Best of The History Guy: Invention
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ค. 2024
- Four classic The History Guy episodes about inventions that changed the world.
00:00 - Horsepower: James Watt and the Transition from Horse to Steam
11:32 - The Plastic Revolution: Celluloid
25:58 - The Forgotten History of Sewing Machines
38:40 - Robertson, Phillips, and the History of the Screwdriver
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This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
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#history #thehistoryguy #inventions
Amazing how he take the most mundane subject and still makes it interesting to watch.
the industrial revolution is mundane? Wow. I bow to you oh time traveler....
My family looked at me like I was nuts when I saw the history guy on a history channel tv show. I got excited a bit, to say the least.
The UnXplained.
THANX THG, JUST THANX. @ 26 MIN. IN AND AT AGE 62+, I'VE LEARNED MORE ON HORSE POWER AND SUNGLASSES THAN DECADES OF LOVING HISTORY ON EVERY TOPIC.
JUST THANK YOU.
My late oldest sister used a treadle-type sewing machine until she died in 2011. She said that the machine gave her better control than an electric machine. I don't know the manufacture date of her machine, but it was stamped with a date of 1876. That may have been the patent date but it shows how well-made the machine was.
Along with sewing machines and other Industrial-age products, especially trains, came a need for lubricating oil and grease. Originally produced from whales, coarser grades were made by rendering and cooking down whale blubber, but the lightest and finest grade was Spermaceti oil from inside the head of a Sperm whale; it was favored as "sewing machine oil". The invention of petroleum-cracking processes that allowed production of lubricants from crude oil probably saved the lives of many whales, but whale oil was still blended into some grades of transmission fluid until 1973 when it was outlawed.
I have my grandmother’s sewing machine. I’m not sure where she got it or who. Yes foot pedaled. My dear friend wound and threaded the bobbin for me. She knows a lot about sewing, knitting, crochet, lace work and beading. I’ve made some replacement leather drive belts as authentic as I’ve been able from the existing installed belt and one that hasn’t been glued, which is my prototype model. I have some different hide and some hoove glues I’ve cooked up too
@@tomtheplummer7322 , I volunteer with a "Repair Cafe" group 4 times a year; we get together in a community center with tools and fix things for local residents so that broken stuff that can be made usable again doesn't simply end up in the landfill. I have repaired 3 or 4 sewing machines (none of them treadle powered) that were seized up from disuse. Usually, some heat from a hair dryer and adding fresh lubricant will get them working again. We also fix a lot of vacuum cleaners (unclogging them, installing a fresh belt and filter as needed, etc) and other small appliances, rewire table lamps that arrive with frayed cords and worn/tarnished sockets, and so on. No charge to the locals except for any parts that have to be purchased. We even have three or four women who bring their own *working* sewing machines along and do minor clothing alterations and repairs, for free.
My grandmother was a Mennonite. She wouldn't use electricity if she could get around it. She pumped that foot treadle well into the '80's and only quit because of dementia. She said the same thing about control.
@@goodun2974they also use it for something I read about the other day. Cosmetics maybe? I should have checked but yall can look it up, whatever it was it was interesting.
I went on a draft horse wagon ride. The sheer power of those beasts is wild. You feel it when they pull hard to make it up an incline to maintain a steady speed.
I love how this dude does these videos in what seems like one take while absolutely refusing to edit his stumbles. Just powers right through.
I'd rather have a fluid stumble over 100 jump cuts in the matter of a few seconds
@@warnMPMP same!
I an American have been calling Robertson screws and screwdrivers " Robeson " screws for like 30 years.the funny part is when I've asked for them in stores they always new what I was talking about . Thanks history guy!
My wife used to sew a lot. Therefore, It fell on me to fix the sewing machine when it “doesn’t work right”. Just how the stitch was actually made has always fascinated me. Very interesting piece of machinery.
Thats really cool, mechanical things like that always fascinate me
I'm factory maintenance man. We have 3 sewing machines. Talk about tight tolerance. I don't work on them often, but they are tricky😊
Kids today could learn more History in a day by watching THG, than they can in a whole semester of public school education.
Kids from yesterday are still learning more than they did in K-12 public schools! I'm one of them!
God bless the history guy. Picking up where public education has so miserably failed.
We all learned to read in the public system. So at least they did something decent enough.
