| Flash
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| 84766. Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:25 pm |
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| If you mean the sextant, look four posts up. If you mean the chronometer, go ahead and give us the details, why doncha? |
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| dr.bob
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| 84772. Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:29 pm |
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The sextant measured latitude. Longitude is measured by means of a chronometer.
The problems involved with running a chronometer accurately when at sea were finally solved by John Harrison after over 30 years of development and experimentation. His H4 clock was able to predict the position of a ship to within 10 miles after a transatlantic crossing.
However, his attempts to claim the Ł20,000 Longitude Prize set up by the British government to encourage such inventions were thwarted. He was generally shafted by the Longitude Board who refused to believe that the predictions of his timepiece were anything other than blind luck. It was only after 12 years of wrangling, and the personal intervention of King George III who threatened to give parliament a dressing down in person, that he finally received the prize. |
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| dr.bob
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| 84779. Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:58 pm |
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Lawn mowers!
Another english invention. The first lawn mower (http://www.lawnmowerworld.co.uk/prod06.htm) was invented by a chap with the unlikely name of Edwin Beard Budding from Stroud, Gloucestershire (not far from where I grew up). The same man also invented the adjustable spanner, presumably used to fix his lawn mower when it broke down.
The first motor mower was invented by the more conventionally named James Sumner of Leyden, Lancaster. History doesn't record whether he made use of an adjustable spanner. |
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| samivel
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| 84780. Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:12 pm |
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| How negligent history can be. |
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| suze
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| 84782. Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:30 pm |
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| Quote: | | Sextant je merací prístroj určený na meranie uhla elevácie nebeského objektu nad horizontom alebo vzdialenosti dvoch bodov, resp. objektov. Vyvinul ho John Campbell modifikáciou oktantu. Je zložený zo šestiny kruhového výseku (odtiaľ dostal aj pomenovanie), otáčavého ramena s priezorom, malého ďalekohľadu a dvoch zrkadiel. Jedno zrkadlo (Z1) je postriebrené a pevne spojené s výsekom, druhé (Z2) je pripevnené na otáčavom ramene. |
God, Slovak is hard! Some of it is much like Polish - but quite a lot of it isn't and is therefore, as it were, Greek to me.
The first sentence defines a sextant as a instrument used by mariners to measure the elevation of celestial bodies and also the distance from the horizon (does this make sense?)
It goes on to say that it was developed by John Campbell as a modification of the octant. I don't really understand the bit before the bracket, but the bit in brackets means something like "and hence the name", and then there's something about holding it at arms length and looking through binoculars (an eyepiece?). The last sentence - the one with Z1 and Z2 in - seems to be about how the instrument is constructed; it certainly has words like "silver", "arm" and "mounting" in. |
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| grizzly
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| 84786. Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:39 pm |
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| dr.bob wrote: | Lawn mowers!
Another english invention. The first lawn mower (http://www.lawnmowerworld.co.uk/prod06.htm) was invented by a chap with the unlikely name of Edwin Beard Budding from Stroud, Gloucestershire (not far from where I grew up). The same man also invented the adjustable spanner, presumably used to fix his lawn mower when it broke down.
The first motor mower was invented by the more conventionally named James Sumner of Leyden, Lancaster. History doesn't record whether he made use of an adjustable spanner. |
I'm sure that Jeremy Clarkson claimed that the Australians invented the lawn mower (as well as the rotating washing line). Perhaps this warrants further investigation, and perhaps a klaxon on the show. |
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| grizzly
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| 84941. Wed Aug 09, 2006 9:39 pm |
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I don't know why I didn't search earlier but Wiki has a page of English Inventions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_inventions
Some notable ones listed on the site (some already featured on the show):
The Spinning Jenny (James Hargreaves) and the Spinning Mule (Samuel Crompton)
Bird's Custard (Alfred Bird)
The Fire Extinguisher (George William Manby)
The Cat Flap (by Isaac Newton apparently, there must be a story behind that)
Shrapnel Shell (Henry Shrapnel)
Geordie Lamp (George Stephenson) - I believe also the source of the name Geordie for people from Newcastle as miners from there continued to use after its replacement was introduced everywhere else in the country.
Dynamo (Micheal Faraday)
Telescope (Newton again)
Micrometer (William Gascoigne)
Electronic Pocket Calculator (Clive Sinclaire)
Sinclaire C5 (as above)
Cat's Eyes (Percy Shaw)
Tarmac (E. Purnell Hooley)
Lifeboat (Lionel Lukin)
Daylight Saving Time (William Willett)
Meccano (Frank Hornby)
It's not listed there but didn't Brunel do the first all Iron hulled ship?
I would not be surprised if at least one of those could be disputed though so maybe it's time to do some digging. |
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| mckeonj
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| 84953. Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:54 pm |
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I believe that Caxton first set up a printing press in Bruges, using a modified cider press and the skills of Flemish craftsmen to cut the type masters. He then moved the operation to London.
Indidentally, Westminster was then owned by the Abbey of Abingdon. |
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| Flash
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| 84957. Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:41 pm |
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| grizzly - the two ascribed to Newton look dodgy for starters. Can anyone substantiate? The one about the catflap is very widespread but sounds simply nonsensical; on the other hand I've never before heard it suggested that he invented the telescope. |
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| Hans Mof
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| 84958. Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:06 am |
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There are some German sources believing Jules Mazarin to be the inventor of the cat flap, they even mention a specific date: 3 July 1684
But since
| Quote: | Jules Mazarin (July 14, 1602 – March 9, 1661) was an Italian politician who served as the chief minister of France from 1642 until his death.
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Newton is still in the game.
_________________
ik worstel en kom boven |
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| grizzly
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| 84971. Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:26 am |
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| Flash wrote: | | grizzly - the two ascribed to Newton look dodgy for starters. Can anyone substantiate? The one about the catflap is very widespread but sounds simply nonsensical; on the other hand I've never before heard it suggested that he invented the telescope. |
Of course you're right. He didn't invent THE telescope, he invented A telescope (the Newtonian telescope). |
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| grizzly
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| grizzly
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| 84978. Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:52 am |
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I'm trying to hunt the net for more reliable sources but wiki gives "citation needed" for all of its references to Newton inventing the cat flap.
I suspect that this needs library research to find some reliable sources for this claim. |
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| dr.bob
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| 85005. Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:50 am |
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| grizzly wrote: | | I'm sure that Jeremy Clarkson claimed that the Australians invented the lawn mower (as well as the rotating washing line). Perhaps this warrants further investigation, and perhaps a klaxon on the show. |
Good point. I also remember lawn mowers appearing during the opening ceremony of the Sydney olympics. However, according to this website:
http://www.whitehat.com.au/Australia/Inventions/InventionsA.html
That was specifically the "Two Stroke Lawn Mower" which was developed in Australia in 1930. Perhaps Mr Clarkson should be invited back for the E series and get asked that question :)
QIly the above website refers to the rotary washing line as the "Hills Hoist". Never heard it called that before. |
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| Caradoc
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| 85222. Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:37 am |
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I wouldn't trust Clarkson to tell me what time my watch was showing.
The so called 'English Longbow is actually a Welsh invention & most of the bowmen at Agincourt were Welsh.
The Bouncing Bomb & the Camouflet Bomb are English, thanks to Barnes-Wallis
By any definition you can devise the Computer is an English invention.
a good list occurs here are you proud of Henry Schrapnel? |
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