George Eastman

by Kyle and Daniel

Introduction

“Click, click!” That was a shutter on George Eastman’s camera moving! You may hear your son or grandson asking, “Who invented the camera?” Well it’s a simple answer, George Eastman! You will be able to learn about his life and invention of the camera.

Birth and Childhood

George Eastman was born on July 12, 1854, in Waterville, New York. By age 5, George’s father judged that his children should be sensible enough to run errands.

In 1862 George’s father died and George only had his mom left. In 1868 George dropped out of school at the age of 13. He bought land in the Caribbean without his mom’s approval.

Then, in 1877, George began his work in photography. In 1878 George made a chemical that made wet plates more light resistant. In 1879 George Eastman invented a coating machine. George sold his used machine to make money. In 1880, George rented a second-floor room in a building and turned it into a factory.

Eastman Dry Plate Company

One year later, in 1881, George founded the Eastman Dry Plate Company. In 1885 George Eastman invented American Film. It helped people’s cameras work better and easier. That same year, George invented motion picture film. It included a box camera that weighed 2 pounds!
In 1890 George made film that lasted for 100 pictures. A lot of people bought his film. In 1891, George invented a slogan for his company. It went something like this, “You press the button and we do the rest.” In 1905 George Eastman had talent for coming up with advertisements for different things, which helped make his company a success.

Inventing the Camera

In 1900 George Eastman invented the Kodak Brownie Camera, made just for kids. He also had a club for it. Thousands of Kodak Brownies were sold within the first month. In 1901 people stole George’s ideas so George started to sue people because of it. In 1902 George hired some workers. They wanted pay for their work, so George gave them some of the profits.

Building

In 1905 George built a house with 500 rooms in it! George even hired a professional pipe organist so people would wake up listening to beautiful music. George Eastman planted a ton of flowers in gardens around the Eastman house. George also built 3 barns for farm animals. In 1906 George thought his house was too quiet so he hired an organist.

Traveling And Giving Away

In 1907 and as George got older, he traveled through out the United States. In his 50’s, George gave over $2.5 million away under the name Mr. Smith becuase he didn't want people to know of his generous donations.In 1909 George biked through Europe with some of his friends. In 1913 George built a dental clinic for poor families.

Finally, in 1911, George gave all of his money away. He gave some of his money to people…he gave the rest of his money to dental places so they could help poor people care for their teeth so that they wouldn’t rot.

1960, George Eastman’s Kodak Brownie Camera celebrated its 60th year anniversary. A ton of people came to the celebration.

Death

In 1932 George Eastman died at the age of 77. By that time, George had given away over $100,000,000.00 (One hundred million dollars)!

Madame C.J. Walker

By Emma Tracy and Autumn Veldink

Introduction

Did you know that Madame C.J. Walker was the most successful black business woman of her time? Well, she was! She made hair products and you will learn about her most famous hair product. She had an amazing life and now you will be able to learn all about that too!

Childhood
Madame C.J. Walker was born as Sarah Breedlove. She was born December 23, 1867. Slavery had just ended, so Sarah was the only child who was born free into her family.

Sarah had a tough childhood. Her family log cabin was located in Louisanna. When she was about five years old, her mom died with yellowfever. Two years later her dad died from the same disease. After her dad died, she had to live with her mean uncle and aunt. They didn’t treat her fairly.

Marriages
Many years later, in 1885, Sarah got married. After that she had a daughter. Sadly, then her husband, Moses McWillams, died in a car crash. It was a very sad day for Sarah.

Luckily, Sarah got remarried. But this man was the wrong man for her. He got drunk and could not hold a job. So, later they got divorced. Sarah knew he was the wrong man for her.

Jobs
One day Sarah tried Pope-Turnbo hair products. It worked so well that she became a Pope agent. Unlike her job as a washer woman, Sarah really liked her new task!

Later, in 1905 the most important think happened to her. She had a dream, two men came up to her and told her ingredients to a magical hair grower. She put it together and put it on her hair. A few days later her hair started growing even faster than ever! Later an ad appeared for the new magical hair grower. To make sure it worked correctly she tried her products on herself. This was the most important thing that ever happened to her.

After Sarah invented her products, she made other things. She made hair grower, hair gels, and many similar things. After a while, Sarah had her own business!

Third Marriage
Finally, Sarah got married again. While she was working on her products, she met a business man named Charles J. Walker. They fell in love and got married. After they got married, Sarah called herself Madame C.J. Walker.

Convention
About six years later, in 1912, Madame C.J. Walker went to a convention. She had become quite a celebrity. Madame C.J. Walker wanted to be part of the convention. But they thought that she shouldn’t be part of the convention. Then, she spoke up, “I should be part of the meeting!” was probably something she had to say to get them to put her on the team. But when she was done all the people clapped for her. They must have thought she was good at growing hair because she had to do another speech! “What a girl. What a girl!”

Divorce
After the convention, things went downhill. Madam C. J. Walker had to divorce again. C.J. had started drinking and was going out with other women! He had even revealed the secret formula to her hair products!

