#Edwin l drake invention how to#

The Wrights' Flying Machine In 1899, they made their first flying machine - a kind of kite made of wood, wire, and cloth. Their 'wing warping' mechanism, inspired by watching birds, was a revolutionary breakthrough. From books in their father's library, the brothers schooled themselves on the mechanics of flight. Others had focused on the first two problems, but the Wrights knew from their bicycle experiences that control was key. They broke the problem down into three elements: wing shape, power source, and control. and Europe, the Wrights believed human flight was possible. WRIGHTBROTHERS Flight Enthusiasts Like a small but enthusiastic number of people in the U.S. And in 1873, Pennsylvania voted an annuity of $1,500 to the 'crazy' man whose determination founded an industry. Years later, the oil barons who owed their wealth to Drake offered him financial support. Townsend's company fired him, and he lost his money on Wall Street. Rockefeller, a careful businessman who would use crafty tactics to build one of America's great industrial fortunes. Within a few years the oil refining business would attract John D. Real estate prices skyrocketed and fortune-seekers arrived. New Industry, New Wealth By early fall, Pennsylvania's Oil Rush was on. Drake at last struck black gold, on August 28, 1859, nearly seventy feet down.

The men drilled, and drilled, and drilled. When water flooded the hole, Drake innovated a solution he drove an iron pipe down to bedrock, then placed the drill inside the pipe to keep water out of the excavated shaft. Oil Workmen drilled all summer, six days a week, with the Sabbath Drake's inviolable day off. They built a derrick of pine wood and began drilling. 'Uncle Billy' Smith, a blacksmith who forged his own tools and reported for work in late May. At last Drake found a reliable driller - William A.

#Edwin l drake invention how to#

Small amounts of oil had seeped from the ground forever -but no one had figured out how to extract it. When Drake arrived, locals took to the agreeable man right away - but laughed at his futile purpose. He had seen a Yale chemistry professor's report that rock oil could be refined and employed for illumination, lubrication, and other uses. In the late 1850s, New Haven speculator James Townsend hired Drake to investigate Titusville, Pennsylvania for oil deposits. Diplomat and Prospector Edwin Drake's first career was as a conductor on a brand new, sometimes dangerous conveyance: the railroad. His success launched an Oil Rush and brought the world a new energy source. E N D - Presentation TranscriptĮDWINDRAKE Oil Drilling Dogged persistence led this man to drill - and drill - and drill, seeking oil deposits.