4 ms·
Incidentally the size of sockets and screws (including the Allen wrench) is very much a technology. William Sellers pushed standards in the mid 1800s specifical
by joshmarinacci 1y ago
Incidentally the size of sockets and screws (including the Allen wrench) is very much a technology. William Sellers pushed standards in the mid 1800s specifically to benefit American industry through interoperability. Standards we still use today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sellers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sellers
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3102001 https://www.jstor.org/stable/3102001
- anitil 1y agoIt's amazing how much things that seem so ho-hum today are yesterday's incredible invention
- osullivj 1y agoAnd the gauges are just as important. Obligatory ref to Brad Cox seminal 1990 paper, Planning the Software Industrial Revolution, and it's compelling analogy with Eli Whitney.
- bombcar 1y agoAnyone who has used a #1 Phillips on a #2 screw or vice versa knows the pain that is available - and those are pretty standardized!