Adoption
Later in Madame C.J. Walker’s life, she adopted a little girl her name was Mae. They adopted her because Lelia had no kids. So, they taught her to run the family business. So that then business could keep going.
Mae, was a perfect new model for the Madame C.J. Walker products!

Walker Agents
Six years later in 1916 Madame C.J. Walker got the idea of Walker Agents. These pupils were in college at the time. After she trained them to sell her hair projects, 20 other schools wanted to do it too! Later it became popular, around the United States. It was an amazing idea to others!

New Home
Later, in 1918, Madame C.J. Walker bought a new house. She called the Villa Lewardo. She had Italian gardens, and Madame C.J. Walker filled her house with astounding furniture. There were many other rich people who lived in her new neighborhood.

Death
While she was still in her new house, something bad happened. When Madame C.J.Walker was 51 years old, she got very sick. She had kidney disease. This happened while Madame C.J. Walker was in the state of Missouri. She knew that she was very sick. So she gave all her wealth to the people she loved.

Later, in 1919 Madame C.J. Walker died of her terrible kidney disease. She was only 51 years old! She knew she would die. When she died she left behind her house. She gave it to her beloved ones. She died in New York. Sadly, Sarah is hardly remembered now. But our Madame C.J. Walker was truly a very important person!

Invention Introduction
Hey, now you can learn about Madame C.J. Walker’s famous invention. The most famous invention is Madame C.J. Walker’s Wonderful hair grower. Now, its time to learn about it!

The Problem
There was a huge problem, all the black women were losing their hair! The black women were getting very upset. They were mad that their hair was falling out because of the hair products they were using. They had to use a special oil o their hair, the oil made their scalps sting and seemed to make their hair fall out even more! Their hair looked so frizzy and did not look pretty at all! Good thing Madame C.J. Walker was working on her new shampoo!

How the Invention Works
Madame C.J. Walker’s shampoo is know as “The Vegetable Shampoo”. This product is very smooth and helps to take out the tangles! Madame C.J. Walker’s special oils, unlike the other hair oils that were around. Her’s didn’t sting. The ingredients are secret.

Impact
After Madame C.J. Walker invented her wonderful hair grower, things changed. After that, women got more rights! Many people were inspired because of the invention. Black women had healthier hair. Women’s hair stopped falling out, it made them happy! People probably smiled they were so happy.

How Hair Products Have Changed
Madame C.J. Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower has changed over time. If you look online, her original products are still for sale. They are not as good, as are improved shampoos are though. Now, we don’t have the same ingredients as Madame C.J. Walker did. Women’s hair is improved. Now, there is no hair loss.

Conclusion
After all this, you should know tons of facts about Madame C.J. Walker. Her life and invention are so interesting! Madame C.J. Walker was an amazing inventor, she made a very important invention. Have you ever wanted to be an inventor like Madame C.J. Walker?

P.S. What is Madame C.J. Walker’s first husband’s name? If you don’t know, read it again.

Benjamin Franklin

by Evan Pohl and Ben Metcalf

Did you know your TV wouldn’t work if Benjamin Franklin didn’t invent the Lightening Rod? Its true, Benjamin Franklin changed our world. This biography will tell you about his awesome life and inventions such as the Lightening Rod.

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. He was born on Milk Street in the city of Boston. At the time, Boston was the largest city in America. His dad was a candle maker.

Ben’s early childhood was not fun. He later moved to a bigger shop-house. Also, he attended school and was the best students. But sadly, Ben’s dad could not afford to let Ben go to school anymore and in 1716, he moved back to his dad’s shop.

Later, Ben found interest in newspaper printing. Luckily, Ben’s brother James was a real printer. Ben signed a contract to work for James for nine years.

One day, Ben decided to run away. Ben wrote letters that James liked. When James found out who really wrote the letter, he was mad at Ben and that is why he ran away. He ran away to New York.

Ben couldn’t find a job in New York. So he went to Philadelphia. He had to walk 100 miles. He spent his last dollar on bread.

In 1721, Ben thought about marrying Deborah Read. Then, that marriage was cancelled due to a trip to London. In London, Ben worked in printing shops and bought printing equipment.

In 1729, at the age of 23, he wrote for a newspaper called the Pennsylvania Gazette. Ben wrote observations and essays. Ben Franklin’s business started small. Then, it grew bigger and bigger, and then it was the biggest newspaper company in America.

In 1730, Ben got married with Deborah. They lived on Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His son, William, was born in 1731.

In 1732, Deborah and Ben had another child named Francis. The Franklins liked to call him Franky.

In Philadelphia, the streets were not paved and it was dust. Ben thought he should make the town a better place. He past a law for people to pay taxes and got the streets paved.

Next, sad news came to the Franklin family. The Franklin’s son Francis died of small pox. Small pox is a disease where little small brown pox appear on your skin. There was no cure.

In 1743, Ben and Deborah had a daughter named Sarah. They nicknamed her Sally.

In 1747, Ben retired from printing. Instead, he created a partnership. Then he want into electrical research.

