SCIENCE EXPLAINS

Cue (NZERS), Issue 6, 31 August 1944, Page 11

SCIENCE EXPLAINS

by

IN the modern scientific world; so much depends on the scientist and the engineer that it may be interesting to summarise a few inventions and give a list of those men who were earliest in the field with their patents.

The Automobile. It is easy to appreciate w that there was no really first inventor of the motor-car. ’ It was evolved over a period of time and as a result of many patents. (Numerous inventors worked in this

field — from the application of •steam power to the modern power unit as it is now known. Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss, patented in France in 1807 a gas driven car, followed in 1860 by Lenoir (France).- Siegfried Marcus in 1875 built a gas driven car which is in the Technical Museum at Vienna, unless it has since been removed by the Nazis or destroyed by Allied bombing. The police prohibited its use on the road owing to the noise it created. Otto, Germany, made a great advance 'with his invention in 1876 of the Otto or , four-stroke cycle of operation for the internal combustion engine. Between 1883 and 1886, Daimler and Benz (Germany) independently developed cars on which modern vehicles are the much improved versions. ' George Selden, America, obtained a patent in 1879 for which huge royalties were paid, until Henry Ford successfully defended

prosecution for the infringement of this patent right. Four-wheel brakes are a British invention, patented in 1904 . and used on Argyll cars in 1910. Knee action springing came from Dubonnet, France, about 1932, although Lancia (Italy) had used less effective principles 10 years earlier. The straight 8-cylinder is attributed to Isotta-Fraschini, Italy, while the V type engine, which' made 'its appearance in 1913, is credited to De Dion and Bouton, both of France. The Diesel; engine derives its name from its German inventor Rudolf . Diesel, , who developed this type of engine in 1893. The Steamboat. William Symington,' Britain, operated a paddle steamboat in 1787, while his « Charlotte Dundas, » in 1802, was a notable

success. Robert Fulton, , America, sailed his « Clermont» on the Hudson River in 1807. Neon Signs. These were invented by Georges Claude, a French physicist and engineer. „ , :

Reaper. < A Scotch reaper was operating as early as 1794. > The Salmon model appeared in 1807 and the Bell scissors reaper in 1826. The big advance came in 1833, in America, with Cyrus McCormack s reaper. Telephone. Philip Reis was early in the field. Charles Bourseul (France), also experimented, but little came of their efforts. The first successful telephone was the invention of an American, Graham Bell, in 1876. Television. ; , Few dispute the claims of the Scot, John Baird, as being preeminent in this field. He successfully operated a set in 1926 and his initial set is in the Science

Museum, South Kensington. Wartime secrecy has cloaked recent developments. \ Street Gas Lighting. Tessie du Motay (France) and Thaddeus Lowe (America) seem to have achieved success simultaneously. They produced gas by passing steam over red hot coal. Lift Elevator. In 1846, Armstrong (Britain), produced the hydraulic lift and Siemens (Germany); the electric lift, in 1880. , The Photo-electric Cell. The field of early experiments with selenium was almost entirely British and was represented by May, Smith and Bidwell. The types produced were not highly suitable for commercial purposes.

More modern types were developed about 1902 by Elster and Geitel, both German. Incandescent Lamp. Joseph Swan . (Britain), > and Edison (America), were simultaneous inventors in this field of endeavour, p As a rule Edison receives the credit, but it is still

contended that Swan’s original lamp was superior to Edison’s. The Aeroplane. This is an easy one to remember — Wright «Bros, USA. The first flight was carried out on 17 Dec, 1903, at Kittyhawk, North Carolina. This was disputed for some time. It was claimed that, a plane built by Samuel Pierpont Langley had flown earlier in that year and carried a man in sustained flight. This contention, has been proved incorrect.

Early work in streamlining of planes was carried out by Eiffel (France) and Prantl (Germany), JWieuport (France), in 1910, won an air race with streamlined body and wings — early streamlining,, naturally.

Sewing Machine. ~, Thimonnier, a Frenchman, is credited with > the first successful sewing machine. It was in fact so good that French workers in

Paris smashed the machine, and threatened Thimonnier. This was in 1820. Elias Howe, an American, produced a model in 1846.

Telegraphy. Von Sommering (Germany) successfully operated an electric telegraph in 1809. Steinheil (Germany) introduced the induction principle in 1837. The first real advance came in 1837 > following research by Cork and Wheatstone (Britain). This resulted in the needle telegraph* principle being successfully operated. if In the same year, 1837, Samuel Morse, the originator of . the Morsecode, conducted successful experiments in America. ■ ■ ‘ ' Motion Pictures. Stampfer (Germany), first proposed moving pictures, but recorded little progress. . Finally,, in 1895, a Frenchman, Lumiere, achieved, practical success.