Last week, there was a terrific thunderstorm in Eastbourne in England. (That is where my father-in-law lives, if you remember.) If you want to see some photos of the lightning, you may see them just here. There were 1000 lightning strikes in one hour! Yes, I typed that correctly, that was one thousand! Even my oh-so-proper British father-in-law made sure to tell me about it. He said he had never seen the sky light up like that! (He even came close to speaking as if he could possibly use an exclamation point!) The electricity went out briefly. Of course, you know I told him to make sure that he kept a flashlight by his bed. "A torch", he said, "yes, that would be a good idea". (I totally forgot that it is called a torch by the Brits!)
Me, being me, that got me wondering...
When was the flashlight invented?
Who invented it?
Why is it called a flashlight here, but a torch in England?
What song will I use to go with this post?
Ready for the answers? Okay, here we go...
The flashlight was invented in 1899 by Robert Mizzell, who was an Englishman living in New York City! I have not been able to find much information about Robert Mizzell except that he sold his patents to Conrad Hubert. Mr. Mizzell was working in Mr. Hubert's shop at the time. (Mr. Hubert had a novelty shop in New York City, with the best selling item being a battery powered light- up tie clasp!) Conrad Hubert made improvements to the flashlight and became a millionaire. He never married and when he died in 1928, he left the bulk of his fortune to thirty four different charities. (Leaving instructions that the money be dispensed jointly by a Protestant, a Catholic, and a Jew. This was done by former President Calvin Coolidge (Protestant), former governor of New York, Alfred E. Smith (Catholic) and Julius Rosenwald, former Sears/Roebuck executive (Jew). I find it interesting that he did that and I want to know more about him. Don't you?
Flashlight or torch? Reading a bit more about this, it is called "flashlight" in America and Canada but in other English speaking countries it is a "torch". Why? I don't know, it just is.
It was called flashlight at the beginning because the battery was not reliable and it would only work in "flashes". Now, I have read quite a bit more about batteries than I want to tell you about here. If any of you are blinded by science, I am sorry...my curiosity only goes so far. Ask any science teacher I ever had!
Stayed in a cabin in North Georgia recently. Had to have a step -stool to get into my bed! AND I had a flashlight on the bedside table!
A claw foot bath tub! (Loved the towels too, the geometric pattern on them made them look like hearts, don't you think?
You thought I was going to forget to give you a song, didn't you?
HA! Never!
"Summer Lightning" by Ralph McTell! I hope you all learn this on the guitar. You know my Richard can play it!
Here in the Land of Oz, "torch' is the familiar term used. Some, however, have leaned towards the US usage. I find I use both...depending how the mind is working at the particular time. I grew up with the word "torch".
ReplyDeleteSimilar....we call our car "boot" a boot...whereas in the US, it is called "trunk".
Guess what, I grew up saying boot but in the Atlanta area, I got made fun of when we moved here! Toccoa must be very English!😄
DeleteLove the pictures from the cabin - it looks utterly cosy!
ReplyDeleteMr Hubert's conditions for distributing the money sound wise - making people of different beliefs cooperate where maybe otherwise they would have never met.
Here in Germany, a flashlight/torch is called a Taschenlampe; literally "pocket lamp". That certainly fits the bill for the smaller ones! I have one in a top drawer so that I always know where it is in case of emergency, and of course some candles and plenty of matches in the house. So far, though, I have never needed them for that situation - there has not been a power outtage for years, and the last one I remember was so briefly the lights only flickered for a moment and came back on instantly.
But when I need to empty the bins and it is dark outside in wintertime, I carry the "pocket lamp" round the corner of the house where our bins are so that I do not trip up and fall.
The cabin was beautiful, you would have loved it! There was also a king sized bed and a queen sized bed but you know, big kid that I am, I wanted that one tucked away in the corner, it had a window behind it and I could look out and see the moon, it was lovely.
DeletePocket lamp! Love that name for it! Just think of inventing something that is used all over the world, that is my dream! Richard gave his mother a little flashlight for when she would get up in the night (she always had trouble sleeping), so I know that Peter has one in his house!
Hi Kay - Eastbourne featuring over my end of the world and the Bloomsbury group later on ... yes it was a mega storm ... I slept through it!! Thankfully no damage here ... but very wet. Stunning photos too - love the one of the bandstand.
ReplyDeleteThat little cottage looks lovely ... must have been a good trip away. I'm not sure I'd been aware of the McTell song ... good pick - love his work.
Two years ago I also wrote about the Lightning Rod ... that's your side of the world ...
Glad your FIL is safe ... our language differences and its quirks ... torch, flashlight ... boot, trunk ... et al cheers Hilary
I thought that photo of the strike above the pier was amazing!
DeleteMy husband is a huge fan of Ralph McTell, he is not that well known in America, except by serious guitarists.
I am married to a Brit, so I have had many years of trying to understand the American/English differences!
Yes, flashlight vs. torch - interesting history that you presented. Love the pictures of the cabin. And, yes, the pattern does look like hearts. As to lightning - well, we have a lot of it here at times. The amount of strikes in an hour is something that we have as well. And our electricity does go out - usually only briefly. That has gotten a lot better over my lifetime. Do we have flashlights by our beds? Yes we do - and in a kitchen drawer and in the cars. After all, we live in the land of thunderstorms and tornadoes. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy dream is to invent something, something useful that everyone wants! I do wonder what happened to the inventor of the flashlight, did he regret he sold the patent to it? Did he have a happy life? These are the kinds of things I think about...
