Wright Brothers = Invented the airplane in 1903

Alexander G. Bell = Invented the telephone in 1876

Thomas Edison = Invented the electric light bulb in 1879

George W. Carver = taught poor black farmers learn to grow more soil-enriching crops, like sweet potatoes, peanuts, and soybeans in 1897

The Wright Brothers decided to start their own experiments with flight.

Determined to develop their own successful design, Wilbur and Orville headed to

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, known for its strong winds.

Wilbur and Orville set to work trying to figure out how to design wings

for flight. They observed that birds angled their wings for balance and control,

and tried to emulate this, developing a concept called “wing warping.” When they

added a moveable rudder, the Wright brothers found they had the magic

formula-on December 17, 1903, they succeeded in flying the

first free, controlled flight of a power-driven, heavier than air

plane. Orville flew their plane for 59 seconds, at 852 feet, an

extraordinary achievement.

Creating the First Plane

From the website: http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/wright-brothers

Creating the First Plane

From the website: http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/learn/historyculture/thefirstflight.htm

Although the Wright machine had flown in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on

December 17, 1903, it would not fly again; after the last flight, it was caught

by a gust of wind, rolled over, and damaged beyond easy repair.

Creating the First Plane

From the website: http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/learn/historyculture/thefirstflight.htm

Before the invention of the electric light bulb, people and businesses

used gaslights that were smoky and messy. Gas lights were also quite

dangerous and could start fires, which was a problem. Another problem

before the invention of the electric light was that factories and shops had to

close early because it would be too dark for any work to get done.

Thomas Edison had a solution to these problems; he decided to invent

the incandescent, electric light bulb. The electric light bulb was not

only safer than gas lamps, they also kept city streets lit up at

nights

which allowed for factories and shops to stay open later. The

invention of the light bulb led to increased productivity and longer

working hours.

Thomas Edison’s Light Bulb

Thomas Edison had to deal with many challenges in his “inventor” life.

For example:

• On December, 1914, Thomas Edison's plant (work building) caught fire.

• He had to rebuild

• He didn’t have formal education, but still worked hard to be a great

inventor

• He was partially deaf, but did not let that stop him

• Failed 10,000 times when making the light bulb, but did not give up

Thomas Edison’s OBSTACLES

From the website: http://www.thepurposedrivenachiever.com/2012/08/challenges-in-life-of-thomas-edison.html

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

Alexander G. Bell was a

scientist and inventor. He

invented the telephone in 1876.

This invention made it

possible for people in large

buildings to speak to those on

other floors. It also made it

possible for people to speak to

friends and family that lived

miles away.

While trying to discover the secret to transmitting multiple messages on

a single wire, Bell heard the sound of a plucked string along some of the

electrical wire. One of Bell’s assistants, Thomas A. Watson was trying to

reactivate a telephone transmitter. After hearing the sound, Bell believed he

could send the sound of a human voice over the wire.

After receiving a patent on March 7, 1876, for transmitting sound along

a single wire, he successfully transmitted human speech on March 10th. Bell’s

telephone patent was one of the most valuable patents ever issued.

His invention helped increase productivity in factories by allowing

people to call workers on other floors.

Alexander G. Bell’s Phone

From the website: http://mrnussbaum.com/inventors/alexander_graham_bell/

i

George W. Carver was an

African American teacher at the

Tuskegee Institute.

He worked hard to improve

the lives of poor southern farmers,

by teaching them how to grow

crops such as peanuts, pecans, and

sweet potatoes instead of cotton.

By rotating the types of crops

grown each season, the soil would

remain nourished and crops would

grow better. This was called, crop

rotation.

Farmers had grown so many peanuts that they did not know what to

do with them. Carver invented over 300 products made from peanuts.

Peanut Cheese

Peanut Milk

Carver taught the farmers how to retain nutrients in the soil by using a crop

rotation, a system in which the cotton crop was alternated with other crops such as

soybeans, sweet potatoes, and peanuts. Carver’s crop rotation improved cotton yields

and gave farmers additional crops from which they could earn money. In addition,

Carver conducted numerous experiments on peanuts, soybeans, and pecans, finding

hundreds of practical uses for them including dyes, cosmetics, paints, plastics, and

even gasoline.