Week 27 Summary Essay

               This week I learned about, as usual, four more inventions, and those four inventions were Coca-Cola, the induction motor, the ballpoint pen, and finally, the zipper. The inventors were John Pemberton, Nikola Tesla, John J. Loud, and Whitcomb Judson. Of course, here is a paragraph about each of them.

                The first lesson in week twenty-seven was Coca-Cola. It was invented in 1886 by John Pemberton, born in 1831 in Georgia. He first invented coca wine, but then the government made it illegal to have alcohol, so he invented Coca-Cola instead. Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink, originally made with kola nuts and coca leaves, which is where it got its name. It was first patented as a medicine, but later became a popular soft-drink. Today, Coca-Cola is mainly in competition with Pepsi, and it led to the rise of many other soft drinks that are still very widely available.

              Next, I learned about the induction motor. It was invented in 1888, by Nikola Tesla, born in the Austrian Empire, in 1856. Tesla believed that AC (alternating current) powered motors using multiple phases of power would be more powerful than DC (direct current) powered motors. The induction motor uses a magnetic field from winding a stationary device to create electricity. These kinds of motors are used every day, in both small appliances (ceiling fans or refrigerators) and large systems like power plants.

              Lesson 133 was about the ballpoint pen. It was invented in 1888, by John J. Loud, born in Massachusetts in 1844. He was trying to find a pen that could write on a hard and/or thick surface, so he invented the ballpoint pen. If you have seen one, you would know that there is a “ball” at the end of it. When the ballpoint pen is written with, the “ball” is rubbed against the surface and spins. While it spins, it “grabs” the ink from inside the pen and the ink sticks to the paper fibers, which causes it to write. His invention was improved, and it led to the BIC Cristal pen which is now the most popular pen in the world.

               The last invention I learned about this week was the zipper. It was invented in 1890 by a man named Whitcomb Judson, born in Chicago in 1846. He invented it because he was tired of buttoning his boots and other shoes; it took too long. The zipper is a device that locks together pieces of metal or plastic that are specially designed to fit together to close or open things. This invention was improved, and millions of zippers are made and sold each year today.

               My favorite invention this week probably was the zipper. This invention is important, and it is used multiple times every day. I couldn’t imagine having to button my shoes every time I wanted to go outside or even just to put them on. I can’t wait to learn about more important inventions next  

Bonus Question: 1) explain what marketing techniques Tesla used to make his motor a success, and why they worked, or 2) in your opinion, do the marketing techniques employed by Coca-Cola and Pepsi, like using popular musicians in their commercials, sell more of their product? Why or why not?

               I think that smart business owners make commercials with famous people in them because the people want to be like famous people. And if someone sees a commercial with Peyton Manning (for example) in it with a product that is trying to be sold, that person is going to want to buy that product because they want to be like the famous football player: Peyton Manning. Altogether, it is smart to advertise your product using commercials with famous people in them.