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(Continued from page 8) B ■a THE DISCOVERY OF ELECTRICITY While Boston's Ben Franklin (17(X3—1T90) first harnessed the power of electricity, he wasn't the first person to discover it. That honor goes to England's Dr. William Gilbert, who discovered electricity in 1600 when lie showed that two substances—amber and jet—worked as a magnet when rubbed together, forming the basis for static electricity. Gilbert, who would later become personal physician to England’s Queen Elizabeth I, denved the word elec- tricity from the Greek word for amber. Franklin improved upon Gilbert’s findings with his lightning-and-key experiment in 1732, proving that lightning and the spark from amber and jet essentially are the same thing. EARLTUPPER’S INVENTION Earl Tupper of Berlin, N.H. (pop. 10,331), went to work at DuPont in 193 7 as a chemist. Tupper (1907—1983) asked his supervisor for some leftover plastic material, which he molded into bowls, cups and plates. He patented the air tight Tupperware seal in 1947 and began selling his invention in retail stores. Sales were slow, but a year later he noticed that two distributors for Stanley Home Products were selling a lot of Tupperware during “home parties." So Tupper, a for mer door-to-d(x>r salesman, introduced the Tupperware method of selling to the nation. Single mother Brownie Wise (1913—1992) of Buford, Ga., with less titan an eighth-grade education, became the company's vice president and played a key role in develop ing the concept of Tupperware parties. Many historians say Tapper's greatest invention wasn't his Tupperware product, but rather his sales method. The company that bears his name now has 1.9 million independent distributors worldwide. AIR CONDITIONING The Bufialo Foige G>. was one of the nation's largest manufacturers of blacksmith equipment in 1902. One of its new employees, Angola, N.Y, native Willis Gamer (1876-1950), was working for just SlO a week when he created a way to cool the build ing housing a Bufialo Forge customer, the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publish ing Co. of Bnxiklyn. Carriers air conditioner originally was designed for machines rather than humans, as it was invented to reduce the humidity and moisture in its customer’s building. In 1915, Carrier started his own company, the Carrier Engineering Corp., with six other engineers. The first use of air conditioning designed to benefit humans (xxurred in department stores and movie theaters, prompting customers to flock iaside tor the cool air during summertime. It wasn't until 1928—a full 26 years after Carrier first began working on air conditioning—that he developed an air conditioner for home use. PERSONAL COMPUTERS The many innovations of the personal computer have come from many people, ever since Ken Olsen (born in 1926) of Stratford, Conn., co-founded Digital Equipment Special Book Offer: More Invention Mysteries! -\Y/buh U.S. presidents were the most successful inventors.-' Vr Did Rube Goldberg invent anything worthwhile? Who's the real McCoy? Volumes 1 and 2 will bring you these and nearly 100 ocher little-known secrets behind America’s favorite inventions. Hours of reading enjoyment! Receive FREE S&H if you order both volumes for only $25.90. ■ To own this unique book set for $25.90 (plus FREE s&h), ■ visit umnt.americanprofile.comistore or please have your ■ credit card ready and call (800) 715-6248 or send check for 525.90 to Invention Mysteries - Dept. 1M49. P.O. Box 344, Louisiana, MO 63.353. C.A, r\, 11.. MO. NY residents add Mutt sales lax. NSF checks, automatically debited lor amount of check plus applicable lees. Expires 2;.$•■()?. Please allow 1- * weeks lor delivers. Offer good while supplies last! www.americanprofile.com • i /ggjSftK ) MfWX) VMI-KKOVfI m FREE 1 S&H!! 1 * m Page 9 A m J 1 - .rty Images Girp. in 1957. Olsen s company created the world's first minicomputer, as well as the world’s first mass-produced minicomputer in 1965. Named the PDP-8, che computer cost SI8,0(H) and was marketed to businesses. A decade would pass before computers would become available for home use, thanks to a couple of college dropouts named Steve. Californians Steve Jobs and Steve Wozntak popularized the personal computer when they founded Apple Computer in 1976 in Jobs' parents' garage in Los Altos. To raise the necessary capital to get their computer company off the ground, che two sold their most valuable possessions: Jobs' Volkswagen minibus and Wozntak s sci entific calculator, for a total of 51,300. THE INTERNET When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, the U.S. gov ernment worried that a nuclear attack could wipe out Americas intel ligence system. To protect the flow of information between military installations, the Department of Defense created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to develop a network of computers to exchange information among different geographical locations. By 1969, computer scientists, led by Vinton Cert of New Haven, Ginn., connected supercomputers from timr ma|or uni versities—UCLA, Stanford University, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah—to form ARPAnet. Tile National Science Foundation, a federal agency, formed its own network of computers called NSFner in 1986 and eventually replaced ARPAnet in 1990, becoming what is now the Internet. The name Intemet" ongmated from ARPA's program of /wtrlinktng packet networks, which became known as the “Internetting'' project. The resulting system of networks became known as tile Internet. Visit www.inyentionmysteries.com for more information. •,v'' Did you like this story? Post your comments on our new message boards at AmehcanProfile.com “A relaxing bath is something we all have a right to enjoy.” I \ , V | f i.— l v»- \ Getting older shouldn’t get in the way of enjoying your bathroom. Premier's extensive range of Walk-in Tubs have helped improve the lives of thousands ol people. Low entry built in seat and temperature control are some of rhe benefits our tubs offer. Call or send tor a FREE brochure Pk*G**\£e** BA rnBOOMS PHI * Mi T* Please send me a FREE color brochure featuring the Premier range or watfun tuos Name T etepnon« frO-TTSS C.ty state Zip Premier Ballrooms me. 2330 S Nova Ha. S Daytona. Honda 32119 [amTantj CALL NOW • TOLL FREE 1-800-578-2899 SOURCE CODE 61126 % i UVkMaho..