You’re reading Age of Invention, my newsletter on the causes of the British Industrial Revolution and the history of innovation. This edition went out to over 10,700 subscribers. If you’ve just been forwarded this, you can sign up here: I’m recently back from spending over a week in Tuscany, specifically Pisa and Lucca. Although I was there on holiday, the two cities turned out to have all sorts of sites related to the history of invention.
Regarding who gets credit for being “the” inventor: I think the historically significant invention is usually the first practical one that gains widespread adoption and launches the field to a new level of energy and investment. There are typically dozens of prior attempts that didn't quite take off because of not meeting practical requirements of cost, efficiency, power, reliability, etc.
My meta-contrarian opinion is that the inventor typically credited in the history books is actually correct. Edison invented the light bulb, Bell invented the telephone, Stephenson invented the locomotive, etc.
Do we have any evidence of these people even knowing about these prior inventions? Its one thing to say Such and Such invented a version of X ergo Whosit mustve known about it when he invented X++; in todays world of mass communications and easy access to archives but, I can imagine in the past being seperated by many hundreds of miles language and plus with provencialism being much stronger then than now I can see Whosit never even hearing of Such and Such, and in all these priory statements science historians make they never seem to provide any or much evidence that Whosit knew of Such and Such in the first place.
An enjoyable peek into your trip, Anton, and the fascinating links to some intriguing histories - many thanks!
Getting married near Lucca next summer - this newsletter will come in very handy!
Never dull. Thank you. The sheer amount of work and creativity.
Regarding who gets credit for being “the” inventor: I think the historically significant invention is usually the first practical one that gains widespread adoption and launches the field to a new level of energy and investment. There are typically dozens of prior attempts that didn't quite take off because of not meeting practical requirements of cost, efficiency, power, reliability, etc.
My meta-contrarian opinion is that the inventor typically credited in the history books is actually correct. Edison invented the light bulb, Bell invented the telephone, Stephenson invented the locomotive, etc.
Do we have any evidence of these people even knowing about these prior inventions? Its one thing to say Such and Such invented a version of X ergo Whosit mustve known about it when he invented X++; in todays world of mass communications and easy access to archives but, I can imagine in the past being seperated by many hundreds of miles language and plus with provencialism being much stronger then than now I can see Whosit never even hearing of Such and Such, and in all these priory statements science historians make they never seem to provide any or much evidence that Whosit knew of Such and Such in the first place.
My wife's father was born near Lucca. Museums, pasta and gelato seems like a good way to do Italy.