I learned about four inventions this week and they were the rotary printing press, kerosene, antiseptics, and the gas mask. First, I learned about the rotary printing press. The inventor of the printing press, Richard Hoe, born in New York in 1812, became the president of his father’s press manufacturing and invented the rotary printing press in 1843. A rotary printing press is a press which receives images from a rubber coated cylinder. It led to the creation of the greeting card industry and magazines began growing in popularity during the 1850s.

Second, I learned about kerosene. The inventor of kerosene, Abraham Gesner, born in Canada in 1797, moved to England to become a doctor and became interested in geology after meeting Charles Lynel. Kerosene is a thin, clear, and stable fuel extracted from petroleum through distillation. It led to the decline of the whaling industry and took over domestic and Chinese markets.

Third, I learned about antiseptics. The inventor of antiseptics, Ignaz Semmelweis, born in 1818 in Budapest, went into obstetrics and worked at Vienna General Hospital. Antiseptics are chemical agents that kill germs and lower the death rate. Semmelweis reduced  mortality from 18% to 2% in 1 month. The germ theory gained dominance in 1880 and antiseptic application is a standard medical practice today.

Finally, I learned about the gas mask. The inventor of the gas mask was a Prussian inventor who created a mask for mining in 1799. Gas masks are masks that protect your lungs from polluted air by forcing air through a filter. Germans launched chemical weapons in World War I which led a Canadian doctor to invent a gas mask for the troops. Today, they are commonly used for protection.  Some occupations that use gas masks are nuclear radiation workers, military recruits for training, the army wears them during battle, and the police wear them during the use of tear gas.