James Finley was born in Ireland back in 1756. While I don’t have the date, he moved to Fayette County, Pennsylvania living on a 287-acre farm. In 1784, he was elected a justice of the peace, before becoming the county commissioner in 1789. He was also a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate from 1791 until his death in 1828.In 1808, he received a patent for something I know all of you will recognize. While there have been improvements and modifications the basic concept remains.James is widely recognized as the first designed and builder of the modern suspension bridge. He built the first on at a cost of $600.00 using wrought iron chains and with a level deck. Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smile, so give the free gift of a smile today 12/25/2019

George Ingle Finch was born in New South Wales, Australia back in 1888. He was educated in Switzerland studying the physical sciences at the University of Geneva. He moved to Paris where he studied medicine but decided he preferred the physical sciences. During WWI, he served in the Royal Army Ordinance Corps. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services in connection with the War in France, Egypt and Salonika. From 1936-1952 he held the position of Professor of Applied Physical Chemistry at the Imperial College London. He was awarded the Hughes Medal in 1944, he was also the president of the Physical Society from 1947-49. He died in England in 1970, he was 82.What you may not know about George is that he was the first person known to climb to a height excee... 12/20/2019

Arran Fernandez was born in Britain back in 1995. Sorry but that’s all I know of him except that he was educated at home. There are going to be a lot of firsts so this one will be short. In 2001 when he was 5 he earned a General Certificate of Secondary Education the English academic usually taken at 16. Hold on it gets better. In 2000, at age 5 he also had several sequences published in the On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences. In 2010, at 15 he began studying at the Cambridge Mathematics Tripos, he was the youngest Cambridge University undergraduate since William Pitt the Younger in 1773. In 2013, he became a senior Wrangler at Cambridge which is a position as the top mathematics undergraduate. That made him the youngest Senior Wrangler at 18 years 0 months old. In 2018, he had c... 12/18/2019

Clyde Cornwall Fenton was born in Warmamool, Victoria, Australia back in 1901. That’s about all the information I can find about him until 1925, when he graduated from Melbourne University with a MD. After graduation, he enrolled in the Royal Air Force in 1928, after earning his pilot’s license he was discharged returning to Australia.In 1940, he was called back to the Royal Air Force based in Manbulloo airstrip near Katherine. His job started out delivering mail and food supplies to army and RAAF outposts. He died in 1982.What you may not know about Clyde is that he was the Northern Territory’s first flying doctor, He often flew without the aid of any navigation equipment, air charts or landing strips. He started an aerial ambulance rescue service which grew into the Northern Territory... 12/15/2019

Rebecca Ann Latimer was born in Decatur, Georgia back in 1835 to Charles and Eleanor. When she was 15 her father sent her to live with relatives in Madison where she attended a private school at a Presbyterian Church. She continued her education at Madison Female College receiving a classical liberal arts education. She graduated at the top of her class in 1852.In 1853, she married William moving to Cartersville, Georgia.She joined the Women’s Christian Temperance Union in 1886, obtaining stature as a speaker for equal right for white women. In 1900, she officially joined the Women’s Suffrage Movement where she tirelessly worked for women’s rights, including the right to vote. She died in Atlanta, Georgia in 1930, she was 94.What you may not know about Rebecca Latimer Felton is that she... 12/14/2019

Felix Unger was born in Klagenfurt, Austria back in 1946. He studied medicine at the University of Vienna where he graduated in 1971. After graduation, he practiced at the University Clinic for Cardiology in Vienna and the University Surgical Clinic. In 1975, he was a researcher of Cardiovascular medicine in Houston, Cleveland and Salt Lake City.He received his Ph.D. in 1978 becoming an Associate Professor and later a Full Surgical Professor in Salt Lake City, Utah. He invented the Ellipsoidherz (it is a device that is used as an artificial heart during surgery). In 1990, he founded the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.What you may not know about Felix is that in 1986, he performed the first artificial heart transplantation in Europe.Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smi... 12/11/2019

Evelyn Stone was born in Corbin, Kentucky back in 1909. She graduated from Tennessee Wesleyan College. After graduation, she taught school in Etowah, Tennessee before attending the University of Tennessee. She married Wyatt while he was serving in the Army Air Corps in 1944. When Wyatt died in 1963, she married Morgan who died in 1977. She died in 2012, she was 102 years young.What you may not know about Evelyn Stone Bryan Johnson is that her nickname was “Mama Bird” she was a colonel in the Civil Air Patrol and a founding member of the Morristown, Tennessee Civil Air Patrol squadron. She is in the Guinness Book of World Records for a female who logged more than 57,635.4 flying hours. She was the oldest instructor in the world, she had trained more pilots and gave more FAA exams then an... 11/24/2019

