The Invention of the Lightbulb

Jamie McNeil
Per. 5
US History
October 22, 2013


     Although it looks small and its design is relatively simple on the exterior, the interior of a light bulb is a working piece of art. A prevalent invention in the United States, it has changed significantly along with history. The first light bulb was called the "arc bulb" and it developed during pre-Industrial Revolution time. It was impressive compared to a lighted candle for light sources, but it proved to be large and difficult to move and manage in the common household. New improvements started being made and from then on, there was a constant battle to find good balance of heat and electricity flow. Glass blowing around the burner of the bulb (known as the vacuum) created a more steady balance between these components. Although the  glass blowing technique improved light withstanding, it still was not as long-lasting as it could have been.

   Many, many inventors; most notably, Thomas Edison, (whose bright ideas failed many times in improving the light bulb before he ever succeeded!) worked on improving this continued problem. Over time, eventually vacuums of bulbs were altered and Japanese bamboo would serve as the main working part of the light bulb. It wrapped around the newly-altered vacuum and finally created the LASTING light that we so depend on.

Sources:
http://www.unmuseum.org/lightbulb.htm
http://invsee.asu.edu/Modules/lightbulb/meathist.htm

"Let's Look at an Owner" Summary

Jamie McNeil
October 14, 2013
US History Per. 5  

   In the 19th century, Californian Leland Stanford was a successful shopkeeper, but also the elected governor of Sacramento's Republican party, who voted for him themselves. Stanford's mission was to start to build the Transcontinental Railroad farther towards the central states, and he allowed Mormon workers, as well, to work on the railroad. But he was fairly unpopular because he made many mistakes over treaties and lands, plus he was unmotivated and often made rash decisions that he made by himself alone. Despite this, his efforts did have an impact on railroad growth to the east of California.

   I think the pros of business owners in the 1800s were that they were driven and very motivated to have successful businesses, which meant they were willing to hire workers. That would expand the business area. The cons would be that they were abrupt, impatient (and sometimes greedy)! This led to poor treatment of their business workers.

   Source:
   "Let's Look at an Owner"

Battlefield Health Care: Civil War Times

Jamie McNeil
Period 5 US History
9-27-13                      

    As one might expect, the United States medical field during the civil war was close to disastrous. Bloody, gruesome, and horrid effects were dawned on the soldiers and even more gruesome were the treatments that the wounded received. Compared to the medical services that were offered in Europe, medics were poorly trained, used inadequate materials, and often would operate just to get the job done, not really thinking about the effects their actions would cause on the wounded.  Plus, there was always the chance that the patients could catch disease from he operations, which probably resulted in almost as many deaths as those who had died on the battlefield. Although the amount of doctors was in much less quantities in the Confederate than the Union states, there was still very little doctor influence. What might have been a more positive involvement during the Civil War was the involvement of women. Before the war began, women had typical roles in American society that included managing the household and taking care of the family, but once it began, women served as nurses and aided the to battlefield healthcare tremendously.

     More rare diseases, such as bacteria outbreaks, to less rare ones, like pneumonia and chicken pox occurred among all this action. Because of poor nutrition (caused by many people all in one place and filthy conditions), bacteria started to spread on the food, and was one of the causes of very negative effects on the soldiers at the battleground camp. Today, in hospitals, we can appreciate all the medical gadgets, supplies, and care we are given that now in today's standards, we take for granted.

Sources:
Medical Care During the Civil War

Medical Care, Battle Wounds, and Disease