Category: Time Tested
A Tale of Twists
In 1932, Thompson applied for the patent rights on a “Screw” (U.S. Patent No. 1,908,080) with a “cruciform groove” and a matching “Screw driver” (U.S. Patent No. 1,908,081). He is still listed as the inventor on both applications, both of which were granted the following year. But Thompson’s attempts to sell his design to screw manufacturers yielded frustrating results.
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Campy Pioneer
The Clapper was an early home automation innovation almost a half-century ago. Just plug it into any standard wall outlet and clap twice to turn a lamp on or off. Clap three times to turn off the TV.
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Talk About Historic
Marty Cooper, “Father of the Cellphone,” is credited with one of the most impactful inventions ever.
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Sticking Around
After years of research on how to make a kind of synthetic burr, de Mestral came up with the idea of two strips of fabric: one with thousands of tiny hooks, another with thousands of tiny loops that would attach to the hooks.
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Pop Went the Myth
When a General Foods chemist began his experiments in 1956, even his runaway imagination could not fathom that two decades later he would go on speaking tours to assure parents that his accidental invention—a candy marketed as Pop Rocks—would not hurt or kill their kids.
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A Crawl, Not a Zoom
It took nearly a century of fits and starts before videoconferencing exploded during COVID-19.
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Ringing the Bell
Faced with pilfered profits, saloon owner James Ritty invented the mechanical cash register. He was inspired by the automatic mechanism that recorded the revolutions of a ship’s propeller.
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Vexing Virus Vaccines
Although human innovation and technology have landed a man on the moon, developing prompt and effective vaccines for viruses could be an ongoing challenge.
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Purposeful Repurposing
Innovator and designer Charles Harrison improved the trash can and hundreds of other everyday items.
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Tops of the Flops
The anticipation of failure and having a healthy attitude about it are essential traits for anyone trying to bring a new idea or product to the masses. However, it’s true that some inventing failures get added notoriety—whether due to their unconventional nature, excess hype, or number of dollars invested.
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New Coke’s Old Debate
Although blind taste tests showed the revised formula was preferred to Pepsi, public reaction to New Coke was even more bitter than the original drink’s taste.
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