This is my summary of the inventions I learned about in lessons twenty-six through twenty-nine. In lesson twenty-six, I studied the invention of the platform scale. Scales began improving during the Middle Ages, leading up the the invention of the spring scale in the late 1700’s. However, by 1830, a larger scale was needed to weigh bigger and heavier objects. The platform scale, invented by Thaddeus Fairbanks, solved this problem. The main benefit of the platform scale is that it makes it possible to weigh large, heavy objects without using big counterweights or crane.

In lesson twenty-seven, I learned about the railroad t-rail. In 1830, Robert Stevens invented the t-rail, named for its shape. The t-rail is made out of iron, making it very strong and durable.

In lesson twenty-eight, I studied the invention of the multi-coil magnet. In 1831, Joseph Henry invented an improved version of the electromagnet that used insulated wire. This was the multi-coil electromagnet, which uses multiple coils of insulated wire to create a larger, stronger magnetic field. Lastly, the multi-coil magnet eventually led to the invention of the telephone in 1876.

Finally, lesson twenty-nine was about the invention of the mechanical reaper. Before the mechanical reaper, reaping was a tedious, labor-intensive process that was done by hand. The threshing machine had been invented to improve the threshing process, and now a machine was needed to improve the reaping process.

Cyrus McCormick perfected his father’s mechanical reaper that did just that and patented it in 1834. Mccormick’s reaper was pulled by a horse, and dramatically increased the amount of crops a farm worker could reap in one day.