Ancient Origins

The origins of the scarf, much like the origins of many modern items, date all the way back to Ancient Egypt. Queen Nefertiti is said to be the original wearer of a scarf as it is believed that she wore one beneath an extravagant jeweled headpiece.

Another possible origin of the scarf was in Ancient China. Fringed rectangular scarves were discovered on the sculptures of Ancient Chinese soldiers. In addition, during Emperor Cheng’s rule around 230 B.C. scarves were used as part of a military uniform in order to denote military rank.

Finally, for another one of the early iterations of the scarf, one would look at Ancient Rome. Rather than a military accessory, scarves were used as ‘sweat cloths’ by the Ancient Romans. When men were engaged in strenuous physical labor, they would keep a scarf on their person in order to wick away sweat. They would be worn either around the neck, over the shoulder, or knotted around their waist like a belt.

Fashion Accessory

As history progressed, there came a period where the scarf began to be viewed as more of a fashion accessory. Napoleon is said to have sent his first wife, Josephine, a cashmere scarf from India. Right around the same time, the Third Duke of Krakow allegedly created the first knit scarf. The accessory really became popular with Queen Victoria’s ascension in the 1800s. The Queen is said to have worn silk scarves as a fashion accessory, popularizing them among nobility as they were more expensive and differentiated them from the lower class.

Utility

The perception of scarves shifted once again during the First World War. Knitting became perceived as one’s ‘patriotic duty’ rather than a mere hobby and tons of scarves, gloves, and socks were knitted and sent to servicemen during this period. Troops were often battling harsh, wet, and cold conditions and accessories such as scarves were often lifesaving for them during the war. White silk scarves were even worn by pilots who used the soft fabric as a means to avoid neck chafing. During this time, silk began to be produced in the west and was used for many purposes including bags for gunpowder charges as silk leaves no residue when burnt.

Fashion & Functioin

Since silk had started to emerge in the west during wartime, many clothing brands began to produce silk accessories. One of the first groups to produce silk scarves after the war was Liberty of London, who specialized in bright prints which starkly contrasted the melancholy of the wartime.

Most notably, however, was when Thierry Hermes created the first luxury silk scarf in 1937. The company purchased raw silk directly from China, which was spun into yarn and then woven into a fabric that was twice as strong and heavier than any scarves that had preceded it. The designs also included hand-painted details, hand-rolled edges, and an Equestrian feel. These scarves became extremely popular and desirable, truly shifting the perception of scarves and fashion drastically.

With the introduction of Hermes’s designs, scarves were now viewed as a desirable fashion accessory. The problem was that they were purely for the elite as Hermes’s silk designs were very expensive. This changed with the introduction of rayon, also known as viscose. This slippery fiber with a semi-synthetic material was nicknamed the ‘artificial silk’ because it mimicked the look and feel of silk at a fraction of the price. This allowed scarf accessories to become more accessible to the masses.

The shift toward materials such as cotton, linen, and wool happened during World War II when women were encouraged to take up men’s jobs in factories. Instead of wearing scarves around their necks where they could be a possible safety hazard, women were encouraged to tie their hair up in a scarf, keeping themselves warm while preventing their hair from getting tangled into any equipment. From then on, scarves of various materials and styles became a staple of both fashion and function for women and men around the world.

The post The Evolution of the Scarf appeared first on Inventionland.

Legendary Origins

Similarly to most foods that have been around for centuries, their original discovery has become more myth than historical fact. With coffee, a popular Ethiopian legend is that coffee originated with a goat herder named Kaldi. It is rumored that one day he noticed a behavioral change in his goats who were full of energy after eating red fruit off of a coffee shrub. After Kaldi tried the fruit himself, he found a similar reaction in himself.

Kaldi then reported his findings to a monk at the local monastery. Once the monk tried the berries, he found that they also provided him with energy and he was able to stay awake and alert through long hours of evening prayer. He began to spread the news to fellow monks and the word of the ‘energizing berries’ began to spread from there.

