The Reaping Machine The reaping machine, for cutting wheat and other grain, was largely the invention of Cyrus McCormick of Virginia. For years his father had tried to make a successful reaper. The young man McCormick took up the problem where the father left it. He succeeded in making a reaper which did the This and other farm machinery increased the demand for western land. Thus the line of settlement moved westward faster and faster. The Telegraph and Cable In 1844 Samuel F. B. Morse established the first system of sending messages over wires. He could not afford to build a telegraph line. He had no one to help him, so he asked Congress for aid. For several years Congress refused to grant the money, but finally gave him $30,000 to build a telegraph line from Washington to Baltimore. The line was completed in 1844, and Morse sent a message from one city to the other in a few seconds. W HA W THE FIRST TELEGRAPH MESSAGE IN THE MORSE ALPHABET Private companies soon built lines, and the telegraph has been used in business ever since. Later Cyrus Field connected the Old World with the New World by means of a cable under the Atlantic Ocean. This cable carried messages HOWE'S SEWING MACHINE along the ocean bed. The Sewing Machine In 1846 Elias Howe completed his first sewing machine. It could do the work of five hand sewers and has lightened the burden of women greatly. To-day there is a sewing machine in almost every American home. They are also used in many industries. Medicine In the same year Dr. Morton of Boston discovered the use of certain gases to produce sleep during painful operations. This discovery has spared many the greatest agony. Numberless human lives have been saved through the use of gas and ether, for many necessary operations would not be possible without them. The Telephone The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. Bell worked tirelessly in his effort to reproduce the human voice. At last he was successful. The telephone was first demonstrated in 1876 at a celebration marking the hundredth year of our freedom from England. The telephone is a most valuable aid in business or in the home. To-day there are over 7,000,000 telephones in use in our own country alone. Electricity In 1879 Thomas A. Edison produced electric light for houses. He has also invented many other valuable electrical devices. Among these are the storage battery and moving picture machine. The Air Ship One of the most wonderful inventions of the present day is the air ship. For centuries men had dreamed of traveling through the air. In 1903 the Wright brothers invented the aëroplane, sometimes called the airplane, or flying machine. To-day airplanes travel through the air with great speed. They were of great service during the World War, and are now used to carry passengers and mail. In 1919 the Atlantic Ocean was crossed four times by airplane. An American was the first to perform this feat. Many other valuable inventions and improvements are the fruit of American brains. It is impossible to tell what the future will bring. But it is very probable that greater and more wonderful things will be done during the coming century. Those who live one hundred years from now may speak of the life now, in much the same way that we speak of "the old days." Questions and Topics for Discussion What was one of the earliest American inventions? For what was the cotton gin used? How did it save labor? What has the invention of the cotton gin helped to make us? When was the first successful steamboat operated? How long did it take the Clermont to cover a distance of one hundred and fifty miles? How long did it take for one mile? How does this compare with our modern steamships? In what year did the first steamboat cross the ocean? In what way did the steamboat help in the settlement of our West? Who completed the first successful reaper? How much work could it do? What improvements were made later? How did the invention of this and other farm machinery increase the demand for western land? What did Samuel F. B. Morse invent? Between what two cities was the first telegraph line built? Who invented the sewing machine? How does the sewing machine save labor? What kind of sewing machines are used in industries, such as garment making? How has Dr. Morton's discovery benefited the world? Have you ever had a serious operation? What was used so that you would not feel the pain? Who invented the telephone? By whom is it used? How many telephones are in use in our own country to-day? Cuba is an island not far south of the United States. Until the year 1898 Spain owned it, but did not seem able to govern it. |