NationStates Jolt Archive

Had to laugh this morning, flicking through the radio found radio 2 doing a paper review. In one paper there was a report of ‘The Germans trying to claim inventions as their own.’ One of these was the light bulb (I assume the incandescent bulb) and the presenter and, or paper put this down by saying everyone knows the light bulb was invented by an American.

This came as a surprise to me as I always thought that Joseph Swan was from the Sunderland area of England and worked in Newcastle. Funny that during his life time never leaving the UK he must have acquired US citizenship.

But indeed Heinrich Gobel did contribute to the light bulb, and indeed he was German! So some of the work was done by a German. But the man who started it all was Sir Humphrey Davey.

Just goes to show how poorly informed by the papers and the BBC can be.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Swan (http://)

...A british person?....hmm >.> <.< :D

I seem to remember a thread a few weeks past where somebody claimed that the Americans had invented the steam train.... Isn't it just amazing?

Edit : Oh, and the automobile, of course :)

I seem to remember a thread a few weeks past where somebody claimed that the Americans had invented the steam train.... Isn't it just amazing?

Edit : Oh, and the automobile, of course :)
Next they will be claiming the first powered flight.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%A9ment_Ader (http://)

Next they will be claiming the first powered flight.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%A9ment_Ader (http://)

Printing, more likely. :D
Or television....

Printing, more likely. :D
Or television....
Or that they broke the enigma code.

Next they will be claiming the first powered flight.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%A9ment_Ader (http://)

But everyone knows that the first powered human flight was by the French! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgolfier

as if America's best scientists weren't Germans anyway. :rolleyes:

oh but they did.... didnt you see U971 (i think) that sub movie...

as if America's best scientists weren't Germans anyway. :rolleyes:

Albert Einstein, Wernher von Braun, who else?

But everyone knows that the first powered human flight was by the French! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgolfier
So we have first powered flight : French fella
First heavier than air powered flight: Another French Fella
First Channel Crossing: is there a pattern or is it me?

Albert Einstein, Wernher von Braun, who else?
We'll have to look who was snatched after the war, but the list is long.

The hidden message behind every post above:

"America sucks. We've got nothing better to do than think of ways we can rip on America. We hate America, but mostly because we don't live there. We also have very little understanding of the lifestyle/political process/... etc. but we do watch the news, which makes us increasingly informed."

I wish we could all live in a country for a few years before we make assumptions/judgements. Oh, and I wish I had a magical watch that could rewind time.

i have lived in the US.

I choose not to cause it is one f*cked up country.

The US does try to take credit for things that are not it's to take credit for.

A good example is a person i met in the US (studying economics at UCLA) claimed that the automobile was invented by Henry Ford, and had proof - in the form of her text book.

The hidden message behind every post above:

"America sucks. We've got nothing better to do than think of ways we can rip on America. We hate America, but mostly because we don't live there. We also have very little understanding of the lifestyle/political process/... etc. but we do watch the news, which makes us increasingly informed."

I wish we could all live in a country for a few years before we make assumptions/judgements. Oh, and I wish I had a magical watch that could rewind time.
well, the americans might not have invented the inferiority complex, but you certainly made an art out of it.

i have lived in the US.

I choose not to cause it is one f*cked up country.

The US does try to take credit for things that are not it's to take credit for.

A good example is a person i met in the US (studying economics at UCLA) claimed that the automobile was invented by Henry Ford, and had proof - in the form of her text book.

ROFL

Also i hear that america didnt invent the internet!..aparantly it was CERN...some swiss or switzerland company or something....i am sur eyou people can find more on that then me..

First heavier than air powered flight: Another French Fella

?

Damnit, I forgot how smart everyone else was on these forums. Okay I give up, you all win. So incredibly smart...

The hidden message behind every post above:

"America sucks. We've got nothing better to do than think of ways we can rip on America. We hate America, but mostly because we don't live there. We also have very little understanding of the lifestyle/political process/... etc. but we do watch the news, which makes us increasingly informed."

I wish we could all live in a country for a few years before we make assumptions/judgements. Oh, and I wish I had a magical watch that could rewind time.

I lived in a number of countries so far, but I never had the desire to move to the USA, sorry, otherwise I guess I'd have done so.

Nobody hates the USA, we were just making fun of them, just like I would make fun of Britain for their upper classes, France for their strange cinema, Germany for their general absence of humour and weird effectiveness, Italy for its delusions of grandiour, etc. Do you see the pattern? ;)

Hey, the first computer bug was found by an American!
http://www.jamesshuggins.com/h/tek1/first_computer_bug.htm

Yes, now I have to find some moths in Windows XP.

Nobody hates the USA, we were just making fun of them, just like I would make fun of Britain for their upper classes

Speak for yourself on the first point. :D
And whats wrong with us- i mean the upper classes ?>.> <.< :p

Oh don't be so damn defensive and have a little self irony, will you? I bet you've said a lot of similar things about, for example, European or Arabic countries. :rolleyes:

The original design for the internet was at CERN (a European Scientific Inititive involving some sort of high energy physics (i think)), this was then copied by the US military, with the assistance of some US Universities to create a distributed network which later morphed into the net. So what was in CERN was more of an intranet than internet and is probably better considered the great uncle than the father to it.

