This page from @Purdue University has some wonderful pictures of old sets of Kennedy blocks, and even includes a photo of Kennedy himself, with his blocks!

https://buff.ly/4j7a3QC

#purdue

Kennedy’s blocks weren’t just toys—they were tools for teaching. His invention reflects a broader movement in the late 19th century to make education more interactive. Think of them as the precursor to modern STEM toys like LEGO or robotics kits!

Kennedy appeared to find success with his blocks - The National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian maintains “Dissected Circle Transformable Parallelogram" in its collection.

https://www.si.edu/object/dissected-circle-transformable-parallelogram:nmah_1292520

This was groundbreaking in the late 1800s. Forget boring chalkboards—his blocks made math interactive and exciting! 🧩📊

Kennedy's blocks paved the way for hands-on learning about mathematics and geometry. Basically, his blocks fostered spatial reasoning and geometry skills in children through play. They turned geometry into hands-on fun. ✋✨

Kennedy's blocks weren’t your average building blocks—they were hinged, and could be rearranged to form circles, parallelograms, and other shapes.

On this day (January 9) in 1883, U.S. Patent No. 270,225 issued to Albert H. Kennedy of Rockport, Indiana for a Geometrical Block.

Let's dig in to learn the angles on some interesting education history!

📏 📐 🎒 🎓

#patents #history 🗃️

https://buff.ly/4hrdbFx

I can't uncover any evidence of success for Mr. Pemberton's cryolite soaps, and it seems that commercial extraction of the mineral ceased in the '80s or '90s.

So, perhaps cryolite is not the answer. The search continues!

🔎 🤔

The '250 patent describes the use of cryolite in the making of soap, and describes it as "found only in Greenland."

https://buff.ly/3PvwYHP

The '865 patent describes an Improved Sapnoifier

Mr. Pemberton "prefer[red] to use the mixture of aluminate and hydrate of soda obtained by the decomposition of the mineral known as cryolite...a whitish mineral found in Greenland."

https://patents.google.com/patent/US53865A/

Wikipedia describes Cryolite as:

"an uncommon mineral identified with the once-large deposit at Ivittuut on the west coast of Greenland, mined commercially until 1987."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryolite

📍 Both patents reference "cryolite" and describe it as "found in Greenland."

🗺️

Maybe these two U.S. patents explain the interest in Greenland, both of which issued to Henry Pemberton of Alleghany, Pennsylvania

1️⃣ U.S. Patent No. 53,865, which issued on April 10, 1866

2️⃣ U.S. Patent No. 64,250, which issued on April 30, 1867

🪨 📜 🤔

#patents #history 🗃️

And one last thing - while the Knaffl Madonna is in the public domain and you're free to use it as you wish, you can also buy prints and cards directly from the son of Josephine (the baby in the picture), who is Dr. Knaffl's great-grandson, here: https://buff.ly/429Ecsi

And, if you're ever in downtown Knoxville, be sure to visit the historical marker that honors Joseph Knaffl himself and the Knaffl Madonna.

https://buff.ly/40xa49r

If you want to know more about the Knaffl family, and the story behind the Knaffl Madonna, the following resources may be of interest:

https://buff.ly/3DLd7ll

https://buff.ly/402ZfKK

The photo has even been used, apparently without credit to (or interest in) Joseph or Josephine, on Hallmark Christmas cards. Hallmark is free to use the photo, of course, as it's in the public domain now. A little interest in the history behind it might be appreciated, though.

Joseph worked as a portrait photographner in Knoxville and is best known for his 1899 photograph of a female model, Emma Franz, holding Knaffl's daughter (Rudolph's granddaughter). The photo is commonly known as "Knoffl's Madonna" was a commercial and prize-winning success.

Joseph Knaffl was born in 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War, and would have been about 12 when Dr. Knaffl filed his patent application for what appears to be a foot-activated guitar capo.

On this day (January 7) in 1873, U.S. Patent No. 134,679 issued to Dr. Rudolph Knaffl of Nashville, Tennessee for an Improvement in Guitars.

His invention does not appear to have been a hit. His son, though, did make it big...in photography.

🎸 📸

#patents #history 🗃️

I bought an antique “Flower Frog” marked with this patent over the weekend. Frogs are new to me…but the thing is beautiful. I’ll post some photos once it arrives.

#patents #antiques

Here's some additional resources for anyone interested in learning more:

https://buff.ly/3BJFqQA

https://buff.ly/4h2fLBA

https://buff.ly/3BY2hb2

https://buff.ly/426asg3

Roche's early work contributed to bringing aviation to the people, not as passengers, but as pilots! His legacy lives on in every student that takes a discovery flight.

Next time you see a small plane flying overhead, think of Jean Roche and the flying bathtub!

The Aeronca design, a modification of Roche's original design, paved the way for the light aircraft industry, influencing planes like the Piper Cub.

The C-2 cost about a year's salary and could be flown for as little as a penny a mile. It was the first truly successful "personal" airplane. Over 160 sold in just two and a half years.

And it had a lasting impact - Aeronca essentially created the market for personal planes.

Wrong!

The little Aeronca soared. The Aeronca became known as "The Flying Bathtub" and, more importantly, as the only airplane people could afford.

Aeronca refined Roche's tiny plane for mass-production at Cincinnatti's Lunken Airport, and launched the resulting "C-2 Scout" in 1929 -- just as the stock market crashed and America plunged into the Great Depression.

Horrible timing, right?

They connected with Roche, who was based at the Army's McCook Field near Dayton at the time, and who was working on a tiny single-seat personal plane that could be cheaply built and sold.

Roche sold his design to Aeronca for company stock and a seat on the board of directors.

In the 1920s, five Ohio businessmen and Robert A. Taft, the son of former U.S. President William Howard Taft (also an Ohioan) formed the Aeronautical Corporation of America (eventually known simply as "Aeronca") in Cincinnatti -- with absolutely nothing "aeronautical" to sell.

Roche's inventions and innovations brought aviation to the masses!

He designed an affordable, reliable light aircraft. His vision? To create a plane that would make flying accessible to everyday people—a bold idea at the time! ✈️