According to The Evolution of Useful Things, what caused the popularity of Post-it notes?
Based on information in The Evolution of Useful Things, what was the immediate cause of Richard Drew's work with cellophane?
Read the excerpt from "Elevator Systems of the Eiffel Tower, 1889" by Robert M. Vogel.The first complete elevator machine in the United States, constructed in 1855, was a complex and inefficient contrivance built around an oscillating-cylinder steam engine. The advantages of an elevator system independent of the mill drive quickly became apparent, and by 1860 improved steam elevator machines were being produced in some quantity, but almost exclusively for freight service. It is not clear when the first elevator was installed explicitly for passenger service, but it was probably in 1857, when Otis placed one in a store on Broadway at Broome Street in New York.In the decade following the Civil War, tall buildings had just begun to emerge; and, although the skylines of the world’s great cities were still dominated by church spires, there was increasing activity in the development of elevator apparatus adapted to the transportation of people as well as of merchandise. Operators of hotels and stores gradually became aware of the commercial advantages to be gained by elevating their patrons even one or two floors above the ground, by machinery. The steam engine formed the foundation of the early elevator industry, but as building heights increased it was gradually replaced by hydraulic, and ultimately by electrical, systems.
Read the excerpt from The Evolution of Useful Things.Fry was committed to his brainchild, however, and he finally convinced an office-supply division of 3M to test-market the product, which "met an unperceived need." Early results were not at all promising, but in those cases where samples were distributed, customers became hooked.
Which word or phrase signals the passage of time?
Read the excerpt from The Evolution of Useful Things.But since it is 3M's policy (and that of other enlightened companies) to allow its engineers to spend a certain percentage of their work time on projects of their own choosing, a practice known as "bootlegging," Fry was able to gain access to the necessary machinery and materials and to spend nearly a year and a half experimenting and refining his idea for sticky – but not-too-sticky – slips of paper that could be used for "temporarily permanent" bookmarks and notes.
Based on information in The Evolution of Useful Things, what prompted the creation of waterproof sandpaper?
Read this sentence from The Evolution of Useful Things.Making waterproof sandpaper would allow wet sanding, which in turn would cut down on dust, and thus be a great improvement.
Read the excerpt from "The Invention of the Sewing Machine" by Grace Rogers Cooper.Isaac Singer, whose name is known around the world as a manufacturer of sewing machines, was the eighth child of poor German immigrants. Isaac was born on October 27, 1811, in Pittstown, New York, but most of his early life was spent in Oswego. He worked as a mechanic and cabinetmaker, but acquired an interest in the theater. Under the name of Isaac Merritt, he went to Rochester and became an actor. In 1839, during an absence from the theater, he completed his first invention, a mechanical excavator, which he sold for $2000. With the money Singer organized a theatrical troupe of his own, which he called “The Merritt Players.” When the group failed in Fredericksburg, Ohio, Singer was stranded for lack of funds.
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