Joseph Fredrick Engelberger was born in Brooklyn, New York back in 1925. During the Great Depression, the family moved to Connecticut where he grew up. He returned to New York City attending for his college education receiving a B.S. in physics for Columbia University in 1946 and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1949.In 1956, while at a cocktail party he met George Devol, and of course his life changed. Two years later they received a patent of Devol’s and the rest is history. Their design was first used at a General Motors Plant in Ewing Township, New Jersey in 1961. It wasn’t long before Chrysler and Ford Motor Company purchased the invention.If you haven’t figured it out by now Joseph developed the first industrial robot in the United States, the Unimate. Later he developed roboti... 11/19/2019

Earl Hancock Ellis was born in Luka, Kansas back in 1880 to Augustus and Catherine. He graduated first in the high school class in Pratt, Kansas. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1900. By 1901, he was promoted to corporal. Due to his high intelligence, he was selected to sit for an examination for an officer position. In December of that same year he passed the exam and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.The stories I could tell would well exceed my limits, but if you’re interested you can look him up, so I’ll just get to the highlights. He rose through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel. In 1920, he was assigned to work on a plan in the event of hostilities happened with Imperial Japan. When he finished his work in 1921, “Operations Plan 712: Advanced Base Operation in Mic... 11/10/2019

Constance Ellis was born in Carlton, Victoria, Australia back in 1872 to Louis and Lydia. She attended the Presbyterian Ladies’ College Melbourne graduating in 1890. She continued her education at the University of Melbourne from 1894-1899. She served her residency at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and another two years at the Royal Children’s Hospital. She worked at the University of Melbourne as a demonstrator in pathology. She was a founding member of the Victorian Medical Women’s Society and a delegate on the Victorian council of the British Medical Association. She suffered from Paget’s disease and died in 1942, she was 69.What you may not know about Constance is that she was the first woman to graduate from the University of Melbourne as a Doctor of Medicine and the first Australian... 11/09/2019

Eli Whitney Blake was born in Westborough, Massachusetts back in 1795 to Elihu and Elizabeth. He studied at the Leicester Academy before going to Yale where he graduated in 1816. He started to study law but abandoned that idea when his uncle, Eli Whitney asked for his assistance in erecting and organizing a gun factory at Whitneyville.After the death of his uncle Eli and his brother Philos until 1836, when they started their own factory. He was one of the founders of the Connecticut Academy of Science. He died in New Haven, Connecticut in 1886, he was 91.What you may not know about Eli Whitney Blake is that he was also an inventor. His invention is one that can be found on every home in the United States. He invented the mortise lock, although the design has changed over the years the b... 11/05/2019

Charles Edison was born in West Orange, New Jersey back in 1890. He graduated from the Hotchkiss School in Lakeview, Connecticut in 1909. From 1915-1916 he operated the 100-seal “Little Thimble Theater”. In 1917, he worked for his father’s company working his way through the ranks to become the president in 1927. He ran the company until he sold it in 1957.In 1937, he was appointed as an Assistant Secretary of the Navy, then moving to Secretary in 1940. In that same year, he ran for Governor of New Jersey winning the election. He died in New York City just three days shy of the 79th birthday.What you may not know about Charles is that his father was Thomas Edison. The company he ran was of course the Thomas A. Edison, Inc. He broke the family tradition of being a Republican changing to ... 10/29/2019

John Samuel Eastwood was born in Minnesota back in 1857. He attended the University of Minnesota, working for the Pacific Northwest railroad.   In 1883, he moved to Fresno, California becoming Fresno’s first City Engineer in 1885. In 1895, he became the chief engineer of the San Joaquin Electric Company.In 1899, he worked for the Pacific Light and Power Company as the engineer in charge. He later worked for the Salt Lake City project, he died in 1924 while swimming in the Kings River east of Fresno.What you may not know about John is that while working for the San Joaquin Electric Company he designed and help construct the first California hydroelectric power plant. In 1908, he designed and built the first reinforced concrete multiple-arch dam on bedrock foundation at Hume Lake Dam for ... 10/25/2019

