The World's Largest Computer in 1951

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In summary, the ENIAC was a massive machine weighing 30 tons, occupying 1,000 square feet of floor space, and containing over 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 6,000 switches, and 18,000 vacuum tubes. It required 150 kilowatts of power to run, which was enough to light a small town. The final machine was less powerful than a $5 pocket calculator. The Russian Ekranoplan, also known as the Caspian Sea Monster, was a ground effect vehicle that could travel over 400 km/h and weighed 540 tons fully loaded. It was used as a high-speed military transport and could transport over 100 tonnes of cargo. The
  • #526
Colt's Manufacturing Company was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 1847 by Samuel Colt in order to produce revolvers, which Colt held the patent on, during the Mexican-American War.
 
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  • #527
Moonbear said:
This invention "tamed" the American West. Who was the first U.S. patent holder for this invention?
(I'll return with more clues if this is too vague.)
BARBED WIRE
Address:http://www.rra.dst.tx.us/c_t/History1/BARBED%20WIRE.cfm Changed:7:24 PM on Thursday, May 26, 2005
 
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  • #528
Darn, that was quick Zooby! Guess I wasn't too vague.

Oh, wait, I don't see the inventor I was looking for in that link!
 
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  • #529
Dammit! I just found it. :mad:

The most successful barbed wire was patented by Joseph F. Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois in 1874. It was an improvement on earlier less successful pointed wire products such as that invented in 1865 by Louis Jannin of France.

Barbed wire was the first wire technology capable of restraining cattle. Wire fences were cheaper to erect than their alternatives and when they became widely available in the late 19th century in the United States they made it affordable to fence much bigger areas than before. They made intensive animal husbandry practical on a much larger scale.

Barbed-wire fences remain the standard fencing technology for enclosing cattle in most regions of the US, but not all countries. The wire is aligned under tension between heavy, braced, fence posts (strainer posts) and then held at the correct height by being attached to wooden posts and battens, or steel star posts. The gaps between star posts vary depending on terrain—on short fences in hilly country they may be placed as closely as every 3 metres, whereas in flat terrain with long spans and relatively few stock they may be spaced out up to 30 to 50 metres. Wooden posts are normally spaced at 10 metres (2 rods) in any case with 4 or 5 batterns in between.
 
  • #530
I don't know why, but barbed wire always comes up in every book on invention.

OK. This was originally called "rod wax" and was considered a nuisance till someone put it in jars and sold it.
 
  • #531
BARBED WIRE! There were WARS fought over people putting up barbed wire in the west!
 
  • #532
Car waxing wax?
 
  • #533
Evo said:
BARBED WIRE! There were WARS fought over people putting up barbed wire in the west!
Better late than never...
 
  • #534
I think it's time for me to come to this thread...mm..yyess!
 
  • #535
Mk said:
Dammit! I just found it. :mad:

The most successful barbed wire was patented by Joseph F. Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois in 1874. It was an improvement on earlier less successful pointed wire products such as that invented in 1865 by Louis Jannin of France.
Not quite...I was looking for the first of the US Patent holders. (Hint...after Jannin's invention and before Glidden's). :devil:
 
  • #536
zoobyshoe said:
Better late than never...
I'm a slow typer. :frown:
 
  • #537
OH, I got it.

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=236742&area=/insight/insight__national/
When he went there, Chesebrough noticed that roughnecks who worked the rigs were maddened by a gelatinous black gunk that clogged up their drills. They called it “rod wax” and were constantly having to wipe the stuff away. But these same working Joes, Chesebrough was interested to see, slapped “rod wax” on their cuts to help them heal faster.

Chesebrough took some jelly to his lab and tested its healing property on himself. It worked. He soon had a fleet of wagons trundling around the country distributing Vaseline (a barbarous combination of the German “wasser”, and the Greek “elaion”: “water-oil”).

Chesebrough was an evangelist. In front of rapt audiences he would burn his skin with acid and then anoint the wounds with his wonder-jelly, pointing to earlier scars Vaseline had healed. Next day, every druggist in town would have bought a wagonload.

Now we use it for something else...
 
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  • #538
Mk said:
Car waxing wax?
Nein!
 
  • #539
Mk said:
OH, I got it.

When he went there, Chesebrough noticed that roughnecks who worked the rigs were maddened by a gelatinous black gunk that clogged up their drills. They called it “rod wax” and were constantly having to wipe the stuff away. But these same working Joes, Chesebrough was interested to see, slapped “rod wax” on their cuts to help them heal faster.

Chesebrough took some jelly to his lab and tested its healing property on himself. It worked. He soon had a fleet of wagons trundling around the country distributing Vaseline (a barbarous combination of the German “wasser”, and the Greek “elaion”: “water-oil”).

Chesebrough was an evangelist. In front of rapt audiences he would burn his skin with acid and then anoint the wounds with his wonder-jelly, pointing to earlier scars Vaseline had healed. Next day, every druggist in town would have bought a wagonload.
Jawhol!
 
  • #540
zoobyshoe said:
I don't know why, but barbed wire always comes up in every book on invention.

OK. This was originally called "rod wax" and was considered a nuisance till someone put it in jars and sold it.
petroleum jelly
 
  • #541
Evo said:
petroleum jelly
Better late than never...
 
  • #542
DAMN IT! I had something in my eye AND I didn't google it either. :devil:

Do you know what a nut Cheseborough was? Cutting and burning himself to test the healing powers?
 
  • #543
So...what'cha talkin about?
 
  • #544
Not fair! :cry: I know this worthless trivia because I do not have a life, and I'm old, and slow.

(oooh, could ban MK, then I would have a fighting chance) :-p
 
  • #545
Ok, I guess its my turn. Lemme think of one.
 
  • #546
Evo said:
Do you know what a nut Cheseborough was? Cutting and burning himself to test the healing powers?
No, I didn't read any more than the rod wax/vaseline part and posted my quetion.
 
  • #547
yyeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh....
 
  • #548
Evo said:
Not fair! :cry: I know this worthless trivia because I do not have a life, and I'm old, and slow.

(oooh, could ban MK, then I would have a fighting chance) :-p
I often wonder if MK is another PF member in disquise.
 
  • #549
yomamma said:
yyeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh....
The game is called "What was it?"

Someone gives a clue or two and the rest guess and google as fast as they can to get the right answer. If you get it right you give the next clues. It is traditionally an invention of some sort.

MK is now thinking of some new clues.
 
  • #550
hhhhhhhhmmmmmmmm...
 
  • #551
MK, we're waiting!
 
  • #552
Mk!
 
  • #553
"inserts jeopardy music"
 
  • #554
do de do do do de do, do de do da deeee, da-da-da-do de da do do de da, da da do do de da, do.
 
  • #555
Talk about a hot thread! If someone doesn't post for twenty minutes everyone starts getting hostile!

Now post damnit!

:biggrin:
 
  • #556
uuuuhhhhh... :rolleyes:
 
  • #557
This guy was the first to put this stuff in a tube. What was it, who was he and when?
 
  • #558
This is probably the stupidest clue evr... GOOGLE SAYS NOTHING RELEVANT!
 
  • #559
zoobyshoe said:
This guy was the first to put this stuff in a tube. What was it, who was he and when?
Toothpaste?
 
  • #560
Moonbear said:
Toothpaste?
3 part quetion
 

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