Giving Thanks for American Ingenuity
I, Electric Carving Knife
Happy Thanksgiving, readers! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday with family and friends. My column today gives thanks for American ingenuity. Many of you are familar with the famous economics essay, “I, Pencil,” which uses the lowly writing tool to teach profound lessons about the wonders of free-market capitalism. Today, I spotlight the American inventor of the electric carving knife — and dozens of other products — to sound similar themes about liberty and innovation.
Giving Thanks for American Ingenuity
By Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2010
One of my favorite television programs is “How It’s Made” on the Science Channel. The documentary series shows “how the everyday objects people use become the things they are.” From ketchup and flip-flops, to nail clippers and snare drums, to NASCAR engines, hydraulic cylinders and motor homes, the show takes viewers on wondrous autobiographical journeys of the mundane products we too often take for granted.
Though it originated in Canada and has become a global phenomenon, “How It’s Made” is largely a tribute to individual American ingenuity and American entrepreneurs. The show’s myriad episodes spotlighting U.S. inventions also serve as potent antidotes to the government-centric vision that reigns in the White House these days.
Last summer, President Obama opined that the proper role of private entrepreneurs is to fulfill “the core responsibilities of the financial system to help grow our economy” — and that “at a certain point you’ve made enough money.” Last month, Vice President Joe Biden boasted that “every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive.”
Such command-and-control narcissism is completely alien to the unique American culture and marketplace that have bred so many successful inventors. Consider the electric carving knife that so many of you will use without a second thought this Thanksgiving holiday season. Jerome L. Murray, the New York City man who invented the ubiquitous kitchen appliance, was an insatiable tinkerer from his teens until his death in 1998 at the age of 85. He was driven not by a social justice agenda or by the need to “grow the economy” to boost government employment figures, but by a constant desire to solve problems, cut costs, satisfy his own intellectual curiosities and pursue the profit motive.
Murray funded his creative pursuits out of his own pocket, not with taxpayer dollars. And one moneymaking idea was never “enough.” According to his obituary in The New York Times, the prolific inventor “saw no sense in inventing something that could not be sold.” At the time of his death, Murray held an astounding 75 foreign and domestic patents:
– At 15, Murray manufactured a windmill that powered a radio generator and sold it to farmers in rural areas where regular electricity was unavailable.
– In 1951, after observing passengers descending airplane stairs in the rain at Miami International Airport, he came up with the idea for covered airplane boarding ramps to protect travelers from inclement weather and to enable those in wheelchairs to cross into their terminals without having to be fork-lifted off their planes. The walkways are now used in airports around the world.
– To save time and energy whenever he needed to climb the roof to adjust his television antenna for better reception, Murray crafted a television antenna rotator by attaching two strings to the antenna and pulling them from his window. The invention evolved into the TV antenna rotator, which Murray’s obituary reports “generated nearly $40 million in sales over several decades.”
– Murray also invented the audible pressure cooker, the power automotive seat, a high-speed dental drill and the peristaltic pump, which moves fluids through the body without damaging cells using contractions and expansions. The lifesaving pump paved the way for historic breakthroughs in open-heart surgery and kidney dialysis — and its technology has been applied by the food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing and chemical processing industries.
– And to assist harried housewives in the post-World War II era, Murray combined the use of an interior combustion motor with dual blades to create the electric carving knife. It was patented in 1964, and the same technology used to slice up your turkey was adopted to create medical and forensic tools now used in surgeries and autopsies.
Murray’s self-interested capitalist pursuits yielded untold benefits and conveniences for the rest of the world. In the tale of the mundane electric carving knife lies a profound lesson:
Liberty, not “government vision,” yields innovation.
For this priceless insight bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers, Americans should give eternal thanks.
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My carving knife isn’t electric, but it is cordless.
Great story, Michelle.
Happy Thanksgiving in Colorado Springs.
Happy Thanksgiving, Michelle, Doug, and everybody.
I’m not an engineer, but my father is. And he said that an interior combustion motor didn’t make sense. Even an internal combustion engine wouldn’t make sense.
Can anyone clear this up?
Happy Thanksgiving Michelle!
Ok wait Michelle – you’re not getting off this easy! What’s the menu for today?
Let me make one thing perfectly clear – on Thanksgiving you don’t correct the cook.
Good morning! This is how two articles on Murray described his invention. Perhaps “high-torque motor” would have been a better description?
I’m a traditionalist, natch:
The turkey, of course
Sweet potato casserole topped w/mini marshmallows
Honey carrots & orange
Green beans w/bacon vinaigrette
Mashed potatoes w/chives
Sage stuffing
Pumpkin pie
Happy Thanksgiving Michelle.
