The Virtual Corkscrew Museum's Daily Newspaper
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Monday, July 14, 2003 |
Bastille Day
France - Today we celebrate Bastille Day with all the readers of The Daily Screw in France. Bastille Day is a National holiday celebrating the beginning of a new form of government. The Bastille was a prison in France that the kings and queens often used to incarcerate the people who did not agree with their decisions. On July 14, 1789, citizens stormed the Bastille in protest. That day marked the beginning of the French Revolution. A time that saw the end of rule by kings and queens. A time that heralded rule by the people and their elected leaders.
On July 14, 1789, there were only seven prisoners in the Bastille and they were guarded by 114 men. Fifteen cannons were in the towers and twelve guns on the walls for defense. Parisians pounded on the door and entry was refused so they cut down the drawbridge and door and rushed in. The commander of the Bastille decided to surrender but the surging crowd caused panic and the guards began to shoot. Eighty-four people died. The cannons were not fired.
Sav-Kap
Boston, Massachusetts, July 14, 1931 - Albert Charbonneau is celebrating Bastille Day this year with a new patent. He has been granted United States Patent Number 1,814,895 for his "Compound Appliance." To get his patent Charbonneau has simply added a corkscrew to Maurice Roberts 1926 patent for a "Bottle Stopper."
Charbonneau says he wanted to make Roberts invention more useful by "utilizing certain of the essential portions of the patented construction for the purpose of attaching and housing an added instrumentality, preferably a corkscrew." The new tool will lift a bottle cap and reseal the bottle or pull a cork from a bottle.
Like Maurice's patent, this patent has been assigned to the Roberts Specialty Manufacturing Company of Boston. It is being produced using the same stamping as on the original cap lifter/sealers: "Sav-Kap, Pat. Dec. 7, 1926, Boston."
Robert's 1926 Patent
Water and Wine
Urbana, Illinois - Drew Brock, an employee at the Corkscrew Wine Emporium at 203 North Vine St. in Urbana, said his business started getting flooded with water and backed up with sewage about 5:30 p.m. this past Wednesday. Employees spent the night retrieving bottles of wine from the floodwaters. "The water started rising, and it still hasn't stopped coming in," said Brock at 8:30 a.m. yesterday. Brock estimated total damage between $15,000 and $20,000.
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©2003 Don Bull, Editor |
