Thumbtacks: a Blog Off post
Every weeks, the blogosphere comes alive with something known as a Blog Off. A Blog Off is an occasion where bloggers of each stripe weigh in on the equal topic at the equal day. The subject matter for this spherical of the Blog Off is "Thumbtacks"
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To preface this one a bit, the brilliant Rufus Dogg was having a conversation with the novelist and essayist Jane Devin about blog topics. Jane said, “I think some bloggers could write about thumbtacks and their ‘community’ will be pleased.”
Rufus took that as a few sort of thrown gauntlet and here we're per week later with "thumbtacks" as a Blog Off topic. While I can not guarantee that'll I'll please my community with this one, I'm positive going to provide it a attempt.
I'm a history nerd of the highest order and after I turned into thinking about all of this over the weekend it hit me. I'm going to write approximately the invention of the thumbtack.
Who knew that something so mundane as a thumbtack could have such a controversial history. For starters, three inventors in three separate countries claimed the thumbtack as his own, all three of them around the turn of the last century. Of the three, Mick Clay's is the most pathetic so that's the one I'm going to believe is the true inventor of the thumbtack. All invention involved suffering and disappointment, right?
Mick Clay is a person misplaced to the mists of history. His lasting contribution to civilization however become something the English call a drawing pin. In 1903, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire; Mick Clay invented a little device that drafters should use to fasten their drawings to their drawing tables. Hence the English term drawing pin. In the US, they were called thumbtacks, however their reason and authentic use was the identical.
Before getting a patent on his concept, Clay bought the concept to Otto Lindstedt. Lindstedt was a wealthy business man who turned into granted a patent for Clay's concept in 1904.
From all accounts, Lindstedt went directly to even in addition reputation and fortune with the proceeds from Clay's idea. Lindstedt changed into the toast of the Continent, feted by using royalty and commoner alike. Clay disappeared and despite the fact that I ca'tn verify it, I see him loss of life in obscurity in some Dickensian workhouse somewhere whilst shaking his fist at Lindstedt and being disregarded by means of his fellows. Poor guy.
Actual metallic thumbtacks, or drawing pins relying on your facet of the Atlantic have all been changed by some thing this is technically a map pin.
Thumbtacks have an traumatic addiction of touchdown pin aspect up while dropped, something I don't forget with searing readability from my early life. Stepping on a tack in naked feet is a pain like none other, allow me inform you.
The form of a map pin makes one of these deadly landing impossible and their substantial use have made workplaces and families infinitely more secure locations.
However, I alternatively just like the idea of office materials that fight returned. A little danger once in a while is ideal for the soul. I say we deliver returned the old steel thumbtack.
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As the day goes on, the rest of the participants in today's Blog Off will appear miraculously at the end of this post. Keep checking back and check out everybody's posts. You can follow along in Twitter as well, just look for the hashtag #LetsBlogOff. If you'd like more information about about the Blog Off or if you'd like to see the results of previous Blog Offs, you can find the main website here .