The US celebrate inventors every August; highlighting the genius of historic and modern-day inventors. Whilst we’re not in the USA, we wanted to celebrate some of the inventions and products that GK Electrical Contractors have come to know and love.
And to kick off our celebrations, we cannot forget one of the tools that I wouldn’t work without- my trusty multi-function tester! Did you know the first solenoid voltmeter was patented in 1918 by George P. Wigginton and revolutionised the way we can safely check electrical current.
A huge part of the work we do is on new builds; establishing safe electrical connections. We also spend a lot of time on construction sites and so it’s imperative that we wear our hard hats to protect us – another vital invention for us electricians.
In the United States, the E.D. Bullard Company sold protective hats made of leather. After returning from WW1, E.W. Bullard improved upon his dad’s design using his steel helmet from the army. In 1919 Bullard patented a “hard-boiled hat” which bore a resemblance to the military M1917 helmet that inspired the product developments.
We couldn’t highlight amazing inventions without mentioning the internet! Tim Burness-Lee invented the internet; publishing the first website in 1989! Lockdown has made us all value the internet even more than we did before; enabling us to continue work meetings, family communication, working from home and more.
As an electrical company we couldn’t celebrate amazing inventions without mentioning light! More specifically the invention of the lightbulb. We work a lot with light and really appreciate not only it’s importance but also its beauty. The first lightbulb was designed and demonstrated by Thomas Edison and his team of researchers around 1879.
As proud installers of Electrical Vehicles (EV) charging units, the invention of EVs is one that has modernised the motor and electrical industries beyond compare. The EV industry has radically changed the environmental impact of the motors. We can also get OLEV funding to help with the costs of having EV charging units installed.
But who invented EV cars? The first practical electric car was created by British inventor Thomas Parker in approx. 1884. You had to wind the charging unit to charge the card but it didn’t need any petrol to run! Our EV cars obviously look very different to those in 1884, but what a start!
Every day we use inventions that have changed our way of life and, like those above, have changed our careers. Let us know what inventions you most appreciate in the comments of our blog page.