Speak for yourself on the first point. :D
And whats wrong with us- i mean the upper classes ?>.> <.< :p

*lol

Appart from the annoying accent, the dreadful taste in furniture and clothes and the inherited disposition to yell "Tally-ho" and jump on a horse when sighting a fox?

*lol

Appart from the annoying accent, the dreadful taste in furniture and clothes and the inherited disposition to yell "Tally-ho" and jump on a horse when sighting a fox?

:eek: I DO not aprove of fox hunting.....and i have a good taste in clothes and furniature (not that i have much to do with the input of furniature into the pile) and i have only said tally-ho 3 times, and there wasnt a fox in sight
and my accent isnt noticable... >.> <.<

The hidden message behind every post above:

"America sucks. We've got nothing better to do than think of ways we can rip on America. We hate America, but mostly because we don't live there. We also have very little understanding of the lifestyle/political process/... etc. but we do watch the news, which makes us increasingly informed."

I wish we could all live in a country for a few years before we make assumptions/judgements. Oh, and I wish I had a magical watch that could rewind time.
Just chill. The purpose of the thread was to highlight how people who should know better don't.
But if you want to start feeding frenzy then yes make statements that people in Europe know less about the US than the US does about them. That'll start thing off right enough.

*lol

Appart from the annoying accent, the dreadful taste in furniture and clothes and the inherited disposition to yell "Tally-ho" and jump on a horse when sighting a fox?
I love how generalisations are always true.

:eek: I DO not aprove of fox hunting.....and i have a good taste in clothes and furniature (not that i have much to do with the input of furniature into the pile) and i have only said tally-ho 3 times, and there wasnt a fox in sight
and my accent isnt noticable... >.> <.<

And - let me guess - you didn't invent the light bulb either, did you? ;)

:eek: I DO not aprove of fox hunting.....and i have a good taste in clothes and furniature (not that i have much to do with the input of furniature into the pile) and i have only said tally-ho 3 times, and there wasnt a fox in sight
and my accent isnt noticable... >.> <.<
Bloody toff! What's the matter with Whippets, flat caps, coal and the odd bottle of dog?

And - let me guess - you didn't invent the light bulb either, did you? ;)

i would'nt know (or care) to much on that subject, however if you wish to procede in to a time-wasting flaming match then so be it.

Bloody toff! What's the matter with Whippets, flat caps, coal and the odd bottle of dog?

nothing..carry on :D im not a toff...only lower upper class..

i would know (or care) to much on that subject, however if you wish to procede in to a time-wasting flaming match then so be it.

Hey, I was kidding

What it boils down to, is that while America didnt invent the lightbulb, or the automobile...we certainly improved on the original models, and made them practical for the rest of the world to use.

So..after a couple hundred years of that...we start thinking we actually invented that stuff, instead of making them actually work.

:D Hey, I was kidding

..yes its all fun and games until someone gets a hole in ones tweed jacket !

:D

the upper class of Britain (mainly England) were indeed responsible for a good many inventions. At least they put thier time and money to some use. Shame we don't encourage that sort of behaviour anymore. Too busy trying to tax them out of house and hounds.

i dunno the greek method (circa 200BC i think) was a pretty good light bulb... And Daimler make some nice cars now...

What it boils down to, is that while America didnt invent the lightbulb, or the automobile...we certainly improved on the original models, and made them practical for the rest of the world to use.

So..after a couple hundred years of that...we start thinking we actually invented that stuff, instead of making them actually work.
I'll give credit where it is due. Swan and Eddison did get together and formed a company. And part of the battle of invention is taking a things and getting it on the shelves or in use. And the Americans have been good at that.

the upper class of Britain (mainly England) were indeed responsible for a good many inventions. At least they put thier time and money to some use. Shame we don't encourage that sort of behaviour anymore. Too busy trying to tax them out of house and hounds.

well a few did invest there money to worth while causes...general booth for example..who founded the salvation army

The hidden message behind every post above:

"America sucks. We've got nothing better to do than think of ways we can rip on America. We hate America, but mostly because we don't live there. We also have very little understanding of the lifestyle/political process/... etc. but we do watch the news, which makes us increasingly informed."

I wish we could all live in a country for a few years before we make assumptions/judgements. Oh, and I wish I had a magical watch that could rewind time.
And your hidden message is?
Boohoo, nobody loves me.

Posters make fun of others contributing inventions to themselves and you see america-bashing in it? Maybe if american movies like U-571 would give credit were it belongs you would not deserve as much mocking.

What it boils down to, is that while America didnt invent the lightbulb, or the automobile...we certainly improved on the original models, and made them practical for the rest of the world to use.

So..after a couple hundred years of that...we start thinking we actually invented that stuff, instead of making them actually work.

Well, Henry Ford DID invent the conveyor belt. You can take pride in the fact that, even if the original combustion engine will be outdated within the next 50 years, conveyor belts will enjoy continued use... in Sushi restaurants if nowhere else.

