Eastman Kodak in Camera
The Invention: Eastman Kodak in Cameras
Although cameras have been in use since the 17th century, the Kodak came about in 1888, invented by George Eastman. Kodak is a dry, transparent, and flexible, photographic film or rolled photography film made of celluloid. It was the first rolled-film for camera used in Kodak cameras that we know, and most likely, have used a lot prior the proliferation of the latest digital cameras.
Eastman’s roll-film was made by the Eastman Dry Plate Company in Rochester, New York, USA. The Kodak became the most popular camera that time. Eastman invented the famous phrase, “You press the button, we do the rest.” What this meant was: all that owners of Kodak camera had to do was shoot all the negatives and mail the camera back to Eastman factories, and technicians were ever ready to develop the pictures. At the height of Kodak’s popularity, practically everyone tried to afford one.
The foundations of modern photography was made with Kodak – until in 1947 – when Edwin Land invented the ‘instant’ Polaroid camera, that releases the picture immediately. Since then, advances in technology have been enormous, along with competition in the business playing field. In January, this year (2012), Kodak filed for bankruptcy.
The Inventor: George Eastman (1854-1932)
George Eastman (born July 12, 1854, Waterville, New York – died March 14, 1932, Rochester, New York), was an American photographic inventor and manufacturer of roll film photograph. It is famously known today as Kodak camera.
Among his inventions, Eastman introduced the following:
- machine-coated plates (1879)
- paper roll film (1884)
- celluloid roll film
- camera (Kodak, 1888)
- daylight-loading film (1891).
For all the above innovations, Eastman founded the basic materials for still and motion picture photography. In 1892, George Eastman founded the Eastman Kodak Company.
According to the article “Kodak had Secret Nuclear Reactor” by James Manning (Melbourne’s The Age newspaper), it has been revealed that Kodak, the ailing imaging company who recently declared bankruptcy in January this year 2012, had a secret nuclear reactor hidden in a US research facility for more than 30 years.
The reactor, which contained 1.5kg of enriched “weapons-grade” uranium, was a Californium Flux Multiplier (CFX) acquired by the company in 1974 and only decommissioned in 2006.But Kodak claims that the device was fully licensed and perfectly safe.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/kodak-had-secret-nuclear-reactor
Resources:
- Kodak Company – www.kodak.com
- “Eastman Kodak Files for Bankruptcy“, January 19, 2012, New York Times
- Philbin, Tom. The 100 Greatest Inventions of All Time. NY: Citadel Press, 2003,
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Cars History
Advert Image: Sale of Used Cars
History of the Automobile at a Glance.
On the road there are now more than half a billion cars worldwide, and perhaps, two or three ones are built every second. There is an enormous variety of motor transport to all kinds of vehicles that can be driven, and motorbikes that can reach great speeds. However, all need brakes, driven by an engine (or motor) and most need gears to control the car’s engine.
The Early Automobiles
The first petrol-powered automobile was made in 1885 by German engineer Karl Benz, who developed his own version of the petrol engine and used it to power a three-wheeled carriage.
1885 Three-Wheeled Benz Patent Motorwagen
The prototype of today’s car was developed in France by René Panhard and Émile Lavassor in 1891, when they mounted a Gottlieb Daimler petrol engine in the front of their vehicle.
Until 1898, when Louis Renault invented the drive shaft, engine power was transferred to the drive wheels via a chain, as on bicycles.
Early 20th Century
During the first decade of the 20th century, cars evolved from motorized versions of the carriages previously driven by horses. The basic layout of the modern car was set on by which the engine is in the front of a four wheeled machine and all the passengers facing forwards. Later, the pressed-steel body made cars stronger and easier to produce were introduced.
Ford Model T
In 1908, the first type of car to sell more than 1 million was the Model T Ford. Determined to corner the market and to produce cars that people can afford, Henry Ford adapted and improved the mass-production method pioneered by Ransom Eli Olds (1864–1950), pioneer of the American automotive industry for whom both the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named. Parts were manufactured in separate workshops and wheeled into the main factory so that workers can put the cars together. It took just over 12 hours to build each car.
Henry Ford and Mass-Production to Building Cars
From 1910, Henry Ford’s company applied mass production to car building. He saved money by having materials in bulk and cut production time by giving employees just one task to perform as the cars moved swiftly through the factory. Soon other manufacturers copied his techniques cutting the cost of new cars, and making it easier for people to buy their own.
