Editing 1842 in science (section)

==Technology==
* January 8 – [[Delft University of Technology]] established by [[William II of the Netherlands]] as a 'Royal Academy for the education of civilian engineers'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tudelft.nl/live/pagina.jsp?id=300c4edd-74f6-4f4d-a5cd-42a70682cb98&lang=en |title=History of the university |publisher=TU Delft |accessdate=2012-07-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228094426/http://www.tudelft.nl/live/pagina.jsp?id=300c4edd-74f6-4f4d-a5cd-42a70682cb98&lang=en |archivedate=2008-02-28 }}</ref>
* February 21 – [[John Greenough]] is granted the first [[United States patent law|U.S. patent]] for the [[sewing machine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vdta.com/hof-list.html|title=Vacuum & Sewing Hall of Fame|accessdate=2007-12-29|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212185533/http://www.vdta.com/hof-list.html|archivedate=12 December 2007|url-status=live}} ''See'' section: "Contributors to the invention of the sewing machine".</ref>
* June – [[James Nasmyth]] patents his design of [[steam hammer]] in England and introduces an improved [[Planer (metalworking)|planing machine]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Smiles|first=Samuel|authorlink=Samuel Smiles|title=James Nasmyth Engineer: an Autobiography|publisher=John Murray|year=1912|url=https://archive.org/details/jamesnasmythengi00nasmiala|accessdate=2009-11-14}}</ref>
* [[John Herschel]] discovers the [[cyanotype]] ([[blueprint]]) photographic process in England.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Cyanotype|last=Rosenthal|first=Richard T.|work=Vernacular Photography|year=2000|access-date=2021-11-23|url=http://vernacularphotography.com/vpm/v1n1/the_cyanotype.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330080304/http://vernacularphotography.com/vpm/v1n1/the_cyanotype.htm|archive-date=2013-03-30|url-status=dead}}</ref>