First Successful Airplane

a. Name of invention, its components and function.

 First Successful Airplane by Wilbur and Orville Wright
 The components of the first airplane are:
i. Wing tips, gives support to the wings and moves the plane in up and down
direction, which called roll.
ii. Wings, which are made out of fabrics, generates the lift of the plane in the air.
iii. Propellers, the one that generate the thrust.
iv. Motor, the part that drives the propellers.
v. Elevator, moves the plane in vertical direction, up and down, of the nose – it is
called pitch.
vi. Rudders, moves the plane in horizontal direction, side to side – called yaw.
vii. Fuselage or Body, supports the whole structure of the plane.
b. What are the precursors of your chosen invention? What tools existed prior to it or how did people
carry out activities before its innovation?
 The precursors of the first successful airplane are from the ideas of kites, and gliders.
Wright Brothers started to study the aerodynamics in the late 1900 by studying and
preparing their first piloted glider with the thought of the kite as a design of it. In 3 years,
the Wright brothers were able to build different gliders, the biggest, however not the
successful ones.
c. What were the social, political, cultural or economic context in which inventions was made?
 One quote from the Wright brother was: “We packed our goods and returned home,
knowing that the age of the flying machine had come at last.” In this quote, they finally
introduce an invention that changes the means of transportation of the people.
 In 19th century, only few of the people have their progress in the field of aeronautics.
However, the invention of the airplane became an end but also the beginning of another
humanity’s interest in flight and aeronautics.
d. What were the social, political, cultural or economic impacts of your chosen inventions?
 With this invention and today’s innovation, people can be in any places they want, even if
it is any part of the world, any country or in the country that land and water vehicles cannot
travel.
 Moreover, we are able to transport any goods or things from another country and we can
even send local products to the other countries. It is one of the means of importation and
exportation of products, that increases the total income of a country.
 After the invention of the airplane, aircrafts were invented to become one of the weapons
of a country in order to protect their land or to invade a land. It became a huge difference
to have the air as one of the battlefields during the war.
 MODERN ROAD
1. WHAT IS THE INVENTION, AND WHAT ARE ITS PARTS AND COMPONENTS?
 Modern roads were invented by a Scottish engineer named John Loudon McAdam in 1816. His
innovation of building roads on shallow cambers with layers of crushed and compacted stone
would soon be the international standard for road building and construction. This design had a
smoother surface and carriage ride, was cheaper to build, and lasted longer than road designs
prior to its invention. Furthermore, Macadam roads featured an effective drainage system which
added to its longevity. This is due to the slightly convex chambers of the roads which ensured
water to drain away from the pavement and prevent pooling.
2. WHAT ARE THE PRECURSORS OF THE INVENTION? WHAT TOOLS EXISTED PRIOR
TO IT OR HOW DID PEOPLE CARRY OUT ACTIVITIES PRIOR TO ITS INNOVATION?
 Modern Macadam roads were the biggest advancement in road building since the Roman Empire
in 300 BC. The Romans built their roads using large flat rocks to approximate a level surface.
The total thickness of the roads ranged from 3-6 feet which included the large flat rocks, concrete
made from small gravel and coarse sand, concrete made from small stones, and crushed rock. It
also featured a drainage system through the excavation of parallel trenches about 40 feet apart.
This design would be the standard for road building for the next 2000 years. Roman roads were
used to connect far-flung areas of their empire to the capital. It was also used for freight services
and travel through the use of chariots.
3. WHAT WERE THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL, CULTURAL, OR ECONOMIC CONTEXTS IN
WHICH THE INVENTIONS WAS MADE?
 Before the Industrial Revolution, the quality of Britain's roads were poor and had no maintenance.
However, due to increased commercial travel, improved vehicles, and the breeding of better
horses, the demand for better roads surfaced. With this, a corporation called Turnpike Trusts
attempted to improve the maintenance and quality of Britain’s transport system using funds from
charge tolls. John McAdam, who happened to be the corporation’s general surveyor, proposed a
solution. He gave evidences and wrote treaties in relation to road and infrastructure improvement.
McAdam also authored “Remarks on the Present System of Road Making and Practical Essay on
the Scientific Repair and Preservation of Roads" in which he argued the principles of modern
Macadam roads and the systematic processes of building and maintaining it. Through his efforts,
he was then appointed to remake the roads at Bristol Turnpike Trusts.
4. WHAT WERE THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL, CULTURAL, OR ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF
THE INVENTION?
 Macadam roads became popular around the world. His process was being adapted in the United
Stated and in the main roads of Europe by the end of the 19th century. McAdam’s name was even
immortalized through the words “macadamisation” and “macadam” which refer to the building
of roads using layers of compact stone on a slightly convex chamber. His principles on road
building is still being used today, although with some refinements. However, the increase of
automobiles caused problems for the macadam roads. Fast moving cars would create an area of
low pressure and would create dust clouds which damages the road integrity. The problem was
later solved by a Swiss doctor named Ernest Guglielminetti in 1901 by coating macadam roads
with tar or asphalt. Thus, McAdam’s legacy is still a basic principle being used today.
 Steam Boats
1. Name of invention, its component and function
