This is my summary of the inventions I learned about in lessons one hundred six through one hundred nine. In lesson one hundred six I studied the invention of the clothes hanger. Before the hanger, clothes weren’t hung up in a closet – closets were for privacy. Instead, clothes were folded and put into drawers. This meant they collected wrinkles and had to be ironed more often.

The clothes hanger was invented in 1869 by O. A. North. Hangers can keep your clothes from getting wrinkled when used properly, and are an efficient way to store clothes. It’s much cheaper to have a closet than a large chest.

In lesson one hundred seven, I learned about the invention of the rotary can opener. After the canning process was invented, canned food became an important part of meals. However, tin cans were difficult to open; sometimes, the opening instructions said to hack it open with a hammer and chisel! This was okay for soldiers in the army, but it wasn’t so convenient for people cooking in their kitchen at home.

William Lyman changed this. Lyman was a metalworking apprentice, so he applied his skills and knowledge to invent the rotary can opener in 1870. The rotary can opener makes it much easier to open cans, since you no longer had to use a hammer and chisel.

In lesson one hundred eight, I studied the invention of the mail order catalog. Aaron Montgomery Ward invented the mail order catalog in 1872. The mail order catalog made it possible to buy things from home. This meant you didn’t have to deal with salesmen who would push you into buying things you didn’t really need, and the prices in the catalog were usually lower than those in the general stores. Ward also provided a ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ promise, which further convinced people to buy from him instead.

Last of all, lesson one hundred nine was about the invention of earmuffs. Before earmuffs were invented, people often lost their ears to frostbite. There were hats to keep your head warm, scarves to keep your neck warm, gloves to keep your hands warm, but nothing to protect your ears from the cold.

Chester Greenfield invented the earmuffs when he was only fifteen. The problem was that the state he lived in (Maine) was very cold, and he loved to go ice skating. One day, he bent wire into circles, asked his grandma to stitch fur onto them, and attached them together with another wire, thus inventing the first pair of earmuffs in 1873. Earmuffs can protect your ears from loud noises as well as the cold.