Good morning, Whitewater
There are no public, municipal meetings scheduled for today in Whitewater.
The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls a famous invention, otherwise nearly forgotten:
1878 – Typewriter Patented
On this date Christopher Latham Sholes patented the typewriter. The idea for this invention began at Kleinsteuber’s Machine Shop in Milwaukee in the late 1860s. A mechanical engineer by training, Sholes, along with associates Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soulé, spent hours tinkering with the idea. They mounted the key of an old telegraph instrument on a base and tapped down on it to hit carbon & paper against a glass plate. This idea was simple, but in 1868 the mere idea that type striking against paper might produce an image was a novelty.
Sholes proceeded to construct a machine to reproduce the entire alphabet. The prototype was sent to Washington as the required Patent Model. This original model still exists at the Smithsonian. Investor James Densmore provided the marketing impetus which eventually brought the machine to the Remington Arms Company. Although Remington mass-marketed his typewriter begining in 1874, it was not an instant success. A few years later, improvements made by Remington engineers gave the machine its market appeal and sales skyrocketed. [Source: Wisconsin Lore and Legends, p.41]
Lincoln and Washington Elementary Schools will hold open houses tonight.
Here’s today’s almanac:
| Almanac | ||
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, August 27, 2009 | Sunrise | Sunset |
| Official Time | 06:13 AM | 07:38 PM |
| Civil Twilight | 05:44 AM | 08:07 PM |
| Tomorrow | 06:14 AM | 07:36 PM |
| Tomorrow will be: | 3 minutes shorter | |
| Amount of sunlight: | 13h 25 m | |
| Amount of daylight: | 14h 23 m | |
| Moon phase: | Waxing crescent | |