The First Ferris wheel...

Friday, September 26, 2008

Hi guys and girls, welcome to "The first one..." blog. Our today's topic is about the first invented ferris wheel. The first ferris wheel was designed by George W. Ferris, a bridge-builder from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ferris began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building. He understood the growing need for structural steel, Ferris founded G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh, a firm that tested and inspected metals for railroads and bridge builders.

He built the Ferris Wheel for the 1893 World's Fair, which was held in Chicago to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's landing in America. The Chicago Fair's organizers wanted something that would rival the Eiffel Tower. Gustave Eiffel had built the tower for the Paris World's Fair of 1889, which honored the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Finding a suitable design proved difficult: Architect Daniel H. Burnham, who was in charge of selecting the project for the Chicago World's Fair, complained at an engineer's banquet in 1891 about having found nothing that "met the expectations of the people". Among the audience was George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., owner of a firm that tested iron and steel. He had an inspiration and scribbled the design for the Ferris Wheel on a napkin during the dinner.

It was considered an engineering wonder: two 140-foot steel towers supported the wheel; they were connected by a 45-foot axle, the largest single piece of forged steel ever made up until that time. The wheel section had a diameter of 250 feet and a circumference of 825 feet. Two 1000-horsepower reversible engines powered the ride. Thirty-six wooden cars held up to sixty riders each. The ride cost fifty cents and made $726,805.50 during the World's Fair. The original Ferris Wheel was destroyed in 1906, but there are other ferris wheels at theme parks and carnivals everywhere.
Thus we are now feeling the height because of George W. Ferris. So don't forget him for ever...

The First Ear plugs...

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Our today's topic is going to be about the first invented Ear plugs.They are used in many ways in our day to day life. So it is a well needed one for the World. The inventors below made landmark improvements to earplugs, however, it is impossible to determine who invented the very first ear plug. Many ancient peoples created homemade ear plugs from clay, or cotton and wax to reduce noise or protect the ears from the environment i.e. water.
Ray and Cecilia Benner invented the first moldable pure silicone ear plugs in 1962. The ear plugs were valued by swimmers, as well as those avoiding noise, for their waterproof qualities. McKeon Products marketed the new ear plugs known as Mack's Pillow Soft Earplugs.

Classical musician, Ray Benner bought McKeon Products in 1962. At that time the company's sole product was Mack's Earplugs (named after the original owner). Mack's Earplugs were moldable clay ear plugs. The Benners designed new ear plugs made from silicone, a waterproof material, to help prevent swimmer's ear, an infection of the ear caused by exposure to water. Mack's Pillow Soft Earplugs are also great noise stoppers.
Thus, these inventors had made a remarkable achievement through their inventions and they will always stand in the heart of the people.

The First Bakelite...

Tuesday, September 16, 2008


Hi guys ans gals. Today our topic is going to be about a invention called Bakelite. Leo Hendrik Baekeland was born in Ghent, Belgium, in 1863. He immigrated to the United States in 1889. He started his own laboratory in Yonkers, New York, where he invented Bakelite in 1907, a synthetic substitute for the shellac used in electronic insulation.
Bakelite was made by mixing Carbolic Acid with Formaldehyde, it is considered the first plastic. In 1909, Bakelite was introduced to the general public at a chemical conference. Baekeland founded the General Bakelite Corp. In 1944, Baekeland died at the age of eighty years in Beacon, N.Y.
Bakerlite was used to manufacture everything form telephone handsets or costume jewelry for example as well as engine parts and insulation for electronics.
Thus, it was used for many purposes in the olden days and also still used in the present... Hats off to Leo Hendrik Baekeland.

The First Arifical heart...

Thursday, September 11, 2008


Hi friends, our today topic is going to be about The first Artifical heart invented by Dr. Robert Jarvik. Artificial hearts date back to the mid-1950s when Dr. Paul Winchell first patented an artificial heart.
In 1982, Seattle dentist Dr. Barney Clark was the first person implanted with the Jarvik-7, an artificial heart intended to last a lifetime. William DeVries an American surgeon performed the surgery. The Jarvik-7 artificial heart was designed by Robert Jarvik. The patient survived 112 days. "It has been hard, but the heart itself has pumped right along." - Barney Clark

Creator of the Jarvik-7, is now working on the Jarvik 2000, a thumb-sized heart pump.
The race for the artificial heart. At the end of 1998 American heart specialist Michael DeBakey performed a world-first in heart surgery with a totally new device. If this electric heart proves successful, it could be a permanent alternative to a heart transplant.
Thus we should say thanks to Dr. Robert Jarvik for extending the human life.

The First Airbag...

Saturday, September 6, 2008


Hi guys and girls, our today’s post is going to be about the first invented Airbags. Airbags are a type of automobile safety restraint like seatbelts. They are gas-inflated cushions built into the steering wheel, dashboard, door, roof, or seat of your car that use a crash sensor to trigger a rapid expansion to protect you from the impact of an accident.

In 1971, the Ford car company built an experimental airbag fleet. General Motors tested airbags on the 1973 model Chevrolet automobile that were only sold for government use. The 1973, Oldsmobile Toronado was the first car with a passenger air bag intended for sale to the public. General Motors later offered an option to the general public of driver side airbags in full-sized Oldsmobile's and Buick's in 1975 and 1976 respectively. Cadillacs were available with driver and passenger airbags options during those same years. Early airbags system had design issues resulting in fatalities caused solely by the airbags.

Airbags were offered once again as an option on the 1984 Ford Tempo automobile. By 1988, Chrysler became the first company to offer air bag restraint systems as standard equipment. In 1994, TRW began production of the first gas-inflated airbag. They are now mandatory in all cars since 1998.

Thus with this I wind off this topic. Have a nice day…

The First Basket ball game...

Monday, September 1, 2008


Hi friends, I think this is our first topic in the field of sports. Today our topic is going to be about Basket ball game. James Naismith was the Canadian physical education instructor who invented basketball in 1891. James Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario and educated at McGill University and Presbyterian Cllege in Montreal. He was the physical education teacher at McGill University (1887 to 1890) and at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts (1890 to 1895). At Springfield College (which was then the Y.M.C.A. training school), James Naismith, under the direction of American phys-ed specialist Luther Halsey Gulick, invented the indoor sport of basketball. The first formal rules were devised in 1892. Initially, players dribbled a soccer ball up and down a court of unspecified dimensions. Points were earned by landing the ball in a peach basket. Iron hoops and a hammock-style basket were introduced in 1893. Another decade passed, however, before the innovation of open-ended nets put an end to the practice of manually retrieving the ball from the basket each time a goal was scored. In 1959, James Naismith was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame (called the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame).I don’t think that he is so much height as today’s basket ball players… Just a joke. Have a nice day…