I learned about four inventions this week and they were the polio vaccine, intermodal container, integrated circuit, and lasers. First, I learned about the polio vaccine. Polio is a deadly virus and the ancient people were aware of it. Jonas Salk, born in New York City, in 1914, became a medical researcher and learned about viruses under other doctors. Polio vaccine is a drug that prevents people from getting polio and once a number one killer of children, was now eliminated.

Second, I learned about the intermodal container. Malcolm McLean, born in North Carolina, in 1913, wanted to ship trucks by boats but designed a container instead. Intermodal containers are used to store and transport materials and products efficiently and securely. Intermodal containers revolutionized shipping and gave rise to just-in-time manufacturing.

Third, I learned about the integrated circuit. Several people were involved in inventing integrated circuits. Noyce and Kirby invented it in 1959. Integrated circuits are compact electronic chips made up of  resistors, transistors, and capacitors. It helped military tech improve and helped send men to the moon.

Finally, I learned about lasers. Charles Towns, born in South Carolina in 1915, invented the maser in 1953, and then patented the laser in 1958. A laser is a very narrow beam of light that is useful in many technologies. The letters in the word laser stand for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers have many uses, such as a way to measure distance to the moon.