"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."
Abraham Maslow, psychologist
The use of hand tools by humans has undeniably been a major factor in our evolution from hunter-gatherers to builders of civilizations. On many occasions a new design of tool has come at just the right time to add a boost of acceleration to the history of our technology.
The invention of the pneumatic hammer was one of those very events. Charles Brady King (1869-1957) had an eclectic range of interests. He considered himself a mystic, as well as a musician, artist, poet, and architect. He also had a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University, New York. His invention of the pneumatic hammer was perfectly timed. The 1890s were a time of rapid growth in construction, shipbuilding, mining, and the new automotive industry. Any invention that increased the productivity of workers was bound to be a success.
King's hammer used the power of compressed air and was extremely simple in concept. The input of the compressed air would drive a piston forward with great power, and this could be attached to any tool that required a to-and-fro percussive movement, such as a hammer. It was perfect for adding large numbers of rivets in construction, as well as for caulking.
King demonstrated his invention at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and went on to focus his energies on the car industry. His pneumatic hammer was further developed by what was to become the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company. A famous iconic painting showing a female worker with a pneumatic riveter became a symbol of courage during World War II. The painting Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell (1943) was sold in 2002 for $5 million.