3:47
Kind of ironic that the industrial world created by the subject of these videos is why there is such a focus on STEM education today
AGREED. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE EDUCATION WE ALL COULD'VE ENJOYED HAD WE THE FORTUNE OF TEACHERS LIKE 'THG'.
YES, WE'VE ALL HAD GOOD AND GREAT EDUCATORS- BUT WHERE WOULD WE BE NOW WITH TEACHERS LIKE THE HISTORY GUY TO CALMLY, EASILY AND COMPLETELY INFORM US? ON MANY TOPICS WE, AT FIRST GLANCE FEEL DISINTERESTED IN. THEN ARE QUITE INTERESTED.
@@nmcgunagle
Watch the Justin Awad channel interviews, and read the comments from teachers, and employers.
@The History Guy, recommending a channel if you haven’t already heard of it- The Townsends- a group of people who research what it was like to live in colonial America and attempt to recreate food, fashion, shelter, exploring the events of the time and how common people were affected. I watch it mostly for the food recipes but also the history behind it.
I've met n talked with em at mississinewa 1812, good ppl
I have seen Colonial Williamsburg, but it has been a while. 30 years?
Yeah Townsends is a great channel I've learnt a bunch from that guy and he's always smiling, it's funny cuz he reminds me of my buddy dressed in ole time clothes hahahahaha
The man who does the Townsends videos seems incredibly nice.
Wow, so ...
To clarify, plasticity refers to the ability of something to deform _permanently._ Elastic materials can stretch, but then they return to their previous state. Plastic materials can be molded into a new shape without returning to the original one. So for instance, if a bar bends elastically, then it hasn't failed yet. If it bends plastically, then it has, because it will never go back to its original shape. Despite the name, many "plastics" in use don't deform plastically well at all at room temperature. But they are plastic at higher temperatures.
Also, fwiw, proteins are single molecules, not "thousands of molecules." They consist of thousands of _atoms._ All the atoms are covalently bonded to each other, so they are single molecules. They can however consist of multiple chains which are linked at only a few points, and each chain can consist of dozens of residues (amino acids bonded together), but these are just parts of a bigger molecule. In the extreme, these molecules can contain millions of atoms (or tens of billions in the case of DNA), but they are still single molecules.
Thank You so much The History Guy I stubbed on your channel. If only schools would teach this in schools we all need to be educated on history . 😊
You stubbed your toe on the channel? Strange....
@@TheEudaemonicPlagueno toes were armed making dis video!
My Mother and several of my aunties worked on sewing machines in a car factory for some time, My mother actually had one of the double needles go through one of her finders.
That was the most subtle dad joke I've heard in a long time. When talking a out the Miller, saying it was a turning point. Thank you for a massive grin with my morning coffee!
Thanks for putting this collection together. Excellent choices of great world changing devices and materials and the huge impact on quality of life that came along with these inventions. Cheers from the snowy land of the Robertson screw.
68 now, but, I recall seeing a non-working foot powered sewing machine when 7 or 8. Haven't seen another since.
... I’m 64, still have my grandmother’s sewing machine...it still operates of course. 🤷♂️😏😎👍🏻👌🏻💪🧵
For many years I have been fascinated by trees that are said to have been planted by a Pacific Northwest " Johnny Appleseed" in the late 1800's. You see them around Washington State now and again, and the larger ones seem to be old and of the same vintage. The "Monkey Puzzle Tree" has an interesting history.. that deserves to be remembered. LOL. I remember in the 60's there being one outside Cashmere, Washington at a restaurant called the "Monkey Tree Restaurant".
As a Canadian who as a child was thought "handy" and then became a tradesman, and eventually an engineer, I had early exposure to Robertson screws and screw drivers. As I came across Phillips and (ugh) flat head screws I assumed that they were earlier, inferior products of the industrial revolution. In addition to the superior anti-cam-out properties of the Robertson, the taper angle of the cavity is such that if the screw is pressed firmly onto the driver it will wedge in place and the screw will not fall off even if held vertically with the screw below the screwdriver. This is a very useful property that Phillips, Posidrive, and Torx screws do not have. As well, the Robertson screw is much less sensitive to off-angle torque due to the excellent screw-to-driver connection. As THG mentioned, the use of the Robertson screw is increasing in the US and possibly elsewhere but I have noticed that it is usually called a square-head. That is unfortunate, as Mr. Robertson's screw is superior, and worthy of his name.
God bless you, plastic. I love you. Among other things, you make it feasible for me to live without an automobile.
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally!
