Our Gifts to Industry and Commerce
Inventions
First clock in America constructed to strike the hours built by Benjamin Banneker, Negro, in 1790 ... early flour-milling machinery by Oliver Evans, Welsh ... iron comb, made by a Negro to help cotton pickers, gave Eli Whitney, English, idea for his cotton gin ... screw propeller and revolving turret on battleship invented by John Ericsson, Swede ... first patent to a Negro granted to Henry Blair for corn harvester in 1834 ... comb-making machine built by Nathaniel Jones, Welsh.
First zipper fastener invented by Gideon Sundbäck, Swede ... green coloring matter used in our paper dollar invented by Dr. Seropian, Armenian ... machine for lasting shoes built by Jan Matzeliger, Haitian, in 1852 ... self-starter automobile clutch invented by Victor Bendix, Swede; also developed four-wheel brakes and carburetor ... steam-boiler furnace, electrical air-brakes, and incubator invented by Granville T. Woods, Negro ... inventor of carborundum was E. G. Acheson, English.
Sewing machine invented by Elias Howe, English, in 1846 ... lubricating cup, used on locomotives and marine engines, invented by Elijah J. McCoy, Negro ... discovery of artificial rubber by Father Nieuland of Notre Dame, Belgian, broke the British hold on rubber ... induction motors invented by Nicolas Tesla, Yugoslav ... co-discoverer of process for making luminous paints was John Sochocky, Ukrainian ... fireproof stairs and library bookstacks invented by Neils Poulson, Dane ... Stilson wrench invented by Daniel Stilson, Swede, in 1875.
Bakelite, a substitute used for ivory and bone in making toilet articles, invented by Leo Baekeland, Belgian. He discovered velox, a paper used by photographers, and made several other discoveries through experimenting with the electrolytic cell ... one of our earliest elevators was built by Dr. Nils Collins, Swede, a Philadelphia pastor ... the condensor used in radios and electric motors is the result of work done by Alexander Georgiev, Bulgarian ... numerous inventions of a wide and varied nature in connection with steam turbines were developed by Oscar Junggren and by Carl Söderburg, Swedes ... huge machines used for knitting are the invention of Ladislaus Robaczynski, Armenian ... outstanding typewriter designer is Carl Gabrielson, Swede.
Airbrake invented by George Westinghouse, English-Netherlander ... “scientific divining rod” used in electro-magnetic method of locating metal ore, petroleum, and other minerals devised by Hans Lundberg and Karl Sundberg, Swedes ... in inventing telephone transmitter and motion-picture projector, Edison, Scot-Netherlander, helped by Emile Berliner, German Jew ... accuracy gauges from which precision machinery is made, invented by Carl Johannson, Swede ... process for making artificial stone invented by Michael Tymofiev, Ukrainian ... pioneer in radio work and sound motion pictures was Lee De Forest, French-English.