Today, I’m thankful for those quintessential ideas that have altered the course of humanity.
In my short time on this Earth, I’ve witnessed astonishing inventions. I've seen the advent of the electric car, the personal computer, the cell phone, & gene therapy. However, what's most amazing about each of these advances is that they continue to improve over time – rarely is their a notion that does not continue to evolve. Every ‘novel’ idea is basically predicated on some idea or notion advanced by one’s predecessors. In other words, true inventors in our contemporary world must be willing to take what is already fully comprehended at that moment of time and expand on it.
We usually remember those specific, noteworthy ideas that helped to advance our society forward. If I just focus on this day (Dec 20), I can showcase a number of worthy whims that have improved our daily existences.
On this day back in 1790, Samuel Slater would design and build the first American cotton mill in the town of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Before we knew it, hundreds of similar mills would spur the growth of the American textile mill industry, which soon became the preeminent commercial venture for our young nation and eventually heralded the Industrial Revolution.
On this same day back in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson would finalize the Louisiana Purchase for the rather inexpensive price of $15 million dollars. With this purchase, the United States expanded well beyond the Mississippi River and set the foundation for the growth of the nation.
And, on this day back in 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that gay and lesbian couples were entitled to the same rights as heterosexual pairs. Nearly, a decade later Vermont would expand on the idea by legalizing same-sex marriages. Today, same-sex marriage is a legalized entity recognized in all 50 states, thanks in part to Vermont’s early efforts.
But, not all ideas are necessarily noteworthy. Let me share some examples to prove my
point.
On this day (Dec 20) in 1821, the state of Missouri passed a law imposing a punitive tax on unmarried men. Known as the Missouri Bachelor Tax, the law stipulated that all unmarried men between the ages of 21 to 50 years of age had to pay $1 per year. Needless to say, the ‘Show Me State’ would soon nix this idea in 1822.
On this same day in 1928, the first attempt of mail delivery using a dog sled began in Lewiston, Maine. A 200-pound sled pushed by 8 Eskimo dogs proceeded to carry some 300 pieces of mail northwards to Montreal, Canada, at a whopping pace of 8 miles per hour. Like the Missouri Tax, the idea was short-lived with the advent of the railroad.
Finally, on this same day in 1963, the German Democratic Republic officially ‘opened’ the Berlin Wall and the corresponding Cold War that ensured. Fortunately, this idea of building walls met its fitting demise several decades later.
Today, I wanted to lay praise on a man who not only is regarded as our nation’s most renowned inventor, but he even gave us the idea of how to think about an idea. In the second half of the 19th Century, our nation had commenced its transformation from an agrarian society into an industry-focused powerhouse. Nowhere was this more evident than in the state of New Jersey. Numerous companies sought to establish factories in the sprawling space the Garden State could afford, while still maintaining a convenient proximity to large cities, such as New York and Philadelphia. Cities like Paterson, Trenton, and Newark emerged as hubs of textile and silk production. Inventions like the steam locomotive and steam boat helped facilitate the exportation of finished commodities outside of the state. And, at around that same time, a poor Ohio boy named Thomas Alva Edison moved to New Jersey and started to get busy. After inventing the electric vote recorder, Edison conceived the phonograph, motion picture technology, and, of course, electric light. In fact, on this day (Dec 20) in 1879, Edison privately demonstrated his invention of the incandescent 'light bulb' at his Menlo Park lab. But, he didn't rest there either. Other notable inventions, such as fluoroscopy and the carbon telephone transmitter, would soon follow suit.
Yet, Edison’s premier invention remained the incandescent light bulb, especially as its success became more apparent. In fact, in less than 4 years, entire towns, such as Roselle, New Jersey, would install full incandescent light systems using an overhead wiring system. Not surprisingly, Edison became a celebrity in the United States. Many photographs at the time showcased the short inventor in his Menlo Park or West Orange laboratories, leaning up against a lab bench with his electric light bulb in hand. The light bulb became a veritable symbol of his inventiveness.
But, how did the light bulb somehow become the symbol for any novel idea?
For this piece of useless information, we need to turn our attention to the silent film industry of the roaring 1920. At that time, an anthropomorphic cartoon character named Felix the Cat became a national icon. Since Felix could not speak, the cartoon developers needed a means by which to convey his thoughts. Whenever the creators wanted to display Felix as thinking, they would draw symbols over his head. Whenever Felix had a ‘Eureka’ moment, a light bulb would appear over his head, signifying he had an ‘enlightening’ moment. In due time, the light bulb came to symbolize those ‘aha’ moments when the light goes on in our cerebrums with the birth of some ‘bright’ idea.
But, one good idea deserves another. Perhaps this is why Edison never rested on his laurels, even after he conceived his best idea – the light bulb. He doubled down in his research labs to improve on each of these inventions and concoct new ones as well. As the Wizard of Menlo Park, Edison created the idea of having industrial research laboratories, from which he would file and receive 1,093 patents during his lifetime.
Edison knew that a novel idea can always be improved. As he said it best: "When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this – you haven't."
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