Sunglasses can make the wearer look cool, and they certainly can help on sunny days, but that was not their original intent when they were invented. Advertisements
The Shady History of Sunglasses
Need Some Clothing? Grab a Can and Spray in On
Have you ever wished for instant clothing — the kind where you can just push a button and make something appear? If so, your wish may be very close to being granted. […]
How Bad Scheduling and a Misguided Con Scheme Changed the World
Johannes Gutenberg (circa 1400 – February 3, 1468) was responsible for one of the pivotal inventions in all of history: the moveable-type printing press. That invention, more than any other, allowed mankind […]
Meet the Baby Cage: the Mother of All Bad Ideas
What do you do when you live in a high-rise city apartment building and your infant wants to get some fresh air? Why, you set the little crumb cruncher precariously in a […]
College Students Rejoice: Pizza For Every Meal
In news that is sure to excite college students everywhere, a team of Scottish scientists announced the development of a pizza that is healthy enough to eat at every meal.
Keep One Hand Free to Slap the Inventor
We all know that pulling a fire alarm as a prank shows serious lack of judgment. When it comes a lack of judgment, however, few could surpass the inventor of the Fire […]
Whether You Have ADD or Are an Introvert, the Isolator May be For You
Ritalin has only been available since the 1950’s, but people have had difficulty with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) forever. Inventor Hugo Gernsback offered his solution for highly-distractable people when he invented The […]
Close Doesn’t Count in Patent Race
February 14, 1876 was a big day for Elisha Gray. That was the day he filed his application for a patent for his revolutionary new invention. His device promised to unite the […]
Letting the Dead Rest in Peace
Grave robbery was not something that just showed up in Frankenstein stories. In the last half of the 19th century, human corpses were in high demand by medical schools, and the body […]
A Smile So Sharp It Will Split Atoms
From 1940 to 1945, if you wanted to acquire radioactive material in Germany, you didn’t have to engage in cloak-and-dagger shenanigans; you simply had to go to the nearest pharmacy and purchase […]
Ben Franklin Needed a Sarcasm Sign
Benjamin Franklin is credited with some of the greatest ideas of all time. Not only was he the inventor of bifocal glasses, the Franklin stove, and lightning rod, but as one of […]
Strangled Science
There is a perception among many that scientists collect facts in a calm, dispassionate manner and do not give in to bouts of irrational reaction. That perception is wrong. A perusal the […]
Wiping Away Doubt About How to Hang Toilet Paper
It has been listed as one of the top causes of marital strife. It has divided families, torn friendships asunder, and generated more letters to advice columnist Ann Landers than any other […]
Take a Shot at a Better Mousetrap
James A. Williams of Fredonia, Texas applied for a patent for a better mousetrap. Not content with something as mild as poison or a spring trap, Williams devised a means by which […]
The Greatest Things Since Sliced Bread
The next time you use the phrase “the best thing since sliced bread,” you might want to consider how recent of an invention that is. The first commercially-available device that made it […]
