Henry Sutton (inventor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry Sutton
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| Born | 4 September 1855 Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
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| Died | 28 July 1912 (aged 56) Malvern, Victoria, Australia
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| Occupation | Inventor, music publisher |
| Relatives | Hilda Rix Nicholas (niece) |
Henry Sutton (born 4 September 1855, died 28 July 1912) was an amazing Australian inventor and engineer. He made many important contributions to early technology. These included electricity, flying machines, wireless communication, photography, and telephones.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Family and Childhood
Henry Sutton was born in a tent in Ballarat, Australia, on 4 September 1855. This was during the exciting gold rush days! He was the second of eleven children. His family ran a music business called Sutton Brothers. Henry later married twice and had six sons.
How Henry Learned
Henry's mother taught him at home until he was ten. He then went to a state school and Gracefield College. But Henry was mostly a self-taught scientist. By age 14, he had read every science book in the Ballarat Mechanics’ Institute library!
He also studied drawing at the Ballarat School of Design. There, he won a silver medal and many other awards. Henry also attended the Ballarat School of Mines.
Working in Ballarat
Henry Sutton taught at the Ballarat School of Mines from 1883 to 1886. His work on batteries made him famous. He was invited to join important electrical societies around the world. These included groups in France, America, Belgium, and Russia.
In 1890, before he moved to England, the people of Ballarat held a special dinner for him. They gave him an award to thank him for his work.
Time in London (1890–1893)
In 1891, Henry started a company in London. It was called Sutton's Process Syndicate. He wanted to use his special Suttontype printing method. But this method was not very new or reliable. So, he closed the business and went back to Australia.
In 1892, Henry met two very important scientists: Nikola Tesla and William Henry Preece.
On his way back to Australia in 1893, Henry used his printing process. He helped print pictures for a ship's newspaper called the Red Sea Scorcher.
Life in Melbourne
On 15 August 1910, Henry Sutton traveled with Alexander Graham Bell. They went from Melbourne to Ballarat. They talked about their amazing inventions.
Henry Sutton died suddenly at his home in Malvern on 28 July 1912. He was 56 years old. He was buried in the Brighton Cemetery.
Henry's Awesome Inventions
Printing Pictures
Henry Sutton invented a way to turn photographs into printing plates. He called it Suttontype. He patented this process in 1887.
Wireless Radio
Henry Sutton discovered and patented a special "detector" for wireless radio. It worked better than other devices at the time.
He also built the world's first portable radio! He held many other patents for sending and receiving wireless signals.
Early Flying Machines
Henry Sutton built a clockwork-powered flying machine. It was called an ornithopter. It moved like a bird's wings. In 1878, he wrote two papers about how birds fly and how to build flying machines. He shared these with the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain.
Better Batteries
In 1881, Henry developed a new type of rechargeable battery. He patented it the next year. He also wrote about a powerful four-volt battery. Some people thought it was impossible to build!
Electric Lights
Henry Sutton showed off his own light bulb just sixteen days after Thomas Edison did in 1879.
Later, Henry designed a special vacuum pump. This pump was much better than older ones. It was used to make light bulbs for the Edison Swan company.
Telephones for Everyone
After Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, Henry Sutton got busy. Within a year, he designed about twenty different telephones! He believed that scientific information should be shared freely. So, he patented very few of his own designs. However, others patented sixteen of his original telephone ideas overseas.
The very first telephone connection in Australia was made in Ballarat. It linked fire stations in Ballarat and Ballarat East. This allowed firefighters to talk to each other and find fires faster. Henry also wired his family's music stores with a telephone network. This was two years before Australia had an official telephone system! He even found a way to use gas and water pipes as part of a telephone circuit.
Seeing Tiny Germs
In 1885, there was a cholera outbreak on a ship. Henry Sutton got a sample and managed to photograph the cholera germ. He magnified it 1000 times! He wrote a letter about this, which was published in The Argus newspaper.
Color Photography
In the 1880s, Henry Sutton also created a process for color photography. Some examples of his work still exist. But he never sold this invention to the public.
Early Television Ideas
In 1885, Henry Sutton designed a mechanical television system. He hoped to watch the Melbourne Cup horse race in Ballarat! He published his "Telephane" designs in 1890. His system used the latest technology of the time. But the telegraph lines were too slow to send clear pictures of fast-moving horses.
Sending Pictures (Facsimile)
Henry Sutton used his telephane system to show how to send pictures over long distances. He did this with the help of Nikola Tesla in England. His invention was written about in Washington in 1896. It was noted that the first patents for sending images long-distance were from 1867.
Smart Lifts
Henry's mother became paralyzed. To help her, a new hydraulic lift was put into the family's music store. Ballarat had low water pressure, so Henry designed a new hydraulic system for the lift. This design was later used by the Austral Otis company. It was even exported to America!
Early Cars
Henry Sutton was a pioneer in car design. He built several of his own cars. In 1897, a tricycle with an engine designed by Sutton was driven from Melbourne to Ballarat. Even with bad roads, the trip took only eleven and a half hours! Thousands of people cheered when it arrived in Ballarat.
By 1898, Sutton had patents for better car engines. By 1899, he had built and driven the Sutton Autocar. This was one of the very first cars in Australia!
Automobile Club of Victoria
Henry Sutton was one of the people who started the Automobile Club of Victoria. At their first meeting in 1903, everyone agreed to his ideas for the club. These ideas included:
- Bringing together people who owned cars or motorcycles.
- Sharing experiences about using cars.
- Helping new car technologies grow.
- Working to create fair laws for cars on roads.
- Protecting the rights of car owners.
- Encouraging better roads and the growth of motoring in the state.
Henry Sutton's Legacy
Henry Sutton Circuit
On 20 January 2004, a street in the new Canberra suburb of Dunlop was named "Henry Sutton Circuit." It honors inventors and their creations.
The Henry Sutton Oration
In 2014, the Telecommunications Association started an annual event called the Henry Sutton Oration. This honors his contributions to telecommunications.
Poetry
The famous poet Les Murray mentioned Henry Sutton and television in his 1990 poem "The Tube."
The Science Show
Science journalist Robyn Williams has talked about Henry Sutton in his popular radio program, The Science Show.
