Celebrating the Inventors That Shaped Thanksgiving
As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s the perfect time to not only express gratitude for family, friends, and food but also for the incredible inventors who’ve played a role in shaping this holiday meal. Have you ever considered how much of it was made possible by inventors? Well, get ready to find out!
We’ve teamed up with our friends at the USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office) to learn about the inventions and inventors that have helped make our Thanksgiving meal what is today.
Image: Drawings from Henry Blair’s seed planter patent.
A Corny Start: Corn and Its Innovators
Let’s start with one of the most iconic super crops in America – corn! The way we grow, harvest, and preserve corn today is the result of brilliant minds like Henry Blair, an inventor who changed the farming world with his mechanical corn planter in 1834. His innovation made planting corn faster and more efficient, paving the way for larger, more productive harvests. Blair’s planter was designed like a wheelbarrow, with a compartment to hold the seeds and rakes following behind to cover them with soil. He didn’t stop there; Blair went on to receive a second patent in 1836 for a mechanical cotton planter, just two years later!
Image: Clarence Birdseye in the Arctic and drawings from the patent for his method.
Corn in a Flash: The Frozen Food Revolution!
We also have Clarence Birdseye to thank for revolutionizing food preservation with his quick-freezing process, which keeps food fresh longer, so we can enjoy corn and many other frozen foods year-round.
Did you know that Birdseye’s interest in freezing food began during a trip to the Arctic? During his trip, he noticed that fish froze almost instantly after they were caught due the frigid temperatures. Once the fish was ready to hit the pan, he noticed that it maintained its freshness and taste after being thawed! This quick-freezing technology that is still used today revolutionized the food industry by preserving the taste, texture, and nutritional value of foods.
Image: Drawings in Martha Jones’ patent for the corn husker.
Kernel Queen: Martha Jones
And let’s not forget Martha Jones who received the first known patent taken out by a black woman in 1868 for her invention, the corn husker. Her machine was able to husk, shell, cut up, and even separate husks from the corn in a single step. Given that her invention made it easier to prepare corn, saving time and energy for cooks everywhere, you could credit her for being the mother of automation in agriculture. Way to go, Ms. Jones!
Today, corn is found in thousands of products, from food to fuel to packaging, making it a central figure in our Thanksgiving feast. Corn continues to be a key player in culinary traditions and modern innovation!
Discover Corn’s Many Uses with an Experiment!
As we celebrate these inventors and their contributions, why not try a hands-on experiment of your own? Learn how to create a non-Newtonian fluid using, you guessed it – corn! By mixing cornstarch with water, you can create a substance that acts like a solid when you apply pressure but flows like a liquid when you let it sit.
