William Bullock (1813 – April 12, 1867) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventorAn inventor is a person who creates or discovers a new method, form, device or other useful means. The word inventor comes form the latin verb invenire, invent-, to find...
whose 1863 invention of the web
rotary printing pressA rotary printing press is a printing press in which the images to be printed are curved around a cylinder. Printing can be done on large number of substrates, including paper, cardboard, and plastic. Substrates can be sheet feed or unwound on a continuous roll through the press to be printed and...
helped revolutionize the printing industry due to its great speed and efficiency. A few years after his invention, Bullock was accidentally killed by his own web rotary press.
Biography
William Bullock was born in
Greenville, New YorkGreenville is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Greenville, Orange County, New York*Greenville, Westchester County, New York*Greenville , New York, in Greene County**Greenville , New York, in the center of that town...
in 1813. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his brother. In his youth, he worked with his brother as a machinist and
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
-founder. His fascination with books led him to acquire much knowledge of
mechanicsMechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behaviour of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effect of the bodies on their environment....
. At age 21, he was running his own machinery shop in
Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Chatham County, Georgia, USA. Savannah was established in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia...
. At this time, Bullock invented a
shingleShingle can refer to:*A flat covering element for a roof, including**Shake **Roof shingle* Shingle beach, especially in Western Europe, a beach composed of pebbles* Shingle, former name of Shingle Springs, California...
-cutting machine, but his business went broke when he was unable to market it.
While in
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
Bullock married Angeline Kimball and had seven children with her. When his wife died in 1850, he married Angeline's sister Emily, who bore him six children.
Bullock returned to New York and designed such devices as a
cottonCotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft,...
and
hayHay is a generic term for grass or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
press, a
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
planter, and a lathe cutting machine. He also invented a grain drill, which won him a prize from the
Franklin InstituteThe Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest and premier centers of science education and development in the United States. The Institute itself comprises three centers — The Science Center, The Franklin Center, and The Center for Innovation in Science...
in 1849. Shortly after this, he became involved in the newspaper world, and began working as an editor for a Philadelphia newspaper,
The Banner of the Union.
The paper later moved to
Catskill, New YorkCatskill is a town in the southeast part of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,849 at the 2000 census. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park.The town contains a village, also called Catskill.- History :...
. In 1853, Bullock began working on a hand-turned wooding printing press that had a self-feeder, an idea that laid the foundation for his later presses, one of which he designed in 1860 for the national publication
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly.
In 1860, Bullock moved to
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
, and in a couple of years, perfected a printing press called the web rotary press.
Richard March HoeRichard March Hoe , was an American inventor who designed an improved printing press.Hoe was born in New York City. His wife, Mary, and he lived on a vast estate, called Brightside, in the Morrisania / Hunt's Point section of the Bronx...
had invented the rotary press in the 1840s, but Bullock's press was an improvement over Hoe's design. Bullock's press allowed for continuous large rolls of
paperPaper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
to be automatically fed through the rollers, eliminating the laborious hand-feeding system of earlier presses. The press was self-adjusting, printed on both sides, folded the paper, and a sharp serrated
knifeA knife is any cutting edge or blade, handheld or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools. Originally made of rock, flint, and obsidian; knives have evolved in construction as technology has with blades...
that rarely needed sharpening cut sheets with rapid precision. The press could print up to 12,000 sheets an hour; later improvements raised the speed to up to 30,000 sheets an hour.
In a bizarre accident, Bullock was killed by his own invention. On April 3 1867, he was making adjustments to one of his new presses that was being installed for the
Philadelphia Public Ledger newspaper. Bullock tried to kick a driving belt onto a
pulleyA pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
. His leg was crushed when it became caught in the machine. After a few days, he developed
gangreneGangrene is a complication of necrosis or cell death characterized by the decay of body tissues, which become black and malodorous. It is caused by infection or ischemia, such as from thrombosis. It is usually the result of critically insufficient blood supply and is often associated with...
. On April 12 1867, Bullock died during an operation to amputate the leg. He is buried in Union Dale Cemetery on Pittsburgh's North Side.