After hearing that story you may be thinking- hang on, I thought coffee came from a bean? In coffee’s most basic and unprocessed form, it is a fruit that has a similar appearance to a cherry. The coffee bean, which is used to make the beverages we know and love, is found at the center of the fruit.

13th Century

Between coffee’s early beginnings and the 13th century, the fruit was used in many different forms. At one point it was mixed with animal fat to create a protein snack bar and at another people used the fermented pulp to make it into a wine-like beverage. That was until the 13th century when the modern form of coffee was invented in Arabia.

Coffee was invented by the Muslim community at the time who found that the stimulant abilities were helpful during long prayer sessions. They created the process of parching and boiling coffee beans and began to plant and harvest more coffee crops. Coffee plants were exclusively located in Arabia or Africa from this point until the 1600s.

Spreading the Brews

From there, the beverage began to spread to Europe in the 1600s. After that, the French began to grow coffee in the Caribbean and, before long, Italy and France both began to have their own coffee houses.

It wasn’t until the 18th century that it reached America and it didn’t become popular until the late 18th century. When the famous Boston Tea Party occurred, it was seen as a patriotic symbol to make the switch from tea to coffee. It also gained additional popularity during our Civil War when soldiers would use its energy-boosting abilities to allow them to stay alert during battle.

Boom, Roasted

One of the more recent innovations in the coffee industry is the invention of the coffee bean roaster, which was invented by Jabez Burns. It was then purchased by John and Charles Arbuckle, two brothers from Pittsburgh, who became the first people to sell pre-roasted coffee in paper bags. While their sales focused on American cowboys, they were quickly followed by James Folger who began to sell a similar product to gold miners.

To this day, coffee remains one of the most valuable commodities in the world (second only to oil). A whole latte of you rely on it to get through your days and it beans a lot to people around the world.

The post Invention Spotlight: Coffee appeared first on Inventionland.

HEIMLICH MANEUVER

When Henry Judah Heimlich came up with his life-saving procedure in the 1970s, he was at a loss as to what to call it. Eventually, he went with the most obvious solution: naming it after the creator, aka himself. No matter the name, though, the technique is something we should all know how to do and countless lives have been saved because of it.

MASON JAR

John Landis Mason patented this wide-mouthed jar in 1858 after working as a tinsmith. They were unique for their hermetic seal, created by the separate band and lid used in the screw thread design. This allowed the jars to be reused, saving the user money. They were quickly dubbed Mason jars, although many other companies would copy the design over the years. Even today, Mason jars are still popular for canning and other projects.

SAXOPHONE

Adolphe Sax created quite a few horn instruments during his life, but his most famous is the one that bears his name. His dream was to create an instrument with the workings of a woodwind- hence the reed- but with that iconic horn sound. The saxophone changed the face of music forever, even though it took a while to gain popularity. It remained a novelty instrument until the rise of jazz in the 1920s when musicians found it matched the sound of the new genre.

SALISBURY STEAK

This staple of school cafeterias was the creation of James Salisbury, a 19^th-century doctor. Unlike most modern physicians, Salisbury believed that starches and vegetables were the bane of a healthy body. While his views on lean meat were later vindicated, most people agree fruits and veggies are key to a healthy diet. Nevertheless, this mixture of ground meats and gravy has found its way to the hearts (and stomachs) of millions.

GRAHAM CRACKERS

On the opposite end of the diet spectrum was Sylvester Graham and his crackers. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were the order of the day- without any meats or spices. He developed the graham cracker to help combat the blandness of this diet, or perhaps to enforce it. Graham also believed eating plainly would promote a morally pure lifestyle. Of course, most now associate the cracker with summer cookouts and beach bonfires thanks to that classic dessert- s’mores. Adding in the other indulgences the Graham cracker appears in, it’s safe to assume Graham’s goal has long been forgotten.

JACUZZI

The Jacuzzi is notable for not being named after one person, but a septet. Immigrants from Italy, the Jacuzzi brothers developed a hydrotherapy pump to use in the bath. Not only did it soothe the arthritis of a relative but caught on among the general public. The whirlpool bath as we know it came from a third-generation Jacuzzi in 1968.

