Inventions

TABLE FORK

Forks were first used by the Greeks as utensils to serve their food. It was common for forks to have only two straight tines, so they could only be used to serve or spear food. Later, during the Byzantine era, in the year 972, the use of the table fork in the Western society was faciltated by the Empress Theophanu and her husband, the Emperor Otto II.  Later, it was taken to Italy (during the 11^th century) where it became a popular eating utensile amongst members of the upper class.

The fork is a piece of cutlery or kitchenware, usually metallic, consisting of a handle with narrow tines at one end. It is used as an eating utensile; it can serve to lift food to the mouth or hold it in place while cooking or cutting. To lift the food, the fork has sharp tines to spear it or a curved surface to hold it on the tines.

Personal Criteria

Forks were developed mainly to help with cooking; their purpose, at first, was to spear food to keep it in place or to remove excess juice from it. Since they were straight, they could only be used to spear food (to cut it or hold it while cooking it).

Rudimentary forks found in China (not considered the first forks because of their simplicity) were made out of bones. As history progressed, the discovery of metals and the different techniques for shaping them made it possible for men to design the ancient, two-tine forks. In the Greek times, these forks were big and bulky; later, during the seveth century, the fork had been redesigned and was made a small, practical golden tool. After being used by the upper class for many years, the fork was made as popular as it is now, and several different types of forks were developed. These types include the spork, a fork that serves as fork and spoon.

The fork has great impact on society: it has allowed the variety of foods that human beings consume and it has shaped the table manners that most of society accepts. Without it, the simple act of eating a meal would be dirty and more complicated (the fork allows precision in cutting and spearing). Also, the fork helped to shape the upper classes of society and their standards (manners).

TOOTHBRUSH

Even though tools used for dental hygiene have been used for longer than we know, the first record of a toothbrush is from 3000 B.C., and it consisted of a twig with a frayed end called a chewstick. Indian and Chinese cultures were the first to use the toothbrush (similar tools that served the same purpose and were made using the twigs of the neem or banyan tree or horse hairs and ox bones (the Muslims were also some of the first people to use this oral hygiene tool). The toothbrush as we know it was invented in England in the 1780’s.

The toothbrush is “an oral hygiene instrument used to clean the teeth and gums that consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles mounted on a handle, which facilitates the cleansing of hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. Toothpaste, which often contains fluoride, is commonly used in conjunction with a toothbrush to increase the effectiveness of toothbrushing.”

Personal Criteria

The toothbrush was created in response to a generalized need to clean the mouth and preserve the teeth. It is an extremely useful tool that provides comfort and, at the same time, ensures the health of one of the most important body parts: the mouth.

The toothbrush, at first, was a very elemental tool. However, with the advances in technology, people were able to turn it into the extremely efficient tool we know now. When there was enough technology to get the horse hairs into a handle (required very precise cutting tools and a way of attaching the hairs securely), the toothbrush began its evolution. Right now, technological advances have made toothbrushes with movable heads, specialized fibers, and much more possible.

Like most inventions, toothbrushes were only available (in Europe) for the nobility and the members of the highest social classes. However, when it became mass produced (in England) for the first time, it became an article of common usage (the cheap toothbrushes were made of pig bristle while the more expensive ones used badge hair). During the time the toothbrush was mass-produced, England was facing a time of riots and social problems. The founder of the company that was to mass-produce toothbrushes came up with the idea in jail, after being held prisoner for starting a riot. While in jail, he figured a way to make the cleaning of teeth easier: he “took a small animal bone, drilled small holes in it, obtained some bristles from a guard, tied them in tufts, passed the tufts through the holes on the bone, and glued them.”

This invention has greatly improved humanity’s dental hygiene and, therefore, it has improved human quality of life. If the toothbrush didn’t exist, humans would begin to have problems with their teeth at an early age and, eventually, would have to eat only liquid things. The toothbrush makes eating solid foods at a relatively old age possible.

TOILET PAPER

Toilet paper was invented in medieval China, and dates back to the 6th century AD. Toilet paper is “a soft paper product (tissue paper) used to maintain personal hygiene after human defecation or urination. However, it can also be used for other purposes such as absorbing spillages or craft projects.”

Personal Criteria

Toilet paper was created to deal with the problem of having to defecate in rivers or to wipe with wool, lace or hemp, rags, wood shavings, leaves, grass, hay, stone, sand, moss, water, snow, maize, ferns, plant husks, fruit skins, or seashells, and corn cobs; it was much easier to use paper. In China, paper was first used by the wealthy (the emperors) and was manually made and perfumed. Since the Chinese were the ones who invented paper, they thought it was the best tool to use when it came to hygiene.

Toilet paper, although somewhat overlooked, is vital in modern society. Without toilet paper, it would be much harder to live in the modern societies we know today. It is a very important tool in our lives and provides a comfortable, efficient method of dealing with a problem that seems less important than what it really is.