And your hidden message is?
Boohoo, nobody loves me.

Posters make fun of others contributing inventions to themselves and you see america-bashing in it? Maybe if american movies like U-571 would give credit were it belongs you would not deserve as much mocking.

and the great escape, 633 squadron, the bridge on the river kwai...oh theres loads of movies like that

errr what? i thought he saw it in a meat packing plant (probably in chicago to be fair) but i dont think he invented it... He did however see it's potential to be used for mass production in heavy industry as well as in the food industry.


(PS his original plan involved building the chasis (sp) and then pulling that along the ground with a rope, while people added more bits :-) )

Well, Henry Ford DID invent the conveyor belt. You can take pride in the fact that, even if the original combustion engine will be outdated within the next 50 years, conveyor belts will enjoy continued use... in Sushi restaurants if nowhere else.
and Ford's assembly line and division of labour is the model of most fast food kitchens. there's something Americans really did invent, the fast food franchise. McWorld :sniper:

Well, Henry Ford DID invent the conveyor belt. You can take pride in the fact that, even if the original combustion engine will be outdated within the next 50 years, conveyor belts will enjoy continued use... in Sushi restaurants if nowhere else.True, but it wasn't the car. I think the thread you meant before might have been the one about computers... or did that just come up...? I wonder...

True, but it wasn't the car. I think the thread you meant before might have been the one about computers... or did that just come up...? I wonder...

If I remember correctly, it was in one of those "Unfair and jealous world hates America"-threads a while back. The argument was something on the line of "but we invented the cars and the steam trains and computers, and they still hate us"

If I remember correctly, it was in one of those "Unfair and jealous world hates America"-threads a while back. The argument was something on the line of "but we invented the cars and the steam trains and computers, and they still hate us"Ah yeah, and then someone told me it wasn't a German that invented the first computer... :( most disappointing.

Ah yeah, and then someone told me it wasn't a German that invented the first computer... :( most disappointing. Yes but the definition of what a computer is shifts so it's a hard one. Babbage or do we wait until it's programable or electronic etc.
Can I just say Parsons at this point? Nothing to do with computers but love the name and he is often overlooked.

No-one would have believed, in the first years of the 21st century that across the gulf of the Atlantic, minds immeasurably inferior to ours regarded our history with envious eyes.

And slowly, but surely. They nicked it.

That quote was taken from a topical comedy show in the UK. Kudos to anyone who gets the skit but on a serious note it pretty much sums up our thoughts on the US. (at least, when you piss us off, we know you're OK really).

Yes but the definition of what a computer is shifts so it's a hard one. Babbage or do we wait until it's programable or electronic etc.
Can I just say Parsons at this point? Nothing to do with computers but love the name and he is often overlooked.Zuse is my favorite, specially since he gave up graphic art because of the Nazis.

The Irish invented trousers. they all laughed when we wore trousers, now they're all doing it!

Zuse is my favorite, specially since he gave up graphic art because of the Nazis.
Need to look him up.
You do have Deisel, Braun, Hertz and loads more.

The Irish invented trousers. they all laughed when we wore trousers, now they're all doing it!But we haven't stopped laughing at the Irish... :p

Need to look him up.
You do have Deisel, Braun, Hertz and loads more.
Konrad Zuse. He built it during the Nazi era.

But we haven't stopped laughing at the Irish... :p
a German? laughing? willthe wonders never cease? :D

a German? laughing? willthe wonders never cease? :DI'm half American... actually, the only Irish jokes I know come from an Irishman...

Konrad Zuse. He built it during the Nazi era. Looked him up, was it not another German that invented re recordable media. Just something I remember but can't place.

I'm half American... actually, the only Irish jokes I know come from an Irishman...
yeah, for some reason, we seem to love makin fun of ourselves.
I wonder why that is :confused:

well we love makin fun of everybody else, so we're just another target. kind of like shooting at your own foot because you've run out of other targets.

yeah, for some reason, we seem to love makin fun of ourselves.
I wonder why that is :confused:

well we love makin fun of everybody else, so we're just another target. kind of like shooting at your own foot because you've run out of other targets.The guy that told me the jokes said it was because you shouldn't tell racial jokes unless it was about your own.

The guy that told me the jokes said it was because you shouldn't tell racial jokes unless it was about your own.
you have to admit, the logic is flawless. who better to make fun of the irish than the irish themselves?

The original design for the internet was at CERN (a European Scientific Inititive involving some sort of high energy physics (i think)), this was then copied by the US military, with the assistance of some US Universities to create a distributed network which later morphed into the net. So what was in CERN was more of an intranet than internet and is probably better considered the great uncle than the father to it.
No, no. The Internet was really invented by the USA as a collaboration between the military and universities, most notably MIT and UCLA, to have a computer network that would still be running in case of a nuclear attack.

What was developed at CERN was the World Wide Web, HTTP and all that. There was an internet before that, with FTP, gopher, archie, usenet, etc., but its unfriendly ways meant it was confined to the academy and government. The WWW brought it to the masses.