This week on Episode 31 of Flash Past Steve and Dan discuss time saving inventions. We all have shrinking amounts of time to get things done and there have been a lot of inventions over the years that have made life easier.
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Listener line: 661-750-2321
Show Notes
- Hook and loop fasteners (Velcro) which was invented in 1941 by a Swiss engineer. This product has had an interesting life cycle. It invaded popular fashion in the 80s but now is relegated to doing chores and holding kids’ shoes on.
- Flashlights came into being shortly after the dry cell battery became a power option. IN the late 1800s the first flashlight was a paper tube with two D cell batteries and a light on the end. The NYPD liked them and so development continued and the product, over 115 years or so, has become what it is today.
- The microwave is much, much older than most people think. It was actually invented in 1945 when Percy Spencer, an engineer, noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket was melting while he was building magnetrons. The first commercially available microwaves were huge and hugely expensive. Now they’re so cheap that they’re nearly disposable.
- Got something sticky on your hand? What is that, tree sap? Birch bark tar was the first form of glue that was used… approximately 200,000 BC. Glue has come a long way since then but it is still basically a sticky substance that people use to join this to that.
- Calculators, paint rollers, washing machines, electric razors and power tools but you’ll have to listen to find out what they think about these inventions.
Last weeks Question:
Q: What weapon has become known as “The gun that won the west”?
A: The Colt Peacemaker, a .45-caliber gun manufactured by Colt’s Fire Arms Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut, was produced for the first time in 1873 and has become known as “the gun that won the West”. At the time, it sold for $17.00.
Flash Past Trivia Question
Q: What is the substance in most lighters that causes the spark?
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