nylon stockings appeared in New York shops in May 1940, and over 72, 000 pairs were sold on the first day of their appearance!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
How were socks invented?
How were socks invented?
The word ‘socks’ comes form the Latin word ‘soccus’. The soccus was a kind of loose fitting shoe worn by Roman comic actors that could be slipped off easily. When Romans wore ‘soccus’ with sandals, they removed their sandals when indoors, but kept their soccus on.
The ancient Egyptians were the first to sue crude woven socks to protect the feet. Archaeologists have found knitted and woven socks that date back to the fourth century in Egyptian Copt tombs, and interestingly, some of these show signs of having been carefully darned at the heel and toe. The great warrior from Central Europe, Attila the Hun wound brightly coloured stripes of cloth around his legs to protect them in the 4th century, and so did 8th century barbarian warriors. In 1589, the Reverend William Lee of Nottinghamshire, England invented a machine that could knit socks out of cotton, wool and silk. William took his invention to the curt of Queen Elizabeth I to try and get a patent for it but the Queen refused to grant one, as she was afraid that the machine would put thousands of women who hand knitted for a living out, of work.
How were shoes invented?
How were shoes invented?
A foot covering was one of the first things made by our primitive ancestors, who recognized early the importance of protecting their feet. They used grass and bark and hides to devise some method of protecting their feet from the jagged rocks, burning sands, and rough terrain over which they had to roam in search of food and shelter. In 8000 BC, Native Americans in Missouri left evidences of the earliest remaining shoe. When the “Ice Man” died in the Alps in 3, 300 BC among the relics he left behind was a primitive pair of shoes stuffed with grass. Early Egyptian civilizations have also left behind sandals, finely made from plaited papyrus leaves. The Romans, intent on spreading their empire, were the first ones to devise a practical military shoe for their legions. The moccasin was the original shoe made and worn in cold climates by races as different as North American Indians, Eskimos, Laplanders and Siberian tribesmen. This distinctive leather shoe had a puckering string that was gathered up and tied about the ankles to give all over protection to the foot.
Even today moccasins with a distinctive ‘seam’ on the upper part are very popular
Who made soap first?
Who made soap first?
The desire for personal cleanliness dates back to prehistoric times. As Roman civilization advanced, so did bathing. The first of the famous Roman baths, supplied with water from their aqueducts, was built about 312 BC. Bathing in these luxurious baths became very popular.
By the second century AD, the Greek physician, Galen, recommended soap for both cleansing and medicinal purposes. Soap making guilds guarded their trade secrets closely. Vegetable and animal oils were used with ashes of plants, along with fragrance. Gradually, more varieties of soap became available for shaving and shampooing, as well as bathing and laundering. Italy, Spain and France were early centres of soap manufacturing, due to their ready supply of raw materials such as oil from olive trees. The English began making soap during the 12th century. Till the 19th century, soap was heavily taxed as a luxury item in several countries. When this tax was removed, soap became available to ordinary people, and cleanliness standards improved
Who invented the toothbrush first?
Who invented the toothbrush first?
The ancient Chinese made toothbrushes with bristles picked from the neck hair of Siberian Wild boars! Stick-like toothbrushes have also been found in the pyramids of ancient Egypt. French dentists were the first Europeans to promote the use of toothbrushes in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. William Addis of Clerkenwald, England, created the first mass-produced toothbrush. The first American to patent a toothbrush was H. N Wadsworth, and many American companies began to mass produce toothbrushes after 1885. It’s hard to believe, but most American did not brush their teeth until Army brought their enforced habits of tooth brushing back home after World War II.
After the DuPont Company of America invented nylon in 1935, toothbrushes appeared with nylon bristles. The first real electric toothbrush was produced in 1939, and developed in Switzerland. Introduced in 1987, Interplak was the first rotary action electrical toothbrush for home use
Who invented toothpaste?
Who invented toothpaste?
Toothpaste was used as long ago as 500 BC in both China and India. However, modern toothpastes were only developed in the 1800s. In 1896, Colgate Dental Cream was packaged in collapsible tubes. Advancements in synthetic detergents made after World War II, allowed for the replacement of the soap used in toothpaste with emulsifying agents such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Ricinoleate. A few years later, Colgate started to add fluoride, believed to strengthen teeth and gums, to toothpaste
How was the artificial heart invented?
How was the artificial heart invented?
Artificial hearts date back to the mid 1950s when Dr. Paul Winchell first patented an artificial heart. In 1982, a Seattle dentist, Dr. Barney Clark was the first person implanted with the Jarvik-7, an artificial heart intended to last a lifetime. William DeVries, an American surgeon performed the surgery. Robert Jarvik designed the Jarvik-7 artificial heart. The patient survived 112 days. At the end of 1998, American heart specialist Michael DeBakey performed a world-first in heart surgery with a totally new device. If this electric heart proves successful, it could be a permanent alternative to a heart transplant. The first human heart transplant operation was conducted by Dr. Christiaan Neethling Barnard on 3rd December 1967. This was the first time a sick person’s heart was replaced by a heart taken from a dead person
Who invented the MR Scan?