SILHOUETTE

This is one instance where having your name immortalized is not a good thing. Etienne de Silhouette was a strict French finance minister. He made drastic cuts to the upper class during the Seven Years’ War. His name was used to describe anything cheaply made and soon became synonymous with the simple portraits.

BOWLER HAT

We have William Bowler to thank for this classic felt hat, which he designed in 1850. However, we should also give credit to the Earl of Leicester’s younger brother, Edward Coke, for commissioning him in the first place. According to legend, Coke asked Bowler to craft a hat that would protect him from low-hanging branches during horseback riding. So much for wearing a helmet.

BRAILLE

Louis Braille is responsible for the eponymous written language, now most famously used for blind people. However, he originally devised the language after studying up on cryptography- namely, the code of pressed dots Captain Charles Barbier had created to help his men communicate in the dark.

FERRIS WHEEL

Names play a huge role in the history and legacy of the famous ride. George W. G. Ferris (of Pittsburgh!) intended for it to be the spotlight of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, measuring in at 264 feet. Ferris wanted it to rival the creation of Gustave Eiffel for the World’s Exhibition in 1889, the Eiffel Tower. It fell a little short, as the Tower reaches 1,063 feet at its tip. But while the Eiffel Tower would remain a landmark of France, the Ferris Wheel has been duplicated worldwide as a popular amusement park attraction. (It later went on to be the name of Matthew Broderick’s character in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.)

The post Inventions Named After People appeared first on Inventionland.

MICROWAVE OVEN

One day in 1945, an employee of the Raytheon Corporation named Percy Spencer was experimenting with a magnetron vacuum tube. When he noticed the candy bar in his pocket starting to melt, he tested some popcorn with the device. When it began to pop, he knew he found something huge. Raytheon began selling the Radarange in 1947, and it flopped commercially. A cheaper, smaller version came out in 1967 to much better reception and now over 95% of homes in the United States have a microwave.

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

While you should always wash your hands before eating, there are cases where a bathroom break would change the course of history. For example, if chemist Constantin Fahlberg had washed his hands before dinner in 1879, he would’ve cleaned all the coal tar off his skin. Then he would’ve never tasted how sweet his food was due to the saccharin from the tar. (This is the exception, though- please practice good health and grooming habits.)

POTATO CHIPS

George Crum was the Gordon Ramsay of his day, easily angered but resourceful. When a customer complained that their French fries were too thick and soggy, Crum angrily sliced potatoes as thin as he could, fried them, and served with salt. The customer loved them. That day in 1853, the world’s favorite snack food, the potato chip, was born…entirely out of rage and spite.

IMPLANTABLE PACEMAKER

The idea of a pacemaker wasn’t new before 1956, but few could think of a practical way to insert one into the human body. Wilson Greatbatch, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Buffalo, wasn’t looking to create an artificial heartbeat. He just needed a resistor to build a heart rhythm recorder. The resistor was the wrong size, and when installed, made the circuit produce intermittent electrical pulses. It reminded him of a heartbeat and he began experimenting further and eventually the implantable pacemaker evolved.

POPSICLES

Eleven-year-old Frank Epperson wanted to try some soda pop, the latest beverage craze, in 1905. Instead of spending his money, though, he’d experiment and make his own at home. He mixed powder and water and nearly hit the jackpot- until he left the concoction on the porch overnight. The mixture froze overnight, stirring stick stuck inside… the perfect handle for the new frozen confection he just created.

RADIOACTIVITY

Chalk this one up to both Mother Nature and Henri Becquerel. The chemist was trying to make fluorescent materials produce X-rays through sunlight in 1896. Unfortunately, it was a week of clouds and overcast, forcing him to leave the supplies in his drawer. When the sun finally came out, he opened the drawer to find the uranium rock he was using imprinted in a nearby photographic plate- all without any exposure to light.

