August 19, 2019

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Famous Inventors

Everything was invented by someone, but many names have become so ingrained in our lives that we don't give them a second thought. Frequently they are not even spelled with a capital letter. These people probably never imagined that one way their names would be common nouns.

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Today's Random Fact:

Sandwich

John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich, was an important figure in the adventures of Captain Cook, who even named a group of islands after him. But in the United States, he will forever be known as the person after whom a delicious snack was named. His favorite was salt beef between two slices of toasted bread. People started calling it "the Sandwich," and the rest is history.


Diesel engine

It took Rudolf Diesel 13 years to develop the slow-burning, compression ignition engine. At the time the steam engine was the major source of power for large industries. High-speed diesel engines hit the market in the 1920s. They were used in passenger cars starting in the 1930s.


Ferris Wheel

The Ferris Wheel was designed as the American competitor to the Eiffel Tower. George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., was a young engineer whose company was given the task of coming up with something "daring and unique." This kind of amusement park wheel had been designed before, but not at this scale. Ferris's wheel was 250 feet in diameter and it carried 36 cars, each with a capacity of 60 people.


Kalashnikov, or AK-47

Arguably the most famous weapon in history, the AK-47 was designed from a hospital bed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. Kalashnikov, who served in a Russian tank unit, had been wounded during a battle against Germany in World War II.


Jacuzzi

The Jacuzzi family emigrated from Italy to California in the early 1900s. They worked in the agriculture sector, improving aviation devices and water pumps. They invented the submersible pump, which was the first of its kind in the world. When a family member developed arthritis, the brothers created a portable hydrotherapy pump, which was the first type of Jacuzzi.


Nachos

Nachos are such a popular snack that the word is not even spelled with a capital N, even though it's the name, or rather the nickname rather, of a person. Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya served what was later called nachos for the very first time to American military wives at a restaurant in Mexico, close to Fort Duncan. He fried tortilla chips and put shredded cheddar cheese and sliced jalapenos on top. He warmed them up for a few minutes and voila!