It took me 37 years on this planet to have the origin of 'horsepower' explained 🤙🏼
As a contractor I avoid slotted screws as much as is possible sticking mainly with the Phillips head or star head screws. The star head works extremely well for high torque applications.
As a teen I was taught that a horsepower was 550 lb moved in one minute the distance of one foot.
That should be one second. 550 x 60 seconds = 33000 so it's another way of saying the same thing.
Not "moved", Lifted against the pull of gravity.
You're my hero sir! I LOVE history and could listen to you all day!
Really appreciate and enjoy the work you guys do, thanks!
Love your show. Don't have time to watch now but I am giving a preemptive comment and thumbs up to hold until I do.
I'M OLNEY AROUND 60 AND STILL REMEMBER BROWN PAPER, GREASE PROOF PAPER JUST WHY DO WE NEED PLASTIC , AND PAPER BAGS .
Lots of those were coated with waxes and such that weren't much better and made it harder to dispose of responsibly
Singer Castle is located on the St. Lawrence River in NYS. It's open to tours during the summer. I toured the Singer Castle around 2010 and the tour guide mentioned that the success of the Singer Sewing Machine Co was due to one specific company president who offered sewing machines on credit. I can't remember specifics but the sales numbers went up almost exponentially under this company president. And he is the one who built Singer Castle, even though his last name wasn't Singer! The castle is an incredible time capsule of days gone by, complete with observation ports around the living room so the staff could keep an eye on the guests and quickly send them whatever they needed without them having to ask. Singer Castle is one of the few castles that were actually lived in, in relatively recent times. Very cool tour if you can make it to Alexandria Bay NY. If you do make it there, Boldt Castle is only a short distance from Singer, and closer to the water taxi service. Love your videos, thank you so much for everything!!
During the early 50s Chevrolet used a design of screw heads that featured. Not a Philips, square drive they were in the shape of the marquee the Bow Tie. You can still get screwdrivers for them from specialty tool companies.
Good evening
Robertson screws are making headway into the US. Look at electrical devices, such as circuit breaker panels. Or walk down the construction fastener aisle in your local home center you will notice screws from many manufacturers, utilizing Phillips, Robertson and Torx drivers.
Thank you so much for these videos
Oddly enough “The Archimedes Screw” was a topic of conversation during test time in Physics
Finally got around to watching this ep… was of course, as educating & entertaining as ALL of your FANTASTIC episodes! This said, per that last segment about screw driver/screw types, I thought it was also interesting that both the Robertson (what I’d always heard referenced as simply, “square bit” or, “square drive” screws/drivers) & Philips design, is in how they were both heavily affected by the automobile industry back in the day. Just yet another nod to just how much cars’ having been invented, really truly changed the entire world, “History, that deserves to be remembered” 👍🏼👍🏼
That intro was gold. Great video. Keep it up
Doing hand embroidery, watching THG, and considering the purchase of another sewing machine. For now I rent one at the local fabric store.
As an industrial electrician working with electric.motors I really appreciate this story from history.
Other common things from the past: classified ads in newspapers or other publications (Penny Saver, Auto Trader, Recyler) and the phone book (white pages and yellow pages). Heck, even regular ads in the newspaper was a worthwhile reason to buy a newspaper to find sales for electronics, furniture or cars.
The vast amount of classic Hollywood film that is still in existence is stored just a a couple miles from me in the Birmingham Caves storage facility. Vast underground complex where many things are stored and no one knows.
As a Canadian, using both Phillips and Robertsons, the later is far more user friendly. You can stick a Robby on a bit and then it stays on. Even with a magnetic Phillips, you can single hand drive one into wood.
And in a ironic fate, if you can’t find your Robby screw driver, a Phillips will work in a pinch.
But torx are they best.
Ah, the Robertson screw! A decade into repairing/rebuilding pianos, one built in Canada came into our shop. As this was back when Amazon was a book-seller, a slender 12” Robertson driver wasn’t just a click away. I think I found the bits in the Grainger catalog, then a few minutes with a welder, then grinder, … I love making tools (yeah, I’m a nerd; fight me 🤓 ). Thanks for the memories, THG
I was particularly interested in the wider implications of the use of the sewing machine.
Many thanks for this video!
I believe I have every style of screw driver ever invented! I restore classic cars (own over 50) and other machines. I get pretty upset trying to get the correct tool to remove a fastener, bolts included. My theory is that Snap On sponsors a contest that requires every MIT graduate to design a new tool for extracting fasteners!
