Black Mountain

Lake Tomahawk July 24, 2024

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Ah, those rubber tires (Tyres)

134 years ago, Friday, December 7, 1888, noted Scottish veterinary surgeon & inventor Dr. John Boyd Dunlop (1840-1921) patented the first practical pneumatic tire.

Dr. Dunlop developed the pneumatic tire for his son’s tricycle after a doctor recommended that the boy, who was suffering from a severe head cold, get outside & ride his tricycle as part of his treatment, Dr. Dunlop noted that the ride seemed extremely uncomfortable, so he began working on ways to improve the experience by fashioning cushioned coverings for the wheels. He used inflated canvas tubes made of pieces of an old garden hose & bonded together with liquid rubber, fitting them to the circumference of each wheel, which he found to be very effective.
Dr. Dunlop’s development of the pneumatic tire arrived at a crucial time in the development of road transportation. Commercial production began in late 1890 in Belfast, Ireland. Dunlop partnered with William Harvey du Cros (1846-1918) to found the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company, which is nowadays known as Dunlop Tyres, a subsidiary of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
The undated photograph depicts Dr. Dunlop riding a bicycle that is fitted with pneumatic tires of his own invention.


Source: FaceBook group...
Today's quote:


"Pollution is nothing but resources we're not harvesting. We allow them to disperse because we've been ignorant of their value."
- R. Buckminster Fuller


10 comments:

  1. ...interesting quote by R. Buckminster Fuller. I have always enjoy his geodesic domes.

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    1. Not sure I agree with him, but I went ahead and posted it. I believe Fuller was certainly a genius.

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  2. What we would do without these smart inventors. Take care, have a happy day!

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  3. An invention that changed the world.

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    1. So happy it came along. What bumpy rides we'd have otherwise.

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  4. I've never heard the term "pneumatic tires" before... a wonderful invention. (NewRobin13)

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    1. Yes, and the first tires had an inner tube that kept the shape of the tire, until it went flat! Now we even have tubeless tires, and I wonder when that came about...some Gooyear or Dunlop smart person figured that out!

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  5. Interesting! What a lot of research must have gone through to write this. I hope you are completely over your hospital stay and back to your usual routine.

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  6. For goodness sake, I have never heard the story before. I know the name Dunlop tires. Interesting.

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So glad to have your comments...whatever they may be. I'm one who likes to reply sometime or another, so others will see that; or you might happen back sometime and see what conversation might have started.