XX Factor | Margaret Knight | 3
American Innovations
Audible
4.6 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 28 March 2019
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A machine to mass produce paper bags. Seems unremarkable today, but in the 1800s, it was cutting edge. The technology would change everyday life, and maybe, the life of one inventor: Margaret Knight. That is if she could get people to believe she invented it.
Part of a special series with Smithsonian Magazine highlighting the lives of women inventors to celebrate Women’s History Month. Head over to Smithsonian.com/Wondery to go deeper, or find us on Twitter @InnovationsPod.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, prime members, you can listen to American innovations, |
| 0:03.6 | add free on Amazon Music, download the app today. |
| 0:07.0 | It's a cold winter morning in 1850, |
| 0:17.5 | in Manchester, in Hampshire. |
| 0:19.5 | Margaret Knight, 12 years old, has just arrived to work, |
| 0:23.5 | along with her older brothers. |
| 0:25.5 | She follows them into a massive brick building. |
| 0:29.5 | Inside it's loud, dusty, full of giant machines, |
| 0:34.0 | loans that dwarf her in size. |
| 0:38.0 | Like most factories, it's filled with men, women, |
| 0:41.0 | and even some other children. |
| 0:43.0 | They're all busy weaving long bolts of fabric out of cotton. |
| 0:47.0 | One of Knight's brothers grabs her hand. |
| 0:49.5 | Maddie, hurry up! Did you hear that whistle? We'll leave! |
| 0:53.0 | I'm coming! |
| 0:55.0 | He rushes her over to the four machines she's in charge of, |
| 0:58.5 | and she gets to work. |
| 1:00.0 | Oh, and Maddie, remember, be careful, and always. |
| 1:03.0 | She stops him before he can finish his sentence. |
| 1:05.5 | Always keep my eye on the shuttle. |
| 1:07.5 | Yeah, I remember. |
| 1:09.5 | It's not the first time she's warned her. |
... |
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