 Steamboat by Robert Fulton. Steamboats were water vessels that were propelled by a steam
engine. It has mainly a body made of timber or steel and a sternwheel which is a paddle
wheel located at the stern of the ship. The paddlewheels were run by an engine that was
powered by steam. Its main function is to transport trades or goods and passengers from
one place to another.
2. What are the precursors of your chosen invention? What tools existed prior to it or how
did people carry out activities before its innovation?
 Before steamboats were made, people slowly floated their products on simple boats like
flatboats, which was a rectangular flat-bottomed boat with square ends used to transport
freight and passengers, and keelboats. The spread of goods and information was almost
completely a one-way route because of its slowness. When they reached their destination
the flat boatmen dismantled their 'flat', sold it for lumber and often the crew would walk
home.
3. What were the social, political, economic contexts in which the invention was made?
 The invention was made during the industrial revolution therefore, there was a massive
boom for industries and mass production. Economies that had been based on agriculture
and handicrafts transformed into economies based on large-scale industry, mechanized
manufacturing, and the factory system. There was a high demand for faster and more
efficient way of trading and transit to cope with the growing economy thus the steamboat
was created.
4. What were the social, political, cultural or economic impacts of your chosen invention?
 Steamboats contributed greatly to the economy as a means of transporting agricultural and
industrial supplies. They were a vital link in the supply and demand chain during the
Industrial Revolution. These boats made transportation of cargoes of cotton, sugar, and
other goods easier and more efficient. Self-sufficiency decreased as steamboat
transportation increased commercial trading capabilities. The advent of the steamboat
increased dependency on manufactured goods, and personal financial well-being then
became more dependent on market forces.
 Steamboats changed the types of goods available to local markets. By increasing
transportation speed, farmers could sell surplus crops to remote locations without the
 produce spoiling during the trip. Selling surplus crops stimulated economic growth in local
communities.
 Also, steamboats provided a way for settlers to move from a state to another state in a faster
and more comfortable way. Steamboats were also profitable for there was a first class deck
where passengers who could afford to travel in relative luxury. Those who could not afford
first class traveled in cramped conditions in the lower decks. No longer completely self-
sufficient, people relied on favorable commerce through steamboats to meet every day
needs.
 Steam Locomotive (Train)
1. Name of invention, its component and function
 The steam locomotive (later known as train) is a vehicle that served as a car on the railroads
that transports raw materials, goods and eventually passengers. To allow the movement of the
locomotive, a machine that used steam to perform mechanical work with the agency of heat,
called as the steam engine, was placed inside the engine. Nowadays, electricity and diesel fuel
are used to power the train. The railways/train tracks were also built in order to guide the
navigation, acting as a road, of the train.
2. What are the precursors of your chosen invention? What tools existed prior to it or how did
people carry out activities before its innovation?
 Before the further utilization of railways, the only possible ways of transport was through
animal powered carriages, boats and by foot. Due to water pressure, boats find it difficult to
navigate upwards against the current. With this, the stream boat was innovated with the
invention of the steam engine. Using the same principle as that of the steam boat, the steam
locomotive was presented.
3. What were the social, political, economic contexts in which the invention was made?
 As the people only transported produces and travelled through the said transport systems, there
was limit as to where they can go as they were time constricted. Businesses weren’t able to
expound due to this. These allowed the innovation of train as people were more in need of a
more efficient and effective transportation.
4. What were the social, political, cultural or economic impacts of your chosen invention?
 Railways gave major impact on agriculture as perishable goods such as dairy products could
now move long distances before they were inedible. People could now also travel to far places
with a cheap price in the shortest amount of time (at that time). These rose the establishment
of a timetable wherein time zones were imposed allowing a uniformity in time. Communication
between regions was also opened up with the presence of railways as transport. The railroads
also gave an increase demand in coal and employment as people were needed to operate the
trains. These allowed economical growth.
 Keelboats
1. Name of invention, its component and function
 Keelboat is a long boat constructed around a rigid timber in the center that could withstand
collisions. It is steered by a special oar or poles or pulled by a cordelle (system under which
a crew goes ashore with a long bow hawser and pull the vessels upstream with brute
strength)
 When the wind is low, keelboat relies on the muscle power if its eight-to-twenty-man crew
to pole, row, or drag the boat upstream.
 It was first used during the 19th century to transport cargo or settlers. But one of the most
important roles of the keelboat was during the Lewis and Clark expedition when Captain
Mariwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark — both US Army from Virginia, explored
the lands West of Mississippi River that comprised the Louisiana Purchase ( then President
Thomas Jefferson bought from France for $15 million)
 On May 14, 1804 ( Start of the Expedition), Clark and the Corps joined Captain Lewis in
St. Charles, Missouri and headed upstream the Missouri River on a keelboat and two
smaller boats at a rate of 15 miles per day. They started and finished the expedition using
a keelboat.

