Week 8 Summary Essay

              In week eight, I learned about some more inventions. I also learned a little bit about electricity, and how it works. The inventions and their inventors were Joseph Henry, the inventor of the electromechanical relay, Samuel Colt, who invented the Colt gun and the revolver. I also learned about Morse Code, which was invented by Samuel Morse. Lastly, I learned about Charles Page, and his invention, the circuit breaker. Here is a little bit about these inventions.

               The first invention I learned about this week was the electromechanical relay. The same person who invented the multi-coiled electromagnet (Joseph Henry) invented the electromechanical relay. His work with the electromagnet inspired him to experiment with it. The electromechanical relay allowed an electromagnet to flip a switch. This was first used in the telegraph and then the telephone. It is now used in many industries, including the power industry.

               The next lesson this week was about the revolver. Samuel Colt invented the revolver, as well as the colt gun. One day, while he was in school, Colt tried to impress his friends with an experiment, but instead, set a fire. He was kicked out of school and his father sent him on a ship to learn how trading worked. It was then when he examined how the elm (or the steering wheel) worked. That’s when he got the amazing idea of the revolver. The revolver can fire 6 shots nonstop and has a very powerful punch. Colt hired artists to paint exciting and attention-grabbing pictures of people, animals, and revolvers. He also hired authors to write books about his revolver. He ended up selling thousands of his new guns. His success, however, inspired competitors, which led to the modern firearm industry. That led him to also invent the M1911. The Texas Ranger’s Captain bought 1,000 revolvers right before the American/Mexican War. Another Texas Ranger’s Captain, Sam Walker, was impressed by the revolver and went to Colt’s house and together, they improved the gun. It became known as the Walker Colt Revolver. After the American/Mexican War, Colt sold his revolvers to Mexico, Native Americans, and even across the world, like in India. Samuel Colt and his revolver became very successful and popular.

               I also learned about Samuel Morse, and he invented, you guessed it, Morse Code. Before he started inventing, he loved the art of painting. While he was in Washington painting a picture for a French man, he received a letter from his father, somewhere else in the United States, saying that his wife was ill, but getting better. The next day, he received a letter telling him that his wife had suddenly died. He came back at once, but by the time he got home, his wife had already been buried. His sadness inspired him to develop a device that could allow people to send and receive messages quicker, so no one would have to experience what he had. After Samuel Morse made the theory of Morse Code, Samuel Colt worked with him, and introduced to him the waterproof wire he had invented before the revolver. Morse was successful in Morse Code, and it has saved and fulfilled many people’s lives throughout history.

                The next day, I learned about the circuit breaker. Its inventor’s name was Charles Grafton Page. He became interested in electromagnetism and electricity while young and started experimenting with it. At the age of nine, he climbed up on his roof with a metal shovel during a thunderstorm to try and catch electricity, without his parents knowing. Thankfully, the experiment failed. Page continued experimenting, and later in life set up his own lab. This led him to invent the circuit breaker. The circuit breaker is used to interrupt electrical faults, before they cause too much physical damage, or start fires. Page published his ideas and patented them a few weeks before he died. After his patent expired, Thomas Edison invented his own version, which led to the lightbulb and other electrical inventions to be invented.

              As you can see, all these inventions, but the revolver, use electricity. Also, they have saved many people’s lives. For example, circuit breakers avoid fires and physical technology damage. Another example would be the revolver. It has helped thousands of people, on the battlefield, in the woods, and even in their own houses. Samuel Morse spent ten years developing Morse Code, so that no one would have to be as devastated as he was while losing a loved one across the United States. Inventions usually solve problems, and these ones sure did.