Bette Nesmith was a typist in the 1950s. She invented white-out because she was fed up with having to scrap a whole page due to a typo. Later she sold her company for over 40 millions.
Benjamin Franklin never patented any of his inventions. He reasoned…
Benjamin Franklin never patented any of his inventions. He reasoned that “we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others”, and that “we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously”.
Alexander Graham Bell developed the metal detector as a last…
Alexander Graham Bell developed the metal detector as a last ditch effort to locate a bullet lodged in the chest of American President James Garfield in 1881; the attempt was unsuccessful because the metal coil spring bed Garfield was lying on confused the detector.
Louis Le Prince, who filmed the first ever motion pictures, disappeared…
Louis Le Prince, who filmed the first ever motion pictures, disappeared without a trace in 1890. Thomas Edison soon took credit as the first and sole inventor of cinema, and even took Le Prince’s son to court to dispute it. Few years later, the son also died under mysterious circumstances.
Verizon developed a special knife that uses pressurized…
Verizon developed a special knife that uses pressurized air to slice through lawns so fiber optic lines can be buried. The tool cuts through grass but does not break sprinkler pipes and gas lines.
James Buchanan Duke is credited as the inventor of the cigarette…
James Buchanan Duke is credited as the inventor of the cigarette, made billions, and Duke University is named in his honor.
Theophilus Van Kannel, the guy who invented revolving doors did so because he hated…
Theophilus Van Kannel, the guy who invented revolving doors did so because he hated chivalry, especially the idea of opening doors for women.
Stop signs originated in Michigan in 1915. The first ones had black…
Stop signs originated in Michigan in 1915. The first ones had black lettering on a white background and were 24 by 24 inches, somewhat smaller than the current sign.
Researchers in Tokyo have developed a mirror that tweaks the viewer’s reflection…
Researchers in Tokyo have developed a mirror that tweaks the viewer’s reflection in real-time to make it look like they’re smiling. The projected application for this tech is for use in shopping mall bathrooms, in hopes that happier shoppers will buy more.
A fifth wheel was a concept to help with parallel parking…
A fifth wheel was a concept to help with parallel parking in the 1950’s.