Narrator: AROUND THE WORLD, THE RACE TO WIN WARS
AND EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE
HAS CREATED SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE PRODUCTS
EVER DESIGNED.
AND WE USE THEM EVERY DAY,
UNAWARE OF THEIR AMAZING ORIGINS.
ON "INCREDIBLE INVENTIONS"...
THE NYLON STOCKING.
WHY DOES A DAINTY FASHION ITEM CAUSE RIOTS DURING WORLD WAR II?
THE L.E.D.
EXACTLY HOW IS THIS TINY LIGHT
HELPING NASA ASTRONAUTS EXPLORE THE STARS?
THE ROWLETT RUTLAND TOASTER.
WHAT HAS TOAST AND WORLD WAR II GOT IN COMMON?
WE REVEAL THE AMAZING HISTORY AND ENGINEERING
BEHIND THESE INCREDIBLE INVENTIONS.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
THROUGHOUT HISTORY, HUMANS HAVE DEVELOPED CLOTHING
FOR PRACTICALITY, WARMTH, AND TO LOOK GOOD.
THOUGH THERE IS ONE REVOLUTIONARY ITEM
THAT STANDS OUT FOR ITS AFFECT ON THE U.S. ECONOMY...
...THE NYLON STOCKING.
Gladkowska: AT THE BEGINNING, STOCKINGS WAS MADE FROM SILK AND FROM COTTON.
UNTIL THE 18th CENTURY, IT WAS WORN ONLY BY MEN.
AND ONLY IN THE 19th CENTURY DID WOMEN STARTED TO WEAR STOCKINGS.
EVERYTHING CHANGED IN THE '20s
BECAUSE OF THE REVOLUTION IN FASHION.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT,
SHOWING LEGS BECAME SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE.
Narrator: HOWEVER, ORIGINALLY, THE FABRIC IS NOT SO APPEALING, UNTIL 1935,
WHEN WALLACE CAROTHERS, A CHEMIST AT DuPont LABS,
INTRODUCES A NEW DURABLE ALTERNATIVE TO SILK --
NYLON.
THIS NEW MATERIAL PROVES TO BE EXTREMELY USEFUL.
IT'S DURABLE, WATERPROOF, MOLD-RESISTANT, FAST-DRYING,
AND CAN BE SPUN INTO FIBERS.
DuPont RECOGNIZES ITS ENORMOUS POTENTIAL
AND DECIDES TO USE IT AS A CLOTHING FABRIC.
BECAUSE OF ITS ALMOST TRANSPARENT APPEARANCE
AND HIGH DURABILITY,
NYLON STOCKINGS BECOME INCREDIBLY POPULAR.
THEY'RE THE FASHION STATEMENT OF THE 1940s,
WITH 4 MILLION PAIRS SOLD ON ONE DAY ALONE.
DuPont HELPS CREATE THE PERFECT PRODUCT
FOR THE NEW NYLON MATERIAL.
THEN, IN THE DARK DAYS OF WORLD WAR II...
NYLON WAS NEEDED DURING THE WAR, PARTICULARLY TO REPLACE SILK,
BECAUSE WHEN THE JAPANESE ENTERED THE WAR,
THEY TOOK OVER THE SUPPLY LANES
AND TOOK OVER A LOT OF SUPPLY OF SILK IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.
Narrator: DuPont SEIZES THE PRODUCTION OF NYLON STOCKINGS
IN ORDER TO MANUFACTURE ROPE, AIRPLANE CORDS, AND PARACHUTES.
THIS LEADS TO RIOTS BREAKING OUT ACROSS THE U.S.
FROM AUGUST 1945 TO MARCH 1946,
ALL FOR THE PRIZED POSSESSION OF A GOOD PAIR OF STOCKINGS.
WHEN DuPont RESUMES PRODUCTION OF THE NYLON GARMENT IN 1946,
30 MILLION PAIRS ARE SHIPPED EVERY MONTH.
A POPULAR ITEM WORTH FIGHTING FOR,
BORN IN A CHEMIST'S LAB
THAT REVOLUTIONIZED FASHION ALL OVER THE WORLD,
THE NYLON STOCKING IS, WITHOUT A DOUBT,
AN INCREDIBLE INVENTION.
