An inventor is someone who creates a new device of some kind to make life easier in some way, shape, or form. Most of the devices that are thought up are usually electrical or mechanical, but there are a ton of simple inventions that are just simple molds of plastic. Think about the tips of your shoelaces. Those plastic pieces are called aglets. How many pairs of laces would you have gone through without them? In many cases an invention is just a small adjustment to a previous invention. Thomas Edison is created with the invention of the light bulb, but the fact is that he just had a better and more practical version than everyone else. This is much like the idea of the Iphone. Was it the first smartphone? No, but it was a much better design than the others. In this section we will look at the people behind the inventions, the inventors.
This collection of worksheets offers short reading passages about the lives and work of famous inventors. Students will learn about particular creations covering five hundred years of scientific and engineering innovation. Each short essay is accompanied by two answer sheets (multiple choice and short answer), as well as a one page "organizer," in which students can note short facts about the inventor. Answer keys are provided for each sheet. Project idea: Have your students pick the invention they feel has been the most beneficial and present it to the class.
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The history of Bell and the telephone is much more exciting than his scientific developments. The course of history was changed by the passage of a short period of time at the U.S. Patent Office.
Alexander Graham Bell is also recognized for his great research into hydro foils for boats. His work led to the development of a boat that set the world record speed in 1919.
In 1878 Edison formed the Edison Electric Light Company whose sole purpose was to invent the incandescent lamp and the means to distribute power and lighting throughout a city.
Early in his career with Edison, Henry Ford built his first gasoline engine, and then in 1896 he built his first gasoline powered car, the Quadricycle.
He did not invent the automobile just made the process more streamlined. Henry Ford was not the first man to build an automobile, but his inventive genius came together during the start up of the Ford Motor Company.
Many thought Henry Ford was crazy with his ideas because cars had been built one at a time by just a few men, but over the years the Ford Motor Company became the most successful car company in America.
We know that Mr. Franklin went on to be very involved in the birth of our Nation as a statesman and was one of the five key authors of the Declaration of Independence.
By 1956 Ginsburg’s team successfully developed a system that used a rapidly rotating recording head to apply high-frequency signals onto a reel of magnetic tape.
In 1436 Gutenberg began work on his press in Strasburg. By 1440 Johannes was able to produce documents for the Catholic Church known as Indulgences in large quantities.
Imagine that it took someone an hour to copy one page by hand. If a person worked 40 hours per week copying by hand, how long would it take to make just one copy of the bible?
Although he lived until 1872 he was troubled by the many people who began to doubt whether he actually created this invention by himself or if others helped him and were not credited for their work.
Their study of other experimenters and of the flight characteristics of how birds bend their wings led them to the idea of wing warping as part the means of controlling how an aircraft would be navigated during flight.
There were several legal disputes launched against the Wright brothers, but Orville and Wilbur succeeded in the end with their claim as the first to fly.
Who Are the Most Famous Inventors of Ever?
Most of today's technology and devices weren't present a few hundred years ago. They were created by intelligent and creative people whose names have been immortalized.
These are some of the most famous inventors ever:
Thomas Edison
Alexander Graham Bell
Nikola Tesla
Benjamin Franklin
Samuel Morse
Many inventors have come and gone, and acknowledging their names and contributions is a way of recognizing their impact on our society. This article will allow you to get to know a few of the most famous ones.
1. Thomas Edison
Any good list of famous inventors will contain the name Thomas Alva Edison. While he is most well-known as the inventor of the light bulb and phonograph, Thomas Edison contributed to the creation of so many things that he earned 1,093 patents.
With a mind so brilliant, you might assume that Edison was one of the smartest kids in class. However, he was quite the opposite, and his mother had to home-school him instead. This experience made his mother an inspiration to the young inventor.
2. Alexander Graham Bell
No name is better associated with the telephone than its inventor, Alexander Graham Bell. Like Edison, the telephone wasn't the only invention Bell created in his life. Among his first creations was a dehusking machine that he put together at eleven or twelve years old.
Another interesting thing about Bell's background is his interactions with deaf and mute individuals. His mother was deaf, and among his siblings, he was the one who learned how best to communicate with her. He also served as one of Helen Keller's teachers.
While Bell may be known as the inventor of the telephone, his claims to such work are not uncontroversial. There were charges that a critical principle he used in creating the telephone was taken from another inventor, Elisha Gray. However, court records sustain that Bell is indeed the device's inventor.
3. Nikola Tesla
When you hear of Tesla, you might think of modern electric cars, and this is because the said company was named after the famous inventor Nikola Tesla.
Like Edison and Bell, Tesla also created multiple devices, incurring around 300 patents. Tesla even went head-to-head with Edison as they argued about alternating current (AC) versus direct current (DC). Tesla stood his ground with AC and induction motors, and now, many of our devices and technologies are based on it.
Besides his role in making the AC system, Tesla also designed and contributed to many other technologies.
Examples include the following:
The first hydroelectric power plant
Wireless technology
Computers
The electrical system
4. Benjamin Franklin
Aside from being a critical political figure in the United States, Benjamin Franklin is also known for being an inventor. Among his most popular designs is the lightning rod. This design now protects many buildings from lightning damage.
Other devices credited to his name include:
Bifocals
Swim fins
Franklin stove
Urinary catheter
Armonica
Bifocals allow many of us to use just one pair of glasses instead of two, even if we’re looking from a distance or reading a nearby text.
5. Samuel Morse
We've all heard about the Morse code, a communication system composed of dots, dashes, and spaces. The code was named after its first inventor, Samuel Morse, but his partner, Alfred Lewis Vail, improved it.
Morse was also known for his improvement of the electric telegraph. His work with the telegraph eventually led to the creation of the Morse code, which allowed for faster transmission of messages. Overall, he helped promote the use of the telegraph.
Besides his work as an inventor, Samuel Morse was also an artist. He was even the founder of the National Academy of Design in New York.