Happy Thanksgiving to my favorite conservative!
I hope, for once, you will be LIBERAL and INDULGE in lots of the goodness you create in the kitchen.
Thanks, MM. Happy Thanksgiving. I’ll see what the engineer thinks of this description. He’s conservative, but then he graduated from Cal-Berkley in the early 1950s.
Hmmmm, your menu sounds wonderful Michelle and I’m sure that with you in charge of the kitchen, it will taste wonderful also.
What am I thankful for? It is a question I ask my self often.
I am thankful for…
God – for his Wisdom and Love,
My Parents – for the Love they instilled in each of their 8 children and the traditions they passed on,
My Wife – who’s love, understanding and patience knows no bounds, espcially with me,
My daughter – God blessed us with this wonderful person who I hopefully have guided towards the right path. She has always given me great joy,
My Country – I’m thankful for being born and raised in this wondrous place called the United States of America. There truely is no other place like it in the world,
My fellow countrymen – We are the most generous nation in the world with our time, treasure and blood,
And finally, I wish to give thanks for Michelle and all of you who make this a most interesting place.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!
Amen!!!!
It’s a beautiful day!
Today I think about our armed forces. Home and abroad, past and present.
Thank You from my entire family, may God hold you in his arms and keep you safe.
Yes indeed a lesson well learned early in life-don’t mess with the Cook! And from my own experience: Brag on the Cook-you just might get a second piece of that pie
From his time in England in WW ll my father learned of rutabagas so we always have that. Do it right and they tastes like butter, sugar, pepper and what ever that garnish my wife puts on top to make it pretty-pine needles or such. I would go in the kitchen and ask but we have reached that point where my job is to “get out from under my feet“. There are four women in that kitchen-old men and small children wouldn’t stand a chance.
We men did peel and dice the potatoes and rutabagas, carry out the garbage and wash the first set of cookware. I will be called at least once to clear the garbage disposal and or trap “Gee Dear, I can’t imagine what it could be“.
One year I told her what it was-a wash cloth; don’t do that lads just clear the damn thing and leave.
Have a Blessed Thanks Giving and I hope your team wins.
A most excellent Thanks Giving Day prayer there JohnnyD, excellent indeed. Let us give Thanks for our fellow countrymen who are NOT afraid to express love of country.
Happy Thanksgiving to all, especially our hostess and her family. MM, saw you on Fox & Friends this AM, cute/cute red blouse. I was impressed you cut ‘Bambi slack on all the silly stuff he’s pulled lately, in honor of this day.
A huge apple cider brined mesquite smoked turkey (in the smoker since yesterday). Cranberry sauce w/orange. Garlic mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing (loaded with more garlic/black olives), gravy, fresh green beans simply dressed w/almonds/butter, chocolate raspberry swirl cheesecake with raspberry couli. Containers standing by to send care packages home with everyone…..
Up at 4am to remove the bird from the brine…its another beautiful day. I give thanks…
for my family
for my friends
for my community
for my country
and for my ability to sleep well after gorging myself on another (hopefully) tasty turkey.
A blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to all here at MM.
L
LOL! Being the oldest of 8, I can totally relate. Nowadays, It’s just the 2 of us but when we get the families together, I stay well away of the kitchen…I find the beer cooler and have a seat, usually with a brother or 3.
Now it’s my turn cooking breakfast. Have a great day all!!
As Rush would say, Michelle, “right on, right on!”
God bless you for all that you do to keep us informed and “revved” up.
May you and your family have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!
… and all God’s Blessings
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
God bless you and your family, Michelle!!! Thank you for all you do for our beloved Country!!!
GOD BLESS US ALL and
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the article Michelle. It all makes me wonder if people like Maobama or Joe Biden are just boldly lying about our Country’s roots and origins to move along their socialist agenda, or they are just idiots who are intellectually incapable of removing their BIG GOVT fantasies from historical factual reality. Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m sure “interior” combustion engine should be “internal” combustion engine, but even that is incorrect in reference to the electric carving knife, which uses an electric motor. Ooops!
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Now if only there was an invention to help me figure out what I did wrong with my apple cobbler crust this morning…LOL
Eat lots of good stuff today!
A beautiful crisp, sunny, and refreshingly cool Colorado Thanksgiving Morning greetings to you all.
