Have you ever wondered who pioneered the portable typewriter you can easily transport from home to office? What about the early visionaries that helped commercial flight become reality? Then the remarkable legacy of Lee Burridge should be on your radar.
As both a serial entrepreneur and relentless tinkerer, Burridge steered key developments in business machines, mechanical devices, and embryonic aeronautics in the late 19th and early 20th century.
"I clearly remember receiving my very first handsome leather-enclosed typewriter as a young adult. It was the wonderfully compact Sun No. 2 designed by that prolific inventor Lee Burridge. I was simply thrilled by the ease with which I could draft articles and correspondence, no matter if ensconced in my study or voyaging to far-flung destinations."
Burridge earned over 60 patents over his prolific career. But it was his inventions that simplified mechanical business aids and made portable personal typewriters commercially viable for which he deserves special recognition.
Let‘s explore his trailblazing journey as an inventor and business pioneer more closely…
Steeping in England‘s Ingenuity Before Charting His Own Course
Burridge‘s knack for innovation was apparent early on.
Born in 1861 in Paris to English parents, he honed his engineering skills in British boarding schools. England‘s factories powered the Industrial Revolution, making it an ideal environment for the analytically-minded Burridge to grasp mechanical principles.
By 17 years old, he boasted the technical aptitude to immigrate alone to America‘s shores to further his ambitions.
Mastering the Machinations of Toys Opens Doors
The budding inventor found his first footing in 1878 New York at importer Aufmordt & Company. They specialized in an increasingly popular consumer good – mechanical toys, the precursors to today‘s automata.
Burridge dove into learning their inner workings – gears, springs, levers and pulleys that brought dolls, mini-vehicles, and toy soldiers to life through simple movement.
Within 12 years, he felt confident enough to strike out on his own, launching:
Sun Manufacturing Company
- Specialized in mechanical toys
- Notable inventions:
- Crawling doll with internal movement mechanism
- Walking man powered by springs
Sun Manufacturing was an immediate success. By 1890 Burridge held multiple toy patents and an award of merit from the American Institute.
This creative momentum in conceiving clever toys powered by intricate mechanics prepared him to tackle far greater technical challenges ahead…
Joining Forces with Marshman to Revolutionize Writing
The year 1882 marked a momentous partnership that soon birthed one of Burridge‘s most commercially successful inventions.
Burridge teamed up with fellow pioneer Newman H. Marshman to collaborate on new mechanical devices. Their first brainchild? You guessed it – improving toy functionality.
Emboldened by early wins, these ambitious inventors soon turned their sights on innovating one of the most pivotal emerging technologies impacting businesses and households globally – the typewriter.
"With his background crafting interactive mechanical toys combined with Marshman‘s expertise in typewriter copycats, Burridge was primed to radically improve typing efficiency and portability." – Professor Augustine Hendricks, Harvard Business School
After receiving their first typewriter patent in 1884 for the Sun Index model, Burridge and Marshman worked tirelessly over the next 12 years testing various prototype iterations.
Burridge focused intently on refining and simplifying key components like type bars and ink rolls to boost reliability. Let‘s analyze the major contributions he introduced:
Burridge‘s Key Typewriter Innovations from 1884-1896
| Invention | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Balanced type bars | Required lighter finger pressure |
| Visible printing | Enabled users to read as they type |
| Interchangeable font types | Supported upper and lower case letters |
| Self-inking rolls | Less manual ink replenishment |
| Condensed keyboard | 70+ characters accessed through 10 keys |
Buoyed by Burridge‘s technical improvements, Marshman handled the manufacturing process. In 1887 they incorporated the Sun Typewriter Company and aggressively scaled up production of their successful Sun Index model over the next decade.
Pioneering Portable Typewriters – Office Efficiency Gains Legs
Fast forward to 1901, Burridge continued his winning streak delivering yet another category-defining invention – the Sun No. 2 portable typewriter.
Weighing only 31 pounds and equipped with a custom leather case, it was the first commercially viable portable model tailored for traveling businessmen.
Competitors struggled to match innovations like Burridge‘s condensed 4-bank keyboard and visibility improvements. As a result the Sun No.2 dominated market share of portable sales through 1910.
Impressively, over 100,000 units were eventually manufactured.
Burridge also introduced two subsequent Durabla models that sold steadily until automatic electric models entered the scene in the 1920s.
Spreading His Wings to Lift Aviation Higher
In his later years while still leading Sun Typewriter Co, the intrepid inventor added yet another forward-thinking interest to his expansive portfolio – aviation.
As enthusiasts began proving out the possibilities of motor-driven flight in the early 1900s, Burridge banded together with cohort investors in 1908 to purchase a Voisin biplane. This French-engineered aircraft was one of the pioneering commercial airplane models.
Always the savvy promoter, Burridge organized public flight exhibitions across North America‘s major cities.
"Without visibility stunts that sparked public imagination in those early fragile planes, governments and investors may not have mobilized millions in R&D dollars allowing aeronautics to soar to the mammoth industry it is today." – Dr. Swanson, Aviation Historian
But Burridge took his aviation evangelism even further. He rallied like-minded engineers, academics and politicians to found the Aeronautical Society of America in 1908.
As President, Burridge lobbied tirelessly for policies and funding support that laid critical foundations for infrastructure investments to come including:
- Aviation-friendly regulations
- Financial incentives for plane designers
- Precursor air traffic control systems
The End of an Era…But the Legacy Carries On
While Burridge was taken too soon at only age 54 in 1915, his groundbreaking advancements catalyzed both typewriter portability and fledgling aerospace ambitions.
The timeless quality of his most popular inventions were underscored when industry titans like Underwood willingly paid over $90K to acquire Sun Typewriter‘s patents and scale up his clever portable model for mass consumption.
So let Burridge‘s tirelessly innovative trailblazing spirit inspire you in your own adventures cracking life‘s complexities!
"The scientist discovers a new type of material or energy and all of mankind benefits. He finds method of accelerating growth or averting decay and the whole world gains. Specific insights might benefit one entrepreneur, but all of humanity scaling to new heights is the ultimate reward for bold thinkers." – Lee Burridge (1908 Interview)
