In 1856, a 17-year-old in his home laboratory discovered the first synthetic dye. William Henry Perkin’s mentor at the Royal Academy of Science, August W. Hofmann, had published an article about the possibility of creating synthetic quinine to lessen the cost of treating malaria. Perkin was excited about the idea and began experimenting with ways to produce this substance. He continued his experiments at his own home laboratory in London while on Easter vacation.
Perkin began experimenting with coal tar products including aniline. He treated aniline with potash and created a dirty, slimy black substance. Perkin’s first reaction was to throw away the substance, as this was not the quinine he was attempting to produce. But, instead he decided to examine the product more closely. With this closer examination, Perkin was able to obtain the first synthetic dye known as aniline blue or Mauveine. Continue reading “Wardrobe Color Splash! Invention of Synthetic Dye”
Polio was once a disease feared each summer by parents and children living in cities throughout the world. Epidemics of the disease were reported during the summer season starting in 1910. The polio epidemic of the summer of 1952 was the worst in the history of the United States. About fifty-eight thousand cases were reported with 3,145 deaths and 21,269 children left with some level of paralysis. Luckily, research was being done to develop a vaccine for this children’s illness.
The first thermoplastic was exhibited in 1862 at the London International Exhibition. Parkesine was invented in 1855 in London by Alexander Parkes. Parkesine was an organic material made by dissolving cellulose nitrate in solvent. The material could supposedly do everything that rubber could do only it was cheaper. In 1866, Parkes formed the Parkesine Company to produce his plastic. It was not a commercial success though because it was expensive, easily cracked and highly flammable.
On March 24, 1927, two cousins, Edward Knabusch and Edwin Shoemaker, left their steady, secure employment to start a furniture company. Knabusch was a woodworker and Shoemaker was a farmer. Shoemaker became interested in woodworking after learning about all of tools Knabusch used. They began building furniture in Knabusch’s father’s garage for their new company, the Kna-Shoe Manufacturing Company. With Shoemaker’s building talent and Knabusch marketing skills, the company began to grow.
Horace Wells first witnessed the effects of laughing gas in 1844 when it was given to him by a member of a traveling circus. He would then become the first patient to be operated on under anesthesia. He had a tooth pulled by an associate. He later began using the gas on his own dental patients. He never attempted to patent the procedure because he believed the pain relief should be available to all.
Chester Greenwood was an avid ice skater who lived in bitterly cold Maine. He attempted to keep his ears warm while skating using a scarf. But the bulky and itchy scarf he wrapped around his ears was unsuccessful. He needed to find a better way to stay warm while skating. At the age of 15, he made two circular hoops from wire and asked his grandmother to sew beaver fur and velvet on them. He held his two fur covered loops together with a steel band that created a headband. His new contraption was more much successful in keeping his ears warm.