Hobbies And Interests
Conestoga Wagon
The Conestoga wagon was developed in Pennsylvania in 1750 and was considered the freight train of the times. Meisner wrote about Conestoga Wagons in "A History of Millburn Township." The Conestoga wagon had a bottom shaped like a boat that helped keep the load in place. The wagon had iron tires that were 6 inches wide and 5 to 6 feet tall. Conestoga wagons were drawn by six Conestoga horses that could each pull one ton. These wagons usually traveled in fleets. One wagon with six horses was about 60 feet long.
Lightning Rod
The lightning rod was created by Benjamin Franklin in 1752, according to PBS. When placed on top of a barn or other tall structure, the lightning rod conducts the electricity from a lightning bolt safely to the ground. This helps to reduce the damage done to structures during lightning storms.
Sunglasses
James Ayscough from the United Kingdom invented sunglasses in 1752, according to the Encylopaedia Britanica. Enchanted Learning states that Ayscough was the first person to create glasses with hinged arms and that the sunglasses he invented had blue or green tinted lenses. These sunglasses were the predecessors to modern sunglasses.
Coaxial Rotor
The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission states that in 1754, Mikhail Lomonosov, known as the "Father of Russian Science," believed that a coaxial rotor machine could be used to lift instruments to monitor the weather. Lomonosov developed a small coaxial rotor modeled after the Chinese top, for which children twisted feathers attached to a stick to create lift. Instead of feathers or manpower, Lomonosov's coaxial rotor was powered by a wound-up spring that he demonstrated to the Russian Academy of Sciences in July 1754. It is debated if the device was flown freely or if it was suspended from a string. Lomonosov's concept helped with the development of the modern-day helicopter.
Mayonnaise
Food writer Patricia Mitchell notes that there are many stories about the invention of mayonnaise. In one popular story based in 1756, the sauce was created to honor the start of the Seven Years War. French Admiral La Galissoniére and Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu, commanded the attack, after which a new sauce was given the name "mahonnaise." It is possible that mayonnaise made its first appearance at a banquet honoring Richelieu.
According to Enchanted Learning, mayonnaise made its way to the United States and in 1905, the sauce, made by Hellman's Deli in New York, was served in open wood boats. It was such a hit that it was later sold in large glass jars and became "Hellman's Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise."