Inventions
“The best thing since sliced bread”, so the
saying goes. 1928 that was invented. 113 years earlier a thin slice of gauze
wrapped around a flame saved thousands of lives. Humphry Davy’s miners’ safety
lamp was the best thing as far as colliers were concerned.
To mark “Light in the Darkness”, the Davy
exhibition in the Technology Gallery at the National Coal Mining Museum,
“Voices in the Coalshed” invites you to nominate what you think is the best
invention… “…since sliced bread”.
Simply say,
I think the best invention ever is…………………,
because………………..
Send your idea to:
Suggestions will be post on www.coalshedpoets.blogspot.com
and then become exhibits the virtual museum.
Dave
Alton
Writer
in Residence
National
Coal Mining Museum of England
Toilet paper
Without it
the world would come to a sticky end.
INVENTION 1
Penicillin (and derivatives) anti-biotic.
Cured bacteriological infections and saved
millions of lives. When an infection appeared which it cannot
cure the
world is thrown into chaos.
INVENTION 2 The bulk manufacture of
Nitrates.
Used as fertilizer it doubled the arable
productivity of land.
INVENTION 3 Hydraulic roof supports
in deep coal mining.
Firstly hand used then powered, trebled the
productivity of longwall face mining.
M. J. Keeton
I think the best invention is the printing press, because it brought the
written word to a large audience for the very first time and helped new ideas
to spread around the world much more quickly and easily. It also increased
literacy rates and improved education.
Kate Fraser
One of the best inventions is a knot
called a bowline.
It is easy to tie, easy to untie, does the job it is intended for and can
save your life.
Roger Morton
Woven
cotton fabric
Gave
underwear and literacy to the world!
Nicola Harrison
The Camera
Because
photographs help us to keep precious memories alive and make loved ones feel
nearer when we are apart. Photographs are also important to give us a
'window' into the past that helps to bring written history to life.
To me the best invention was the steam engine it changed the industrial revolution.
Bill Web
THE BICYCLE
Original design has altered little since its invention
. Just refinements .
Eco / green friendly . Non polluting .
Saves space parking and around town .
Aids keep fit and health .
Cheap , simple maintainance .
First step to independence and prosperity in third
world / developing nations .
Enables girls’ education in these places , as the long
walks to school from their remote villages are dangerous , and many are
waylayed by men and / or wild animals if on foot . Making the choice to stay at
home instead .
I donated a bike to a charity which repairs them and
then ships them to Africa solely for this purpose.
Janet Carter
What would we do
without ZOOM? I am in total awe of whoever produced it - in these very
difficult times it's amazing and so beneficial for people to work from home but
also for others to join club discussions and exercise classes. Even my
husband is now a yoga convert.
Just as early Mining engineers and inventors helped to make
life safer and more productive, ZOOM has made lockdown and restrictions easier
to bear, and particularly from a social aspect, e.g. Missing the museum.
Pam Waites
The ‘bic’ throw away pen
Because it meant that the power of writing
was made instantly available, was inexpensive and easy to use and no-one ever
again got into trouble for losing or mis-using a pen.
Sally-ann Burley
PVA glue:
low ecological impact (no volatiles, non-poisonous, not damaging to the skin),
sticks a wide range of materials together well, dries to colourless, sets
reasonably quickly but with a period when it is easy to correct or reposition
the materials being glued, and can often be 'unglued' without significant
damage. Safe for children and allows clandestine corrections to be made in
their work, and good for the less competent modeller who may value the
opportunity for a second chance at a bond (don't ask me how I know this). I can
expound on PVA's virtues at length if required.
David Cross
The
telephone, controversial in terms of who first came up with idea versus
who first registered their design for patent.
It’s
a great invention because it increased the speed of communication between
people who were unable to connect face-to-face and paved the way for the modern
voice communications we enjoy today at work and at home. My mobile phone,
powered by mined minerals, has been my lockdown saviour.
Nicola Palmer
My lines are the steam engine
Transportation
Bob
Jones
The steam railway locomotive.
It
meant that we could distribute goods in bulk and everyone could travel from A
to B much more safely and quickly.
Joan Tozer
I think the best invention is the paper clip designed by
Johan Vaaler because it has never needed to be redesigned because it completes
its intended function perfectly. Some people have created different variations
of the paperclip; however, it is purely for aesthetics as the original is
frugal in design.
Amy Boothroyd
I think one of the
best inventions was the Newcomen engine, an atmospheric stationary engine which
was the starting point of the Industrial revolution. It was the first invention
to effectively harness steam to produce mechanical work.
Mark Carlyle
I think the
best invention ever is the ballpoint pen, because it has contributed to so many
other inventions, ideas and interests by just being a quick and easy way to
make a note of what you're thinking. It's not a totally accessible form of
mark maker but there is good general availability of ballpoint pens.
Jules C.
My choice of
invention or rather discovery is Fleming and the anti-biotic penicillin. I like
the idea that chance as well as scientific discovery came into it.
Penicillin has had a huge impact on medicine and allowing people to recover
from infections and has particularly enabled operations to take place. This
pandemic has shown how important research is and how a problem often leads to a
solution.
Sharon Healy
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