FRIDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2007

INVENTIONS
Just for the record, this is the list of things invented in New Zealand, or by New Zealanders....the self-sealing lid, the wide-toothed shearing comb, the luggage carousel, Pavlova, the stamp-vending machine, the bobby pin, the electric fence, the jet-powered boat and Velcro.
Betty (in Chester-le-Street) called to say she remembered being told that the inventor of Velcro was inspired by the interlocking of the seeds on a dandelion ‘clock’.
And Les called to remind me that the yellow QuayLink electric buses on Tyneside were designed and made in New Zealand and shipped over - at some considerable expense. Amazingly, their engines can be started from a laptop in New Zealand. Isn’t nature wonderful?
And what’s a bobby-pin?

MORE INVENTIONS
The north-east is perhaps best-known for being the birthplace of railways and (thanks to Lord Armstrong) hydraulics. The other day we celebrated the birthday of Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, the Gateshead engineer who invented the world’s first usable electric lamp (- eat your heart out, Edison). And Jonathan Ive, designer of Apple's ubiquitous iPod (as well as their iMac computers) received his design training at Newcastle Polytechnic - as it then was.
But other, less ‘hefty’, innovations started life here. Andrews Liver Salts were invented by a man called Leach in the 1850s in Newcastle - they are named after St Andrew’s church where the original factory was. The hand-grenade known as a ‘Mills bomb’ was invented by a Sunderland golf-club designer called Sir William Mills in 1915. The pies you eat at 'the match' are the way they are thanks to the Gaudy family of Jarrow, who invented an industrial pie-lidding machine. Crisps were first flavoured at Hoggett’s factory in Gateshead in the 1920s. Mustard as we know it was first produced by Mrs Clements of Durham City in the 1780s. And - a good old stalwart, this one - the humble (but indispensable) windscreen wiper was invented by a Whitley Bay man called Gladstone Adams in 1905. New Zealand? Pah!

THE SIMONSIDE BRAG
Thanks for all your emails, calls and texts (especially those from Fred and Mietek) about this spooky local folktale which I told last night. It’s been scaring me witless since I was a bairn and I’m glad it seems to have had the same effect on you. Incidentally, some local people know the story as The Duergar.
Both Fred and Mietek asked if The Nighshift was available online as ‘listen again’. It isn’t. Nor is it downloadable as a podcast. Sorry.

MUSICAL MAYHEM
The Theme of the Week was Chi Mai, written by Ennio Morricone and used by the BBC as the theme to The Life and Times of David Lloyd George.
If there’s some theme music you would like to hear, get in touch.

KNOW YOUR NORTH-EAST
The novel which rocked the literary world in the 50s and which was written largely in the library at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea was Room at the Top, by John Braine.
Today’s question is....the world’s oldest railway in continuous use is in the north-east. Where?

CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN

NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.