At age 11, Benjamin Franklin invented the world’s first swim fins using wooden oval planks. He also invented bifocal lenses, the lightning rod, and the first odometer. He did not patent any of his inventions. At age 11, Benjamin Franklin – already an avid swimmer – invented the world’s first pair of swim fins. The […]
Earle Dickson invented the Band-Aid in the 1920s to help his accident-prone wife. He worked for Johnson & Johnson and used duct tape and antiseptic cotton gauze to create the first adhesive bandages. The invention became a staple in home medicine cabinets. Other inventions were also inspired by accidents or unexpected events. Necessity is the […]
Pizza’s origins are unclear, but it likely began as bread cooked on hot stones. Naples is considered the birthplace of modern pizza, with the creation of focaccia and later the casa de nanza. Europeans were initially afraid of tomatoes, but farmers eventually began using them on pizza. The first pizzeria opened in Naples in 1738, […]
Velcro was invented in 1941 by Georges de Mestral after noticing the sticking power of burrs. NASA began using Velcro in the 1960s. Other accidental inventions include weatherproof rubber, Coca-Cola, and Viagra. Velcro was invented in 1941 through an accidental discovery while hiking. Georges de Mestral created Velcro after noticing the sticking power of burrs […]
Ed Headrick, inventor of Frisbee golf, requested to have his ashes mixed with plastic and made into a memorial frisbee. The Steady Ed Memorial Discs are still available for sale, with proceeds going to the Ed Headrick Memorial Museum. Frisbee was originally called Pluto Platter and the name “Frisbee” comes from a bakery in Connecticut. […]
