I learned about four inventions this week and they were condensed milk, the sleeping car, toilet paper, and the washing machine. First, I learned about condensed milk. The inventor of condensed milk, Gail Borden Jr., born in New York in 1801, published newspaper during the Texas Revolution and witnessed children dying because of bad milk. Condensed milk is cow’s milk that has been sweetened. Milk has microorganisms that cause it to spoil. The Nestle Food Company appeared and today is used in desserts. 

Second, I learned about the sleeping car. The inventor of the sleeping car George Pullum, born in New York in 1831, helped his father move houses along Erie Canal and put skills to use in Chicago. A sleeping car is part of a train that provides a living space with beds that are folded up during the daytime. It led to the rise of the middle class and civil rights movement.

Third, I learned about toilet paper. Before toilet paper people used corn cobs or a sponge on a stick. Joseph Gayetty invented toilet paper in 1857. Toilet paper is paper made of tissue and used for cleaning. It is made of combinations of hard and soft wood fibers. Splinter free paper appeared in the 1930s and 7000,000,000 rolls are sold every year.

Finally,I learned about the washing machine. Before the washing machine, washing clothes was time consuming and inventors began focusing on the process. Hamilton Smith invented the washing machine in 1856. Washing machines clean clothes and agitators scrub them. The heating and spin cycle are automated. It led to the development of the middle class and large companies created thousands of jobs manufacturing washing machines.