Скачать или смотреть America Had No Ball Bearings in 1940 — So The U.S. Switched to Timken Technology

In 1940, the United States faced an unexpected crisis: the world’s precision ball bearings were controlled almost entirely by European manufacturers — many of them inside Axis territory. Aircraft, tanks, railroads, ships, and factory machines all depended on them… and America couldn’t build a war economy without bearings.

But the U.S. had something different.

Decades earlier, a German-born carriage maker named Henry Timken invented a new kind of bearing — one built not with balls, but with tapered rollers designed to handle extreme load, heat, and lateral force. What began as a solution to wagon axle failures would evolve into one of the most important industrial technologies in American history.

This film traces the rise of the Timken tapered roller bearing — from its 1898 patent, through railroad expansion, heavy industry, and military mechanization — to its decisive role in World War II and its lasting impact on global infrastructure.

This isn’t just a war story. It’s a story about engineering independence, manufacturing discipline, and how one invention helped the U.S. avoid dependence on a German-controlled global monopoly.

#history #ww2rebuilder #wwii #ww2 #timken #inventions #military