Semi-quincentennial: a mouthful of a word and unfamiliar, too. Translation: 250, and this 4th of July, the number of years since the Declaration of Independence and America’s birth. Along with parades, barbeques, and fireworks, it’s also fitting to give a nod to America’s makers of yesteryear, starting with stinking-to-high heaven 1857, and with a whole lot of gratitude.
On the 15th of that year, future President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft was born, arriving at the Mt. Auburn family home, high above the dung-filled streets of Cincinnati below. No toilets. No toilet paper. No bathtub as we know it. No deodorant, either. Like so much else we take for granted today, back then, they simply didn’t exist in the 1800s until…
1857: Joseph Gayetty patents toilet paper, calling it “Medicated Paper for the Water Closet.”
- 1857: James T. Henry and William Campbell earn the first American patent for their toilet, aka “plunger closet” and “water closet.”
- 1858: Hyman L. Lipman patents a pencil with an attached eraser.
- 1865: Joseph Lister conducts the first-ever antiseptic surgery.
- 1866: Andrew Rankin’s modern-day urinal, designed to be a space saver.
- 1872: Thomas J. Martin patents the first fire extinguisher.
- 1873: Jacob David and Levi Strauss patent blue jeans with copper rivets.
- 1875: George F. Green patents the electric dental drill.
- 1876: the first-ever phone call is made by Alexander Graham Bell to his assistant, saying, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.”
- 1878: Thomas Alva Edison makes electricity available for home use.
- 1883: John Michael Kohler invents the first modern bathtub from a cast iron horse trough.
- 1888: Enda Murphey invents the first commercial deodorant, Mum, “a waxy, zinc-oxide-based cream.”
- 1888: George Eastman patents the first roll-film camera & registers the name “Kodak.”
- 1890: The Scott Paper Company manufactures the first toilet paper on a roll, but customers didn’t readily go for it.
- 1891: Thomas Alva Edison patents the motion picture camera.
- 1892: Dr. Washington Sheffield invents the toothpaste tube.
- 1892: Jesse W. Reno patents the first escalator.
- 1892: George Sampson patents the clothes dryer.
- 1893: Henry Ford completes his first useful gasoline-fueled engine.
- 1896: First shown at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, William S. Hadaway, Jr. patents the electric stove.
- 1897: J.L. Love patents the pencil sharpener.
- 1899: J.S. Thurman patents the motor-driven vacuum cleaner.
And for the foodies:
- 1886: John Smith Pemberton invents Coca-Cola; partner Frank M. Robinson names it and designs its famous script logo.
- 1872: John F. Blondel invents the spring-loaded doughnut cutter.
- 1896: Leo Hirschfield introduces the Tootsie Roll.
- 1898: Will Kellogg invents Corn Flakes.
Oh, yes, in 1858, Rowland Hussey Macy opened the first R.H. Macy store on NYC’s 6th Avenue, bringing in just $11.06 on opening day,
With all that and more, take a bow America, this semi-quincentennial 4th of July.
~ With thanks, Carol
