I learned about four inventions this week and they were the diesel engine, the mousetrap, the radio, and the semi automatic shotgun. First, I learned about the diesel engine. Rudolph Diesel, born in France in 1858, went to engineering school at 14 and began experimenting with ammonia engines. A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which ignites fuel. It’s a great engine for heavy construction machinery and large generators.

Second, I learned about the mousetrap. Several mouse traps were built in the 1800s but William C Hooker invented the modern mouse trap. A mousetrap is a type of animal trap designed to catch and usually kill mice. A spring loads down and breaks the neck of a mouse.

Third, I learned about the radio. Marconi, born in Italy, in 1874, became interested in Hertz’s experiments. A radio transmits and receives electromagnetic waves of radio carrying sound messages. Radio broadcasting appeared in the 1930s and the internet has undermined this control.

Finally, I learned about the semi automatic shotgun. John Browning, born in Utah, in 1855, built his first rifle in 1878 and Winchester purchased a model from Browning. A semi-automatic shotgun is a repeating shotgun with a semi-automatic action. It established the modern handgun design and there also was the M2 machine gun.