History, Inventions

Five Famous Inventors

“Five Famous Inventors” (PDF ebook) is a wonderful vintage storybook for primary grades features the stories of inventors Robert Fulton (who invented the steamboat), Eli Whitney (cotton gin & mass production), Samuel Morse (the telegraph), Peter Cooper (the train) & Thomas Edison (electric lights, the phonograph, etc.).

This is a super easy and accessible read. It has a unique format, in that each sentence is a paragraph by itself, making it very easy for young folks to read and discuss.

Your young ones will really enjoy the stories of how these men overcame all sorts of odds to bring their creativity to life for the benefit of civilization.

To download this PDF ebook, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save link” to your computer. Mac users, press the “control” key then click the link and save to your mac.

Audio, History, Inventions

The Slate that Didn’t Break

Here’s an excellent audio story about an almost forgotten pioneer American Inventor, Thomas Blanchard, whose inventions revolutionized modern manufacturing. Blanchard was a real handful as a boy. He was thrown out of school for rowdiness, and burned down his family’s kitchen trying to “invent” his own blacksmith’s kiln. His punishment for these offenses… to be apprenticed to his brother, hammering out tacks twelve hours a day in his factory. But what Thomas did next changed the course of the industrial revolution forever, as you will hear in this great 15 minute audio dramatization!

To download this MP3 Audio program, RIGHT CLICK HERE and “save link” to your computer. Mac users, press the “control” key then click the link and save the file to your mac.

Bonus Audio Resource: For more info on Blanchard, click here for another short audio program about his inventions.