SLINKY

Navy engineer Richard James wanted to use springs to keep sensitive instruments steady during World War II. When he dropped one of the springs, it righted itself and landed upright…much to James’ amusement. It caught on among other members of the Navy and children alike, thus creating what might be the simplest toy in existence.

STAINLESS STEEL

Metallurgist Harry Bearly was hired by a 20^th-century arms manufacturer to create a gun barrel that was rust-resistant. He did so but conducted a few experiments on his own on the side. When the metal held up against corrosives like lemon juice, he saw the potential for food-grade silverware, and the elimination of nightly washing, polishing and putting away of the silverware was currently used. Stainless steel appliances, however, were still a bit beyond his imagination.

The post The Best Accidental Inventions appeared first on Inventionland.

COUSINS MAINE LOBSTER

During season 4, Sabin Lomac and Jim Tselikis introduced their food truck, a high-end concept offering lobster shipped from their home state of Maine. Now living in California, the cousins wanted to bring some of the food they grew up with to the West Coast. Barbara Corcoran made a deal: 15% of their company in exchange for $55,000. Not long after the episode premiered, they hit $700,000 in sales and made $8 million in 2016.

SCRUB DADDY

Perhaps the most well-known Shark Tank product, the Scrub Daddy is a reusable sponge that is firm in cold water and soft in hot water. Aaron Krause invented it in 2012, and in October appeared on the show. Lori Greiner invested $20,000 for a 20% equity, a bid that soon paid off. Since then, Scrub Daddy has made over $100 million in sales, making it by and large the most successful pitch in the show’s history.

BUGGYBEDS

Previously a security analyst, Maria Curcio began hunting down a new kind of bugs: bedbugs. She created the BuggyBed, a glue trap to catch the insects before they infested your furniture. Along with Veronica Perlongo, they appeared on Shark Tank to see if any would take the bait. In the end, all five sharks invested, and BuggyBeds are now available in 23 countries globally.

LOLLACUP

Hanna and Mark Lim were worried about the dishes they were using for their children and if they were truly safe. They developed a BPA and phthalate-free alternative, the Lollacup, with a flexible straw. Both Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec went for a 40% equity at $100,000. In 2018, the Lollacup has expanded into Lollaland, with bowls, plates, baby bottles, play mats, and even pacifiers.

COPA DI VINO

Copa di Vino is unique in that it failed on the show itself, despite appearing twice. James Martin came up with the idea of a “wine by the glass” single-serve product during a train trip, available in multiple premium varieties. Despite not catching on with the sharks both times, Copa di Vino went from $500,000 in sales prior to their pitch to $14 million in 2015. Sometimes, just a little press is enough of a boost.

WICKED GOOD CUPCAKES

The team: mother and daughter Tracey Noonan and Dani Vilage. The pitch: gourmet cupcakes in a jar, shipped nationwide. The result? Kevin O’Leary agreed to invest for $75,000 in royalties and $1 per cupcake sold until he broke even, then 50 cents for each additional cupcake. He made his investment back and then some: the pair had $8 million in sales by 2016.

GROOVEBOOK

Julia Whiteman lost thousands of family photos from her phone, inspiring her husband Brian to think of a way to preserve them. His idea was Groovebook, a monthly service that would print smartphone pictures in a book. Both Mark Cuban and Kevin O’Leary agreed to fund Whiteman for $150,000 on Shark Tank, in exchange for 80% licensing profits. 50,000 new subscribers joined after the episode aired, and the company was acquired by Shutterfly in 2014 for $14.5 million.

BOMBAS

Randy Goldberg and David Heath wanted to accomplish two goals: make a better sock and help their community. The concept they came up with were Bombas, socks with a blister tab and extra cushioning. Daymond John backed them, loving both their product and their intention to donate a pair to homeless shelters for each pair bought. In 2017, the company made $50 million.

HONORABLE MENTION: INVENTIONLAND INSTITUTE REGIONAL COMPETITION

Sure it hasn’t made it to prime time yet, but every semester our very own Inventionland Institute hosts a regional competition where students present their inventions in a Shark Tank-like setting. Check out the highlights from the 2018 Regional Competition:

The post Most Successful “Shark Tank” Pitches appeared first on Inventionland.

