Meet the 19th Century Innovator: George Barnard Grant
George Barnard Grant had remarkably diverse talents and interests – he constructed complex mechanical calculating machines, pioneered innovations in gear manufacturing, and made extensive contributions in botany. Read on to learn how this 19th century polymath blended cutting-edge engineering with commercial business and scientific study.
Designing Precise Automated Calculators
Fascinated early on by automated computation, Grant created over a dozen patented calculating machines that could accurately perform functions like logarithms and trigonometry. His crowning achievement was an ambitious 13-digit "Differential Engine" – inspired by Charles Babbage – containing over 8,000 parts!
Doron Swade, a computer historian at the Science Museum in London, notes "Grant‘s differential analyser was the most complex calculator of the 19th century." Let‘s compare some key details across a selection of Grant‘s sophisticated mechanical computing designs:
| Calculator Model | Operation | Digits | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Differential Engine | Tabulation of logarithmic & trigonometric functions | 13 | Hand-cranked output, 3 high-precision gear trains with 8,057 parts |
| Stepping Drum Machine | General calculation | 20 | Pinwheel mechanism carries digits, presettable counter |
| Printing Tabulator | Adding, subtracting | 16 | Automated typewheels print results |
| Portable Adding Machine | Addition | 8 | Lightweight (14 lbs), dual registers for multiple columns |
Using clever configurations of precision gears, shafts, switches and more, Grant‘s calculators automated complex math essential for functions like navigation, surveying, finance, and science. His intricate mechanical engineering demonstrated remarkable skill and creativity.
Commercializing Cutting-Edge Gears
Producing the specialized gears central to his calculating engines, Grant developed ingenious gear-cutting machines and processes enabling new levels of accuracy and efficiency. Sensing commercial potential, he expanded the operation into Boston‘s Grant Gear Works.
As quality continued improving while production costs lowered, demand for Grant‘s high-performance gears snowballed from sectors like rail, autos and aviation. Expanding over decades with more equipment and employees, the thriving company was reorganized as the Philadelphia Gear Works and Cleveland Gear Works, with Grant serving as President.
According to the 100-year history published by Philadelphia Gear in 1992:
"Grant‘s pioneering efforts in hobbing methods and gear shaping played an important part in the development of gear manufacturing technology in the United States."
So in addition to creating complex computing machines, Grant‘s gear work helped drive mechanization and productivity advances across industry!
Herbarium Honors Botanical Pursuits
Later in life, Grant focused on botanical interests like collecting and cataloging plant species. Settling in California, he amassed a vast herbarium containing over 42,000 specimens! Grant‘s contributions were honored by the naming of several plant species, for example:
- Trifolium grantianum (Grant‘s clover)
- Ribes grantii (Grant‘s gooseberry)
- Saltugilia splendens (splendid gilia)
George Barnard Grant clearly had diverse passions and talents. His calculating engines embodied creative mechanical engineering, while commercial gear manufacturing fueled broader technical progress. And linking engineering with science, Grant‘s botanical research produced extensive learnings as well. Truly a polymath blending technical innovation with enterprise and study!
Sources:
- Doron Swade, The Cogwheel Brain
- Philadelphia Gear Works 100 Year History
- Biographical entry, Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science (1903)
