December 29 is reserved to Charles Macintosh
Charles Macintosh (1766 – 1843), inventor of the waterproof raincoat — commonly known as a mackintosh. Macintosh was a chemist born 250 years ago today in Glasgow, Scotland, where it rains, sleets, or snows an average of 201 days per year.
Although Macintosh is best known for his eponymously-titled coats, he was a brilliant chemist with achievements in many different fields. He invented a revolutionary bleaching powder (along with Charles Tennant), devised a way of using carbon gases to convert malleable iron to steel by a short-cut method, and worked out a hot-blast process with James Neilson to produce high quality cast iron.
Article:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/who-charles-macintosh-what-makes-9528300
#history #CharlesMacintosh #chemistry
Like 'Hoover', 'Kleenex', 'Xerox' and 'Google', 'Mac(k)intosh', or 'Mac' is used like a verb, a testament to the contribution its invention has made. Perhaps 'Nutella' counts too, who says 'pass me the hazelnut chocolate spread'? Though if it is in your hands, it is staying there...
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