THE ADRIAN TIGHTS FACTORY IN POLAND
HAS BEEN MAKING STOCKINGS AND TIGHTS SINCE 1984.
WE HAVE STOCKINGS, TIGHTS...
KNEE-HIGHS, AND SOCKS.
Narrator: THE FACTORY USES THE LATEST IN MODERN MACHINERY
TO DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE HIGH-FASHION HOSIERY
IN A WIDE RANGE OF PATTERNS AND COLORS
TO THE HIGHEST-QUALITY STANDARD.
IT IS THE SECOND-LARGEST HOSIERY FACTORY IN POLAND,
PRODUCING ALMOST 1 MILLION PAIRS OF TIGHTS AND SOCKS PER MONTH.
WE HAVE PROFESSIONAL COLLECTION, MATERNITY COLLECTION,
PLUS-SIZE COLLECTION,
WEDDING, AND EVEN COLLECTION FOR A MAN.
Narrator: THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING TIGHTS
STARTS BY PLACING YARN ON THE STANDS OF THE MACHINE.
THE THREADS ARE FED TO THE CENTER OF THE MACHINE
FROM FOUR DIFFERENT SITES.
THE LEG SECTION OF THE TIGHT IS MADE INSIDE THE CYLINDER.
UPON A SINGLE ROTATION OF THE CYLINDER,
FOUR ROWS ARE FORMED AT A TIME.
THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING KNITTED FABRIC
IS FULLY AUTOMATED.
Gladkowska: USUALLY THE KNITTING MACHINE
CONTAINS FROM 300 TO 420 NEEDLES.
Narrator: AFTER APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES,
THE FINISHED LEG SECTION IS TRANSFERRED
FROM PNEUMATIC FEEDER INTO THE BAG.
ONE KNITTING MACHINE CAN PRODUCE APPROXIMATELY
150 TO 400 PAIRS OF TIGHTS A DAY.
TIGHTS ARE CHECKED BY STRETCHING THEM
ON THE CONTROL MOLD.
THE OPERATOR INSPECTS THE ITEM
AND LOOKS FOR POTENTIAL FAULTS IN THE FABRIC.
IN EACH PRODUCTION BATCH, THE PRODUCT PARAMETERS
ARE CONTROLLED BY THE GAUGING DEVICE.
IT CHECKS LONGITUDINAL AND LATERAL STRETCHABILITY
OF THE PRODUCT,
AS WELL AS CHECKING THAT THE SIZE CAN FORM
TO THE COMPANY STANDARDS.
NEXT STEP, THE TOES OF THE TIGHTS
ARE SEWN TOGETHER.
THE OPERATOR PUTS THE PRODUCTS AGAINST A TUBE
AND SUCKS THE STOCKING INSIDE BY USING COMPRESSED AIR.
NEXT, THE MACHINE AUTOMATICALLY TURNS THE TIGHTS INSIDE OUT.
IT THEN SEWS THE TOES OF THE TIGHTS TOGETHER.
THEN, THE PRODUCT IS AUTOMATICALLY TURNED OUTSIDE IN
AND DISCHARGED BY THE AUTOMATIC FEEDER.
DURING AN 8-HOUR SHIFT,
A SINGLE MACHINE SEWS TOGETHER
APPROXIMATELY 4,000 PAIRS OF TIGHTS.
ONCE THE TOES OF THE TIGHTS ARE SEWN,
THE SINGLE LEG IS SLICED APART AT THE TOP...
...AND THEN MADE INTO PAIRS BY SEWING TWO UPPERS TOGETHER
WHILE, AT THE SAME TIME, SEWING AN ADDITIONAL PIECE
OF COTTON-KNITTED FABRIC CALLED A GUSSET,
WHICH IMPROVES THE COMFORT OF THE TIGHTS
ALONG THE MIDSECTION.
HERE, THE ELASTIC CROCHET TAPE IS ALSO SEWN ON.
FINISHED TIGHTS ARE PACKED INTO BAGS
AND PLACED IN THE DYER,
A MACHINE THAT DYES THE TIGHTS THE SELECTED COLOR.