SUNGLASSES

Throughout the 1300s and 1400s, Chinese judges would wear quartz lenses tinged with smoke to hide their expressions in court- the need to keep impartial, after all. Vision-correcting glasses were introduced to China not long after but were still tinted for the same reasons. However, it wasn’t until the 1930s that tinted glasses were used specifically to protect against the sun.

WHITE-OUT

Nesmith Graham was a typist by profession, albeit not an exceptional one. She began mixing water-based paints in her blender at home, and using a fine brush, was able to fix her mistakes in seconds. Other typists at her work began making requests for the mixture, which she called “Mistake Out.” It ultimately cost her her job, but she was happy to use her free time to work on the product and patent it in 1958.

FLASHLIGHT

Conrad Hubert was an inventor who specialized in novelty electronics. While most of his devices never caught on, he did experiment with lighted stick pins and illuminated flower pots. Eventually, he had a bright idea: a lightbulb and a reflector inside a paper tube. Easy to hold and use, Hubert patented his flashlight (or “torch,” in the UK) in 1902. While other designs exist, this tubular shape is still the most popular worldwide.

DUCT TAPE

If you’ve ever misspelled it as “duck tape,” don’t worry. This was the original nickname for the adhesive back during WWII, due to its waterproof properties. The color was standard army green until the war ended, and the tape became a common household item. It was changed to silver and renamed “duct tape” due to the frequency it was used to, well, repair air ducts.

CAN OPENERS

Even though canned food was first introduced in 1810, it wasn’t until 1850 that Ezra Warner gave the world the can opener. Previously, people used hammers and chisels to get their food out of cans, but Warner’s alternative wasn’t much better. Her version used a bayonet to hold the can while a sickle was moved around. Not exactly safe for the fingers. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way.

T-SHIRTS

Up until 1904, men wore almost exclusively button-down shirts. While stylish, this did cause problems as the buttons were prone to popping off. However, that year was when the Copper Underwear Company began advertising their line of shirts that could be pulled over the head. It heavily appealed to bachelors who didn’t have a wife to sew for them, and the US Navy began issuing them to sailors. The name “T-shirt,” though? Still an enigma.

BENDABLE STRAW

During a visit to his brother’s soda shop in 1937, Joseph Friedman noticed his daughter struggling with her milkshake. At the time, straight paper straws were the norm, and not exactly useful for thicker drinks. Friedman used a screw and floss to create a ribbed texture in the straw, one that could be bent over the lid of the glass. He patented it and started his own bendable straw company in 1939.

COAT HANGERS

Albert Parkhouse came into work one day in 1903 wet and cold from the rain. Unfortunately, there was no place to hang his coat, so he bent some wire he used to make lampshades for customers. He looped the wire over a rack and hung his coat up. It caught on among his fellow employees and Parkhouse’s boss patented the creation. Yes, even then, bosses were taking advantage of their employees’ ingenuity.

ESCALATOR

The escalator may seem like nothing more than a staple of malls everywhere now, but in 1891 it was marketed as an attraction. Jesse Reno installed a version of his moving ramp in Coney Island, where more than 75,000 guests enjoyed it over two weeks. Coincidentally, Charles D. Seeberger came up with a “moving staircase,” and both inventions were featured at an exhibition in Paris in 1900.

COMPUTER MOUSE

Ten years before there was a mouse for every computer, the trackball was being used as part of top-secret military research. Donald Englebart, inventor of the mouse, originally had a prototype that sensed head movements to replicate the clicking of the buttons. Needless to say, it didn’t catch on.

The post Funny Invention Stories, Part 2: Everyday Objects appeared first on Inventionland.

COTTON CANDY

In truth, spun sugar was already a popular dessert, having been around since medieval times. However, in 1897, William J. Morrison worked with candy maker John C. Wharton to co-patent an “electric candy machine” to produce the fluffy confection. The twist? Morrison was the former president of the Tennessee State Dental Association and was a dentist for several years. Now that’s a toothache of irony.

