Re: [AMC-list] I had to send it

[tom jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 18:37, Sandwich Maker <adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


> also occurred to me to wonder how many folks these days have any idea
> what the **** 'whitworth sockets' are...  though i'm sure any met
> owners here do!


Ugh.

But did you know that Whitworth was Charles Babbage's chief mechanical
designer/engineer, and the complexity of the Difference Engine and the
Analytical Engine design is what spurred his standardization of fastener
sizes? It was the first fastener standard that caught on.

(Babbage was kind of an idiot when it came to actually building things (he
couldn't stop making changes to designs underway...); he had a huge falling
out with Whitworth (over $$$...) and ended up with a lot of parts and rights
to mechanical design components.)

Woe be to early adopters. Always choose standards late! :-)
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