Who invented the MR Scan?
Raymond V Damadian, inventor of the Magnetic Resonance scanning machine was born in New York in 1936. His research into sodium and potassium in living cells led him to his first experiments with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which caused him to first propose the MR body scanner in 1969.
Damadian invented an apparatus and method to use NMR safely and accurately to scan the human body. Experimenting on rats, Damadian discovered dramatic differences I the quality and duration of NMR signals emitted by cancerous versus healthy tissues that confirmed his idea of the MR body scanner. In 1977, Damadian’s team produced the first MRI scan of the human body; using a prototype device he called “Indomitable”. The first MRI scan provided a clear image of the heart, lungs and chest wall with no side effects. Today, MRI scanners can instantly map and analyze any part of the human body in minute detail, allowing visual diagnosis of virtually any medical condition, from strained muscles to tumours. They can also provide the chemical composition of the tissue being scanned
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Who discovered penicillin?
Who discovered penicillin?
Penicillin is a widely used antibiotic agent, derived from the penicillium mould. Penicillin was discovered by bacteriologist Alexander Fleming at St Mary’s Hospital in London in 1928. He observed that a blue-green mould had contaminated a plate culture of Staphylococcus and the colonies of bacteria, adjacent to the mould, were being dissolved.
Curious, Alexander Fleming grew the mould in a pure culture and found that it produced a substance that killed a number of disease-causing bacteria.
Dr. Fleming named the substance penicillin, and in 1929, published his discovery might have therapeutic value if it could be produced in quantity. It was not until 1939 that Dr. Howard Florey and three colleagues at Oxford University began intensive research, and were able to demonstrate penicillin’s ability to kill infectious bacteria.
On July 9, 1941 Howard Florey and Norman Heatley, Oxford University scientists, came to the US with a small but valuable package containing a small amount of penicillin to begin work. In 1943, after the required clinical trials, penicillin proved to be most effective antibacterial agent to date
Who invented the x-ray?
Who invented the x-ray?
On 8 November 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen accidentally discovered an image cast from his cathode ray generator, projected far beyond the possible range of the cathode rays. Further investigation showed that the rays were generated at the point of contact of the cathode ray beam inside the vacuum tube, that they were not deflected by magnetic fields, and they penetrated many kinds of matter.
A week after his discovery, Roentgen took an X-ray photograph of his wife’s hand which clearly revealed her wedding ring and bones. The photograph electrified the general public, and aroused great scientific interest in the new form of radiation. Roentgen name the new form of radiation X-radiation (X standing for unknown). Hence, the term X-rays. The images produced by X-rays are due to the different absorption rates of different tissues. Calcium in bones absorbs X-rays the most, so bones look white on a film recording of the X-ray image, called a radiograph. Fat and other soft tissues absorb less, and look gray. Air absorbs the least, so lungs look black on a radiograph. Roentgen won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901 for his discovery of X-rays
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What is thermometer?
What is thermometer?
A thermometer measures temperature, by using materials that change in some way when they are heated or cooled. In a mercury or alcohol thermometer, the liquid expands as it is heated and contracts when it is cooled, so the length of the liquid column is longer or shorter depending on the temperature. Modern thermometers are calibrated in standard temperature units such as Fahrenheit or Celsius. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) was the German Physicist who invented the alcohol thermometer in 1709 and the mercury thermometer in 1714. In 1724, he introduced the temperature scale that bears his name – Fahrenheit Scale.
The Celsius temperature scale is also referred to as the ‘centigrade scale’. The Celsius scale, invented by Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius, has 100 degrees between the freezing point (0oC) and boiling point (100oC) of pure water at sea level air pressure.
Who invented the sticking plaster called band-aid?
Who invented the sticking plaster called band-aid?
Earle Dickson worked for an American company that manufactured gauze and adhesive tape. After he married, he found that his wife Josephine was very accident-prone. During the first week of her marriage she cut herself twice with kitchen knife! When this became a regular thing, Dickson decided to do something to help his wife. He cut some adhesive tape into strips, and stuck a little gauze in the centre, so that whenever Josephine cut herself, a readymade bandage was ready for her to put on her finger. Soon the company authorities heard about this innovative bandage. They decided to make them, and in 1924, installed machines to mass produce Dickson’s little bandages. Today the band-aid is a trademark of the Johnson and Johnson Company. Dickson himself went on to become a Vice-President of the company.
Who invented the microscope?
Who invented the microscope?