SNAPPLE

If you’ve ever wondered where the name “Snapple” came from, it’s a mashup of “snap” and “apple.” Arnold Greenberg, Leonard Marsh, and Hyman Golden were attempting to market a line of carbonated juice drinks. Unfortunately, when the drinks fermented, the lids would explode off the bottles. The formula was tweaked, but the nickname stuck. Guess it was just snappy enough.

NACHOS

Ignacio Anaya was the head waiter at the Mexican restaurant Victory Club during World War II. One day, a group of women stopped in for a meal, but Anaya couldn’t find the cook. Improvising, he threw together tortilla chips, cheese, and jalapenos. The food was christened the nacho after Anaya’s real-life nickname. A very believable, if cheesy, reasoning.

CHEWING GUM

Speaking of Mexico, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna is most famous for his role during the battle for the Alamo. After he was exiled from Mexico, he tried to raise funds for his return by selling chicle as a substitute for rubber. Father-and-son inventors Thomas and Horatio Adams realized they could make the product chewable, and the bubble for the gum industry was blown.

FLAMIN’ HOT CHEETOS

A janitor at the California Frito-Lay plant, Richard Montanez, brought home some bare Cheetos after a mishap at the factory. He covered them with chili powder, a combination which was a hit among friends and family. His supervisors suggested he speak to the company president. To this day, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are the most popular version of the snack. Flame on, Montanez.

SANDWICHES

You’ve probably heard this story already: John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, was an avid gambler during his free time. During a poker game, he asked a servant to bring him his meat in between two pieces of toast, so he could eat with one hand and play with the other. His friends began ordering the same combo, nicknaming it after Montagu’s title. Clearly the best thing since sliced bread.

PRETZELS

Because pretzels have been around for centuries, their exact origin is unknown. However, it is widely believed European monks and other members of the clergy are to thank. The design of the pretzel somewhat resembles a child with their arms crossed in prayer. Their German name, brezel, is also thought to be derived from the Latin bracchiola, or “little arms.” No wonder they make such a divine snack. On the other hand…

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

…was not invented in Germany. Indeed, it was created by an American man named Samuel German, an employee of Baker’s Chocolate. Baker’s is famously used in the cake, and the original name of the confection (German’s Chocolate Cake) made the origins more clear. Don’t worry, though- black forest cake is the real deal.

FANTA

During World War II, Coca-Cola stopped syrup shipments to Germany. This left German CEO Max Keith in a predicament. How was he to prepare soft drinks without the top-secret Coke syrup? Mix whatever ingredients he could find- surplus fruit, leftovers from cheese making, etc.- together, sweeten it, and profit. It quickly caught on not for its flavor, but the lack of alternatives. Eventually, Coke added Fanta to its permanent lineup.

SNICKERS

The candy bar itself doesn’t have a particularly fascinating history in its creation. The combination of peanuts, nougat, and chocolate came naturally to the Mars family. The funny part is the name, shared with their favorite family horse. Some versions of the story suggest it was the youngest daughter who made the suggestion, but this is far from confirmed.

The post Funny Invention Stories, Part 1: Food appeared first on Inventionland.

10) Fidget Cube – $6,465,690

Before the fidget spinner took off, this handy little device was created for the same purpose. People who are fidgety at work or school can just click around with the various buttons and it helps you focus. Their original goal for funding was $15,000, but they ended up with 155,000 backers and a whopping $6,465,690 in funds. Talk about successful Clickstarter!

9) The Everyday Backpack, Tote, and Sling – $6,565,78      

This versatile pack was designed by photographers who felt other camera bags on the market lacked the ability for them to fit all of their other equipment. The bag comes with a number of zippered pockets and waterproof pouches to fit anything you need, as well as versatile handles and anti-theft straps. The campaign’s original goal was $500,000, but they ended up with 26,000 backers and $6,565,782 before they packed up and went home.

