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Section #5 - Statistical Tables

Inventions

YearInventorWhereWhat
1701Jethro TullEnglandSeed drill machine that distributes seeds more evenly than sowing them by hand.
1709Bartholomew ChristoforiItalyThe piano, capable of producing superior sound to the harpsicord.
1712Thomas NewcomenEnglandAtmospheric steam engine using pistons and cylinders, first used to evacuate water from mines.
1733John KayEnglandThe flying shuttle speeds up the process of hand weaving by inserting the weft between the warp threads loom.
1745Pieter van MusschenbroekNetherlandsThe Leyden Jar which cheaply and effectively stores electrical charges to be used as sparks to light fires.
1752Benjamin FranklinAmericaThe lightning rod protecting people from being struck by lightning.
1755Samuel JohnsonEnglandThe first dictionary of the English language.
1757John CampbellEnglandThe sextant which transforms celestial navigation for ships at sea.
1761John HarrisonEnglandThe marine chronometer enables ships to identify their longitudinal location.
1764James HargreavesEnglandThe spinning jenny allows one operator to simultaneously produce eight or more spools of thread.
1767Richard ArkwrightEnglandThe water frame is a water driven device that spins yarn at rates beyond the human hand option.
1769James WattEnglandWatt patents Newcomen’s steam engine for initial use removing water from mines and later to drive machines in factories and locomotives.
1774Georges LesageFranceThe first electric telegraph is installed to link two rooms in Lesage’s mansion.
1777Samuel MillerEnglandMiller patents the circular saw which impacts the production of lumber.
1779Samuel CromptonEnglandThe spinning mule allowed one worker to operate 100 spindles at a time to produce cotton yarn and threads.
1784Andrew MeikleScotlandThe threshing machine mechanically separates edible grain from straw replacing the prior by hand method.`
1785Edmund CartwrightEnglandThe water power loom greatly increases throughput for weaving in textile factories.
1786John FitchAmericaFitch makes the first successful run of a steamboat.
1794Eli WhitneyAmericaThe cotton (en)’gin facilitates the profitable production of short staple cotton by mechanically separating cotton fibers from seeds. The invention sparks the widespread expansion of slave-based plantations in America.
1796Edward JennerEnglandA smallpox vaccine is created by scratching an arm with a cowpox virus.
1798Alois SenefelderGermanyLithography allowed artistic drawing to be inscribed on polished limestone and then printed on paper. These drawing became popular in magazines and newspapers.
1799Alessandro VoltaItalyVolt’s battery upgrades the Leyden Jar for storage of electrical current, later used to power telegraphs.
1799Louis RobertFranceThe Fourdrinnier Machine turns out the first continuous rolls of paper.
1807Robert FultonAmericaThe first commercial steamboat, Clermont, takes passengers between Manhattan and Albany.
1810Frederick KoenigGermanKoenig’s system of gear wheels creates an improved printing press.
1810Peter DurandEnglandThe tin can broadens the range of foods that can be safely preserved.
1814George StephensonEnglandThe first steam locomotive sets the stage for the railroad industry.
1814Joseph NiepceFranceNiepce invents the first camera that fixes images on a polished pewter plate coated by bitumen in oil.
1815Humphrey DavyEnglandThe miner’s wick lamp increases mining safety by providing a reliable source of light.
1819Rene LaennecFranceThe stethoscope allows physicians to listen for irregular sounds in the heart and lungs and take blood pressure.
1825William SturgeonEnglandThe electromagnet facilitated the use of stored electricity to support motors, telegraph, other devices.
1827John WalkerEnglandMatches immediately impact everyday life.
1830Barth ThimonnierFranceThe French tailor invents the first sewing machine patented in America in 1846 by Elias Howe, Jr.
1831Cyrus McCormickAmericaThe reapers enhances harvesting by cutting and collecting grain in one integrated process.
1831Michael FaradayEnglandFaraday proves that electricity can be created by passing a magnet through a copper tube.
1834Jacob PerkinsAmericaPerkin’s refrigerator combines ethyl ether and ammonia to produce small amounts of ice for preservation.
1836Samuel ColtAmericaThe revolver utilizes a rotating chamber that allows six consecutive shots to be fiired.
1837Samuel MorseAmericaThe telegraph allows electrical signals to be sent over long distances from one station to the next via wires.
1838Samuel MorseAmericaThe Morse Code enables the translation of electrical impulses into words and sentences.
1838Charles GoodyearAmericaRubber vulcanization allows increased strength, elasticity and durability for industrial applications.
1839Louis DaguerreFranceThe Daguerreotype provides the public with images of themselves captured on glass plates.
1842Joseph DartAmericaThe grain elevator facilitated storage and retrieval.
1845Elias HoweAmericaPatents the sewing machine in the U.S.
1846Dr. William MortonAmericaAnesthesia utilizes ether to render patients unconscious during surgery.
1856Louis PasteurFrancePasteurization heats liquids at high temperatures in order to kill harmful microorganisms.
1857George PullmanAmericaThe Pullman car provides luxurious accommodations for sleeping and club service on trains.
1858Etienne LenoirBelgiumThe internal combustion engine burned a combination of coal gas and oxygen for early automobiles.
1858John Landis MasonAmericaMason’s canning jar allows fruits and vegetables to be preserved.
1861Elisha OtisAmericaSafety brakes made elevators less prone to crashing.
1861Linus YaleAmericaThe pin tumbler padlock was initially used in banks before finding many other applications.
1862Dr. Richard GatlingAmericaThe gatling gun utilized a muli-barrel rotating loader operated by a hand crank firing 200 rounds per minute.
1866Alfred NobelSwedenDynamite consists of nitroglycerin, sodium nitrate, and wood pulp wrapped in a strong paper cylander.