William Bullock (1813 – April 12, 1867) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventorAn inventor is a person who creates or discovers a new method, form, device or other useful means. The word inventor comes form the latin verb invenire, invent-, to find...
whose 1863 invention of the web
rotary printing pressA rotary printing press is a printing press in which the images to be printed are curved around a cylinder. Printing can be done on large number of substrates, including paper, cardboard, and plastic. Substrates can be sheet feed or unwound on a continuous roll through the press to be printed and...
helped revolutionize the printing industry due to its great speed and efficiency. A few years after his invention, Bullock was accidentally killed by his own web rotary press.
Biography
William Bullock was born in
Greenville, New YorkGreenville is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Greenville, Orange County, New York*Greenville, Westchester County, New York*Greenville , New York, in Greene County**Greenville , New York, in the center of that town...
in 1813. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his brother. In his youth, he worked with his brother as a machinist and
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
-founder. His fascination with books led him to acquire much knowledge of
mechanicsMechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behaviour of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effect of the bodies on their environment....
. At age 21, he was running his own machinery shop in
Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Chatham County, Georgia, USA. Savannah was established in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia...
. At this time, Bullock invented a
shingleShingle can refer to:*A flat covering element for a roof, including**Shake **Roof shingle* Shingle beach, especially in Western Europe, a beach composed of pebbles* Shingle, former name of Shingle Springs, California...
-cutting machine, but his business went broke when he was unable to market it.
While in
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
Bullock married Angeline Kimball and had seven children with her. When his wife died in 1850, he married Angeline's sister Emily, who bore him six children.
Bullock returned to New York and designed such devices as a
cottonCotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft,...
and
hayHay is a generic term for grass or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
press, a
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
planter, and a lathe cutting machine. He also invented a grain drill, which won him a prize from the
Franklin InstituteThe Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest and premier centers of science education and development in the United States. The Institute itself comprises three centers — The Science Center, The Franklin Center, and The Center for Innovation in Science...
in 1849. Shortly after this, he became involved in the newspaper world, and began working as an editor for a Philadelphia newspaper,
The Banner of the Union.
The paper later moved to
Catskill, New YorkCatskill is a town in the southeast part of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,849 at the 2000 census. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park.The town contains a village, also called Catskill.- History :...
. In 1853, Bullock began working on a hand-turned wooding printing press that had a self-feeder, an idea that laid the foundation for his later presses, one of which he designed in 1860 for the national publication
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly.
In 1860, Bullock moved to
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
, and in a couple of years, perfected a printing press called the web rotary press.
Richard March HoeRichard March Hoe , was an American inventor who designed an improved printing press.Hoe was born in New York City. His wife, Mary, and he lived on a vast estate, called Brightside, in the Morrisania / Hunt's Point section of the Bronx...
had invented the rotary press in the 1840s, but Bullock's press was an improvement over Hoe's design. Bullock's press allowed for continuous large rolls of
paperPaper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
to be automatically fed through the rollers, eliminating the laborious hand-feeding system of earlier presses. The press was self-adjusting, printed on both sides, folded the paper, and a sharp serrated
knifeA knife is any cutting edge or blade, handheld or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools. Originally made of rock, flint, and obsidian; knives have evolved in construction as technology has with blades...
that rarely needed sharpening cut sheets with rapid precision. The press could print up to 12,000 sheets an hour; later improvements raised the speed to up to 30,000 sheets an hour.
In a bizarre accident, Bullock was killed by his own invention. On April 3 1867, he was making adjustments to one of his new presses that was being installed for the
Philadelphia Public Ledger newspaper. Bullock tried to kick a driving belt onto a
pulleyA pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
. His leg was crushed when it became caught in the machine. After a few days, he developed
gangreneGangrene is a complication of necrosis or cell death characterized by the decay of body tissues, which become black and malodorous. It is caused by infection or ischemia, such as from thrombosis. It is usually the result of critically insufficient blood supply and is often associated with...
. On April 12 1867, Bullock died during an operation to amputate the leg. He is buried in Union Dale Cemetery on Pittsburgh's North Side.