Components:

1. Keel- prevents the boat from being blown sideways

2. Jib (the triangular sail) - helps reduce the turbulence on the main sail’s leeward side
3. Mast- carrying sail ; gives necessary height into the navigation light
4. Main Sail - catches the wind power to propel the boar

2. What are the precursors of your chosen invention? What tools existed prior to it or how did
people carry out activities before its innovation?
 Flatboats actually came first before the keelboats. They were used by farmers and traders
seeking profitable market for produced goods and also by families moving West for
settlement. The boat was made with holes on the cabin wall where guns could be fired,
 minimal windows and only one barred door for the reason that flatboats were subject to
Indian Attacks.

3. What were the social, political, economic contexts in which the invention was made?
 Economic struggles urged people to invent such thing. They built the keelboat for upstream
travel to sell or trade goods. For the social context, the boat served as their means of
transport for resettlement and exploration.
4. What were the social, political, cultural or economic impacts of your chosen invention?
 Socially and Politically, keelboats were of big help producing invaluable maps and
geographic information, identify at least 120 animal species and 200 botanical samples
from the Louisiana Territory (now known as the Missouri Territory)
 Economically, keelboats helped transport of goods upstream for farmers/freighters where
they can find a more profitable market.
 AUTOMOBILES
1. Name of invention, its component and function
 Automobile – a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion
engine or electric motor and able to carry a small number of people.

Components:
1. The Engine or Power Plant – source of power
2. The Frame and Chassis – it supports the engine, wheels, body, braking system, steering, etc
3. Transmission – transmits power from the engine to the car wheels.
4. Clutch – to allow the driver to couple or decouple the engine and transmission
5. Braking System – used to slow down or stop the vehicle. Hydraulic brakes are generally used
in automobiles.
2. What are the precursors of your chosen invention? What tools existed prior to it or how did people
carry out activities before its innovation?

 Sedan chair – a covered chair that is carried on poles by two people and that was used in
the past carrying a passenger through the streets of a city.
 Henry Ford’s automobile – reaching the then-incredible speed of 20mph
 The Bicycle – a technical precursor of Automobiles.
3. What were the social, political, cultural, or economic context in which the inventions was made?

 The factors which helped the invention to be invented was mainly because of transportation. People
longed to have vehicles that would help them to easily go to other places. But in the early times,
transportation of loads and other big boxes or packages that bare human strength cannot carry, they
created something just because of the influence of social, political, cultural, and economic factors.
That was to make life easier for people who had the need of traveling and importing/exporting
items to different parts of the world.
4. What were the social, political, cultural, or economic impacts of your chosen inventions?

 Automobiles have positive and negative impact on all aspects being said. It helped us people to
travel and to make life easier. We can go wherever we want to go with the help of automobiles and
other vehicles. Instead of long walk, we can just use cars to travel faster and carry loads efficiently.
But, it also emits harmful gases and thus creating pollution. It’s the heart and soul of transportation
since their invention by Henry Ford.