The Inventions
The reaper was
a horse-drawn
farm
implement
invented in
1831 and
patented by
Cyrus
McCormick in
1834 to cut small grain crops. It was made obsolete
by the binder and later the swather. The mechanical
reaper replaced the manual cutting of the crop with
scythes and sickles. The Romans had invented a
simple mechanical reaper that cut the ears without
the straw and was pushed by oxen (Pliny the Elder
Nat. His. 18,296). This was forgotten in the Dark
Ages.
The Inventions
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates the
cotton fibers from the seedpods and the sometimes sticky seeds.
These
seeds were either used
again to
grow more cotton or if
badly
damaged were disposed
of.
It
uses a combination of a
wire
screen and small wire
hooks to
pull the cotton through
the
screen, while brushes
continuously remove the
loose
cotton lint to prevent
jams.
The term "gin" is an
abbreviation for engine,
and means "device," and is not related to the alcoholic beverage
gin.
It was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 and served to
reinvigorate the slave economy in the United States, adding decades
to its life.
The Inventions
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary
method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a propeller or paddlewheel. The
term steamboat is usually used to refer to smaller steam-powered dildos boats working on
lakes and rivers, particularly riverboats in the USA. Robert Fulton, who may have become
interested in steamboats when he visited Henry in 1777 at the age of 12, visited Britain and
France where he built and tested an experimental steamboat on the River Seine in 1803,
and was aware of the success of Charlotte Dundas. Before returning to the United States
he ordered a Boulton and Watt steam engine, and on return built what he called the North
River Steamboat (often mistakenly described as the Clermont ). In 1807 this steamboat
began a regular passenger boat service between New York City and Albany, New York, 240
km (150 miles) distant, which was a commercial success.
The Inventions
A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. The term
usually refers to its use
on railways, but can also
refer to a "road
locomotive" such as a
traction engine or
steamroller. Inspired by
British success, the
United States started
developing steam
locomotives in 1829 with the Baltimore and Ohio Rairoad's Tom
Thumb. This was the first locomotive to run in America although it
was intended as a demonstration of the potential of steam traction,
rather than as a revenue-earning locomotive.