William Bullock (1813 – April 12, 1867) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventorAn inventor is a person who creates or discovers a new method, form, device or other useful means. The word inventor comes form the latin verb invenire, invent-, to find...
whose 1863 invention of the web
rotary printing pressA rotary printing press is a printing press in which the images to be printed are curved around a cylinder. Printing can be done on large number of substrates, including paper, cardboard, and plastic. Substrates can be sheet feed or unwound on a continuous roll through the press to be printed and...
helped revolutionize the printing industry due to its great speed and efficiency. A few years after his invention, Bullock was accidentally killed by his own web rotary press.
Biography
William Bullock was born in
Greenville, New YorkGreenville is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Greenville, Orange County, New York*Greenville, Westchester County, New York*Greenville , New York, in Greene County**Greenville , New York, in the center of that town...
in 1813. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his brother. In his youth, he worked with his brother as a machinist and
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
-founder. His fascination with books led him to acquire much knowledge of
mechanicsMechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behaviour of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effect of the bodies on their environment....
. At age 21, he was running his own machinery shop in
Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Chatham County, Georgia, USA. Savannah was established in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia...
. At this time, Bullock invented a
shingleShingle can refer to:*A flat covering element for a roof, including**Shake **Roof shingle* Shingle beach, especially in Western Europe, a beach composed of pebbles* Shingle, former name of Shingle Springs, California...
-cutting machine, but his business went broke when he was unable to market it.
While in
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
Bullock married Angeline Kimball and had seven children with her. When his wife died in 1850, he married Angeline's sister Emily, who bore him six children.
Bullock returned to New York and designed such devices as a
cottonCotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft,...
and
hayHay is a generic term for grass or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
press, a
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
planter, and a lathe cutting machine. He also invented a grain drill, which won him a prize from the
Franklin InstituteThe Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest and premier centers of science education and development in the United States. The Institute itself comprises three centers — The Science Center, The Franklin Center, and The Center for Innovation in Science...
in 1849. Shortly after this, he became involved in the newspaper world, and began working as an editor for a Philadelphia newspaper,
The Banner of the Union.
The paper later moved to
Catskill, New YorkCatskill is a town in the southeast part of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,849 at the 2000 census. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park.The town contains a village, also called Catskill.- History :...
. In 1853, Bullock began working on a hand-turned wooding printing press that had a self-feeder, an idea that laid the foundation for his later presses, one of which he designed in 1860 for the national publication
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly.
In 1860, Bullock moved to
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
, and in a couple of years, perfected a printing press called the web rotary press.
Richard March HoeRichard March Hoe , was an American inventor who designed an improved printing press.Hoe was born in New York City. His wife, Mary, and he lived on a vast estate, called Brightside, in the Morrisania / Hunt's Point section of the Bronx...
had invented the rotary press in the 1840s, but Bullock's press was an improvement over Hoe's design. Bullock's press allowed for continuous large rolls of
paperPaper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
to be automatically fed through the rollers, eliminating the laborious hand-feeding system of earlier presses. The press was self-adjusting, printed on both sides, folded the paper, and a sharp serrated
knifeA knife is any cutting edge or blade, handheld or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools. Originally made of rock, flint, and obsidian; knives have evolved in construction as technology has with blades...
that rarely needed sharpening cut sheets with rapid precision. The press could print up to 12,000 sheets an hour; later improvements raised the speed to up to 30,000 sheets an hour.
In a bizarre accident, Bullock was killed by his own invention. On April 3 1867, he was making adjustments to one of his new presses that was being installed for the
Philadelphia Public Ledger newspaper. Bullock tried to kick a driving belt onto a
pulleyA pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
. His leg was crushed when it became caught in the machine. After a few days, he developed
gangreneGangrene is a complication of necrosis or cell death characterized by the decay of body tissues, which become black and malodorous. It is caused by infection or ischemia, such as from thrombosis. It is usually the result of critically insufficient blood supply and is often associated with...
. On April 12 1867, Bullock died during an operation to amputate the leg. He is buried in Union Dale Cemetery on Pittsburgh's North Side.