George Duffield Jr was born in New York back in 1818. He graduated from Yale in 1837, then attending Union Theological Seminary in New York. After graduation, he was a pastor from 1840 to 1869 preaching in various locations.His friend Reverend Dudley Atkins Tyng, was dying c, 1854. His last words were “Tell them to stand up for Jesus. Those words were forever embedded in his memory. George also wrote hymns. He wrote several hymns but the one I remember was “Stand up, stand up for Jesus”, it’s one of my favorites. He died in 1888.Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smile, so give the free gift of a smile today   10/16/2019

Richard Dudgeon was born in Tain, Scotland back in 1819.  At an early age his family moved to the United States settling in New York City.  His profession was a mechanic where he founded an engineering machine shop on Broome Street.  The business still exists and Richard Dudgeon, Inc.  He died in 1895, in New York City.  What you may not know about Richard is that he received a patent for something that is still in use to this day.  That patent was for the hydraulic jack. For you guy, you sure know what that is.Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smile, so give the free gift of a smile today 10/14/2019

Oliver Ditson was born in Boston, Massachusetts back in 1811 on Hanover Street not far from the home of Paul Revere. At twelve years old, he worked for Samuel Parker at a book store in Boston. He left the bookstore to pursue the printer’s trade of which he became a master. At the tender age of 23 he opened up his own book store, which he later turned into a music store.In 1840, he bought out Samuel Parker’s interest opening up the Oliver Ditson and Company music store. What you may not know about Oliver is that he company was the first American publisher to publish “Jingle Bells” and Darling Nelly Gray. During the American Civil War, he released a number of popular songs, including “Battle Hymn of the Republic and “Tenting on the Old Camp Ground”. He died in 1888 in Boston, he was 77.Yo... 10/02/2019

Charles Dinsmoor was born in Genesee County, New York back in 1834. He was educated in Warren County, Pennsylvania. At 16 he left home to study at Warren, Smethport and Coudersport, Pennsylvania. For 11 years he was in the printing business, he spent the last three of those as the editor of the “Warren Ledger”.He studied law for six months admitted to the bar on September 18, 1859. In 1860, he was appointed assistant United States Marshal and justice of the peace for Warren County in 1861 retiring in 1876. In 1878, he held the position of director for the local school board. He died in 1904.What you may not know about Charles is that he was also an inventor. He received patent No. 351,749 in 1886 for what he called the endless chain tractor.His invention has been improved upon but you m... 09/30/2019

Niels Diffrient was born in Star, Mississippi back in 1928. His family moved to Detroit where he attended Cass Technical High School moving on to Wayne State University and finally receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art. While there he received three First Medal in Design three of his four years.He went to Italy for a year on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1954. When he returned in 1955 he joined Dreyfuss associates where he stayed for 25 years. He died at his home in Ridgefield, Connecticut in 2013, he was 84.What you may not know about Niels is that he is best known for designing the Freedom and Liberty chairs, the Princess telephone and the Polaroid SX-70 camera. He was also one of the first persons to develop chairs using ergonomics (the scientific discipline ... 09/27/2019

Walter Diemer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania back in 1904. Sorry but that is all I can find out about him until 1926. He was an accountant for a company who made a particular product. They decided to cut their costs by making part of that product in their factory. Walter took it upon himself to work on the dilemma in his spare time. He accidently stumbled upon a unique recipe. He decided to make the product in a test market offering it at one penny per piece. It sold out in one day. He showed his boss the product, and as they say the rest is history.For you see while Walter was an accountant while working for the Fleer Company, in 1928 he invented bubble gum. Before then chewing gum was sticky, would not stretch and broke easily. The gum Walter invented was pink because it was t... 09/24/2019

John Dickinson was born in Woolwich, or London England (the exact location is unknown) back in 1782 to Thomas and Frances. When he as 15 he started a seven-year apprenticeship with Messrs (that is the correct spelling) Harrison in London. In 1804, he began to trade in stationery. In 1809, he received a patent for a new kind of paper. That same year he was able to purchase a former flour mill at Apsley.In 1850, he started his own business and passed it on to his nephew in 1858. He died in 1869. What you may not know about John is that the patent he received was for the paper used in those days for cannon cartridges. The paper would not smolder after the cannon was fired, thus preventing accidental explosions. He also invented the first continuous mechanized papermaking process, using woo... 09/20/2019