digital arts occupations 1800s inventions

zuazo4324 May 01, 2023 Comment

Although the 21st century may appear to be hustling and bustling towards the peak of technological advancement, the path that led to it was laid in the centuries before it, namely the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s. Read on to find out more about some of the vital inventions made in the 1800s.

What are some of your most frequently used devices? The lights, the mobile phone, the computer, the car, the bike, the camera, the vacuum cleaner? What about some favorite foods? Hamburgers, Coke, Jell-O, cornflakes, peanut butter, chocolate bars, perhaps? And speaking of commonly used household items, it goes without saying that jeans are virtually indispensable in the wardrobe, and a life without milk chocolates is terribly close to a hellhole, isn’t it?

Every item in the list mentioned above has, in some way or other, been invented in the 1800s. Just got the latest model of the zenith of photography technology? Still does the same function as programmed by George Eastman. Lusting after the Ferrari Berlinetta, or maybe the Pagani Huayra? It’s more than 200 years old, think new! Think your new jeans are the ‘in thing’? Well, think again, because it was the ‘in thing’ in 1873 as well.

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The 1800s saw the birth of several groundbreaking inventions that have since gone on to become some of the most commonplace. Imagine being able to talk to someone miles away in a time when cars had to be fed hay, scrubbed, and had ears, a nose and a tail, and you can get an inkling of just why these inventions were so important and revolutionary.

Brugnatelli’s work remained unpublished and commercially unused until 1839, when British and Russian scientists separately arrived at the same conclusion as him.

In the construction of the carbon arc lamp, Davy placed a lump of charcoal in a circuit, causing it to glow when current was passed through it. Since Davy used a battery in the construction of this lamp, some consider this the very first electric lamp.

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The earlier cans, which were made of steel, had to be hammered open. Yes, you read that right! Oftentimes, the customer got the tin hammered open at the shop right after the purchase.

Lowell based his American version of the power loom on the original already in use in Britain. He traveled to England to study the plans, and memorized them before returning, since he wasn’t allowed to carry the plans back to America.

The Draisine, named after its inventor Karl Drais, was also called the dandy horse. Although it was wheeled, it didn’t have pedals and had to be propelled by the rider running while seated on it!

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Before the invention of the stethoscope, doctors used to discern heartbeats by applying their ears directly to the patient’s chest. However, Laennec was unable to use this method when consulted by an obese woman. Forced to find a solution to the conundrum, Laennec came up with a rudimentary stethoscope by rolling up a newspaper. Finding that he could hear the heartbeats much clearer in this fashion, he later perfected the device.

Portland cement was thus named to advertize its strength — the mortars created with it were said to be as strong as Portland stone, a prized construction material at the time.

Niepce took what has been considered the first ever photograph — a view of the surroundings from the top window of his estate Le Gras.

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Polarization is a phenomenon observed in waves. Waves travel along a particular direction through oscillations — imagine the ‘ripple effect’ of a whipping action on a rope. Certain waves, such as electromagnetic waves and light oscillate along two axes — imagine two ropes, one whipped vertically and the other horizontally. Polarizers (such as a polarizing prism) only allow waves of a particular (or in a defined range) polarization, and block the others.

Joseph Henry was a founding member of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science, and the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. In addition to the electromagnetic motor, Henry also invented a primitive version of the doorbell.

While this may seem too trivial a matter to be included among the greatest inventions, the safety fuse was a necessary improvement, considering that several lives were lost due to untimely explosions, especially in mines.

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Despite being credited as the inventor of the reaper, McCormick’s primary contribution was towards establishing a company (the precursor of Navistar International). His invention was actually based on preexisting designs used for decades by his father, among others.

The ‘analytical engine’ was actually the first computer in the world. It was a mechanical machine that could perform mathematical functions. Babbage collaborated with Ada Lovelace during this project. As a result, Lovelace is often considered the world’s first computer programmer.

Oliver Evans had formulated refrigeration about 30 years before Perkins, but didn’t follow up with the actual construction. Nevertheless, Evans is known as the ‘father of refrigeration’.