The Smart Car Developed by Mercedes-Benz and Swatch
The Smart Car developed by Swatch and Mercedes-Benz is a two-seater designed for use in crowded cities, handy to be parked in a narrow street, and with hardly obstruction to traffic. Also, it has an economical engine and easily replaceable body panels. Its sale in Europe began in 1998.
Advances in Car Safety
As the number of road deaths became a public concern, by the 1970s, advances in car safety were developed to protect passengers. Seat belts, air bags, safety cages and crumple zones that absorb the energy of a crash were all introduced. Technology has it that traction control and anti-lock brakes were put in place to reduce likely accidents.
The Nissan Leaf is an all-electric launched in Dec 2010
Cars History Timeline
1769 – French engineer and mechanic Nicholas Joseph Cugnot builds a steam-powered tractor.
1789 – The first U.S. patent for a steam-powered land vehicle was granted to Oliver Evans.
1801 – A road carriage was built by Richard Trevithick. It was powered by steam.
1807 – François Isaac de Rivaz of Switzerland invented an internal combustion engine that used a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen for fuel.
1816 – John McAdam makes cambered roads of stone blocks with gravel in between.
1823 – Samuel Brown invents an internal combustion engine with separate combustion and working cylinders, used to power a vehicle.
1832-1839 – Scottish inventor Robert Anderson invented the first crude electric-powered carriage. The exact year is uncertain.
1860 – Etienne Lenoir introduces engines powered by coal gas.
1863 – Lenoir takes his automobile for the first drive.
1876- The four-stroke internal-combustion engine is assembled by Nikolaus Otto.
1885 – The first practical car is developed by Karl Benz.
1893 – Karl Benz mass produces the ideal car.
1903 – Henry Ford begins to manufacture automobiles.
1908 – The first Model T Ford comes off the production line.
1912 – A British company builds the first car with a steel body.
1929 – General Motors introduces synchromesh transmission.
1937 – The Volksvagen Beetle is launched in Germany.
1940s – Snowmobiles was introduced by Joseph Bombardier.
1959 – The Mini is launched by the British Motor Corporation
1974 – American scientist Victor Wouk fits a Buick Skylark with a hybrid engine.
1970s – Unleaded petrol is introduced to reduce air pollution by lead.
Readers may also want to read this related article: History of Motorsport Car Race and Car Rally
Today’s cars include numerous models and makes – classic cars, supercars, and everyday cars:
- ABT
- AC Schnitzer
- Acura
- Alfa Romeo
- Alpina
- Artega
- Ascari
- Aston Martin
- Audi
- BMW
- Bentley
- Bertone
- Brabus
- Breckland
- Bugatti
- Buick
- Cadillac
- Caparo
- Carlsson
- Caterham
- Chevrolet
- Chrysler
- Citroen
- Covini
- Dacia
- Daewoo
- Daihatsu
- Daimler
- De Tomaso
- Devon
- Dodge
- Donkervoort
- EDAG
- Edo
- Elfin
- Eterniti
- FM Auto
- FPV
- Farbio
- Ferrari
- Fiat
- Fisker
- Ford
- GM
- GMC
- Gordon Murray
- Gumpert
- HSV
- Hamann
- Hennessey
- Holden
- Honda
- Hummer
- Hyundai
- Infiniti
- Isuzu
- Italdesign
- Iveco
- Jaguar
- Jeep
- KTM
- Kia
- Kleemann
- Koenigsegg
- LCC
- Lada
- Lamborghini
- Lancia
- Land Rover
- Leblanc
- Lexus
- Lincoln
- Lobini
- Loremo
- Lotus
- MG
- Mansory
- Marcos
- Maserati
- Maybach
- Mazda
- Mazel
- McLaren
- Mercedes-Benz
- Mercury
- Mindset
- Mini
- Mitsubishi
- Mitsuoka
- Morgan
- Nismo
- Nissan
- Noble
- ORCA
- Oldsmobile
- Opel
- PGO
- Pagani
- Panoz
- Peugeot
- Pininfarina
- Plymouth
- Pontiac
- Porsche
- Proton
- Renault
- Rinspeed
- Rolls-Royce
- Rover
- Saab
- Saleen
- Saturn
- Scion
- Seat
- Singer
- Skoda
- Smart
- Spada
- Spyker
- SsangYong
- Startech
- Stola
- Strosek
- StudioTorino
- Subaru
- Suzuki
- TVR
- TechArt
- Tesla
- Think
- Toyota
- Tramontana
- Valmet
- Vauxhall
- Venturi
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
- Wald
- Wiesmann
- Yes
- Zagato
- Zenvo
Sources:
- Ellyard, David. Great Inventions of our Time. Sydney: New Holland (2007).
