First Successful Sewing Machine
Inventor:
Walter Hunt was born in 1796 in New York, and worked as a farmer. Later in his life he earned a degree in masonry. This is trade in which he learned to build with natural materials such as bricks, stone cinder blocks and tiles. In 1834, Hunt created the first practical sewing machine (this was also the first eye pointed needle sewing machine) There was room for improvement in his invention but he lost interest in patenting it as he believed it would cause unemployment.
Effects on Buisness:
The first business the sewing machine changed was the clothing business. Clothing industries made clothing using dangerous machinery in factories, and then sent them off to be sold in stores. The sewing machine changed this business because the companies wouldn't need as many workers because there was no need to use the big dangerous machines that needed many operators. Also, they were able to produce clothing faster than ever before. Companies could make better quality clothing, and yet it's faster.
Effects on Society:
The sewing machine changed the way society was organized in many ways. One way society changed was the number of workers. Many people got laid off after companies started using sewing machines because they didn't need as many workers. Also, if people had sewing machines they don't need to pay seamstresses to make, fix or patch up clothing. Some may have lost business during this time. Sewing machines created this change because it almost took the place of jobs and skills of humans. One thing that did not change however was the danger of workers. People operating the big machinery in the factories before sewing machines were invented were doing dangerous jobs, like crawling under the machinery or reaching across it. Now the workers were being asked to operate sewing machines. Today they are very safe, but back then they weren't as much. Most dangers happen when your tired and if people are told to work for fourteen hours straight you will get tired probably resulting in accidents.
The Sewing Machine Today:
The sewing machine is still in fact here with us today. If you look around, everyone is wearing a different style of clothing. Whether its ripped jeans, tank tops, sweaters, or embroidered shirts everything is different. Sewing machines allow us to make all these different styles. It also made it possible for mothers and grandmothers to make clothes and blankets at home from fabric bought at a store. We, as a big manufacturing country, can make clothing in bigger masses now than earlier on when it was first created.
Child Labor/Safety Laws:
At the factories, children could not tend the machines as well as adults could. They were being forced to work more (12-14 hours per day) with less pay. These children were very ill and were not fed well. The sudden death of a lot of these children eventually rouse to parliament and they took action. Children were only allowed to work for a certain number of hours from there on. In 1911, at the Triangle Shirt Waist Company in New York had many female workers that worked for very long hours. One day, a cigarette bud was thrown in the garbage is started a fire. Since there was cotton, cloth and wooden tables everything caught in flames. 146 people died out of the 500 workers. This now placed new laws on fire safety, building codes and penalties for non-compliance. Other people around the country began to follow New York examples of these new laws.
Changes:
This invention has changed significantly since it was first invented. Today, you can buy machines were you type in a name and press okay and it will embroider the name on the cloth. This really requires you to do nothing. If you wanted to do that on the first sewing machine, it would take a lot of time, patience and skill. Also, the design is very different. Some sewing machines were on tables, and they required you to keep pushing on a pedal for it to work. Today, sewing machines are electric.
click here for more information: http://www.moah.org/exhibits/virtual/sewing.html
Walter Hunt was born in 1796 in New York, and worked as a farmer. Later in his life he earned a degree in masonry. This is trade in which he learned to build with natural materials such as bricks, stone cinder blocks and tiles. In 1834, Hunt created the first practical sewing machine (this was also the first eye pointed needle sewing machine) There was room for improvement in his invention but he lost interest in patenting it as he believed it would cause unemployment.
Effects on Buisness:
The first business the sewing machine changed was the clothing business. Clothing industries made clothing using dangerous machinery in factories, and then sent them off to be sold in stores. The sewing machine changed this business because the companies wouldn't need as many workers because there was no need to use the big dangerous machines that needed many operators. Also, they were able to produce clothing faster than ever before. Companies could make better quality clothing, and yet it's faster.
Effects on Society:
The sewing machine changed the way society was organized in many ways. One way society changed was the number of workers. Many people got laid off after companies started using sewing machines because they didn't need as many workers. Also, if people had sewing machines they don't need to pay seamstresses to make, fix or patch up clothing. Some may have lost business during this time. Sewing machines created this change because it almost took the place of jobs and skills of humans. One thing that did not change however was the danger of workers. People operating the big machinery in the factories before sewing machines were invented were doing dangerous jobs, like crawling under the machinery or reaching across it. Now the workers were being asked to operate sewing machines. Today they are very safe, but back then they weren't as much. Most dangers happen when your tired and if people are told to work for fourteen hours straight you will get tired probably resulting in accidents.
The Sewing Machine Today:
The sewing machine is still in fact here with us today. If you look around, everyone is wearing a different style of clothing. Whether its ripped jeans, tank tops, sweaters, or embroidered shirts everything is different. Sewing machines allow us to make all these different styles. It also made it possible for mothers and grandmothers to make clothes and blankets at home from fabric bought at a store. We, as a big manufacturing country, can make clothing in bigger masses now than earlier on when it was first created.
Child Labor/Safety Laws:
At the factories, children could not tend the machines as well as adults could. They were being forced to work more (12-14 hours per day) with less pay. These children were very ill and were not fed well. The sudden death of a lot of these children eventually rouse to parliament and they took action. Children were only allowed to work for a certain number of hours from there on. In 1911, at the Triangle Shirt Waist Company in New York had many female workers that worked for very long hours. One day, a cigarette bud was thrown in the garbage is started a fire. Since there was cotton, cloth and wooden tables everything caught in flames. 146 people died out of the 500 workers. This now placed new laws on fire safety, building codes and penalties for non-compliance. Other people around the country began to follow New York examples of these new laws.
Changes:
This invention has changed significantly since it was first invented. Today, you can buy machines were you type in a name and press okay and it will embroider the name on the cloth. This really requires you to do nothing. If you wanted to do that on the first sewing machine, it would take a lot of time, patience and skill. Also, the design is very different. Some sewing machines were on tables, and they required you to keep pushing on a pedal for it to work. Today, sewing machines are electric.
click here for more information: http://www.moah.org/exhibits/virtual/sewing.html