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The commercial potential of fuel cells was not realized until NASA used them in satellites and space probes. Since then, however, numerous scientists have extensively researched fuel cells.

No one since the Mesoamericans had mastered the process of stabilizing rubber, which would melt in the summer and harden in the winter. Goodyear’s (accidental) discovery of the process of vulcanization, wherein rubber is treated with sulfur, enabled rubber to be used in various applications previously considered unsuitable.

Before Fenerty’s invention, paper was made from the likes of hemp. The introduction of wood made the resultant paper suitable for newsprint.

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Like so many others on this list, Howe didn’t invent the sewing machine per se, but improved upon the existing designs for the same. Howe’s design was fundamentally similar to modern ones, and his lockstitch mechanism provided a much stronger weave than existing designs.

Before Fry’s invention, packaged candy bars cost much more than regular candy, since the buyer also had to pay for the packaging!

Stereoscopes are viewing machines which allow 3D images to be seen. Brewster is often credited with the discovery of the stereoscope, although it was actually invented in 1838 by Sir Charles Wheatstone. However, Brewster’s version was a significant improvement upon the original.

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Walter Hunt is also known for having invented versions of the velocipede (the previously mentioned draisine), the sewing machine, the ice plow, and a primitive version of the Winchester repeating rifle.

Lukasiewicz was a petroleum industry pioneer, and built the first oil refinery in the world and the first oil well in Poland.

Palmieri was a meteorologist and an expert in volcanology. He performed detailed studies into the eruptions of Mt. Vesuvius. Although he didn’t invent the seismometer itself, the additions and modifications made by him helped improve the instrument by a great degree.

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Although Peter invented the process in 1857, he couldn’t perfect it until 1875. Peter later formed the Nestle company with Henri Nestle.

Gayetty didn’t invent toilet paper; it had been in use, especially in Oriental cultures, since centuries. Gayetty was the first one to market and commercialize it.

As mentioned before, early cans were made of steel, and had to hammered open. It was only after the advent of thin, tin cans that can openers became a feasible construction.

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Lenoir wasn’t the first to build an internal combustion engine. Nicephore Niepce had actually built the pyreolophore as early as 1807, but Niepce’s and other designs before Lenoir failed to appeal to the masses. Lenoir’s was the first to be a commercial success.

Hess’ model was based on the existing designs of carpet sweepers, but had the all-important new mechanism of ‘sucking’ the dirt and dust in.

Although Maxwell is best known for his unifying theory of electromagnetism, he also laid the grounds for the field of color photography through his research into optics and color analysis.

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Mouchout’s design converted solar energy into steam power rather than the modern electric configuration. Considering that Edison’s discovery of the electric bulb was still about 20 years away, the solar-steam engine deserves much praise.

Weirdly, Wilbrand envisaged trinitrotoluene as a yellow dye. Although it was known to be a powerful explosive, TNT required a high temperature to explode and thus wasn’t considered practically convenient.

Although Plimpton didn’t invent the roller skates, he created quad skates, wherein the user simply leans to the desired direction to turn. This made skating much safer.

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Pasteurization, named after its inventor, is now a standard industrial and DIY procedure, and is one of the easiest processes to limit adverse microbial growth in milk.

The configuration of Leclanche’s battery was later adapted into the production of modern dry cells. The original design by Leclanche produced 1.4 volts, whereas the slightly modified modern versions produce 1.5 V.

The famous Alfred Nobel, the eponym of the prestigious Nobel Prize, invented dynamite. Dynamite was much more stable than conventional explosives, and thus was a lot safer.

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Sholes’ design of the typewriter was the first to be commercially successful; the typewriter had been invented in the 18th century by Henry Mill. Sholes also designed the QWERTY arrangement of keypads.

Roper also built a steam-powered car, and invented the shotgun choke — a constriction at the ‘firing end’ of a shotgun, reducing the spread of the projectiles.

Denim pants were made as sturdy trousers