By the way, I’ve been able to destroy every know fastener with my huge collection of hammers, chisels, grinders and drills. If none of the above work it’s welder/torch time.
love the bit not pun intended on the screwdriver would love to see something on herbrand tools they had workings on both sides of the border as most tool companies were doing
The history of the USS Albacore would be an interesting topic. Love your channel by the way!
history of the screw was very interesting ty very much, THG!!
I forget how much i enjoy your channel, thank you
Well done Lance & Son 👍🏻👌🏻
In half a million years our descendants will refer to the geologic strata being laid down now as the plastic-oh-scene.
Another great video. Thanks
I watch a lot of your vids and never say thanks, you do a great job and I appreciate your take on thing and historical perspective. The Robertson screw is one of the many things that somehow got lost in Americana despite being better. Great job on everything man.
I think the most overlooked invention is the crew conveyor. Everything has a screw from your phone to space to lifting water into a trough.
Dear History Guy: Can you make an episode on the history of the microwave?
Why?
Can you name any other device invented in our lifetimes that has greater shaped what we eat and how we eat it, in our own kitchens or anywhere else?
Learned in electric shop back in the late 1960's that while one horsepower is equal to 746 watts standard NEMA single & three phase AC motors use 1,000 watts per horsepower due to 4 losses ( friction, heat produced & 2 others that I long forgot). Recently looked at a 100 HP 480 Volt 3 phase AC motor marked energy efficient. Used approximately 983watts per horsepower. Thanks for another very informative vidio. IEC undersized European cheating motors often overstate their horsepower by using 746 watts as a horsepower.
What a compelling subject thank you
I remember a book. Something like " 100 most brilliant minds describing the worlds best inventions" and (unless Im wrong) collectively the most common response was related to a horses saddle.
This could have been in response to inventions that made the biggest impact in the world. There were about 6 that said a "Saddle horn" specifically.
And the father of the year goes to ! Precious stuff! My wife and I totally enjoyed this!
JIS drivers and fasteners are another interesting type
Thank you for the explanation and history of horsepower, though torque is what really gets gear heads excited. And then there’s the debate: is it “foot pounds” or “pound feet” when describing the torque measure?
...if ya know, ya know. There is no debate. When I disagree with someone it’s because they’re wrong. 🤷♂️😏😎🤫🤭💪👌🏻👍🏻
That "pound feet" nonsense is relatively new. It was started by some ninnies who whined " but... but... people might mistake foot pounds of torque to mean foot pounds of work 😭waaaaaah, we want foot pounds of torque to be called 'pound feet' instead 😭waaaaah". In what instance will anyone mistake torque for work done? I will NEVER refer to foot pounds of torque as the asinine 'pound feet'.
As an inventor for the majority of my life with only two real commercial successes behind me (hopefully more to come) I can wholeheartedly concur with Mr. Watt. And being Scottish myself I can feel the cultural pain of not being thought efficient (or in my right mind) by my own people. The Scottish have made some of the greatest inventions…and yet a society that views all inventors with suspicion.
gr8 video Thank You very much.
The History Guy is “that” instructor that people fight over trying to get in his class. Wish he had been my history teacher, I would have learned more.
Fascinating !
Great episode 😅
Walter Hunt "the forgotten inventor" was born on a Lewis County farm in Martinsburg, New York on July 29th, 1796. Spending most of his early years in Lowville, and some time in Watertown. By 1820, he had invented a flax-spinning machine and many other smaller inventions.
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Eventually Hunt left the North Country region and established a shop in New York City in 1826, where he would go on to invent the lockstitch sewing machine and the first repeating rifle, among many other useful and not so useful things. He is also known for inventing the safety pin, which he sold for $400 to help settle a $15 debt.
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Hunt had the talent of invention, however lacked business savvy, and debt was always looming. Many others laid claim to Hunt's useful patents becoming barons of industry.
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He died on June 8th, 1859 and is buried in Green-Wood Cemetary in Brooklyn, New York. Walter Hunt never understood in life the significance of his inventions. Many are still very much a part of our lives. The sewing machine, the fountain pen, the safety pin, the repeating rifle, and so much more!
If asked, horses probably would say, "Thank God for steam engines!"
Nice presentation. I have hollow ground slotted screwdrivers for the last forty years for my own screws so, cam-out can't occur. Torx and Allen are two of the best designs for screw heads.
