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  101 INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED

  THE WORLD BY HARDLY TRYING

  ANTHONY RUBINO, JR.

  Copyright © 2010 by Anthony Rubino, Jr.

  All rights reserved.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

  Published by

  Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.

  57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.

  www.adamsmedia.com

  ISBN 10: 1-4405-0010-X

  ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0010-7

  eISBN: 978-1-4405-0698-7

  Printed in the United States of America.

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  is available from the publisher.

  This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

  —From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

  Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their product are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

  This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.

  For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

  To Luke, Jake, and Grace (in order of appearance).

  Special thanks to the men and women whose humble masterpieces adorn the following pages.

  Thanks to Mollye Miller for her hard work, dedication, and abundant talent.

  Thanks also to Brendan O’Neill and Elisabeth Lariviere.

  “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson

  CONTENTS

  INTRODUCTION

  1 POST-IT NOTES

  2 BARBED WIRE

  3 GOLF

  4 CROCS

  5 YO-YO

  6 DUCT TAPE

  7 GUILLOTINE

  8 THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER

  9 POPSICLE

  10 BRA

  11 CAN OPENER

  12 HULA HOOP

  13 NECKTIE

  14 PAPER TOWEL

  15 CABBAGE PATCH KIDS

  16 BAND-AID

  17 TOILET BOWL

  18 TOOTHPICK

  19 PAPER CLIP

  20 WHEEL

  21 BIKINI

  22 TURDUCKEN

  23 Q-TIPS

  24 FRENCH FRIES

  25 WIRE HANGER

  26 SMILEY FACE ICON

  27 PET ROCK

  28 RUBBER BAND

  29 FRISBEE

  30 PENCIL

  31 CANDY DOTS

  32 THE GAME OF JACKS

  33 CRAYONS

  34 AUTOMOBILE CUP HOLDER

  35 SOCCER

  36 PAPER CUP

  37 EARMUFFS

  38 CANDY BAR

  39 BOTTLED WATER

  40 POOPER SCOOPER

  41 FIRE

  42 SLICED BREAD

  43 AWARENESS BRACELETS

  44 DRUM

  45 STRAW

  46 ANIMAL CRACKERS

  47 FISHING ROD

  48 BELL

  49 SUPER BALLS

  50 MASKING TAPE

  51 THUMBTACK

  52 TAMBOURINE

  53 PLASTIC MILK CRATE

  54 PAPER BAG

  55 COMPUTER PUNCH CARD

  56 SHOPPING CART

  57 THE PILLOW

  58 CONDOM

  59 ZIPPER

  60 BARBIE DOLL

  61 HORSESHOE

  62 HORSESHOES

  63 SEATBELT

  64 SPEAR

  65 KNIFE

  66 FARMING

  67 LIGHTNING ROD

  68 THE CLUB

  69 LEVER

  70 PULLEY

  71 MATCHES

  72 RADIANT HEAT IN HOMES

  73 FINGERPRINT DETECTION

  74 PASTEURIZATION

  75 ASSEMBLY LINE

  76 TRAFFIC LIGHT

  77 THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION

  78 TOILET PAPER

  79 SHOELACE

  80 STANDARDIZED TIME

  81 ROAD SIGNS

  82 MASS PRODUCTION

  83 ELECTRIC CHAIR

  84 RECYCLING

  85 BOTTLING

  86 THE WINDSHIELD

  87 WINDSHIELD WIPER

  88 INTERMITTENT WINDSHIELD WIPER

  89 SKATEBOARD

  90 ROLLER SKATES

  91 REARVIEW MIRROR

  92 ELECTRIC TURN SIGNAL

  93 VELCRO

  94 STERILE MEDICAL PROCEDURES

  95 GRAVITY

  96 SUNGLASSES

  97 BOWLING

  98 CHECKERS

  99 SAFETY PIN

  100 “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU”

  101 MOUSETRAP

  RESOURCES USED

  APPENDIX: RESOURCES FOR THE AT-HOME INVENTOR

  INTRODUCTION

  The Light Bulb

  The Automobile

  The Theory of Relativity

  The Steam Engine The Computer

  What do all of these revolutionary inventions have in common?

  None of them are in this book.

  Why? Because the average person can’t invent stuff like that, and this is an “invention book” for the average person.

  I have compiled the stories behind 101 of the most extraordinarily simple inventions that have changed our world. In fact, in most cases, the astounding inventions described here required no special skills, no education, no expensive laboratories, no government grants, very little capital, just an extraordinary amount of hard work and ingenuity. This book is meant to inspire you, make you laugh a little (I hope), and encourage you through example to follow your dreams.

  However, just because they’re identified as simple, doesn’t mean the inventors are simple-minded. Every one of these inventions is elegant— meaning, they all have refinement, grace, and beauty. The people who invented and discovered these things deserve to be recognized and praised.

  All that said, you will see that there are inventions and discoveries listed here that would be impossible for you to have created, as their inceptions occurred long before you were born. Fire, the wheel, even golf—these are all amazingly simple but, now, out of your creative reach. Inventions and discoveries such as these are rendered here to display how, throughout history, ordinary people did extraordinary things time and time again.

