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Colt

Oct 22, 2025

History 5 Lessons 30-35

This week I learned about four inventions. They are the combine harvester, the solar compass, propeller, and mechanical computer. These inventions all came from the same time period, the 1820s-1830s. 

The combine harvester, is a machine that cuts all the stalks off the wheat, and puts it in a pile. It was invented by Hiram More, in 1834. Before the combine harvester, there was a thing called the freemasonry. Well, he fled from the place because you had to swear an oath that you are loyal, or face death. He then invented the combine harvester to make a living on a farm.

The solar compass is a tool that does not run on the earth’s magnetic field, but uses the suns energy to run. It was invented by William Austin Burt, in 1835. There was a problem going on, that soon became clear he had to step in. The problem was that nobody knew when someone’s property started or ended, and that Which meant endless fights on properties. Burt then invented it to be more accurate, and to fix the problem. 

The propeller does exactly what is called, by propelling ships in the right directions. It was invented by Francis Petit Smith, in 1836. Smith was fascinated with boats as he was a child. He then grew up studying them, then made a design for the propeller. To make it popular, he sailed with it for a year. It broke, but when that happened, it was propelling faster and better. he then changed the design, and made it metal. 

The mechanical computer, is a tool that was very accurate, (for its time), and was an upgrade. It was invented by Charles Babbage, in 1822. Charles invented it because once again, there was problems with the other machine they had. It was inaccurate. Charles invented it, and there was instant improvement.

 These inventions, improved on their predecessors, and grew the the nation.

Colt

Oct 15, 2025

History 5, Lessons 26-30

This week I learned about four inventions. They are the platform scale, railroad t-rail, the multi-coil magnet, and mechanical reaper. These inventions were more of the innovations that came from the industrial revolution throughout the early 1830s.

The platform scale was designed to weigh heavy loads. It was invented by Thaddeus Fairbanks, in 1830. Thaddeus’ scales are still with us even today, and they are a vital part of our medical force. It was a great invention and without it we would not be able to weigh trucks on the highway and other specialized equipment.

The railroad t-rail is a type of railroad shaped like a “t”, and is one of the main railroad types. It actually was inspired by a particular type of boat. That’s right, you heard me, A BOAT!!! Aside from that, It transformed our travel system to what you see today. It was invented by Robert Stevens, in 1830. The t-rail is strong, durable, stable, and easy to install.

The multi-coil-magnet is a type of magnet that increases in energy every time you add a coil. It was invented by Joseph Henry, in 1831. It was designed to withstand thousands of volts because it was going to be used in important things like generators. It was invented after William Sturgeon invented the electromagnet. 

The mechanical reaper is a type of farm tool that reaps wheat faster than any human can. It was invented by Cyrus McCormick in 1834. It was invented because it apparently is very hard to thrash, and process wheat every day.

These inventions helped to create the modern world we have today. It is so interesting to me, that all of these inventors, are deceased, but their inventions live on. To me, that preserves their successes, and benefits us all.

Colt Edgcomb

Oct 8, 2025

Four Inventions That Impacted History

This week I learned of four inventions. They are the microphone, typewriter, Braille reading system, and the sewing machine. Each of these were invented through the 1800s and 1900s. They all have something in common, they all were made to be more convenient than their predecessor.

The microphone is a tool that uses sound waves to project sound. It was invented by Charles Wheatstone in 1827. It was first invented to project vocal sound, then it was improved upon to make any noise that you create. The microphone transformed the way we communicate and increased the pace of business and commerce. It was much better than any tool used to project sound before it.

The typewriter is a machine that allows people to write faster, and it opened up new possibilities, like jobs for house wives, or unmarried woman. It was invented by William Austin Burt in 1829. It was a major breakthrough in society, and it opened up as I said, it opened up many new opportunities for a new workforce.

The Braille Reading System is used for the blind because it’s a series of raised bumps that are coded for the blind to understand by touch. It was invented by a man named Louis Braille in 1916. It was first used for soldiers because they had to read messages safely. If they put on a lantern, they were just easy targets. Louis invented it because when he was three, he injured his eye forever by stabbing a sharp tool into it. his blindness motivated his ingenuity.

The sewing machine is a machine that makes sewing easy. It is an automatic stitcher that is controlled by the click of a button. It has a needle that goes through the cloth and hooks the Robin Hook, to stitch materials  together with. It was invented by a man, named Elias Howe in 1846. 

These inventions were great for human kind. They  helped people make clothing and other goods easier, improved communication, and opened new opportunities for a different workforce.

Colt

Oct 1, 2025

Portland Cement, Electromagnet, Passenger Rail, and Matches

This week I learned about Portland cement, electromagnets, the passenger rail, and matches. These inventions were aiming to improve on their predecessors, and to make things convenient.

Electromagnets are devices that discharge electricity to attract iron, gold, copper, or any other absorbent metal. It was invented by William Sturgeon in 1824 after Oersted discovered the link between electricity and magnetism. The electromagnet is behind most common devices, such as motors and computers. 

Portland cement is the strongest type of cement on the planet and the most popular. It was invented by Joseph Aspdin in 1824. His son was able to improve upon it, and now modern buildings today rely on his son’s recipe. It can be very helpful in situations like, building sky scrapers, big buildings, and things that need a lot of structural building materials in general.

Passenger rail was an important innovation creating rail roads all across the world. Fascination with high pressure steam powered engines led to the inventing of the locomotive. The problem was, that we had nothing that would be able to support that kind of weight for travel. A man named George Stephenson built a reinforced rail in 1807 to be able to support the needs of passenger cars.

The match has a chemical head embedded on a stick. It ignites when struck due to friction. It was invented to light tobacco or a cigarette. It was invented by a young man, named John walker, in 1826.

These inventions where invented between the 1800s-1820s, and served us a great bit of time. In fact, we still use them today!

Colt Edgcomb

Sep 24, 2025 

The Pencil, Stethoscope, Tunneling Shield, and Paved Roads 

This week I learned about four inventions. The pencil, stethoscope, tunneling shield, and paved roads, all have something in common. They all make things either more convenient, or safer. Come to think of it, most of the inventions I have learned about this year do kind of the same thing; they make things more convenient.

The pencil is a piece of graphite that is made inside a piece of wood that is attached to a piece of rubber. Its first form was a stylus that you would use to imprint a message or just to write on a clay tablet. It was a major breakthrough, and it revolutionized the writing industry by having a utensil that has the ability to easily erase writing. It was invented by Nicolas-Jacques Conte in 1795.

The stethoscope is a tool used to listen to someone’s heartbeat and to hear breathing inside the lungs. It was invented to help doctors save patients’ lives. It was invented by a young man named Rene Laennec in 1816. His inspiration came from two kids who had a long funnel, and used it to help them hear each other. In a moment’s notice, he made a long funnel and saved a woman who was dying. 

The tunneling shield is a huge piece of metal that protects the workers from the tunnel caving in and flooding. It was invented because people couldn’t build underground tunnels without abandoning the process because of floods. It was invented by Marc Isambard Brunel, in 1818. It allowed for tunneling to even be possible.

Paving roads is a process in which a lot of crushed gravel is involved. First, they lay gravel and larger rocks. Then, they lay some clay to seal it. Next, you put more gravel and rocks layered on top. Lastly, you put clay down again and seal it up. It was invented by John MC-Adam, in the 19th century.

These inventions were created during the industrial revolution. This allowed people to save time, resources, and money.