Thanks!
Thank you!
Ever consider doing a video on Michael Owens automatic bottle making machine?
I grew up in a very mechanically inclined family, I just assumed that anybody would be able to fix anything for themselves. As I got older though I realized that some people should not be allowed to own a screwdriver of any type
Good Morning
I have used the Roberts square drive screw head for years, almost exclusively. The only reason I use a Phillips is sometimes it’s all I can find. For furniture I would prefer to look old, I use the slot screw head although I pre-drill the hole.
I would like to watch the whole video, but I've got to get ready for work.
Nice a new video thank you
I wish I could retain the information you teach. I'd be soooo smart assed lol
I feel so bad for all the horses that were, more than likely, worked to death.
All horses go to heaven.
I feel more sorry for people worked to death in India.
@@UQRXD I do feel bad for a lot people and other animals, but the subject was horses and it was just a thought on what they went through.
@@no1ofimport271 , THG touched on this subject a couple of videos ago when he was explaining the history of the horse flu or plague in New York City.
@@goodun2974 ok, thank you. I'll check it out.
thanks
Fun fact the Fisher emblem is on most kicker plates in vehicles 👁️
I've watcbed you for ages- since the pandemic- good job- your presentation is tight-
My old house trailer from 1960 was built with squar hole screws.
...those are Robertson screws...Scrulox. Patent is thanks to our Canadian🇨🇦neighbor. 🇺🇸Henry Ford found the Robertson and Phillips fasteners increased productivity on the assembly line. 👍🏻👌🏻💪😏
A lot of journalists and automakers marketing departments never understand the difference between metric and US hp. Korean and Japanese automakers in the USA got into trouble by quoting their domestic market metric hp figures as "SAE hp", and VW's US subsidiaries never understood the difference either - they'd quote the probably accurate kW figures, but then quote the European market metric hp figures as "SAE hp" without making even the basic conversion. I never understood why no-one ever called them out on that.
Another popular screw and associated screwdriver is the JIS, Japan Industry Standard. It looks a lot like Phillips, but is more resistant to camming out. It is used in most prooducts from Asia, including motorcycles and computers. I keep a set of those screwdrivers here to work on computers. While a Phillips driver does work with them, a JIS driver works better with no camming out.
adrian bejan's latest addition to thermodynamics, constructal law, may surprise you because it explains so much about everything, e.g. innovation.
Ever consider doing a video on the F.W. Woolworth corporation?
This guys pretty good … college lecture kinda thing but interesting at the same time. I’ll keep watching
Not only did Watt introduce the term “Horse Power” there are other idiomatic terms that are tangentially related. “Balls out” and “Balls to the walls” are terms meaning maximum effort or, full throttle. This refers to the centrifugal governor of the steam engine, which uses spinning balls to adjust the valve.
Now, History Guy, you have to talk about Luddites.
The Luddites weren't what most people nowadays think they were, and the term is often misused.
There are two kinds of horse powers, the British one which is 550 lbs raised one foot in a second and metric one which is 75 kg one meter in a second. now had the metric been 76 kg they would have been identical within 0.05% but they had to choose 75 kg which makes a 1% difference.
Why ANYONE would still use a "flatblade" screw anymore is beyond my understanding. It is ABSOLUTELY the worst head for ANYTHING!!!!
I totally agree. Every time I have to find a screwdriver for it I curse. There are way too many better choices, but they still exist.
I was surprised to not hear anything about Bakelite.
Safety Regulations are always written in blood.
What is hilarious is some of those celluloid products are being sold as antique ivory and many people who have no real idea what they are buying…and probably have no idea what the value of the celluloid itself is and that it could easily surpass the value of ivory.
Awesome job guys, epoxy is how I would have done it also. Worth every penny!
Yer a unit of Power, Harry!
I'm a Watt?
Robertson screws are used quite often in the electrical industry. Mostly because the majority of people don’t own them making it harder to tamper with.
And Kreg stuff uses square drive which I presume is probably also Robertson.
You can use a philips screwdriver in the robertson screw
Even though we've started moving away from horsepower, Watt is still with us are we measure car performance of EVs and in mainland Europe, petrol/diesel engines in kilowatts!
Plastics yes I have a doctor that just told me polycarbonate lenses would be great for my last existing eyeball 😁 seems he's a pretty smart fellow. One hell of a handshake that fellow as far as I understand it.
Amazing history.
TY.