Let’s face it. Some great ideas work out, and others simply fizzle out.
Today seems to be the day for many of those great ideas which came through with flying colors. At least, the ones that pleased the patent office and that wowed the crowds.
The things of those inventive minds have come in many shapes and sizes.
• 1850 — The first public demonstration of ice made by refrigeration was presented by a Florida physician named John Gorrie. Yes. The first time water froze to ice by mechanical means, and people stood around and watched. Later that day, they gathered again to watch paint dry.
• 1864 — Gold was discovered in Helena, Montana. It isn’t necessarily an invention but a new discovery. Besides, this is a shout-out to my sister and brother-in-law, who bravely live in Helena. Land of cold and bears.
• 1868 — Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven, Connecticut, patented the tape measure. It was a pretty ingenious idea, really, a pliable ruler, to stretch around waists, and otherwise. But it wasn’t Fellows’ idea. Many had come up with different designs long before him. He was just the first one to get to the patent office.
• 1891 — An American man named John T. Smith patented the corkboard. John Smith. Right. That’s how he signed into hotels too. All that aside, I am guessing he may be called the “Father of Pinterest.”
• 1914 — American engineer Robert Goddard was granted the first patent for liquid-fueled rocket design. He wasn’t a “one and done” kind of guy. Goddard devoted his entire life to rocket design, making the bulk of discoveries and advances which still lead NASA today. He died on August 10, 1945. Following his death, his widow, Esther Goddard, championed his work.
“On September 16, 1959, the 86th Congress authorized the issuance of a gold medal in the honor of professor Robert H. Goddard. Esther Goddard was on hand for the formal dedication of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on March 16, 1961, 35 years to the day after the professor launched the first liquid-fueled rocket from his Aunt Effie’s farm.” (NASA Website)
• 1940 — Spalding advertises batting helmets with earflaps. This was due to beanball wars getting out of control in Major League Baseball. Knockin’ noggins.
I’m sure there are many more, but these were some I found, all of which occurred on this date, July 14, across the years.
And here we are, on this very date, surrounded by bright ideas. Ten years ago, things were much different. Imagine where we will be in another ten.
I only hope that we are going in the right direction. It seems the faster our technology gets, the worse our planet becomes. Half of our nation has been engulfed in extreme heat and now flames. Tornadoes are an everyday occurrence. In the naming of Hurricanes, we are already on the letter “E,” the quickest we have ever gotten to that letter.
Inventions may not matter in ten years, is my point. We might be trying to escape our own planet by that time. I certainly hope not. But unless something changes quickly, we may be our own worst enemies. This would be a good day for a new discovery.
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“Ideas come from everything”
― Alfred Hitchcock
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“Ideas are easy. It’s the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats.”
― Sue Grafton
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“Am I supposed to be a sheep or a goat?”
— Polly Kronenberger
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We need to invent a better way, planetarily
