6 Inventions Which Changed the 4th of July for the Better

It’s hard to imagine a more patriotic holiday than the 4th of July, which celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the formal beginning of the end of America as a linked series of British colonies and the birth of a new nation on the North American continent.

Today, we’ve (mostly) traded out gunfire and cannon bombardments for spectacular aerial fireworks displays and tamer ignitions in our own backyards, which double as Party Central and the “kitchen” for the day as friends and family gather.

As we gather to celebrate Independence Day and enjoy the summer fun, you might be surprised at all the inventions you’re using which you completely take for granted, as well as some you may be surprised you don’t have!

The Smithsonian Institute, the quintessential American museum, has put together a fascinating list of such patents, as has LexisNexis IP.

Here are a few examples of inventions which changed the way we celebrate Independence Day for a safer holiday!

1.     Food Safety

From dodgy deviled eggs to spoiled seafood salad to putrid potato salad, food poisoning is responsible for millions of lost workdays, roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths each year, according to the USDA. Food safety alerting devices have been a concern for decades, like this 1953 seafood spoilage warning system which was designed to detect byproducts of rotting and visually alert the customer not to use that particular food.

Since then, technology such as improved coolers, meat thermometers which link to your smartphone and improved overall food preparation practices have come a long way in combating foodborne illness. Still, the best defense is still knowledge and caution. Proper refrigeration and food preparation, combined with staying alert for how long food has been exposed to high air temperatures, can help make your holiday safer and more flavorful!

2.     Sparklers

Over time, sparklers have become as synonymous with Independence Day as the bald eagle and the American flag itself. As a fun side note, sparklers are often used by children in the UK on the 5th of November, aka Guy Fawkes’ Night, the story of which most Americans probably know best from the movie V for Vendetta and Hugo Weaving’s spine-chilling recitation of the opening stanzas of “The Fifth of November.”

Since their inception in 1934, fireworks crafters and lay inventors have sought new ways to jazz up sparklers. From multiple colors to smokeless varieties to a sparkler with a theoretical (and preposterous!) burn time of up to TWO DAYS, sparklers have become ubiquitous in both 4th of July parades and private celebrations. Sparklers are also responsible for the vast majority of fireworks-related injuries in the US, which is unsurprising given how many children use them and the fact sparklers may burn at temperatures of 1,200-2,000?F.

These facts have prompted innovators to consider ways to make them safer. One example was a 1941 shielded fireworks holder patented by Warren P. Hunnicutt, which was designed to protect the hands of sparkler users from injury. It didn’t do anything to prevent the head or face from being exposed to the sparks flung off by sparklers, however, which would seem to at least partially explain why this invention never caught on with pyrotechnics enthusiasts!

3.     Grilling

There’s nothing quite like the smell of burgers, brats, chicken, ribs or steak sizzling away over a charcoal fire. But did you know the pillow-shaped traditional briquettes are patented? Legend has it prolific inventors Henry Ford and Thomas Edison cooked up the formula for grilling charcoal in 1920. But the US Patent and Trademark Office records tell a different tale, crediting Ellsworth B.A. Zwoyer with the invention of the first modern charcoal briquette in1897.

Oddly, the first modern grill wasn’t invented until 1952. It was made from a repurposed buoy by a welder at the Weber Brothers Metal Works in suburban Chicago, Illinois—and would soon come to form the backbone of the Weber grill empire.

4.     Fire Safety

Everyone knows, or at least should know, when you’re playing with fireworks and/or grilling, you should always keep at least a bucket of water on hand. But water won’t help you if a grease or electrical fire breaks out, which is why you need a chemical fire extinguisher! Fire extinguishers have come a long way since the first design, patented in 1880 by A.M. Granger.

The “bottle-breaker” fire extinguisher worked exactly the way the name suggests, requiring the user to smash a glass bottle onto the fire, releasing the bottle’s payload of extinguishing chemicals. Today, of course, fire extinguishers are more self-contained, have better onboard chemicals and don’t leave shards of glass everywhere. Still, for the time, they were better than nothing!

5.     Pool Safety

There’s nothing better on a hot day than cooling off with a nice dip in the pool. Unfortunately, in addition to being summertime hotspots, pools are one of the biggest summertime danger zones. Thousands of near-drownings and tragedies occur every year, mostly in the summer and especially around the 4th of July, primarily among children 12 and under. The National Drowning Prevention Association recommends backyard pools be fenced off with a fence at least five feet/sixty inches high, featuring a self-closing, self-latching gate to prevent younger children from getting in without adult supervision.

6.     Seat Belts

Obviously, the 4th of July is meant to be fun, but that fun too often comes with risk and a high price. Independence Day is the single most dangerous day of the year to be on the road for Americans, even more so than New Year’s Eve or St. Patrick’s Day. Since its inception in 1962, the modern three-point safety harness we use today, invented by an engineer for auto maker Volvo, has helped increase the likelihood of walking safely away from a collision by 45% and saved over a million lives. While it’s not as exciting as fireworks or as enjoyable as a dip in the pool, the fact that seat belts save lives cannot be argued.

I hope you all enjoy a safe and happy Independence Day. If you’re going to drink, know your limit and don’t drive. If you’re going to drive, be sure to buckle up. Be safe, be smart, be careful and have fun, whatever your 4th of July plans may hold!

About the Author

John Rizvi is a Registered and Board Certified Patent Attorney, Adjunct Professor of Intellectual Property Law, best-selling author, and featured speaker on topics of interest to inventors and entrepreneurs (including TEDx).

His books include "Escaping the Gray" and "Think and Grow Rich for Inventors" and have won critical acclaim including an endorsement from Kevin Harrington, one of the original sharks on the hit TV show - Shark Tank, responsible for the successful launch of over 500 products resulting in more than $5 billion in sales worldwide. You can learn more about Professor Rizvi his patent law practice at www.ThePatentProfessor.com

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