Did the British Invent EVERYTHING!

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Obviously the British didn’t invent everything, though the patriot in me is delighted to say we can claim to have invented almost everything.

The whole modern world is based on the Industrial Revolution, which, apart from the technology demanded impressive original thinking about organising and funding projects too big for an individual to tackle, leading to stock markets, futures,  leveraging money, and overcoming the overwhelming traditional belief that the world was a tiny cake, in which people could only prosper by nicking land off the neighbours!  Instead, money was made by trade, not necessarily of physical things.  Ideas, economics, literature, insurance, patents and much else.

Rather than list everything British, I invite members to suggest things that aren’t British, so we can have fun seeing if they really might be one of ours!

My starter for ten: light bulbs, which many believe were invented by Edison.

🙂

Dave

 

 

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

Joseph Swan – arguably, but not such a good publicist as Edison.

[norm nortonParticipant @normnorton75434]

Well, the internal combustion engine wasn’t home brewed. I thought that it was German, or am I wrong. Britain was then very behind in the development of motor vehicles because of repressive road laws.

Similarly aircraft? The Wright brothers? and then we were never at the front in aircraft development, with the exception of the Merlin and the glorious set of 1950s jet aircraft.

Perhaps after being ahead in initial railway development, we were all burnt out of creativity after around 1860?

Norm

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

The “Gray Code”

MichaelG.

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Ref. __ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_code#Position_encoders

[Frank GorseParticipant @frankgorse]

Although the Wright brothers made the first powered flight there is a case for saying that Sir George Cayley had ‘invented’ the aeroplane early in the previous century.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Gunpowder.

Mathematics.

Geometry.

The lever.

Gears

Irrigation

The Aquaduct

Astronomy

regards Martin

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Central Heating

Cities

Ritual burial

Cheese

Metal working

 

[Michael Gilligan]

On Michael Gilligan Said:

The “Gray Code”

MichaelG.

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Ref. __ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_code#Position_encoders

.. and do we feel these had a great impact upon history? 🙂

[David Jupp]

On David Jupp Said:

Joseph Swan?

Didn’t he invent the Vesta match?

Just don’t mention what the Romans did for us.

[Frank GorseParticipant @frankgorse]

That’s all very well Martin but apart from gunpowder,mathematics, geometry…..metalworking,what has the rest of the world ever done for us ?

Edit:sorry Bo’sun,I was a bit late there!

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Well the Bushell’s of Little Snoring invented the world first Double Dresser Threshing machine. Numbers Patent 110 I think. I saw the actual document which had the Great Seal of England attached and a great proclamation on behalf of Queen Victoria.

regards Martin

[norm norton]

On norm norton Said:

On Michael Gilligan Said:

The “Gray Code”

MichaelG.

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Ref. __ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_code#Position_encoders

.. and do we feel these had a great impact upon history? 🙂

Well I do … but you may not 

… Was that part of Dave’s question ?

MichaelG.

[Dod MoleParticipant @georgeclarihew]

My contribution is a Lunar Panel, just not got it generating letric yet.

[norm norton]

On norm norton Said:

Well, the internal combustion engine wasn’t home brewed.

Yup. Nicéphore Niépce, France, 1807.  First practical engine was Étienne Lenoir, Belgium, 1860, a two stroke that ran on coal gas, which is British!

 

I thought that it was German, or am I wrong. Britain was then very behind in the development of motor vehicles because of repressive road laws.

No, some excellent cars despite the damage caused by Red Flag legislation.  Rolls Royce started by selling the most reliable car in the world.

Similarly aircraft?

1842: The Aerial Steam Carriage of William Samuel Henson and John Stringfellow was patented, but was never successful, although a steam-powered model was flown in 1848.

… we were never at the front in aircraft development, with the exception of the Merlin and the glorious set of 1950s jet aircraft.

Not sure about that, British aircraft were big hitters during WW1, with the Sopwith Camel and Bristol SE 5 both dominating the skies.  The Vimy Bomber was impressive too.   And although the Merlin was an excellent engine, RR made plenty of other excellent aero engines.   As did Bristol, whose 1,294 kW Hercules XVII made the early Merlins look a little weedy!  But comparing engines is tricky, because they were developed to do a particular job, and engines designed to deliver high power at low altitudes tended to flag out a high altitudes and vice versa.  Some sad failures too – the propeller driven Brabazon was designed to fly a few rich toffs in slow luxury, and completely missed the market for fast jets packed with passengers able to fly more economically and in less turbulence at high altitude.  The Comet would have dominated the jet market except they fell out of the sky due engineers missing metal fatigue.  Claimed at the time this was because metal fatigue was a new phenomenon, but I don’t believe it.  Metal fatigue caused considerable problems in ships ten years before, and all the warnings were there.

Perhaps after being ahead in initial railway development, we were all burnt out of creativity after around 1860?

Norm

Far from it!  First power stations, first turbines, world wide telegraph system, first refrigerated ships and many other maritime innovations.  First transatlantic wireless, followed by the Empire Chain which was global.  First television broadcast…

But it’s true momentum was lost.  Too many working in industry at all levels, having got jobs they understood, hated change and did everything in their power to stop it.   So many British ideas and designs were sold overseas and products manufactured abroad.  Allowed Pops to stay happy with Whitworth, blissfully unaware that the world wanted Metric, apart from the US, who didn’t need to buy British.

Dave

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