soft and comfortable like the indigo blue jean so it was dropped from the line. Blue jeans continue to be fashionable and have become an American icon.
George Eastman camera with roll-film
When photography was first invented in the early 18005, materials were expensive and photography was complicated, limiting it to professionals. American photographer and manufacturer George Eastman, changed this by inventing the first dry, transparent and flexible roll-film (patented in 1884) and the first camera specifically designed for roll-film (patented in 1888). The handheld Kodak camera could be bought ready to use with pre-loaded film for 100 photos. Once the photos were taken, customers returned the camera to the Eastman Kodak Company. The company developed the film, printed the photos, reloaded the camera with more film and sent everything back to the customer. Unsurprisingly, Eastman Kodak’s slogan was “You press the button, we do the rest”.
James watt (1736-1819, Great Britain): steam engine
Steam engines existed before James Watt started experimenting with steam power in his Glasgow workshop in the 17605. It was Watt's improvements and insight that turned steam into a revolutionary power source. Working with a Newcomen engine which had been the standard steam engine for the previous titty years Watt noticed a number of shortcomings in its construction. He found that 80 percent of the steam was consumed in heating the cylinder, which was injected with a stream of cold water. It was wasting enormous amounts of energy. Watt decided that by keeping the cylinder at the same temperature as the steam and allowing the steam to condense in a separate chamber apart from the piston, he could dramatically increase the engine's performance.
Working with some of the best metal craftsmen .in the country, Watt devised a full-scale engine with advanced piston construction and operating power. The only challenge that remained was securing a patent for the invention. Patents in James Watt's day required a large amount of funding, as the granting of patent rights involved an act of parliament: Luckily, Watt found a willing investor in factory magnate Matthew Boulton of Birmingham, with whom he founded the Boulton & Watt company. On 5 January 1769, Watt received English patent 913 for his steam engine. Over the next few years, Watt and his partner introduced a number of key refinements to the steam engine, broadening its applications to produce rotational power for grinding, weaving and milling. The engines became standard in factories where engineers and even unskilled labourers could operate them, and steam became the power source that would fuel the Industrial
Revolution.
Alfred Nobel (1833-1896, Sweden): dynamite
Some inventions cause a big bang on their arrival, and the discovery of dynamite by Alfred Nobel had earth-shaking repercussions. By giving the world a controlled and effective explosive, Nobel opened the doors for ambitious construction projects on a formerly unthinkable scale