In 1748, Ben stopped working to study science. He studied very hard. Eventually, his work paid off and he invented a whale oil candle.

In June 1752, there was a thunderstorm. Ben and his son William went out in the storm for an experiment. Ben started to fly a kite with a key tied on the string. Lightening struck the kite and the key started to glow. Ben touched the key and he discovered a sign of electricity.

In 1757, America was not free. They were ruled by a British king. The British King made the Americans pay taxes and used the money for Britain. So, Benjamin Franklin was sent to London. He tried to convince the British that it was not fair to be ruled by another country. Britain wouldn’t agree. Franklin knew this would lead to war.

Later, in 1776, Ben, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the rest of the Continental Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. That ended the Revolutionary War! The Americans were free.

Next, came the bad news that Benjamin Franklin died in April 1790. He was 84 years old when he died.

How it works

The Lightening Rod works in a special way. Put a steel bar on top of a building. Then a wire leads down to the ground to another steel bar. When the lightening strikes the bar, all the lightening leads to the ground.

The problem the Lightening Rod solved was a big problem. Houses would have been destroyed. There would be tons of fines! The Lightening Rod saves houses from getting struck by lightening.

The Lightening Rod changed the world in a great way! It also conserves water. The Lightening Rod also changed over time. It made our electricity.

In conclusion, people still use the Lightening Rod today because of Ben Franklin. He changed our world from destruction of lightening. As a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin was a very important man.

The Wright Brothers

by Jolie and Macy

Introduction
Did you know the first airplane was made and flown by the Wright brothers? Well, it's true. They made three in all! You can read all about their livesas Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright and the invention of an airplane.

Birth and Childhood
Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867 and Orville was younger. Theirnicknames were Will and Orv. And they were both born in Dayton, Ohio, on1127 West 3rd Street.

They were brothers and had one younger sister named Katheren. Also they hadtwo brothers named Lorin and Reuchlin. Their mother was named Susan Wrightand their father was Milton Wright.

Their childhood was when Orville was 7 and Wilbur was 11. Wilbur was a greatathlete and such an excellent student. While on the other hand, Orville aprankster. He pranked someone so badly he got expelled. Also, Wilbur liked to make his sister Katheren cry by making mean faces. In their childhoodthey did not have mother to help out on the house.

In 1886 their mother started to suffer Tuberculosis. And then she died in1889.

Bicycling
Then when they got older they found the invention of a bicycle. Wilbur rodearound in the country, and Orville raced. Then later they even started to fix bikes for people.

In 1882 people suggested to open a bicycle shop, so they did.
TravelingThen in 1900 they traveled to Kitty Hawk. Wilbur rode the airplane a dozentimes for just about 2 minutes.
In October 1901 they returned with a new dangerous glider.
In 1902 they flew their first plane! Over 550 people came to see their firstflight. The flight was 26 seconds.

Back to Kitty Hawk
In 1902 they went to Kitty Hawk. Later that day, Orville was riding theglider when all of a sudden Orville crashed! Luckily there was no damage toOrv, but damage on the glider.

On December 17, 1903 Wilbur and Orville flew again. For the first timeOrville flew the airplane. They flew at 10:35 am. Wilbur flew 12 seconds andwent 120 feet.

Flying
Then on October 5th 1905 Wilbur flew glider 3. He flew over 30 miles. ButOrville flew only 24 miles. Then that day they found out why Orvillecrashed. It was because the glider started to run out of gas. The next dayWill flew for about 15 seconds. Finally he tried again for 59 seconds.

Flight
In 1908 they flew their new flyer in France. Over 500 people watched! Francewent crazy over Wilbur.
One day, fall 1909, Will flew the glider along the Hudson River in New York.More than one million people watched the 33 minute flight.

Company
On November 22, 1909 the brothers opened the Wright Company. Will was thepresident, and Orv was vice president. After they opened the company theywere both very rich. They even got paid for advice on the glider.

DyingAll of a sudden, on May 30, 1912, Wilbur had Typhoid and he died at age 45.When he died Orville got tired of being by himself. So he built a mansionfor him and his friend. On January 27, 1948 Orville had a heart attack. Three days later, on January30, Orville died. He died at the age of 76 years old.
The Wright brothers lived an amazing life.They were good people and made ahelpful invention.

The Wright Brothers' Invention
Do you know the Wright Brothers? Their invention was the airplane.

In the Wright plane there are tons of different kinds of parts, in all thereare 11 parts. There is the hip cradle which steered the 1903 flyer and italso makes your hips move side to side. There is also an elevator control which operates the flyers left hand.
There's also a wing warning, rudder, propellers, bicycle hub, gas tank andwater reservoir. For making their invention they got paid for advice! The Wright brotherseven got paid $30,000 to make a separate special government plane.

How it Worked
How did the airplane change our world? If you couldn't fly, how would youget around? You would travel very slowly. An airplane goes very fast.

How it Changed
How did the invention change over time? It changed by getting a lot bigger.It used to fit only one person!

Conclusion
In conclusion, their life and invention turned out to be wonderful. Have youever dreamed about inventing something as famous like the Wright brothers?