DEPENDING ON THE COLOR INTENSITY,
THE DYING PROCESS TAKES BETWEEN 4 AND 8 HOURS.
SEVERAL RANDOMLY-SELECTED SAMPLES
FROM EACH BATCH ARE TAKEN TO THE LAB,
WHERE THEY ARE TESTED FOR CONFORMITY
TO THE COLOR STANDARD IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHTING.
AFTER THE RESIDUAL MOISTURE HAS BEEN REMOVED,
THE PROCESS OF STABILIZATION, OR IRONING, STARTS.
THE OPERATOR PLACES THE TIGHTS ON METAL MOLDS,
WHICH IS THEN TRANSFERRED INTO A HIGH-PRESSURE CHAMBER.
WHEN THE PRODUCT LEAVES THE HIGH-PRESSURE CHAMBER,
IT PASSES TO THE DRYING CHAMBER
WITH A SYSTEM OF INFRARED RADIATORS.
THE DRYING TEMPERATURE
IS APPROXIMATELY 200 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
AFTER THE STABILIZATION PROCESS,
TIGHTS ARE CHECKED AND FINISHED MANUALLY,
FOR EXAMPLE BY THREADING ON ALL THE METAL STRINGS.
NEXT, THE PRODUCT IS FOLDED AND PACKED IN THE FILM POUCH
THAT PROVIDES ADDITIONAL PROTECTION FROM DAMAGE.
THE POUCHES ARE THEN PLACED IN DECORATED CARDBOARD ENVELOPES,
WHICH ARE LABELED WITH BAR CODES
AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE MODEL, COLOR, AND SIZE.
FINISHED AND TESTED TIGHTS ARE PACKED IN BULK CARTONS
AND SHIPPED TO CUSTOMERS.
NYLON STOCKINGS CERTAINLY HAD A GREAT IMPACT ON FASHION
AND WORLD WAR II,
JUST AS L.E.D. LIGHTS PLAY A ROLE IN SPACE EXPLORATION,
BUT EXACTLY HOW MAY SURPRISE YOU.
Narrator: A LIGHT BEHIND THE LATEST FLAT-SCREEN TV
REMINDS YOU THAT YOU'VE LEFT A DEVICE ON.
L.E.D.s, OR LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES,
ARE THE TINY LITTLE LAMPS THAT ARE LIGHTING UP OUR WORLD.
THESE TINY BRIGHT DOTS HAVE BECOME
A FAMILIAR PART OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES.
BUT THEIR CONNECTION TO PIONEERING SPACE TRAVEL
IS NOT WIDELY KNOWN.
L.E.D.s ARE DEVELOPED IN DALLAS, TEXAS,
IN THE EARLY 1960s
AND EMIT LIGHT THROUGH A PHENOMENON
CALLED ELECTROLUMINESCENCE,
WHICH DESCRIBES LIGHT BEING PRODUCED BY A MATERIAL
AS AN ELECTRIC CURRENT OR FIELD PASSES THROUGH IT.
THIS SCIENTIFIC BEHAVIOR IS FIRST DISCOVERED IN ENGLAND
OVER 100 YEARS AGO BY HENRY JOSEPH ROUND.
BUT IT'S NOT UNTIL THE INTRODUCTION OF THE L.E.D.
IN 1962
THAT ELECTROLUMINESCENCE FINDS ITS COMMERCIAL USE.
THE FIRST L.E.D.s ONLY EMIT INFRARED LIGHT
THAT'S NOT VISIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYE.
THINK OF THE LITTLE L.E.D.
ON THE FRONT OF A REMOTE CONTROL.
BUT RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT USING DIFFERENT MATERIALS
AND COMPOUNDS CHANGES THE LIGHT FREQUENCY,
WHICH IN TURN TRANSLATES TO DIFFERENT COLORS
EMITTING FROM THE L.E.D.
SOON, THE RACE IS ON TO DEVELOP SEMICONDUCTORS
MADE FROM A VARIETY OF EXOTIC-SOUNDING COMBINATIONS.
PRETTY COLORS IS WHERE THE CONNECTION WITH SPACE TRAVEL
COMES IN.
SPACE IS VAST AND SPACE TRAVEL LENGTHY.
