Where would we be if it weren’t for inventors? They are the ones that move us forward. Their genius and novel ways of looking at the world create new technologies and generate easier ways of doing things. Usually, however, inventors are some of the most eccentric people you will ever meet. They don’t think like the rest of us. Instead of living in the here and now, they are usually daydreaming about ways to improve existing technologies or thinking up new ways to do things. This eccentricity, while good for the purpose of inventing and being creative, can also lead to some interesting side effects. Well, in some cases those side effects can be downright hilarious…and in other cases they can be quite terrifying. You are about to read about some of the strangest, craziest, and most intelligent people to ever have walked the Earth. Many of the things, including the computer, tablet, or phone you are using right now were made possible by great minds such as these. Every generation would build on the discoveries and findings of the generation before it which managed to create the world in which we live today. These are 25 quirky and ridiculous stories about inventors and their inventions!
- Robert Chesebrough, the inventor of Vaseline, ate one spoonful every day.
- Nobody knows who invented the fire hydrant because the patent was lost in a fire.
- Clara Lazen, a 10 year old from Kansas City, accidentally discovered a new molecule during science class (tetranitratoxycarbon).
- Modern credit cards were invented by Frank X McNamara when he was supposed to pay for a dinner but forgot to bring cash.
- