Who Really Made a Difference?

This post is another effort to encourage my readers to think. 

A while back we talked about ‘the best’ thing you might own. Today, thanks to the urging of a dear friend from Western Georgia, we go in another direction. Do you have a nominee for an inventor who improved your life? I nominate one in the next couple of paragraphs and I have another I’ll identify later in this note. 

But I want you to think about an inventor, man or woman who genuinely changed your life for the better. The less-than-original might fall into the Tommy Edison, Alex Bell camp. Okay, sure, phones and phonographs are a bit of a convenience and the light bulb keeps my toes safe when headin’ to a dark bathroom come midnight.  But really, what changed the way you live and improved your life, without question?

Mr. Willis Carrier gets my vote. Working in the presumably cool environs of Buffalo, New York during the early 20th century, this common man’s hero inexplicably invented the modern air conditioner. Willis Carrier changed my life and I suspect he changed yours too. We all have had experiences where attic fans and mountain streams provided enough satisfaction to calm the fevered brow and allow for some respite from summer’s heat. But, day in, day out, nothing works like good ole AC and I am so happy for Mr. Carrier’s work I may name my next dog for him.

I think a caveat in this exercise may be that the invention nominated, when working properly, has never let you down. Can you say that about the telephone or light bulb? Ever had your heart broken via air conditioner? Or been shocked by a mouse running into its hole when you turned on the AC? I didn’t think so.

An old French monk named Dom Perignon perfected tiny bubbles in alcoholic beverages and it’s hard to argue with that. But really, couldn’t ya drink wine if you must? There’s no ‘substitute’ for conditioned air. 

The Wright Brothers…. smart… and brave. But I like train travel, too, and it wouldn’t bother me too much if business was done and vacations enjoyed on a bit more local scale.

Guttenberg, now that was a product. He allowed us to spit out one million National Enquirers in a six hour window. Killed a lot of trees, but still a good invention, the printing press. Doesn’t get my vote though. Ole Whit Judson invented the zipper and allowed for men holding a glass of Dom Perignon’s invention to close their trousers using just one hand.  That’s cool, but does it rank with the air conditioner.  Really?

Someone out there will nominate Zuckerberg or Jobs or Gore or some other modern miracle creator and I will allow it, but put the nomination on the shelf for future evaluation. The guy who invents time-travel or mental telepathy machines will likely make the iPhone, Internet and Face Book historical icons suitable only for a textbook.

Can anyone forecast the demise of my lovely window unit with three speeds and a timer that allows it to turn on 20 minutes before I return from work? I didn’t think so.  Improve it… maybe. Replace it? Hahaha.

My only nominated competitor for dear Willis is Mr. John Harris of Wiltshire England of the early 18th century. Did he invent the padded bra or the internal combustion engine? No, too obvious. Did Ole John create the formula for chocolate chip cookies, drywall or double-knit?

None of those. Think bigger. Think of something that could make you willingly hop in your car and drive to your in-laws early on a frosty morn. Think of bacon. Mr. John Harris perfected the art of curing a side of pork belly to the salted perfection we know today.

Mr. John Harris and Mr. Willis Carrier. Bacon and air conditioning. 

Whachagot?