- Science and Technology Year by Year. The Five Mile Press (2001).
- www.netcarshow.com for list of car models. Accessed October 25, 2011
Image Source:
Wikimedia Commons
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Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833-1896)
Famous Inventor Birthday, October 21
Alfred Nobel, Swedish Chemist, Engineer and Industrialist
Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833-1896)
Alfred Bernhard Nobel (21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, engineer, armaments manufacturer and industrialist. Aside from being famous for Nobel Prizes, he is also best known as the inventor of dynamite.
As inventor, Nobel held 355 different patents. He invented the patent for dynamite in Great Britain in 1866 and in the U.S. in 1867. In his last will, he used his enormous fortune acquired from the manufacture of explosives and from interests in oil fields in Russia to institute the Nobel Prizes. The synthetic element nobelium was named after him. His name also survives in modern-day companies such as Dynamit Nobel and Akzo Nobel, which are descendents of the companies Nobel himself established. Nobel Prizes was first awarded in 1901.
Check out this related article: Dynamite and Inventor Alfred Nobel
Source:
MLA style: “Biographical Information”. Nobelprize.org. 1 Nov 2011 http://www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/biographical/
Image Credit:
Alfred Nobel, Wikipedia.org
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George Cadbury and His Famous Chocolate
Chocolate, anyone? How about a Cadbury?
Any chocaholic will easily recognise the name “Cadbury.” It doesn’t matter whether your favourite chokkie is Lindt or Belgian or any other confectionary. Perhaps Vienna’s Mozartkugeln? A chocolate is a chocolate is a chocolate (with apology to Gertrude Stein’s “a rose is a rose is a rose… by any other name.)
The founder of famous chocolate manufacturing company, George Cadbury, is born this day, on September 19, 1839. He was the third son of a Quaker, John Cadbury, who pioneered Cadbury’s cocoa and chocolate early years.
Cadbury’s Family Life
George Cadbury married twice. In 1872 he married Mary Tylor, who died in 1887. They had three children: George junior, Mary Isabel and Edward. In 1888 he married Dame Elizabeth Mary Taylor, an English philanthropist. They had six children together: Laurence John, George Norman, Elsie Dorothea, Egbert, Marion Janet and Ursula. He died at his home, Northfield Manor House, on 24 October 1922, aged 83.
The Cadbury Family Chocolate Business
Along with his brother Richard Cadbury, he took over the family business in 1861. In 1878 They acquired 14 acres (57,000 m²) of land in open country, four miles (6 km) south of Birmingham in 1878, and opened a new factory the following year.
George Cadbury rented a Georgian style mansion built by Josiah Mason, Sir Josiah Mason, an English pen-manufacturer. He eventually bought the mansion in 1881.
Cadbury was a social reformer, who in the early 20th century, with John Wilhelm Rowntree, established a Quaker study centre in the building, that offer short educational courses on spiritual and social matters to Quakers and others interested.
Concerned with he quality of life of their employees, the Cadbury brothers provided an alternative to city life. As more land was acquired and the brothers moved the factory to a new country location, they built a factory town that provided low-cost houses for their employees and their families. This village became known as Bournville after the nearby river and French word for “town”. Although the houses were never privately owned, their value stayed low and affordable. Bournville was a marked change from the poor living conditions of the city environment where families had houses with airy yards and gardens.
George Cadbury: Social Reformer and Philanthropist
The brothers cared for their employees; they both believed in the social rights of the workers and installed canteens and sport grounds. Nineteen years after brother Richard died, George opened a works committee to discuss proposals for improving the company. He also pressed ahead with other ideas, like education facilities, an annuity, and a deposit account for employees.
George Cadbury was a humanitarian and philanthropist. He was a leading prime mover in setting up The Birmingham Civic Society. To the people of Birmingham, he donated the Lickey Hills Country Park, and a large house in Northfield to the Birmingham Cripples Union that was used as a hospital from 1909, now called the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.
Care for a Cadbury Crunchie or a Twirl? I have some!
You may want to check my article: From Cacao Beans to Candy Bars: How Chocolate is Made
Interesting Read:
Sources:
- Thomas C. Kennedy (2001). British Quakerism, 1860-1920: the transformation of a religious community. Oxford University Press. pp. 177-178. ISBN 0198270356.
- Royal Orthopaedic Hospital. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
- David J. Jeremy (1990). Capitalists and Christians: business leaders and the churches in Britain, 1900-1960. Clarendon Press. p. 100. ISBN 0198201214.
Image Credit of George Carbury Plaque: Wiki Commons
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