This Day, That Year – December 24

James Prescott Joule, the physicist who discovered the principle of conservation of energy, was born on this day in 1818.

Did you know that:

• Daniel Stover and William Hance patented a bicycle with a coaster brake on this day in 1889
• Irving Fisher patented an archiving system with index cards on this day in 1912
• Charles Beckley received a patent for a folding chair on this day in 1974