Early inventions of the 1800s - You need to know about.

Cowboy inventions

Cowboy Inventions.

All these items, beloved of cowboys, are named after their inventors. 

Levi jeans

Levi Strauss.

Levi Strauss (1829-1902) was a Bavarian immigrant who arrived in San Francisco in 1850 at the height of the California gold rush. Strauss noticed that the gold miners needed strong trousers and began making them, first from tent canvas and later from denim. The company is now one of the world's largest clothing manufacturers. 

Bowie knife

Bowie Knife.

The large knife was supposedly invented by James Bowie (1799-1836), a Texan adventurer who died during the siege of the Alamo fortress by Mexican soldiers. In fact, his older brother, Rezin Pleasant Bowie (1793-1841), may have invented the knife. It had a blade 25-38 cm (10-15 inch) long, with a guard between the blade and the handle. 

Colt revolver

Colt Revolver.

The Colt was invented by Samuel Colt (1814-62). Colts were used during the American Civil War, and the six-gun, the six-shot, single-action 45-caliber Peacemaker model introduced in 1873, made by Samuel Colt a wealthy man. 

Stetson hat

John Stetson (1830-1906) was a hat maker from New Jersey He started the John B. Stetson Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia, which made the famous ten-gallon hat worn by cowboys.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci(1452-1519).

Italian Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is best known as a painter, anatomist, sculptor, and architect. The Last Supper and Mona Lisa are among the most famous paintings of all time.

But he is also hailed as one of the greatest inventors. Among his notebooks, he left plans for countless advanced machines, often with descriptions written in secret mirror writing. Many of them were never built, but they anticipated modern inventions, often by hundreds of years.

They include the following:

Air conditioner, Magnetic compass, Mileometer, Multi-barrelled machine gun, Parachute, Revolving stage, Shrapnel bomb, Spectacles, Steam engine, Tank-like armoured vehicle, Telescope, Water turbine, Alarm clock, Crane, Diving suit and diving bell, Double-hull ship, Flying machine, Gas mask, Gears, Giant catapults and crossbows, Helicopter, Lifebelt.

Crazy Inventions

There are many odd items dreamed up by inventors -a self-raising hat (1896) for the polite man with his arms full; spectacles for chickens to protect their eyes from other fowl that might attempt to peck them (1903); a motorized ice cream cone (1998) which rotates against the tongue.

Here are some other examples:

Parachute fire escape

This invention was patented in 1879 by Benjamin B. Oppenheimer of Trenton, Tennessee, USA. It was made up of a parachute attached to a helmet and padded shoes that would allow a person to leap out of a blazing building and land safely - if he was lucky enough not to break his neck 

Spider ladder

This invention was perhaps not so crazy for people who are scared of spiders. British inventor Edward Doughney's 1994 patent helps spiders to climb out of a bath.

Thanks for reading.