I learned about four inventions this week and they were the electric clock, blueprints, the stapler, and the grain elevator. First I learned about the electrical clock. The inventor of the electric clock, Alexander Bain, born in Scotland in 1811, was an apprentice to a clockmaker and learned about electromagnetism. An electric clock is powered by electricity which keeps the pendulum moving instead of weight. Mechanical clocks were replaced with electric clocks.

Second, I learned about blueprints. Architecture plans began advancing in style and content during the 1500s. The inventor of the blueprints, John Herschel, born in England in 1792, published work on scientific methodology and drawings of planets. Blue prints are drawings that show how a building is designed and what materials to use. Blueprints make it easier to build complex buildings. 

Third, I learned about the stapler. The inventor of the stapler, Samuel Slocum, born in Rhode island in 1792, learned about carpentry and invented a machine that manufactured pins. Staplers bind multiple sheets of paper together and the u-shaped staples are driven through and ends are bent. Staplers are standard tools in office environments and surgical staplers reduce risk of deadly infections.

Finally, I learned about the grain elevator. The inventor of the grain elevator, Joseph Dart, born in Connecticut in 1799, sold furs to Indian travelers and moved into grain trading in buffalo. Grain elevators lift grain up and into a silo. Quickly unloaded stored and dispensed grain. They transformed Buffalo and spurred global trade and a combination of inventions working together.