"On This Day" In Engineering History

On this day in engineering history, Josiah Wedgwood was born in Staffordshire, England. Known as the "Father of English Potters," he contributed immensely to the neoclassic style of pottery through his establishment of the Wedgwood pottery factory.

Wedgwood deserves to be known as more than just a name on a wedding registry, however. Unfortunately, many people overlook his development of the pyrometer, his contributions to the abolitionist movement, and his supporting role in the research of Charles Darwin.

Honed Perfectionism

Josiah Wedgwood's father owned Churchyard Pottery, the business where young Josiah began working as an apprentice in 1744,. In early 1750s, however, Josiah left his father's employ to learn more about the textiles used in potting. Wedgwood partnered with some manufacturers of earthenware, including salt-glaze and stoneware products, and objects in agate and tortoiseshell glazes. He then experimented with improving glazes in color, and achieved a particularly refined green glaze and jasper.

Heating Things Up

In 1780, Josiah Wedgwood began using his kilns to experiment with heating techniques. Later, he constructed the thermoscope, a device which brought him the highest scientific accolade in the country - election to the Royal Society. Josiah Wedgwood's invention matched fired clay cylinders with those fired at known temperatures, ranging in color from low to high temperatures. He also measured the shrinkage of clay using an upgraded pyrometer. Because porcelain shrinks when fired, Wedgwood was able to measure kiln temperature by measuring the shrinkage of small pieces of fired porcelain.

Spinning Hardships

Another part of Josiah Wedgwood's story involves adversity and innovation. When a childhood case of smallpox left Wedgwood with a leg that had be amputated, making it impossible for the "Father of English Potters" to turn a potter's wheel. Wedgwood "reinvented the wheel", so to speak. The innovative potter developed schemes for improving roads and canals that would eventually provide new ways of selling his factory's pottery.

In fact, most of the common techniques of twentieth-century sales came from Josiah Wedgwood. These include direct mail, money-back guarantees, traveling salesmen, self-service, free delivery, buy one get one free, and illustrated catalogs.

Good Will and Good Fortunes

In addition to his contributions to marketing and manufacturing, Wedgwood was a prominent slavery abolitionist who produced cameos depicting the seal for the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Wedgwood was also a member of the Darwin-Wedgwood family line, which would later include Charles Darwin, Josiah Wedgwood's grandson. Ultimately, the hefty family inheritance that Josiah Wedgwood bequeathed to his heirs would permit Darwin to live a life of leisure that would allow him the time to formulate his theory of evolution.

Resources:

Wedgwood Company Biography:

http://www.wedgwood.com/GB/About_Wedgwood

Wedgwood Museum: http://www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk/learning/discovery_packs/2179/pack/2184/chapter/2346

PBS: "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h67.html

"Josiah Wedgwood." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC