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.

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