Interesting tidbits: 1888 – George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak and receives a patent for his camera that uses roll film. The letter k was a favorite of Eastmans; he is quoted as saying, it seems a strong, incisive sort of letter. He and his mother devised the name Kodak with an Anagrams set. Eastman said that there were three principal concepts he used in creating the name: it should be short, easy to pronounce, and not resemble any other name or be associated with anything else. It has also been suggested that Kodak originated from the suggestion of David Houston, a fellow photographic inventor who held the patents to several roll film camera concepts that he later sold to Eastman. Houston, who started receiving patents in 1881, was said to have chosen Nodak as a nickname of his home state, North Dakota (NoDak). This is contested by other historians, however, who cite that Kodak was trademarked prior to Eastmans buying Houstons patents. From the companys founding by George Eastman in 1889, Kodak followed the razor and blades strategy of selling inexpensive cameras and making large margins from consumables — film, chemicals and paper. As late as 1976, Kodak commanded 90% of film sales and 85% of camera sales in the U.S., according to a 2005 case study for Harvard Business School. This seemingly unassailable competitive position would foster an unimaginative and complacent corporate culture. 1923 – Maiden flight of the USS Shenandoah. USS Shenandoah was the first of four United States Navy rigid airships. It was built in 1922–1923 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, and first flew in September 1923. It developed the Navys experience with rigid airships, and made the first crossing of North America by airship. On the 57th flight, Shenandoah was torn apart in a squall line over Ohio in 1925. Todays birthday crew: 1826 – Martin Wiberg, Swedish philosopher and inventor. He is known as a computer pioneer for his 1875 invention of a machine the size of a sewing machine that could print logarithmic tables. The tables were subsequently published in English, French, and German. The device was investigated by the French academy of science which also wrote an extensive report on it. The device was inspired by the similar work done by Per Georg Scheutz and has similarities with Charles Babbages difference engine. (Scheutz machine was based on the difference engine.) The device is preserved at Tekniska museet (The Technical Museum) of Sweden in Stockholm. Wiberg failed to sell his machine, and also failed to sell the output tables due to their bad looks. Apart from this invention, Wiberg invented numerous other devices and gadgets, among these a cream separator and a pulse jet engine. None of these were commercially successful. Now consider that even before the wright brothers took to the air, the jet engine was already in existance. 1848 – Lewis Howard Latimer, African American inventor and draftsman. Lewis Latimer joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 15 on September 16, 1863, and served as a Landsman on the USS Massasoit. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Navy on July 3, 1865, he gained employment as an office boy with a patent law firm, Crosby Halstead and Gould, with a $3.00 per week salary. He learned how to use a set square, ruler, and other tools. Later, after his boss recognized his talent for sketching patent drawings, Latimer was promoted to the position of head draftsman earning $20.00 a week by 1872. In 1874, he co patented (with Charles W. Brown) an improved toilet system for railroad cars called the Water Closet for Railroad Cars (U.S. Patent 147,363). In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell employed Latimer, then a draftsman at Bells patent law firm, to draft the necessary drawings required to receive a patent for Bells telephone. In 1879, he moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut. Lewis was hired as assistant manager and draftsman for the U.S. Electric Lighting Company, a company owned by Hiram Maxim, a rival of Thomas A. Edison. Latimer received a patent in January 1881 for the Process of Manufacturing Carbons, an improved method for the production of carbon filaments used in lightbulbs. The Edison Electric Light Company in New York City hired Latimer in 1884, as a draftsman and an expert witness in patent litigation on electric lights. When that company was combined in 1892 with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric, he continued to work in the legal department. When General Electric and Westinghouse Electric Company formed the Board of Patent Control in 1896, to coordinate patent licensing and litigation, Latimer was employed as chief draftsman. In 1911 he became a patent consultant to various law firms. 1957 – Patricia Tallman, American actress. She had guest-starring roles on Tales from the Dark Side, Star Trek: TNG, Star Trek: DS9, and Star Trek: Voyager. Tallman played the character Lyta Alexander in the Babylon 5 series pilot, recurring in seasons two and three, and starring in seasons four and five. With fellow Carnegie Mellon alumnus George A. Romero, Tallman collaborated on several films, including Knightriders, Monkey Shines, and Creepshow 2 (in which Tallman performed stunts). In 1990, Tallman starred as Barbara in the remake of Night of the Living Dead. She also played the Possessed Witch under heavy make-up in Army of Darkness. In addition, she served as stunt double for Laurel Holloman, who portrayed vampire hunter Justine Cooper in an episode of Angel. Tallmans recent acting credits include the psychological horror short, Jennifer Is Dead, the black comedy For Petes Wake, and guest spots on Without a Trace and Castle. Tallman later appeared in the 2009 horror film Dead Air, and in InAlienable (2008) Tallman plays Dr Klein, a crony of the evil scientist. Ms. Tallman has performed voice roles including playing the leading part of evil detective Jean Richmond in the Radio Repertory Company of Americas production of Lives of the Cat and in some of the Anne Manx sequels (sold as radio plays on CD). In 2011 Tallman published her autobiography Pleasure Thresholds - Patricia Tallmans Babylon 5 Memoir. 1968 – John DiMaggio, American voice actor and comedian, best known for his work as Bender from Futurama, Smiling Jack from the Vampire the Masquarade: Bloodlines game, Marcus Fenix from the Gears of War video game series, numerous characters from the Ben 10 Franchise (specifically Volcanus (Each series), Rath, Octogon Vreedle (Ben 10: Alien Force onward), Aggregor, Colonel Rozom (Ben 10: Ultimate Alien), Zombozo, Fourarms, Humungasour, Armadrillo, and Bullfrag (Ben 10:Omniverse)), Bobo Haha from Generator Rex, Jake the Dog on Adventure Time and Captain Laserbeam of Thrilling Adventure Hour audio theatre podcast. 1975 – Kai Owen, Welsh actor who played Rhys Williams in Torchwood. 1999 - Ellie Darcey-Alden, British actress who plays the young Lily Evans in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. She is also a big fan of Muggle Quidditch, and was taught to play by members of the five National teams that participated in the 2012 IQA Summer games (Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, France, and the United States). Happy birthday guys!
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 10:05:00 +0000
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