The development of the microscope closely paralleled the growth of the telescope, for a microscope is actually a telescope designed to work at very short distances. The principles of both instruments are the same. Galileo made the first microscope, an adaptation of one of his telescopes. At the beginning, this use of lenses to look at tiny objects was an amusing hobby.
A Dutchman, Anton van Leeuwenhoek made a hobby of grinding lenses. He worked for years, gradually perfecting his technique and eventually learned to make lenses of extreme curvature that were only an eighth of an inch in diameter. He mounted these tiny polished bits of glass in gold frames of his own make. Once he had mounted them, Leeuwenhoek proceeded to look into a world that had been far too small for the naked eye to see. He examined the pores of his skin, the wings of insects, the teeming life in a drop of water. He discovered how pure water becomes infested with microbes when allowed to stand in the open air. In 1674, the microscope focused his attention downward into a world he never knew existed, a world crowded with minute life, a world that contained the source of many diseases that plagued his body
Who invented the stethoscope?
Who invented the stethoscope?
French doctor Rene Laennac wanted to listen to his patients’ lungs and hearts, but was perhaps shy of putting his ears to their chests. Instead, he listened through a wooden tube and found that this could transmit various body sounds. After he published his findings, in 1819, other doctors improved on this instrument, eventually creating the device seen today
Who invented acupuncture?
Who invented acupuncture?
Sticking needles into certain places in the body can relieve pain and may restore health. This Chinese way of curing disease is called Acupuncture. It was developed in China before 2500 BC. It has changed little except that stone needles have been replaced by stainless steel ones
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Who studied human anatomy based on dissecton?
Who studied human anatomy based on dissecton?
Anatomy is the study of the structure of living bodies. The ancient Greek doctor Herophiles was one of the first scientists to base anatomy on real observations. He described accurately the brain, nerves, blood vessels and other parts of the body.
How was opium discovered?
How was opium discovered?
Opium is a substance, made from poppy seeds, which has been in use for more than 5000 years, to relieve pain and help people sleep. Some of the earliest known writing s including the clay tablets from Assyria of BC 3000 refer to its medicinal properties. Since then, it has been used to make medicines like morphine, discovered by German chemist F.W.A Serturner in 1806. morphine is still one of the most potent pain killers available.
How were the medicinal properties of herbs discovered?
How were the medicinal properties of herbs discovered?
Herbal remedies have been used since the beginning of time. The Ebers Papyrus, dating from the 16th century BC, lists no less than 700 herbal remedies, including poppy, castor oil etc. In the first century AD, Pedanius Dioscorides listed over 500 plants in his De Materia Medica, which was still used in the 17th century.
Who invented the atomic bomb?
Who invented the atomic bomb?
On august 2, 1939 just before the beginning of World War II, Albert Einstein wrote to then President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the efforts in Nazi Germany to purify uranium-235, which could be used to build an atomic bomb. It was shortly after this, that the United States Government began the serious undertaking known then only as ‘The Manhattan Project’. This project was committed to expediting research that would produce a viable atomic bomb.
More than $2 billion was spent during the history of the Manhattan Project from 1939 to 1945. The formulas for refining uranium and putting together a working atomic bomb were together a working atomic bomb were created, and seen to their logical ends by some of the greatest minds of our time. Chief among the people who unleashed the power of the atom was J. Robert Oppenheimer, who oversaw the project from conception of completion.
Finally, the day came when all at Los Alamos would find out if ‘The Gadget’ (code-named as such during its development) was going to be the colossal dud of the century or perhaps an end to the war. It all came down to fateful morning in midsummer, 1945.
At 5:29:45 on July 16, 1945, in white blaze that stretched from the basin of the Jemez mountains in northern New Mexico to the still-dark skies, ‘The Gadget’ ushered in the Atomic Age. The light of the explosion then turned orange as the atomic fireball began shooting upwards at 360 feet per second, reddening and pulsing as it cooled.
Who discovered atomic energy?
Who discovered atomic energy?
When Albert Einstein perfected his mass-energy equation, E = mc2 in 1905, he unlocked the secret of a new power source- atomic energy. (m=mass, c=speed of light, approximately 3, 00,000 km. Per second in Vacuum). In 1945, the first release of this energy as an explosion echoed over the deserts of New Mexico. A new era was born.
Although atomic energy gave mankind a fearful weapon of destruction, it also provided a peaceful power source. In many countries in the world, atomic power stations now generate electricity.
Atomic engines drive submarines and surface ships and may some day propel airplanes, cars and rockets. It is the greatest power source ever discovered by inventive mankind
Who made guns first?
Who made guns first?
The first commercially successful revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1835. the first practical repeating rifle was invented by Benjamin Tyler Henry in 1860. The machine gun was invented by James Puckle, and Englishman, in 1718
Has gunpowder outlived its usefulness?
