Mechanical engineer Willis Haviland Carrier invented the electrical air conditioning system in 1902.
Inventions change lives whether they're backed by big business or developed in an enthusiastic amateur's backyard and many great ones are from the U.S. New inventions in the 1900s catered to a growing American population, up from 76 million in 1900 to 92 million 10 years later. Innovations enabled by new technologies and curious minds enriched daily life, from the mass produced automobile in 1908 to the first wireless transmission across the Atlantic.
The 'Brownie' Camera
George Eastman was an amateur inventor with little education working as a junior bookkeeper to help support his family. Although photography had been first invented in the 1830s, it wasn't yet a medium open or affordable to everyday people. Photography fascinated Eastman who spent his free time reading voraciously on the subject. Eventually Eastman resigned his job to follow his dream and started his first photographic company developing dry plates. He wanted to democratize photography and enable everyone to have a camera in their pocket. His "brownie" camera sold at just $1 each and its brand name Kodak is still synonymous with photography today.
The Wright Flyer
In 1903, Ohio brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright literally got their invention off the ground: the first airplane or heavier-than-air craft as it was then known. Other inventors had tried and failed to take flight but the Wright brothers managed to stay airborne for 12 seconds and fly a distance of 120 feet at the test flight in North Carolina. The Wright Flyer was patented in 1906 and their business continued to develop, build and sell increasingly sophisticated aircrafts.
The Crawler Tractor
Invented by Benjamin Holt, the youngest son of a family-run lumber business, the crawler or track layer tractor came about after the company diversified into manufacturing farming equipment. Tractors already existed but they were heavy and cumbersome and often got stuck in the soil, outweighing any heavy-load transportation advantages. Holt initially tried to solve this problem by changing the wheel size but it was clear that laying tracks was the best solution. After a research trip to England in 1903, Holt finally created a track layer that worked well on soil and it was patented in 1904. Because the contraption moved like a caterpillar, that became the trademark name still in use today.
Dixie Cups
Inventor Lawrence Luellen created individual disposable cups in 1908 in response to the need for cleaner public water-drinking facilities. Luellen wanted a machine that dispensed clean, cold water that could be sold for a penny a cup. The Luellen Cup and Water Vendor was made of porcelain and comprised a water tank over an ice container with a stack of paper cups. The water vending machine proved too expensive to produce but the cups launched successfully and were stacked alongside plain water fountains. It was these paper cups that became known as Dixie cups, the original version of the ones used today.
Tags: paper cups, that became, track layer, Wright Flyer