DeleteWe have a lot of thunderstorms in Georgia too. My best friend's parents' house got hit by lightning, and it caught fire. They had fallen asleep in front of the TV watching a Braves game. Luckily for them. it was one of those come from behind victories, so the announcers woke them up and they were able to get out quickly. Lost the house and everything in it, but they survived.
Hello There! Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I will be sure to reply there later in the day. : ) I so understand your feelings.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful blog, you have here! How interesting? The torch or flashlight! That makes me want to learn more about that. Those towels look very neat. I like the homespun look of them.
Take care now, I'll have to put you into my 'Bloglovin' feed!
Blessings to you and I will reply soon on my blog, I've got some catching up to do as arriving back in town.
~Amelia in the Forest
You have a wonderful blog, written by a thoughtful and gifted writer. Sometimes, you find a blog that you have never seen before and it is just the thing you need to read.
DeleteBlessings to you in the forest! x
Different labels for things is an interesting subject. And I love the cabin.
ReplyDeleteThat cabin was great, I didn't want to leave.
DeleteYou know married to a Brit, I am always having to remember the differences in the English language.
I read a ton of British children's literature when I was a kid, so I learned very early on that "flashlight" was called a "torch." Those intrepid Brit hero kids always had a torch to hand.
ReplyDeleteI read so much that my teacher didn't like me spelling honor with a "u"! I told her that is what it said in my books!
DeleteWe have been watching acorn tv lots of British tv along with Irish and Australian so I have learned a few phrases.
ReplyDeleteCathy
And we have the internet so if you don't understand some slang word, you can look it up! Sometimes, the accents are so thick I can't make out what they are saying. The Scottish accent is difficult for me, not always, but sometimes!
DeleteInteresting info about the flashlight and I shared it with David.
ReplyDeleteDavid is so brilliant he needs to invent something. I bet he could! What do you want to bet?
DeleteActually, i have heard it called an electric torch, and if it started being called that in Britian, where it replaced regular torches, that would make sense that they just shortened the term.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. In my neck of the woods, flashlight only...f someone said torch...oh dear, I just thought, I that would conjure up images of a group that I simply cannot name here.
DeleteWow! You and I are really on the same wavelength. Last night, we were scared out of our wits at around 2:30 in the morning by a lightning strike. We thought for sure someone's house was hit very close to us. We looked outside but it seemed everything was OK. Tonight I see that the street light next to our house is dead. Everybody else's lights are on. I wonder... They are expecting another wild night tonight. I'm getting a little nervous. I don't remember weather like this when I was growing up. Ahhh well... at least we didn't have 1000 lightning strikes. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI hope you will keep a flashlight/torch beside your bed from now on! Lightning is very dangerous. If you hear the thunder, head inside!
DeleteWhen the thunder roars, head indoors. Couldn't think of that rhyme, I was too tired.
DeleteAbsolutely right. Three people were hit by lightning that night. That was a surprise. We used to almost never get lightning before.
DeleteWe say flashlight, but I know it's "torch" in many places. I keep a flashlight on the top of my refrigerator. I also have nightlights in almost every room that are charging all the time so they will continue to shine for about 12 hours if the power goes out. Plenty of candles and matches, too. That's interesting about the invention of the flashlight. Last Sunday night I took out the garbage and suddenly the thunder was so loud that I jumped every time it yelled at me.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
It's funny you mention nightlight, I had to unplug the nightlight that was beside my bed in that cabin. I don't like light in my bedroom, I like darkness! You have some thunderstorms in Jacksonville, Florida I know!
DeleteWe have huge thunderstorms, but we haven't had as many this summer--yet--as we usually do. I am uncomfortable in a room that's totally dark.
DeleteIt must be dark for me. Unless I have seen a really scary movie, and then, I will leave the bathroom light on! (I am such a wimp.) Don't have to worry though, I avoid scary movies and if I watch one, I have my eyes closed most of the time!
DeleteI have a flashlight near my bed. I also have a tiny one on my keychain. I used to be able to make it either beam steadily or flash but now it only flashes. I guess it is being more authentic! Beautiful music, Kay!
ReplyDeleteYou are well prepared! Glad you like the music. You should hear Richard, he is very good too!
DeleteInteresting info history. I have noticed that USA often name things more directly for what they do( as in flash- light) whereas UK names have more obscure or older origins. I've also noticed thanks to Google, yahoo news, etc that Brits are starting to use more and more American terms and losing their own language and identity. (our newsreaders often use current USA expressions now)
ReplyDeleteWe have had flash floods and thunderstorms up here as well but not as powerful lightning as the south of England gets as it's always cooler here in summer.
And you know, the same is happening here...I hear more British words and expressions. First time I heard gobsmacked...I was well, gobsmacked! Also, kids are using bin for garbage can, they get that from Peppa Pig, I think. Hope I got that right, don't have any little ones around, so that is something I saw on news. Cooler in summer? How much I want to visit Scotland!
DeleteI call it a "torch," since seeing it called this, in English blogs and programs. :-)
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Very handy to keep one around! A very useful invention. Never thought to look up history behind it until just recently. Common things were once unknown...makes you think!
DeleteLovely tub!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI know! Wish I could be in it right now!😊
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