• One of the greatest chemical engineering inventions was made by a mechanical engineer. In 1927, Eugene Houdry invented catalytic cracking, which allows high-quality gasoline to be made from heavy crude oil. Born in France, Houdry moved to America to work on his process, eventually commercializing it in 1937. This process, with much advancement, is still widely used today.
Ever wonder why computer keyboards are arranged in the QWERTY pattern? In the early days of mechanical typewriters, proficient typists could type so fast that that the keys frequently jammed against each other. The familiar but illogical QWERTY pattern was developed in an effort to space often-used-keys apart to prevent jamming.
• Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber, wanted to make everything of rubber; banknotes, musical instruments, flags, jewellery, ship sails, even ship themselves. He had his portrait painted on rubber, his calling cards engraved on it, his autobiography printed on and bound in it. He wore rubber hats, vests, and ties. Neither Goodyear nor his family was ever connected with the company named in his honour, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.
The microwave oven was invented by accident. A scientist found his chocolate bar had been melted by an experiment he was running on radar systems - the kind that locate flying objects miles away. Percy Spencer was running trying to find new uses for radar, as World War II had just ended, and spotting enemy planes was no longer a driving concern. Spencer reached into his lab coat pocket one day during the experiment, and found that the chocolate bar he was looking forward to eating had melted into a soggy mess.
• Moore’s Law predicts that the number of transistors industry places on a computer chip will double every year (later updated to doubling every 18 months). The creator, Gordon E. Moore, cofounded Intel Corporation in 1968. Intel is one of the world’s leading innovators and suppliers of microprocessors and computer chips.
• The construction of the Panama Canal, a great engineering and construction feat, required the removal of 211 million cubic yards of earth. A typical pickup bed holds about 3 cubic yards.
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