Week 25 Summary Essay

             This week the four inventions that I learned about were the light bulb, the cash register, the thermostat, and finally, the steam turbine. The inventors were, of course, Thomas Edison, James Ritty, Warren Johnson, and Charles Parsons. As usual, here is a paragraph about each of them.

             The first thing I learned about this week was something that I have been waiting to learn about for a long time: the light bulb, which, of course, was invented in 1879 by Thomas Edison. He invented it because there was a need for more/less light in different size rooms and the light bulb was the solution. The lightbulb is created using a wire filament inside a glass bulb. The wire is heated so much that it glows and produces light. The light bulb has been improved and they are used all over the world every day.

             Next, I learned about James Ritty, and how he invented the cash register, in 1879. He invented it because his cashiers and other employees who worked at his saloon kept stealing from him. A cash register is a device that registers and calculates different transactions when something is bought or sold. It also usually has a drawer attached to it to hold paper money and coins. Ritty later sold his patent and his cash register factory, because he was tired of keeping track of both businesses at the same time. This invention was improved, and it led to digital tools invented for the same purpose.

              The third lesson this week was about the thermostat, which was invented by Warren Johnson. The thermostat is a device that measures and sets the temperature of some sort of system, like a building or even an appliance like an oven or an iron. It was invented in 1883 and Johnson (as a science professor) installed the very first one in his school which is now called “Wisconsin University”. This life-changing invention led to many others including the hot water heater.

              Finally, the last invention I learned about this week was the steam turbine. Charles Parsons, born in England in 1854, invented the steam turbine in 1884, at the age of thirty. He had worked for many different companies, and finally moved to electrical machinery and became head of electrical equipment development. There he invented the steam turbine, which uses pressurized steam to do mechanical work, like moving a machine. This invention led to many other BIG inventions, including battleships and submarines, because these very large vehicles could be moved using the steam turbine engine.

               These inventions are interesting, but I like the cash register the best. It made business, both big and small, to be more effective in keeping track of their sales, as well as provide a way to keep their cash safe. This invention is extraordinary, and I can’t wait to learn about more extraordinary inventions next week. 

Bonus Question Recall that James Ritty invented the cash register, but he was unable to make it a success. Explain 1) what problems you think he may have had, 2) what could he have done better to make the invention a success, and 3) why the investors who founded the National Cash Register Company after purchasing the patent and business from Ritty succeeded where Ritty failed.

                James Ritty invented the cash register, but he failed in advertising and selling his invention. He could have failed because people could not have seen the value in his invention. He also could not have succeeded because he was running both, his saloon and his factory, and he became overwhelmed and stressed out running both businesses, so he sold his factory. He could have done better by selling his saloon instead of his factory, or giving his factory to his brother John, who helped him invent the cash register, or he could have improved his invention to make people like it more. The people who bought his invention only ran one business, and they improved the invention by adding on the receipt printer.