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Electric Future/Industrial Past

Sloan Museum of Discovery Celebrates Automotive Manufacturing History

June 6, 2022

The history of the automotive industry began in “Vehicle City” thanks to the production of wagons and horse-drawn carriages in Flint, Mich. Companies like the Durant-Dort Carriage Company and Flint Wagon Works set the groundwork for the formation of General Motors in 1908. By the early 1980s, Flint was commonly referred to as “Buick City” and represented General Motors early attempts with the ‘Just-in-Time’ manufacturing concept. This slice of Americana will be on display at the renovated Sloan Museum of Discovery, reopening in July 2022, in Flint.

Cars with Jet Engines

June 1, 2019

In the late 1940s, the U.S. auto industry started an exciting experiment and spent decades on it. One result came in '63, when the Turbine was introduced by Chrysler Corp., now a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). In appearance, the two-door, four-passenger car looked like a regular car, but it wasn't. Under its sleek shell, the car had a jet engine.

Al-Jazari - Mechanical Genius

June 1, 2017

The following is a very brief overview on the life, work and achievements of Al-Jazari - the most famous mechanical engineer of his time. Now well more than 1,000 years ago,

Hertha Marks Ayrton

August 1, 2016

She was born Phoebe Sarah Marks April 28, 1854 in Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK — the third child of a Polish-Jewish watchmaker named Levi Marks and Alice Theresa Moss, a seamstress. Her father died in 1861, leaving Sarah’s mother with seven children — and another on the way — and Sarah with shared responsibility for caring for the children.

Nasa Glenn Research Center - A Look Back

April 1, 2016

In 1941, the federal Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory set up shop in Cleveland, Ohio. This year, and several name changes later, what is now the NASA Glenn Research Center celebrates its 75th anniversary. As part of the year-long festivities, Glenn’s adjunct Lewis Field main campus will be open to the public May 21 and 22, and Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio will hold its open house June 11 and 12.

Seeking Higher Ground

March 1, 2016

Even for a toddlin town famous for making “no small plans” — such as, for example, reversing in 1900 the Chicago River to secure clean drinking water, or rebuilding itself seemingly overnight after the devastating “Great Chicago Fire” (1871) — to physically — and successfully — elevate itself as much as 14 feet above its original ground level defies not only description but credulity.

Before There Were Bar Cars

February 1, 2013

The history of railroading is a saga of epic proportions: North meets South; Ocean meets Ocean. Track and trains and the locomotives that power them have long held Americans' fascination and fancy.

Rolling Bearing Steels - A Technical and Historical Perspective - Part 1

February 1, 2013

This paper summarizes the chemical, metallurgical and physical aspects of bearing steels and their effect on rolling bearing life and reliability.

The Painful Birth of the DC Electric Motor

June 1, 2012

Defined in rudimentary terms, an electric motor is a device that uses electricity to create mechanical force. But in 1834, when our story takes place, most people would have trouble understanding the ramifications. That was the year that one of the earliest DC electric motors was invented—by a blacksmith.