FOR INSTANCE, IT TOOK NEARLY 3 DAYS FOR THE APOLLO MISSIONS
TO REACH OUR NEAREST COSMIC NEIGHBOR, THE MOON.
MARS, OUR NEXT NEAREST WORLD,
HAS AN ESTIMATED TRAVEL TIME OF NEARLY 2 YEARS.
SO HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR CREW FIT AND HEALTHY
FOR THIS LENGTH OF TIME?
FRESH FOOD
AND A DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE LITTLE L.E.D.s
THAT YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH EVERY DAY
ARE BEING USED BY NASA TO ENABLE FUTURE MARS EXPLORERS
TO GROW FOOD IN THE UNFORGIVING VACUUM OF SPACE.
Gazard: THE BEST POSSIBLE USE FOR L.E.D.s IN SPACE
IS TO ACTUALLY GROW FOOD.
YOU CAN PROVIDE A CONTINUAL SOURCE OF LIGHT.
YOU CAN PROVIDE IT CHEAPLY.
THE COMPONENTS ARE ACTUALLY VERY EFFICIENT
AND VERY RELIABLE.
AND YOU CAN TUNE THEM TO PRODUCE EXACTLY THE COLORS YOU WANT.
Narrator: BUT WHY IS A CONSTANT SOURCE OF LIGHT
SO IMPORTANT FOR HEALTHY PLANT GROWTH?
AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, A PLANT GROWS
BY A PROCESS CALLED PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
PLANTS CONTAIN A PIGMENT CALLED CHLOROPHYLL
THAT USUALLY GIVES A PLANT ITS CHARACTERISTIC GREEN COLOR.
CHLOROPHYLL CAPTURES THE SUN'S ENERGY
AND USES IT TO MAKE SUGARS OUT OF CARBON DIOXIDE
FROM THE AIR AND WATER.
THE SUGARS FUEL THE PLANT'S ROOTS, STEMS, AND LEAVES
SO THE PLANT CAN GROW.
AND LIGHT IS A KEY INGREDIENT TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
IN 2014, THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
BEGINS EXPERIMENTING WITH GROWING PLANTS
USING NASA'S VEGGIE GROW SYSTEM.
THE VEGGIE GROW IS COMPRISED OF AN ARRAY OF L.E.D. LIGHTS
WITH PILLOWS THAT CONTAIN THE SEEDS, FERTILIZERS,
CLAY, AND WATER THAT LEAD TO HEALTHY LETTUCE
BEING GROWN HIGH ABOVE THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
BUT NASA'S EXPERTISE WITH TUNINGS AND L.E.D. COLOR
DOESN'T STOP AT GROWING PLANTS.
NASA HAS FOUND A USE FOR THAT NASTY RED LIGHT, TOO.
IT'S CALLED RED-LIGHT THERAPY
AND IS BEING USED TO AID THE RECOVERY
OF A WIDE VARIETY OF CONDITIONS
BY AIDING THE BODY'S ABILITY TO REPAIR ITSELF.
RED-LIGHT THERAPY CAN HELP REPAIR TISSUES
IN A MUCH QUICKER LEVEL BY STIMULATING THE CIRCULATION
AND, IN TURN, WILL INCREASE
THE CHEMICAL MESSENGERS CALLED CYTOKINES
TO STIMULATE THE FIBROBLASTS,
WHICH ARE CELLS THAT CAN HELP PRODUCE COLLAGEN
AND HENCE REPAIR TISSUE QUICKER.
Narrator: THE APPLICATION OF THIS RED-LIGHT TECHNOLOGY
IS USED IN AREAS AS DIVERSE AS PAIN RELIEF IN CANCER PATIENTS
TO THE TREATMENT OF SPORTS INJURIES,
ANTI-AGING REGIMES.
SO, THE NEXT TIME YOU USE YOUR REMOTE,
TURN YOUR CAR HEADLIGHTS ON, OR WATCH YOUR FLAT-SCREEN TV,
THE SAME TECHNOLOGY ILLUMINATING YOUR WORLD
MAY ONE DAY BE HEALING A WOUND
OR GROWING FOOD ON A SPACE SHIP AS IT HURDLES TOWARD MARS.
