Category Science

            It is said that the Scandinavians designed the first comb, carved out of bones, almost a thousand years ago. However, the Ancient Egyptians made fancier versions, like a double-sided comb, using ivory and wood.

            Comb teeth were produced individually, until 1796, when William Bundy developed a device to carve them together in equal measurements.

            The first plastic comb was made by the chemist Alexander Parkes in 1862. Later, in the 19th century, more advanced and sophisticated version called brushes, for easy untangling of hair, were introduced. Ivory from Africa and India were used to make the backs of such brushes.

            The first mirrors were crafted around 5000 BC in Italy and the Middle East.

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            Locks trace their history back to the beginning of modern civilization, when people developed a need to keep their belongings safe. The first wooden keys and locks were said to have originated in Ancient Egypt.

            Later, more detailed, user-friendly locks were being made in parts of Europe, especially in Britain. Following these improvements, lock-smiths created the first keys for much safer and reliable usage of the mechanism. It was in 1778 that the locksmith Robert Barron started producing licensed double action tumbler locks. This lock was much reliable compared to earlier locks.

            However, the most reliable locks were made by the American locksmith Linus Yale. He produced the locks based on the Egyptian principle of pin tumblers.

            Later, in 1856, Linus Yale Junior developed an updated version of these locks for the modern era.

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            One end of a match, a handy tool for producing fire, is coated with a material that can be ignited by frictional heat. The fire is created by striking the match against a suitable surface.

            The invention of matchsticks is still ambiguous. Primitive men used many unknown tools as ways to create fire. However, it is said that the first chemical matches were initially made by the Romans. They used matches in the form of lengths of wood dipped into molten sulphur, and ignited with the heat from smouldering tinder.

              In 1680, Robert Boyle discovered that when rubbed together, phosphorous and sulphur created flame. Even after this crucial discovery, it took over 150 years to produce self-igniting matches.

            Something similar to modern-day matches was invented by John Walker, an English chemist. Walker called them friction lights; they had tips coated with potassium chloride and antimony sulphide paste. They were ignited when rubbed against sandpaper.

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            It was during the 1790s, that gas lighting was first invented. Gaslights were first installed on the streets of London in 1807. By the 1860s, the city was totally lit by gas.

            Though gaslights were a great deal back then, they had many disadvantages too, mainly because they provided only very dim light.

            It was the English chemist Humphry Davy who introduced the possibility of using electricity to heat metal strips, and make them provide light. There were still reservations about using electric lighting for households. Later, in 1878 the English physicist Joseph Swan produced incandescent light that lasted for a few hours.

            The electric light was not literally ‘invented’ by Thomas Alva Edison, although he could be said to have created the first commercially practical incandescent light bulb in 1879.

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