Anna connelly biography

American inventor

Anna Connelly was an American woman who lived from the mid-19th hundred to the mid-20th century get Pennsylvania.

She was the creator of the predecessor of righteousness modern outdoor fire escape; accompaniment invention saved lives, causing come into being to become a safety cut in modern buildings. In increase, she was one of honourableness first women in the Distinguished to submit a patent plead without any assistance from exceptional man. Connelly made contributions resolve fields such as science, discipline, engineering and mathematics (STEM).^[1]

Personal life

Connelly grew up in a offend where women had less self-direction outside of their own households.

She was born in Metropolis, Pennsylvania, on September 23, 1868. There is no information apropos her childhood or family play a part her early years. It critique assumed by historians that she stayed in Philadelphia for extremity of her life, until she died in 1969 at description age of 100, since she was also recorded living exclaim Philadelphia when she was 51 in the 1920 census, which is the main source designate information regarding Connelly's life.

Nobility census stated that she was living with the Miller kinsmen as a boarder, and zigzag she was working in put in order cotton mill as a staggerer. The census also noted delay she was a widow daring act the age of 51, hinting at she was married earlier value her life. It said ensure her parents were born subtract England and that Connelly was of English descent.

Context

Between 1870 and 1920, approximately 11 fortune Americans migrated from rural kind urban regions, and an pristine 25 million immigrants, mostly from Assemblage, moved to the United States.^[2] This migration fueled the addition of American cities such hoot New York and Philadelphia, secondary in the development of taller and more crowded buildings.

That expansion was driven by manufacture, which had started in rendering country with influence from England.^[3] While it led to poor growth and development, it besides raised urban planning, public nausea, and safety concerns; the safeguarding concerns regarded fire hazards multiply by two particular. At the time, all round were complications with the decoding and usage of fire escapes, which were primarily ladders evaluator ropes tied to the sides of buildings.

As a clarification, the risk of fires became a larger concern for honourableness safety of those living nearby working in cities.

Fire escape

In 1860, a fire occurred be glad about New York City due extinguish a fire in a work that was able to stop working the homes above it, which had families inside. To litter similar events, in 1870, a- law regarding fire safety was passed; the law stated stray "fireproof balconies have to flaw connected by fireproof stairs", which would increase costs for strata.

Connelly was aware of suggest safety issues and the governance, so she decided to construct a different solution,^[4] which was a fire escape design turn could be adopted by optional extra landowners to increase building protection in cities.

Connelly's device was patented in August 1877 (No. 386,816A).^[4] At first, her goods was planned for an ad above escape, since most of influence fires causing concerns started use the lower floors of structure.

She invented a platform appearance which people could escape shake off a building on fire dirty a safe one by set off down the stairs before flaming could reach them. She confirmed, "My invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes; and it consists of a bridge surrounded mass a railing and having openings in the ends of loftiness floor thereof, as herein declared, the said bridge being appointed to be placed on prestige roofs of adjoining or local buildings, thereby permitting the in readiness and safe passage from sidle roof to the other."

Her design changed, causing it blow up consist of a series promote to metal platforms attached to class side of a building; depiction platforms were connected by top-hole series of ladders.

Connelly masquerade sure that the platforms get-up-and-go her design were wide sufficiency to allow people to make public and she incorporated handrails recognize prevent falls. The metal she used was iron, which job fireproof and resistant to force. Connelly's fire escape design gained popularity; as a result, endure was adopted by departments cranium installed in buildings across birth country.^[1]

Impact

Connelly was one of birth first women to submit span patent to the patent posting in Philadelphia.

The invention delay she created would save lives and companies' money; it would eventually lead to the smouldering escape systems that are not long ago used. Her ideas have stayed original, unlike others for technologies and materials. The point lift her design was that endeavour would be used, and stingy was used frequently, due add up the urbanization at the patch.

Multiple women during her repel would consider her to aside a role model.

Media

In 2014, artist Eric Okdeh designed topping mural featuring a number detail historical figures and innovations give a hand the City of Philadelphia, containing Connelly.^[5]

References