THE L.E.D. -- TRULY AN INCREDIBLE INVENTION.
COMING UP, A SPECIAL EXPERIMENT
THAT PUTS THE L.E.D. LIGHT TO THE TEST.
Narrator: SO, HOW EFFICIENT IS AN L.E.D. LIGHT?
WELL, WE ARE GOING TO PUT IT TO THE TEST.
THE EXPERIMENT -- WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A GLORIOUS, ZESTY LEMON
AND TURN IT INTO A NATURAL BATTERY
WITH ENOUGH ELECTRIC JUICE TO LIGHT UP OUR LOW-VOLTAGE L.E.D.
TO BEGIN, WE WILL NEED A LEMON --
ACTUALLY, MAYBE A FEW --
ELECTRIC WIRES WITH CROCODILE CLIPS,
COPPER PIECES, ZINC-COATED NAILS,
AND FINALLY OUR LITTLE L.E.D.
NEXT, WE GENTLY CRUSH AND ROLL THE LEMONS
TO RELEASE THE JUICE INSIDE.
THEN, A WIRE IS CONNECTED TO A PIECE OF COPPER
AND ANOTHER TO A ZINC-COATED NAIL.
THE COPPER AND NAIL
ARE THEN PUSHED INTO EACH END OF THE LEMON.
THIS PROCESS IS REPEATED
UNTIL WE HAVE THREE FRUITY LEMON BATTERY CELLS.
NOW THE TECHNICAL BIT.
WE CONNECT THE WIRES ATTACHED TO THE COPPER
TO THE WIRES LINKED TO THE ZINC NAILS
TO FORM A CHAIN.
WE THEN CONNECT A CROCODILE-CLIP WIRE
FROM THE LAST REMAINING COPPER HEAD
AND ANOTHER CROCODILE-CLIP WIRE ON THE ZINC-COATED NAIL
AT THE OTHER END OF THE CHAIN.
CONNECT THE ZINC NAIL TO THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL
ON THE L.E.D.
AND THE COPPER NAIL TO THE POSITIVE TERMINAL,
AND LET THERE BE LIGHT.
AND THE SCIENCE?
THE ENERGY TO POWER THE LIGHT DOES NOT COME FROM THE LEMON
BUT RATHER A CHEMICAL CHANGE IN THE ZINC
AS THE SURFACE OF THE GALVANIZED NAIL
STARTS TO DISSOLVE FROM THE JUICE INSIDE THE LEMON.
THIS IS CALLED OXIDATION.
AND THE ENERGY RELEASED PRODUCES ELECTRICITY.
THE METAL PROVIDES THE POWER,
AND THE LEMON MERELY PROVIDES AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE THIS CAN HAPPEN.
DOES A FRUITY FUTURE AWAIT US?
PROBABLY NOT, AS IT WOULD TAKE OVER 6 MILLION LEMON CELLS
TO CREATE THE SAME POWER AS AN AVERAGE CAR BATTERY,
WHICH DEMONSTRATES HOW ENERGY-EFFICIENT
THIS LITTLE LIGHT IS.
THE ROWLETT RUTLAND TOASTER --
IT'S A HUMBLE KITCHEN APPLIANCE WITH A MILITARY CONNECTION.
BUT BEFORE WE EXPLAIN HOW,
LET'S UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY BEHIND MAKING TOAST.
IT'S THOUGHT THE EGYPTIANS DEVELOPED THE BASIC FORMULA
FOR THE TYPE OF BREAD WE KNOW AND LOVE
ABOUT 3,000 YEARS AGO.
BUT THEY ENCOUNTERED THE SAME PROBLEM
THAT WE STILL HAVE --
HOW TO STOP BREAD FROM QUICKLY GOING STALE.
Hurd: HISTORICALLY, WHEN PEOPLE MADE BREAD AT HOME,
WHEN YOU MAKE BREAD AT HOME TODAY,
YOU'LL NOTICE YOUR BREAD WILL GO STALER A LOT QUICKER
THAN THE STUFF YOU'LL BUY IN A SUPERMARKET
PURELY BECAUSE THE STUFF IN THE SUPERMARKET
IS PUMPED FULL OF SUGARS BUT ALSO PRESERVATIVES.