8) OUYA – $8,596,474

One of the earlier Kickstarter success stories, OUYA was a video game console designed for Android devices. The campaign launched way back in 2012 and gained 63,000 supporters. Unfortunately, however, its success was short-lived. According to Moneyish, its hardware didn’t live up to the hype. The store closed in 2015 and the software assets were sold to Razer Inc.

7) Exploding Kittens – $8,782,571

We know what you’re probably thinking- what? Exploding Kittens is a card game co-created by internet cartoonist Matthew Inman. The campaign took place in 2015 and, at that time, it was the fastest-funded Kickstarter of all time. The original game is suitable for ages seven and up; the creators later came out with a NSFW edition that is specifically for grown-ups.

6) Travel Jacket – $9,192,055

Not only is this jacket sleek and stylish, but it’s the ultimate jacket for any traveler. It was created by Baubax and includes several unique features: a phone charging pocket, earbud holders in the hood, a built-in neck pillow, a pouch big enough to hold a tablet and blanket, and more.

5) Pebble E-Paper Watch – $10,266,845

The first commercially successful smartwatch, Pebble, gained success over this original 2012 device. The watch would connect to via bluetooth to smartphones to alert you of incoming calls, texts, emails, as well as track workouts. It also used and e-ink-based screen, which allowed the device to maintain a long battery life. Pebble appears a few more times on the top lists, but unfortunately, they were sold to FitBit in 2016.

4) Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5 – $12,393,139

A board game based on the video game “Dark Souls” originally held the title for most funded board game of all time. That was until it’s sequel, Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5, came to play. The game essentially involves players creating characters, crafting weapons/gear, building civilizations and fighting monsters. Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5, which raised $1 million in the first 19 minutes it went live on Kickstarter, is expected to be available in 2020.

3) Pebble 2, Pebble Time 2 – $12,779,843

That’s right, Pebble is back again. Unfortunately, although the whopping $12,779,843 is very impressive, this isn’t the success story we’d hope for. Unfortunately, though Pebble gained such an impressive fund, they ended up selling the company before the project ever took off. They refunded their contributors and this device was never made.

2) Coolest Cooler – $13,285,226

This handy cooler is essentially a portable party. It comes with a built-in bluetooth speaker, ice-crushing blender, USB charger, space to tuck away plates…. Oh yeah, and it’s also a cooler. They hit a few roadblocks over the course of production, but they’re now available for $449.

1) Pebble Time – $20,338,986

According to Business Insider, this updated version of Pebble’s smartwatch launched in 2015 and still holds the record for most funded Kickstarter campaign of all time. Unfortunately, spoiler alert, Pebble is no longer a viable company. However, over the course of its short run, 2 million of these devices were sold worldwide.

The post The Top 10 Most Successful Kickstarter Campaigns appeared first on Inventionland.

Molly begins the commercial seemingly like any other kid- annoyed that she has to take out the trash in the middle of a stormy night. Suddenly, she spots the clotheslines hanging right outside of her house and has a light bulb go off in her head. She works with a bicycle, some rope, and a drill to create a mechanism that allows her to send the trash to its bin without having to leave her room.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSuO6xiSQ4k

Some kids may have stopped there, but Molly is not just any kid. She begins to invent machines to help every aspect of her daily life- from an attachment for the lawn mower to a toy car that dusts the house to her bed making itself at the push of a button. She even invents a vending machine for girl scout cookies and uses her original pulley system to deliver them down to street level.

All of this hard work peaks at the finale of the ad. We see that Molly now works for GE as an engineer. At the very end of the commercial, we see Molly use her innovative mind once more, now as an adult, to make a robotic inspection process run much more efficiently.

According to The Drum, this Ad was created by BBDO and its the latest in the company’s attempts to position itself as a digital industry company for innovative minds. In recent years, GE has focused its efforts on recruitment advertising in an attempt to draw new talent away from startup tech companies. And their efforts are by no means fruitless. According to their reports, a commercial that they aired in 2015 titled, “What’s the matter with Owen?” resulted in an 800% increase in employee applications.

This ad is also a result of a push that GE is making on bridging the gender gap in employment- especially in the STEM fields. In February of 2017, GE boldly announced their goal of having 20,000 women fill STEM roles (requiring science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) by the year 2020. According to The Inspiration Room, this would mean that they’d attain a 50:50 representation ratio between genders for all of their technical entry-level positions.

Shortly after announcing this goal, GE premiered an ad starring Millie Dresselhaus- the first woman to win the National Medal of Science and Engineering. This ad posed an interesting question- what if we lived in a society where female scientists were treated as celebrities? The commercial features the successful female scientist being made into a doll, becoming a Halloween costume for young girls, and even becoming an emoji. The ad ends with the hashtag #BalanceTheEquation and the official announcement of GE’s bold goals to get women into STEM jobs.

But GE isn’t the only company making this push to get more women into STEM fields. Back in 2016, Microsoft released a similar commercial in celebration of International Women’s Day. In this ad, an interviewer asks young girls to name scientists. The young female participants list off an array of male scientists. Later they’re asked to name female scientists and they each struggle to do so. This not only points out the bias that we have but also names several female scientists who have done amazing work. This ad by Microsoft is yet another step toward normalizing the idea of women in the fields of science and technology.

To the companies engaging in this push and attempting to bridge the gender gap in STEM, we echo Molly’s sincere last words at the end of her ad- thank you

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1. Tesla’s mother always encouraged his career in science; his father, on the other hand, only allowed it after a near-death experience.
Tesla’s mother, Georgina Djuka Tesla, was his biggest inspiration and responsible for sparking his love of working with electricity. When he was growing up, she would invent small electrical appliances in her spare time, including a mechanical egg beater. Tesla’s father, a talented writer and poet, was a priest and insisted his son follow in his footsteps to pursue the priesthood. It was only when Tesla was 17 and became extremely sick with cholera that his father promised his son if he survived that he could attend university and study engineering.

2. He gave all of his own money to his research and was a terrible entrepreneur; he was, at his base, an environmentalist and humanist.
One of Tesla’s larger concerns was, “the fact that people consume the Earth’s resources too fast.” Because of this, he studied different ways to gather energy from the earth naturally, including the creation of artificial light in his lab. Tesla never cared for making money through his research (as opposed to his rival, Edison). To pursue inventing he moved to the United States in 1884 with little-to-no money. When he died, he died with empty pockets and more than 275 patients in 26 different countries. His goal was to invent things to make human life better, not to make money.

3. He created an “earthquake machine.”
The machine was actually called a high-frequency oscillator, which was a piston set underneath a platform, and caused his lab and the building which he was in to shake violently. This machine didn’t cause the neighborhood to collapse or the buildings to fall down, but reports say that it did cause close friend Mark Twain to panic and helped to solve Twain’s recurring digestive problem. This was one of the only inventions that wasn’t seized later by The Office of Alien Property. Most of the other inventions were later returned to join the high-frequency oscillator in the Tesla Museum in Belgrade. Other inventions that were returned included his attempts at creating a particle gun and a death ray.

4. Tesla had some very famous friends.
  Besides Twain, Tesla’s friends included French actress Sarah Bernhardt, English poet and journalist Rudyard Kipling, Wilhelm Conrad Roengen, who discovered X-rays, and financier and banker J.P. Morgan. Another poet, Robert Underwood Johnson, penned the poem “In Tesla’s Laboratory.” Also, though Edison was seen as his rival to many, the two were far from not being on speaking terms and eventually found a great respect for one another.

5. He was amusing and generally pretty catty.
People knew Tesla as many different things: weird, committed, highly opinionated…but everyone agreed that he had a great sense of humor. Tesla wrote to one of his close friends in 1901 to talk about how Rudyard Kipling invited him to a rundown hotel for dinner saying: “What is the matter with inkspiller Kipling? He actually dared to invite me to dine in an obscure hotel where I would be sure to get hair in cockroaches in the soup.”

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