April 2022, ScientificAmerican.com 8350, 100 & 150 YEARS AGO
INNOVATION AND DISCOVERY AS CHRONICLED IN Scientific AmericAn
Compiled by Mark FischettiSCIENTIfIC AmERICAN ONLINE
FIND ORIGINAL ARTICLES AND IMAGES
IN THE Scientific AmericAn ARCHIVE S AT
scientificamerican.com/magazine/saApRilScientific American,
Vol. XXVI, No. 16; April 13, 1872 (
lard oil
);^ Scientific American,
Vol. 126, No. 4; April 1922 (
loudspeaker, asbestos, tires
);^ Scientific American,
Vol. 226, No. 4; April 1972 (
car, slide rule
)
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provide insight into the state of science and technology at a given time.
In 1872 lard oil was in demand for various uses. In 1922 consumers
were eager for asbestos. What will people think 100 years from now
about the goods and services being marketed today: credit cards,
Facebook, smartphones that don’t continuously assess all your bodily
functions and cribs unable to teach babies multiple languages?1922
19221972187219221972197219221872