The Inventor of the Roulette Wheel

The invention of the Roulette wheel is attributed to a French mathematician, Blaise Pascal. It is said that he invented it in the seventeenth century. In this short article we will look at some of the other inventions of this great man.

Blaise Pascal was a man born before his time. He was not only a great mathematician; he was also a great inventor of many things. One of the things he invented was the Pascaline. In appearance this has several features in common with the Roulette wheel, though in fact it is a calculator, and one of the first calculators to be invented.

Blaise Pascal's father was a tax receiver and as a result was often engaged in arithmetic. Blaise sought to help him by making a machine that would help in the tedious task of adding up and subtracting seemingly endless columns of numbers. The machine was the first mechanical calculator that was able to carry tens and hundreds. The numbers to be processed are set up on a series of discs. The calculation is then performed by cranking a handle. The machine was difficult and expensive to build and was quite controversial in that it threatened the jobs of accountants' clerks. Only fifty were ever built.

Two of his other inventions were the hydraulic press and the syringe. Both inventions were the result of his work on the relationship between pressure and force in hydraulic fluids, and went on to show that there was such a thing as vacuum, something that had been refuted previously.

Pascal devoted much of his mathematic work to probability theory. Much of this work concerned gambling and involved a number of conjectures. One of these was the Problem of the Points. This concerned two dice players in a winner takes all game. The game ends prematurely and the question is how to slit the money fairly; equally was rules out as id disadvantaged to person who was ahead; neither was it fair to give everything to the leader. The fair split would be to calculate each player's possibility of winning. Pascal was able to do that with the mathematic construction known as Pascal's Triangle.

Pascal demonstrated that the odds of winning a game of chance such as roulette could be calculated mathematically. It is amazing that no one had done this before him.

Women Inventors-Important, But Not So Famous

Throughout history famous female inventors and mostly have contributed enormously to the world of invention. Women inventors are responsible for a wide variety of inventions that we all encounter in our daily lives, from the automatic dishwasher to life saving medical inventions.

A brief look at some famous and not-so-famous women inventors.

Josephine Garis Cochran invented the first practical mechanical dishwasher in 1886. Mrs. Cochrane was very wealthy and held a lot of dinner parties. Although she had servants to do the dishes, she was unhappy about how long it took and how many dishes the servants chipped. It is said that she once exclaimed, "If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I'll do it myself!"

She went about building one herself. Her friends were quite impressed and had her make machines for them as well. Soon word spread, and she was getting orders for the machines from hotels and restaurants. She got a patent on her design and went into production. At the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago she won the highest award.

Her friends talked a lot about their new machines and soon, Mrs. Cochrane was getting orders for her dishwashing machine from restaurants and hotels in Illinois. She patented her design and went into production. She showed her invention at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and won the highest award.

Ellen Ochoa, Astronaut and Female Inventor

Ellen Ochoa born on May 10, 1958 in Los Angeles, CA., received her bachelor of science degree in physics from San Diego State University, and a master of science degree and doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Ellen Ochoa developed an optical system designed to detect imperfections in repeating patterns. Patented in 1987, this system is used for quality control in manufacturing. Later she patented an optical system which can be used for robotic. To date, Ellen Ochoa has received three patents.

Not only is she an inventor, Dr. Ellen Ochoa is also a research scientist and astronaut for NASA. Dr. Ellen Ochoa is a veteran of three space flights and has logged over 719 hours in space.

Patsy Sherman Inventor of Scotchgard

In 1952 became one of a small minority of women chemists working for a major corporation, 3M in this case.

Patsy Sherman regards the discovery of Scotchgard as one of her most significant achievements since many experts had concluded that such a product was "thermodynamically impossible." Patsy Sherman said, "We were trying to develop a new kind of rubber for jet aircraft fuel lines, when one of the lab assistants accidentally dropped a glass bottle that contained a batch of synthetic latex I had made. Some of the latex mixture splashed on the assistant's canvas tennis shoes and the result was remarkable."

That day in the lab is the stuff of legend. Patsy Sherman and her colleague, Sam Smith, were working on another project when they observed the accidental spill on a white tennis shoe. It wouldn’t wash and solvent didn’t remove it, and it resisted soiling.

Patsy Sherman and Samuel Smith obtained U.S. patent #3,574,791 in 1973, for the method for treating carpets, now known as Scotchgard. The name Scotchgard is a combination of the words Scotch and guard.

Patsy Sherman was inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame in 1983. Patsy Sherman and Sam Smith jointly hold 13 patents in fluorochemical polymers and polymerization processes.

The Story Of Television Hits The Stage With The Farnsworth Invention

The Farnsworth Invention has finally found its way to Broadway and already, the show has made quite an impact. Cynics might say that the pull of the play lies in the presence of big names like Hank Azaria and Aaron Sorkin. However, the truth is that, the story is one of the most important in American history and covers far more than just the invention of television.

Who Invented the Television?

Ask that question to anyone today and there is a good chance that you will be met with blank stares. Yet, ask people who invented the light bulb or the radio and the answers will come far more easily. This is an interesting phenomenon, considering that the television is probably the single biggest invention of this century. It is an invention that is so powerful, it changed the very way people live and view the world. It has also become one of the most powerful tools in the world.

So why it is that, hardly anyone knows who invented it? This is precisely what The Farnsworth Invention investigates. The play deals with the life of Philo T Farnsworth, a genius and Mormon farmer, who made the very first successful electronic television. His story isn't just about the invention of the television; it is also about the growth of corporate America and the ultimate demise of the independent inventor. The play follows the legal battle that Farnsworth had over the patent with David Sarnoff, the head of RCA. Even though Farnsworth would win the lawsuit, in many ways, he was among the last of America's great inventors.

Death of a Hero

What makes The Farnsworth Invention so interesting is that, it also brings to light the change in perspective that came regarding inventors. Edison and others were not just seen as inventors- they were also seen as heroes who worked hard, from the bottom up. With little resources, they achieved the extraordinary and changed lives for the better. This, in everyone's lives was the sign of a real hero. However, things began to change when corporations realized there was money to be made in buying up the inventors and keeping the patents for themselves.

In The Farnsworth Invention, Farnsworth emerges as one of the few inventors, who wanted to see beyond the money, beyond the initial paycheck. Unfortunately, he was the last of a dying breed. Inventors needed money and resources and those with families relied on regular paychecks. With all these things, the corporations were more than willing to provide, as long as the inventors gave up their patent rights, sometimes for as little as a dollar.

Needless to say, The Farnsworth Invention is a touching and heart-wrenching tale of the little man versus the big corporation. We see someone, who has embarked on being an inventor not for the money, but for the love of inventing. His refusal to sell out or give in to a big corporation is inspiring, even today. Don't miss your chance to see a real American classic story come to life on stage. If you want to be sure of getting tickets, you can order them online. Contact an authorized ticket vendor for passes to see The Farnsworth Invention.