  But you will also find an astonishing array of modern items that you really could have invented had you been the first to think of them.

  So turn the page, read on, and as you do, keep asking yourself, “Hey . . . why didn’t I think of that?”

  1 POST- IT NOTES

  TAGLINE: A scrap of paper and some glue

  PREDECESSOR: A scrap of paper and some tape

  LESSON: The solution to your problem might be the solution to everybody’s problem.

  It’s the summer of 1974 . . . you’re begging Rikki not to lose that number, wondering what flavor lollipop is Kojak’s favorite, and just spent $3.50 on a Pet Rock (page 53).

  Meanwhile, 3M employee Art Fry is trying to figure out how to prevent his bookmark from falling out of his hymnal during choir practice. His colle
ague, Dr. Spencer Silver, just developed a new adhesive that’s sticky, but not too sticky. It allows users to fasten things without leaving behind residue, making it possible to reposition once-stuck things. A problem-and-solution match made in inventor’s heaven.

  Fry used Silver’s glue to develop a solution to his problem. Soon he was belting out “Ave Maria” without a care in the world, his place firmly marked by a semi-sticky little note. Perhaps a little slow on the uptake, 3M didn’t introduce the Post-It Notes until 1977, and when they did, people just didn’t get the idea and the product floundered. But persistence paid off. One year later, 3M inundated the Boise, Idaho, market with Post-It Note samples. After trying the notes, nine out of ten people said they’d purchase the product . . . if only they had a little note affixed somewhere to remind them. A decade or so after their introduction, Post-It Notes were stuck everywhere.

  The little notes quickly changed people’s organizational behavior. In the 1990s, Post-It Notes sales reached $15 billion. To date, 3M has sold an excess of 1 trillion sticky notes. Widely considered one of the most important inventions of the twentieth century, they have even been displayed in the Museum of Modern Art.

  Fry has since received many accolades for his role in revolutionizing office communication. Today, Fry travels the world to speak on the topics of creativity and innovation. And you? Well, I’ll bet your friends got a big kick out of the clever name you came up with for your pet rock. “Rocky Horror” was it? Yeah. Very clever.

  2 BARBED WIRE

  TAGLINE: A really pointy fence

  PREDECESSOR: Fences that didn’t hurt

  LESSON: Better fences make better neighbors.

  Have you ever urinated outdoors? No? For the sake of brevity, let’s dispense with the formality of pretending you’re not lying. As someone who’s peed outdoors, you’ve probably been in a scenario where you just “gotta go,” so you creep into the woods only to be stopped by thorny bushes and are forced to go elsewhere. Essentially, that is how barbed wire works, only without the pee.

  People are often surprised when told that barbed wire is considered one of the most significant inventions of the past 200 years. But barbed wire is held in this high regard for one reason: the cow.

  See, back in the days of the Wild West, livestock grazed freely. Before the introduction of the “thorny fence” (as barbed wire is also known), wild and domesticated animals simply penetrated existing fence systems and had their way with crops. Think about it. If one little bunny can gnaw his way through your carefully cultivated lettuce patch, imagine the damage that could be done by 10,000 head of 1,500-pound cattle!

  It was Lucien B. Smith who helped rein in the livestock. He received the first patent for barbed wire in 1867. Joseph F. Glidden improved on the concept and was issued a patent for his modified version in 1874.

  The widespread use of this highly effective fencing method changed life in the west almost as dramatically as line dancing and the gigantic belt buckle. Without this extraordinarily simple invention, U.S. agriculture would have been severely stunted, making western migration and the settlement of the majority of the United States impossible.

  3 GOLF

  TAGLINE: Strolling about aggravated

  PREDECESSOR: Strolling about un-aggravated

  LESSON: Necessity’s not always the mother of invention . . . in this case, it’s not even a third cousin.

  Have you ever whacked a rock with a stick? Well, then congratulations, you could have invented golf.

  In fact, this pastime is so simple that it was invented a full three centuries before mankind entertained the idea that the earth revolved around the sun. And, like so many other inventions, it appears to be the direct result of boredom.

  Details are a little sketchy, but as far as historians can tell, around the mid-1300s, the advent of golf went something like this . . .

  Bored Scotsman #1: Hey, Angus, I’ll bet you a sheep’s bladder I can get this rock into that wee lil’ hole over there using only my staff, in fewer tries than it takes you to do the same.

  Bored Scotsman #2: Why the hell would I want to do that?

  Bored Scotsman #1: Beats working.

  They then proceeded to do just that until dusk.

  And that, more or less, is how you begin and end a game of golf today, give or take a sheep entrail.

  By 1447, the game became so popular that Scottish men were neglecting archery practice—not a good idea when those pesky British were sniffing around the kingdom’s borders again. For this reason, King James II banned the game for fear of invasion. (This is the first recorded contact that golf had with Nike . . . though not the shoe company, the actual Goddess of Victory.) Seriously though, within 100 years golf was so popular it got the entire Kingdom of Scotland in trouble with their boss, and it’s been doing it with golfers ever since.

