Category: Open Lines

Two ordinary items found in just about every American household both trace their creation by New York City residents to this day of the month. In 1865, the first liquid soap was patented by William Shepphard. His formula flowed from mixing a pound of regular soap with 100 pounds of ammonia solution, then dissolving it in water to the consistency of molasses. And in 1939, Julian Seth Kahn received a patent for an “apparatus for mixing a liquid with a …

Although the numbers have fallen sharply in the last few decades, still some people in the U.S. succumb to diseases that could have been prevented by immunization. Others experience pain, suffering and disability. That’s why this is National Immunization Awareness Month — highlighting the importance of vaccinations to a long and healthy life. The process of vaccination was known even in ancient cultures. Its most spectacular success came in the eradication of smallpox, a human scourge for thousands of years. …

The nation’s first licensed radio station began broadcasting in Detroit on this date in 1920 — station 8MK, now operating as WWJ. The station was owned by the Detroit News, and its daily program was called “Tonight’s Dinner.” For some convoluted reasons, the station operated with an amateur license, which in 1922 was changed to commercial. The first station to receive a commercial license was KDKA in Pittsburgh, which began broadcasting in October of 1920. From these rudimentary early broadcasts, …

An invention that improved the early automobile so anyone could start one up was this month in 1915, awarded to Charles F. Kettering for the self-starter. Before that, it took muscle, some mechanical knowledge, and a bit of a risk to hand crank the engine of a car for ignition. In his lifetime, Kettering was awarded 140 patents for various automobile features, but also such things as an incubator for premature babies. Furthermore, he co-founded the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer …

Since major league baseball began in 1876, there have been only two game-related deaths in the more than 200,000 games played. The first was in 1909, when Philadelphia catcher Doc Powers crashed into a wall chasing a foul pop-up, suffering internal injuries. He died two weeks later. The last occurred in 1920, when on this date at the New York Polo Grounds, popular Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman was hit on the head by a pitch from the Yankees’ Carl …

Chairs have a history going back to the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, or even earlier in antiquity. But a couple of variants that no one was anxious to try out debuted this month in the 19th century. In 1890, the electric chair was used for the first time in Auburn, New York, to carry out a death sentence. Scarcely more alluring, a special dental chair was patented on this date in 1848 by Waldo Hanchett. His innovation was a wooden recliner …

Keeping Social Security strong and solvent is a continuing concern in an increasingly aging America. The demographic profile was different on this date in 1935, when the program was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The program aimed to provide security to retired workers over 65, most of whom had no pension, and life expectancy at birth was just 60 years for males, and 64 for females. The first monthly check under the system was for $22.54, issued …

We are all used to thumbing through the catalogs that arrive in the mail almost daily for the latest bargains, even in this Internet age. The first such catalog — more of a flyer — was sent out by Montgomery Ward late this month in 1872. That first catalog consisted of only one page, featuring 163 items for mail order purchase. But the idea was so successful that by 1904, the Ward’s catalog weighed in at four pounds. While Montgomery …

An invention that has had a profound impact on our use of fabrics and on the nation’s economy was patented on this date in 1851 — the home sewing machine, developed by Isaac Singer. The idea of the sewing machine — and some working models — went back to nearly a century before 1851. But Singer’s simple, sturdy machine was the first to be a commercial success. While far fewer people sew at home as avidly as was done in …

With so much modern infrastructure featuring soaring atriums and deep subterranean transit systems, it’s not easy to imagine getting by without escalators. However, this efficient people mover was conceived in a far simpler, down to earth time. The first patent for a moving stairway was obtained on this date in 1859 by Nathan Ames, however, it was never built. The first practical escalator was built by Jesse Reno in 1896 at Coney Island, New York. Reno called his device an …

It may seem rudimentary by today’s standards, but for many decades, the only way Americans visually witnessed the news was in weekly newsreels, screened before feature motion pictures at local theaters. That’s the way Americans saw Lindbergh’s Atlantic flight, the fiery end of the airship Hindenburg, and the unfolding developments of World War II. The first newsreel in the U.S. was shown on this day in 1911, as the French company Pathe made its first weekly release. Over the years, …

One of the saddest days in the history of American journalism occurred on this date in 1981, in Washington, D.C., as the venerable newspaper, The Washington Star, printed its last edition after covering local and national news for 128 years. For much of its history, the Star was regarded as the national capital’s paper of record. That record remains accessible online in a digital archive containing every issue. The demise of The Washington Star was a prominent indicator of a …

Today is one of America’s more obscure and unusual commemorations. It’s National Fresh Breath Day, even if it is not recognized by the greeting card industry. The idea is to make people aware that having fresh breath is part of overall health and wellness, and that the solution to bad breath — technically known as halitosis — can be relatively simple. Sometimes, chronic bad breath can be a symptom of a serious illness. Mostly, it’s one of life’s most personal …

An invention that sometimes drives us to distraction — but without which we would scarcely be driving at all — went into operation on this date in 1914. A traffic light system, credited with being the first in the U.S., flashed red and green at the intersection of 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. To further prompt drivers, the words “Stop” and “Move” were emblazoned on the operating red and green lights. At the time, there were about …

One of the engines of business and personal life in the 21st century is just 22 years old this month — the World Wide Web. The concept was developed and released by two scientists at the Cern Laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. At 22, the Web is quite a bit younger than the U.S. median age of 37, but in its brief life has come to shape our days with searches, shopping and communication. It took some time to get going, …

This week in 1858, Boston and New York started an experiment, putting official mail collection boxes along the streets so passersby could drop off their outgoing letters. Before that, they had to go to the post office or catch the mail carrier on his route. The new collection boxes were a welcome innovation, and in the ensuing 155 years became a familiar, if lately dwindling, feature at street corners across the country. Today, in spite of ever-growing volumes of e-mail …

The first patent in the young United States was issued on this date in 1790 to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont for a new method of making potash — useful in producing soap, fertilizer and glass. The Constitution recognized, for the first time in history, the intrinsic right of an inventor to profit from his invention. Hopkins’ application was initially reviewed by Thomas Jefferson and approved by President Washington. By 1802, the U.S. Patent Office was established to process applications. The …

On this date 150 years ago, Henry Ford was born in Dearborn, Michigan to a farming family. But his life’s course led him to revolutionize industrial production the world over. He built his first automobile in 1896, and in 1908, introduced the Model T, an immediate success. To meet demand, Ford developed the assembly line, which cut the time to build each car from over 12 hours to just 90 minutes. At one point, half of all the cars in …

Long before there were automobiles in the U.S., good roads were badly needed to get farm produce to market and to allow people to go visiting and shopping without battling mud. An American professor who had emigrated from Belgium — Edward de Smedt–invented an asphalt mix, which could be applied in sheets to make a smooth surface. His first trial occurred on this date in 1870 on William Street in Newark, New Jersey. Even though de Smedt’s technique worked well, …

On this date 23 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act became law. The goal was to guarantee equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public and commercial facilities, employment, transportation, and services at all levels of government. Nearly 57 million Americans have at least one disability. Some 12 million over the age of 15 need assistance with one or more activities of daily living, such as taking a shower or a bath. Over 8 million Americans over 15 have …