The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Now a common household item, the lowly flashlight was once considered a novel toy. When it was introduced in 1898 at an electrical show in New York, the flashlight weighed more than six pounds, and its battery alone was half a foot long. Although patents for the device were issued to American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Co. in the 1890s, no single person has laid claim to its invention. The inventor of the toy electric train, American Joshua Cowen (1880-1965), built a prototype flashlight, but used it merely to illuminate potted flowers. When flashlights were first sold to the public, they were regarded as amazing toys rather than practical appliances. Today's lightweight, powerful flashlights are considerably more convenient and useful, thanks to improvements in light bulbs, batteries,and controls. In most flashlights, which use incandescent electric light bulbs,the light is focused into a narrow beam by a reflector and a lens. Small fluorescent models are also available,and some flashlights use extremely brilliant arc lamps that can illuminate objects in darkness half a mile (.8 km) away. Flashlight bodies can be twisted to fit around corners, worn on bands around the forehead, or hung from tent poles as they become more versatile, lighter and brighter. At Georgia Tech Research Institute scientists are making in radar flashlights that use in microwave technology to detect a human presence through walls that are as much as four feet away.