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.

A project funded by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (known today as the March of Dimes), an organization founded by FDR, led to the development of a Polio vaccine. Jonas Salk, an American medical researcher and virologist, went to work at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1947. In 1948, he began a project funded by National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis to isolate the different types of the polio virus. With this project, Salk saw the opportunity to work on developing a vaccine against polio. Continue reading “Medical Advancement: Discovery of Polio Vaccine” →

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.

Celluloid, the first commercially successful industrial plastic, was invented for a surprising reason. Billiards had become a very popular game in the late part of the 19th century. At the time, billiard balls were produced from ivory and thousand of elephant were being killed to produce the game. A shortage of ivory was threatening the business of billiard ball makers, Phelan & Collander, so they offered a $10,000 reward for a substitute material. Continue reading “Billiards Anyone? The Invention of Man-made Plastic” →

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.

The cousins changed the name of the company to Floral City Furniture. Borrowing money from the community, a manufacturing plant was built. It was here that the owners began designing novelty furniture. One of their first designs was for a telephone stand with a build-in seat. The product was very popular but another company soon started copying and selling the piece. Another design was a chair built for “nature’s way of relaxing.” It was an outdoor wooden chair with a reclining mechanism shaped to the contour of a person’s body. The first prototype for this chair was designed from orange crates. Continue reading “Television Viewing Just Got Better: Invention of the La-Z-Boy” →

Not all new discoveries are made by adults. It is surprising the inventions that have been developed by kids. A new way to keep your ears warm, delicious summer treats, an entertaining jumping contraption and a writing system for the blind were all invented by children.

Earmuffs

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.

This simple, easy to make invention became an instant hit. Everyone wanted a pair of Greenwood’s Ear Protectors. On March 13, 1877, at the age of 18, Greenwood received U.S. Patent #188,292 for An Improvement in Ear Mufflers. He established a factory in West Farmington which he called the Shop. In 1883, his twenty employees were producing 30,000 muffs a year. In 1936, that number had reached 400,000 muffs. Continue reading “Young Inventors: Earmuff, Popsicle, Trampoline, Braille” →