THE ONLY WAY THAT BREAD TASTES GOOD
WHEN IT'S STALE IS IF YOU WHACK IT IN THE TOASTER.
AND, REALLY, THERE IS NOTHING BETTER
THAN STALE BREAD FOR THE TOASTER
BECAUSE IT'S LOST ALL THAT MOISTURE ANYWAY.
IT BECOMES EVEN CRISPIER
AND EVEN TOASTIER AND EVEN TASTIER.
Narrator: BEFORE TOASTERS, TOASTING ISN'T AN EXACT SCIENCE.
BUT NOW, THERE IS REAL SCIENC
BEHIND WHAT MAKES A PERFECT PLATFORM
FOR YOUR HOT, BUTTERY TREAT.
Hurd: SCIENTIFICALLY, WHEN WE TOAST BREAD,
WE HAVE WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE MAILLARD REACTION.
THAT'S WHEN AMINO ACIDS INTERACT WITH REDUCING SUGARS,
AND THEY KIND OF HAVE A BIT OF A PARTY.
AND YOU GET ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL, LIKE,
TASTES AND FLAVORS COMING OUT.
YOU'RE GETTING THE SWEETNESS FROM THAT CHEMICAL REACTION.
Narrator: IT'S AN ITEM FOUND IN KITCHENS ALL ACROSS THE U.S.
BUT HOW IS IT MADE?
FIND OUT WHEN WE RETURN.
Narrator: SO, WHAT IS THE MILITARY LINK WITH THE TOASTER?
ROWLETT RUTLAND'S FOUNDER, TED RUTLAND,
STARTED MAKING TOASTERS USING THE SAME TOOLS
THAT HAD BEEN MAKING COMPONENTS FOR TANKS DURING WORLD WAR II.
AS AN ADDED BONUS, THERE WAS A SURPLUS
OF A PARTICULAR MATERIAL AFTER THE WAR.
Bob: THE FIRST TOASTERS HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT
OF ALUMINIUM IN THEM BECAUSE, AFTER THE WAR,
THERE WAS A SURPLUS OF HIGH-QUALITY ALUMINIUM,
WHICH WAS TO MAKE AIRPLANES.
AND SO, EVERYTHING THAT WAS MADE OF ALUMINIUM BECAME QUITE CHEAP.
Narrator: RUTLAND TOASTERS HAVE BEEN THE POWER BEHIND THE PERFECT TOAST
SINCE 1947.
AND THEY ARE STILL GOING STRONG TODAY.
THEY ARE ALSO THE PROUD MAKERS OF THE KING OF ALL TOASTERS,
A 6-FOOT LONG, 34-SLOT MONSTER
WHICH HOLDS THE CURRENT RECORD
FOR THE LONGEST TOASTER IN THE WORLD.
SO, HOW ARE THESE SHINY MARVELS MADE?
THE MANUFACTURER OF THE TOASTER'S CASE
IS THE FIRST STAGE IN THE PROCESS.
A SHEET OF STAINLESS STEAL IS PLACED IN THE CNC MACHINE.
THE TOASTER'S SIDES AND AIR VENTS ARE PUNCHED OUT
TO LEAVE ALL FOUR SIDES AS ONE CONTINUOUS STEEL STRIP.
NEXT, THE TOASTER
HAS ITS CORNERS FORMED BY THE STEEL STRIP
IN A MACHINE CALLED A PRESS BREAK.
IN PRESS BREAK FORMING,
THE SHEET IS POSITIONED OVER THE DYE BLOCK.
AND THE DYE BLOCK PRESSES THE SHEET
TO FORM THE CORNER SHAPE.
THE STEEL SHEET IS NOW STARTING TO RESEMBLE THE ACTUAL TOASTER.
BUT THE SIDES STILL NEED TO BE CONNECTED.
AND THIS WORKER USES AN AIR GUN
TO RIVET THE SIDES TOGETHER.
THE TOASTER CASE IS NOW POWDER COATED
TO GIVE IT A TOUGH AND SMOOTH FINISH.
WHILE THE TOASTER CASE IS BEING FINISHED,
THE ASSEMBLY OF THE INTERNAL WORKINGS,
CALLED THE INNER SCREEN, BEGINS.