Unfortunately I won’t be using an electric carving knife, windmill generator, jetway or peristaltic pump this holiday. So I’ll give thanks to Alton Brown who combined Monty Python, Mr. Science and Julia Childs along with a little bit of know how, the proper ingredients, and some sound scientific background and invented Good Eats, and the recipe for the brined turkey that is languishing in my oven right now.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Boss (Emeritus). Outside the sweet potatoes (sorry; just can’t eat them), sounds delicious. I’ll substitute my sausage-and-wild-rice stuffing for that (I think a bit over 4 quarts of that is going to give me some leftovers
And Happy Thanksgiving to Doug and everybody here.
A joyous Thanksgiving to you, and to all the readers here. In honor of the holiday, a little walk down memory lane with Governor Bradford and the Plymouth settlers:
http://tinyurl.com/23m32kf
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
God Bless America.
It’s about FREEDOM!
Now it’s over the river and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go, literally.
According to their family lore, Louis Anderson’s dad invented the clothes pin that has the spring on it. He also invented a lot of other things. Yet, the family was very poor. I used to date Louis’s brother. They grew up in the projects in St. Paul. (I met Louis’ brother shortly after he got out of jail. Yeah, I have a sordid past!)
I love the smell of baked corn in the oven…one of my contributions for today. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!! Now, go stuff yourselves and enjoy!
Turkey cooking now. Sweet potato pie and dressing done yesterday. Cranberry sauce chilling in the fridge. Heading to friends’ house for a late afternoon meal later today.
You can read about the FIRST THANKSGIVING in North America here. And it was celebrated right here in the Commonwealth of Virginia!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. God bless you all!
MM, everyone in the federal government should receive a copy of your article. Of course, most will use it to line their bird cages, such is their disdain for dissent from the socialist agenda.
Yum!
We do the turkey smoked in a BBQ, roasted veggies, stuffing that’s too dry (oops, I mean..), cranberry compote, salad, Kabocha pumpkin pie, apple pie…
And thank your family for letting us borrow you so much….
When I travel to the U.S., I am amazed at the amount of entrepeneurial activity that is present. I can often drive for kilometers upon kilometers and see so many business packed with consumers. Without conducting a scientific research study, I would say that there are at least twice the number of business establishments per person in the U.S. as there is in Canada. This results in more competition and better prices and quality for consumers.
Your market was the most free for the longest period of time, and that is why America prospered for so long. From an outsider’s perspective looking in, you guys and gals are so lucky!!!!!
It’s not luck it’s hard work and blessings from God. Being self employed if I don’t get up in the morning and go out and work I don’t get paid. I’ll stop there it being Thanksgiving and all.
I meant that you are fortunate to have a system that affords you the freedom to be as entrepeneurial as one can be.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Michelle and Doug! We’re thankful you’re here for us!
Yes, I believe it was Milton Friedman who said a government could never create a pencil. The USSR collapsed because it folded in on itself. It could not innovate, reduce costs, keep slicing and dicing a shrinking pie, steal from others to feed its incredible bureaucracy.
I am thankful for Michelle and those on the front lines making sure the same thing does not happen to the US.
Great column, Michelle. I work in patent law and see innovation every day, much of it seemingly mundane (in the sense that it might be in a product but the user would never know it), and virtually none of it as a product of government planners.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am thankful for not yet having to be someone who must be like anyone. Mostly.
Happy Thanksgiving, Michelle, Doug, and the resta youse.
I have the story behind another piece of American ingenuity you used, Michelle.
Sylvan Nathan Goldman owned a Humpty Dumpty grocery store in Oklahoma City in the 1930′s. They only had hand-carried baskets. He observed that when the baskets got too heavy, people would quit shopping.
He added wheels to a modified folding chair so people could roll their baskets around instead of carrying them.
The shopping cart was born.
A Blessed Thanksgiving to you and to all here.
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
Turkey, sweet potatoes, jellied cranberry sauce, black olives (absolute necessity) and crescent rolls.
I discovered them at the North Texas Scottish Festival in the form of Tatties and Neeps with Haggis. Yummy!!! (serious, not sarc… I LOVE haggis)
North Texas Scottish Festival ! There you go-we do have a variety don’t we? We met an English women yesterday who calls them swedes for Swedish turnips.
But I am being cautious; that English women just might be on a secret mission to burn the Capitol-they do that you know
It’s probably like calf fries, aka ‘mountain oysters’.
It’s good as long as you don’t know, or don’t think about, what you’re eating.
Mashed potatos with chives I could do without. Sweet potatos are vastly superior.
Government vision???!!! Liberals will never, ever get it. It always kills me when government “leaders” call coerced taxation “revenue”. Doesn’t it have to be earned to be called revenue? Government is a forced cost, and a huge burdensome one at that. OMG, “government vision”???!!!