Matt DelBassoEarth Group

Who was the greatest inventor of the 19th century?

Why I Think He is the Best Inventor From the 18th Century

• This invention helped to save people’s lives. It also helped to keep food from getting rotten. People would get sick from spoiled food. This invention has changed the way people live. This invention improved the lives of many people.

OTHER INVENTORS

• Thomas Davenport invented the first electric streetcar.

• Samuel Morse invented the Electric Telegraph.

• Tomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb.

The Inventor

John Gorrie was born on October 3, 1802 in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1825 he

enrolled in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 1827 he got his medical

degree. In 1845, Gorrie had completely abandoned his medical practice to

concentrate on his invention.

The Invention Refrigerator

In 1841 there was an epidemic of malaria and yellow fever. Gorrie dedicated his time to finding

a cure for these diseases. At the onset of malaria, it brought violent shakes and chills,

followed by high fever and terrible sweats. The yellow fever started out with a high fever. With

these types of symptoms, he tried to figure out a way to control the temperature of the patents

body and the humidity of the room.

How/Why he invented the “Ice Machine”

• At this time ice was a rare commodity. Between 1837 and 1845, he developed an ice machine. This machine compressed air in a chamber. The air was then released to expand rapidly, causing it to absorb the heat from water that surrounded the chamber. The compressed air drew enough heat away from the water to bring the water temperature down below freezing, thus creating ice. In 1845, he finalized the design of his ice machine. In 1848 he commissioned the Cincinnati Iron Works to build a working model, which Gorrie began demonstrating the ability of his Ice Machine. This Ice Machine was later turned into what is better know as a refrigerator.

How this invention helped people:

• This invention allowed ice to be available for several uses.

• As noted above, Dr. Gorrie knew ice would bring the fever down on people with malaria and yellow fever. Having ice available saved people’s lives.

• It helped to preserve food and make it last longer.

• The food would not rot which kept people from getting sick.

What did this invention replace?

• It replaced getting ice from frozen lakes or in the mountains in the winter.

• People could now put food in the refrigerator to preserve it instead of burying it under ground to keep it cold.

Work cited • http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~ihas/gorrie/fridge.htm• http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/commerce/c020492.jpg• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gorrie

• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Electric_street_car,_c_1900,_Ottawa.jpg

• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/archives/images/set2/telegraph1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2007/06/016420.htm&usg=__OYzE9WWRc7pRcx-MilpKGKUaE1g=&h=444&w=632&sz=77&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=ksw04osHlku6YM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Delectric%2Btelegraph%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/ny/2-6-bulb2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/at-email/at-email-edison-bulbs-story-and-sources-2608-042784&usg=__gk0J3AbFouKpOAYH1M9RlKRJBVM=&h=690&w=500&sz=70&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=K-YMyyaH_v3-VM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtomas%2Bedison%2Blight%2Bbulb%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

• http://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/mountain.alps-ice.html