Has gunpowder outlived its usefulness?
Not yet, but the time is not far off when other devices that can release large amounts of energy instantaneously will replace this ancient compound. But gunpowder was the basic invention, a way to store explosive energy in a small package. It was a brand new concept in its time. It sprang from the mind of man and gave him power his muscles could never attain.
Who invented dynamite?
Who invented dynamite?
Alfred Nobel, Swedish industrialist, engineer and inventor, built bridges and buildings in Stockholm. His construction work inspired Nobel to research new methods of blasting rock. In 1863, Alfred Nobel invented the Nobel paten detonator of blasting cap for detonating nitroglycerin and dynamite.
The Nobel patent detonator used a strong shock rather than heat combustion to ignite the explosives. In 1865, the Nobel Company built the first factory that made nitroglycerin and later dynamite.
One advantage of dynamite over nitroglycerin was that it could be cylinder-shaped for insertion into the drilling holes used for mining.
Monday, March 3, 2008
What other uses did gunpowder have?
What other uses did gunpowder have?
Gunpowder brought with it another and more peaceful, occupation. It became an industrial explosive, thus serving a valuable function in mining and excavation. It was also used to blast rocks apart, so creating a greater supply of stones for building materials. Although later supplanted by nitro glycerine and dynamite, gunpowder was the first industrial device that allowed men to move and clear away huge masses of rock and earth
How did the Europeans learn of gunpowder?
How did the Europeans learn of gunpowder?
As the dark Ages drew to a close, there was increasing overland travel to the Far East. Merchants began sending caravans over the long, dusty roads that wound their way through the Middle East, over the mountains and into China and India. These traders must have brought back samples of the explosive compound. Many historians believe that they, like the Chinese, discovered the proper proportions of saltpeter, sulphur and carbon. Researchers of the Middle Ages had a new and powerful device. What they did not know was that gunpowder would shape the future history of humanity
Who invented gunpowder?
Who invented gunpowder?
No one knows who first mixed the chemicals that make up gunpowder. All that is known is that gunpowder was undoubtedly first made in China, and the earliest mention of the formula – a combination of potassium nitrate (salt petre), sulphur and carbon – is to be found in a Chinese book that was written in A.D 1044
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Who made body armours first?
Who made body armours first?
Body armour was worn in battle until the 17th century, when firearms made it useless. It developed bit by bit-helmets, belts, and reinforced shirts-over thousands of years.
In about 1100BC, Chinese soldiers were wearing armour made from layers of rhinoceros hide. By 800 BC, Greek warriors were wearing bronze helmets etc
When was iron discovered?
When was iron discovered?
Iron was first discovered in South East Asia about 4000 years ago. It was considered more valuable than gold at that time! By around 1200 BC, the Iron Age had begun. The ways of extracting it and working with it improved. Since iron is hard to melt, early users had to invent new techniques such as shaping it by hammering rather than casting. These inventions pushed humanity faster than ever towards the modern world
Who cast the first metal axe head?
Who cast the first metal axe head?
Casting is a way of making objects by letting molten metal solidify in a mould. The first known castings are axe heads made of copper from the Balkan region of South East Europe. They were made between BC 4000 and BC 3000. Later copper was replaced by bronze, which is easier to cast and is much harder
What is boomerang?
What is boomerang?
There are several myths and misconceptions about the origin of the word boomerang that need dispelling. The boomerang is a curved, flat implement that is thrown as a weapon or for sport. If thrown as a weapon or for expert, the boomerang will return to the same place from where it was thrown. There are two types of boomerang, returning and non-returning. The returning boomerang was invented by Australian aborigines thousands of years ago. Ancient boomerangs have been found and carbon dating has proved that they are over 10, 000 years old
Who invented bows?
Who invented bows?
Bows and arrows were depicted in cave paintings from 30, 000 BC onwards. By 18, 000 BC arrows were equipped with flint points making them more deadly to animals. Later, the bow came into use as a major military weapon and became deadly to people too
Who invented weapons?
Who invented weapons?
The main difference between ourselves and most other animals is that w use weapons or tools. The oldest known tools were found in Africa, more than two million years ago. They are simply limps of stone that have been shattered with another stone to make a sharp edge fro chopping meat or wood.
Who invented the parachute?
Who invented the parachute?
The word parachute come from the French words ‘para’ and ‘chute’. Used together, they mean ‘to shield a fall’.
Parachutes had been first imagined and sketched by Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519). They were reinvented in 1783 by a French chemist, Louis Lenormand, who also was the first to make a parachute jump. The material of the parachute has changed a lot since it was invented. But the basic design was not changed until the 1930s. Originally made from canvas, they were later fashioned from silk. Today, they are made from nylon, because nylon is cheaper and stronger