TO START, A METAL SCREEN WITH A HEAT SHIELD
AND BOTH END PANELS ARE RIVETED TOGETHER.
THE TOASTER'S GUARD WIRES
ARE THEN SLID INTO POSITION
AND THE REMAINING SCREEN LINED UP OVER THE WIRES
WITH ANOTHER HEAT SHIELD RIVETED TOGETHER
TO FORM A METAL BOX.
THE FINGER BAR, WHICH THE TOAST RESTS ON,
AND A RETAINING STRIP ARE THEN FIXED ON
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE INNER ASSEMBLY.
THEN, THE HEATING ELEMENTS ARE INSERTED INTO THE TOASTER.
THE ELEMENT IS A CRITICAL PART OF THE TOASTER.
THE TOASTER MUST PROVIDE HEAT BUT NOT MELT WHILE IN USE.
SO MICRO-WIRES WRAPPED AROUND MICA SHEETS
ARE THE FOUNDATION OF THE HEAT SOURCE.
MICA IS A NATURAL SILICON MINERAL
AND HAS FANTASTIC HEAT-RESISTANT PROPERTIES.
THE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF THE FOUR ELEMENTS
USED IN THE TOASTER DEPEND ON WHERE THEY ARE POSITIONED.
400-WATT ELEMENTS AT THE END OF THE TOASTER.
THAT'S ONLY GOING TO TOAST ONE SIDE OF THE BREAD.
SO IT'S SLIGHTLY LOWER IN VALUE
THAN THE MIDDLE ELEMENTS, WHICH ARE 500-WATT.
FINISHING WITH A 400 AT THIS END, AS WELL.
THEY'RE ALL IN.
THEN WE'RE GOING TO LINK THEM TOGETHER
WITH THESE COPPER LINKS.
Narrator: THE INNER SCREEN IS NOW FINISHED
AND CAN BE FIXED INTO THE TOASTER CASE,
WHICH HAS NOW HAD A TIMER AND ELECTRIC WIRES FITTED.
A POLISHED METAL COVER IS CAREFULLY PLACED
ON TOP OF THE TOASTER
AND THEN SCREWED INTO PLACE.
THE TOASTER IS THEN FLIPPED OVER
AND A HANDLE CONNECTED TO THE FINGER BAR
TO ALLOW THE USER TO MANUALLY POP THE TOAST UP.
THE TOASTER WIRES ARE THEN CONNECTED
TO THE HEATING ELEMENTS.
THE NEXT STAGE IS FOR THE TOASTER TO BE INSPECTED.
TO BEGIN, IT IS CAREFULLY CHECKED FOR SCRATCHES,
DENTS, AND TO MAKE SURE ALL NOBS AND RIVETS ARE IN PLACE
AND THE TIMER AND FINGER BAR OPERATE SUCCESSFULLY.
THE TOASTER IS THEN GIVEN AN ELECTRICAL CHECK
TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE WIRES AND ELEMENTS
ARE FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY.
THE TOASTER IS NEARLY READY.
IN THE PACKAGING AREA,
A BOTTOM PLATE CRUMB DRAWER AND FEET
ARE SECURED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TOASTER.
THE TOASTER IS THEN WRAPPED AND BOXED,
READY TO BE SENT OUT TO TOAST LOVERS
ALL OVER THE WORLD.
IT'S JUST A DESIGN WHICH YOU CAN'T REALLY IMPROVE ON.
YOU KNOW, IT WORKS, IT MAKES PERFECT TOAST.
YOU CAN'T MAKE IT ANY DIFFERENTLY.
IT'S JUST, IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT, YOU KNOW.
Narrator: SO THERE YOU HAVE IT,
A GLANCE THROUGH THE HIDDEN HISTORY
AND SUPER SCIENCE
OF SOME AMAZING PRODUCTS WE USE EVERY DAY...
...THE NYLON STOCKING, THE L.E.D.,
AND THE ROWLETT RUTLAND TOASTER.
THEY MAY SEEM COMMON AND ORDINARY,
HOWEVER, THESE PRODUCTS HELPED CHANGE THE WORLD
ONE INCREDIBLE INVENTION AT A TIME.