  That’s One Small Step for Man . . .

  They’ve been called “the ugliest shoes ever made,” “tinker toys on steroids,” and “rubber abominations,” but do the inventors mind this criticism? Who knows? They can’t stop laughing long enough for anyone to ask them.

  Today, Crocs Shoes are available all over the world and are one of the most successful shoe stories in the history of footwear. That’s one small step for man, one giant, ugly, leap for mankind.

  4 CROCS

  TAGLINE: Cheap, hideous, rubber footwear

  PREDECESSOR: Ugly shoes that people didn’t want to buy

  LESSON: It doesn’t have to be pretty; it just has to be good.

  It is said, “There are no stupid questions.” Sure, it’s usually said by someone who wants to make stupid people feel better, but there is truth in that statement. And if you need proof, look no farther then the shoe sensation: Crocs.

  On a Caribbean sailing trip in May 2002, three, allegedly, inebriated Colorado guys asked themselves, “If we could conceive of the perfect shoe, what would it be?” Their answer: A shoe they could wear on their boating trips that was comfortable, practical, and fun. Taking it a few ugly steps further, they opined that this “wonder shoe” should be slip-proof, waterproof, and not leave scuffmarks, and shouldn’t smell after getting wet.

  When they sobered up it still seemed like a pretty good idea. So, with strictly utilitarian needs in mind, they designed a simple rubber shoe. The shoe was made of nonscuffing durable rubber. Nothing new, really. But then to achieve comfort and aeration they made the shoe wide and roomy and added ventilation holes (which leads one to question their definition of “waterproof shoe”). They ended up with an extremely good shoe for its designated purpose, and in July 2002 they debuted them at a local boat show.

  What happened next is the stuff of invention legend. People took to the strange footwear as one might take to a puppy that’s so ugly it’s cute. Their homeliness became an instant asset. That coupled with their undeniable comfort and usefulness drove demand through the roof, and by 2003 they could barely keep up with the deluge of orders.

  APPROXIMATELY 45,000,000 YO-YOS WERE SOLD IN 1962.

  5 YO - YO

  TAGLINE: A toy you toss and it returns

  PREDECESSOR: A toy you toss and it breaks

  LESSON: Deadly weapons do make great kids’ toys.

  Allow me to apologize in advance for the following: The yo-yo has had its ups and downs.

  Once again we find ourselves examining ingenuity through the recognition of a good idea, rather than the actual invention of an object. A lot of people assume that D. F. Duncan invented the yo-yo. But he most certainly did not. In fact, the yo-yo had been around for over two centuries before Duncan made it popular.

  It first made its way to the Western world in the 1800s, where the fancy-schmancy British referred to it as the quiz and bandalore, which was adopted from the French who also called the ancient toy an incroyable. Clearly not as catchy as yo-yo. However, Duncan didn’t even come up with that name. It’s actually the term used in the toy’s native Philippines, and translates to “Come back!”
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  Even better, the toy was actually used as a weapon on the island nation for over 400 years. A little different than the one you use to walk the dog, their version came complete with sharp edges and points—perfect for flinging at enemies and prey. Granted, it didn’t stand a chance against the colonizer’s weapons, which is probably why it’s no coincidence they were a conquered people for about 400 years.

  But back to the yo-yo you know today . . . it took D. F. Duncan Sr.’s recognition of the toy’s potential in order for it to become a must-have for every American kid. The company’s advertising campaigns caused millions to flock to stores in search of the deadly weapon-turned-child’s toy. The yo-yo’s popularity peaked in 1962 when forty-five million of them were sold, though it remains a favorite for the four-foot set. Unfortunately, mismanagement bankrupted Duncan’s company around this same time. So Duncan cut the string (and his losses). The Flambeau Plastic Company dropped in and bought Duncan’s shares as well as the rights to his name and his trademarks in 1968.

  So Is It Duck Tape or Duct Tape?

  It’s both.

  Because of its waterproof qualities, military personnel referred to the tape as “duck tape.” After the war, construction workers used it on air-conditioning and heating ducts. Hence the slight change in the name from duck to duct.

  6 DUCT TAPE

  TAGLINE: Super sticky silver tape

  PREDECESSOR: Repairing things properly

  LESSON: If your product can hold the universe together, you’re on the right track.

  Jury rigging, or Jerry rigging as it’s sometimes known, has been in existence since prehistoric man hastily repaired his woolly mammoth-trunk showerhead with the very first roll of duct tape . . . oh wait . . . that was a Flintstones episode. Nevertheless, man has made an art form out of the quick fix, and the invention of duct tape brought him a brand new way of hastily slapping things together.

  The story of duct tape starts with the invention of adhesive—the sticky in the super sticky silver tape. This sticky substance is a complicated chemical concoction, and therefore not included as an item in this book. However, its application in the form of duct tape is simplistic brilliance.