Numbers Don't Lie by Vaclav Smil

Author:Vaclav Smil [Smil, Vaclav]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780241989708
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2020-09-30T22:00:00+00:00

The surprising story of inflatable tires

Famous inventions are few, and they generally carry the name of a person or institution. Edison’s lightbulb and Bell Labs’ transistor are perhaps the most notable examples in this very small category, although Edison did not invent the lightbulb (just its more durable version), and Bell Labs merely reinvented the transistor (the solid-state device was patented in 1925 by Julius Edgar Lilienfeld).

At the other end of the recognition spectrum is the much larger category of epoch-making inventions whose origins are obscure. There is no better example of this than the inflatable tire, invented by one John Boyd Dunlop, a Scotsman living in Ireland. His British patent dates back over 130 years, to December 7, 1888.

Before Dunlop, the best bet was the solid rubber tire, which had been available ever since Charles Goodyear’s vulcanization process (heating rubber with sulfur to increase its elasticity, patented in 1844) made it possible to produce durable rubber. Although such tires were a major improvement on solid wooden wheels or spoked wheels with iron rims, they still gave a jarring ride.

Dunlop devised his prototype, in 1887, to smooth the bumpy ride of his son’s tricycle. It was a primitive product—simply an inflated tube that was tied off, wrapped in linen, and fastened to a solid wooden tricycle wheel by nails.

John Boyd Dunlop riding on his invention

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