Summertime...

I don't know how often I've walked past this clock and how often I've checked the time on it, probably more than a thousand times but I had never before noticed the date. So when I saw it this morning I thought this was appropriate for a blip, especially since we've just switched to summertime.

What happened in 1823? Charles Macintosh patented his invention for waterproof cloth made out of rubberised fabric in 1823. Macintosh was born in Glasgow, and was first employed as a clerk. He devoted all his spare time to science, particularly chemistry, and before he was twenty resigned his clerkship to take up the manufacture of chemicals. In this he was highly successful, inventing various new processes. His experiments with one of the by-products of tar, naphtha, led to his invention of waterproof fabrics, the essence of his patent being the cementing of two thicknesses of India-rubber together, the India-rubber being made soluble by the action of the naphtha. For his various chemical discoveries he was, in 1823, elected a fellow of the Royal Society. (thanks to wikipedia for giving me this answer).

Thankfully not a day for mac's today. Nice sunshine now and if I wasn't so tired I'd go out to enjoy it.