Time Tested Archives - Inventors Digest

Sticking Around

by Reid Creager | Jun 24, 2021 | Time Tested

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.

Pop Went the Myth

by Reid Creager | Apr 24, 2021 | Time Tested

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.

A Crawl, Not a Zoom

by Reid Creager | Jan 5, 2021 | Time Tested

It took nearly a century of fits and starts before videoconferencing exploded during COVID-19.

Ringing the Bell

by Reid Creager | Dec 4, 2020 | Time Tested

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.

Vexing Virus Vaccines

by Reid Creager | Nov 2, 2020 | Time Tested

Although human innovation and technology have landed a man on the moon, developing prompt and effective vaccines for viruses could be an ongoing challenge.

Purposeful Repurposing

by Reid Creager | Sep 30, 2020 | Time Tested

Innovator and designer Charles Harrison improved the trash can and hundreds of other everyday items.

Tops of the Flops

by Reid Creager | Aug 31, 2020 | Time Tested

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.

Slow Path

by Reid Creager | Jul 31, 2020 | Time Tested

It took 31 years of planning and constructing before Sicard finalized his concept and became the generally acknowledged inventor of the first commercial snowblower in 1925.

New Coke’s Old Debate

by Reid Creager | Jun 28, 2020 | Time Tested

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.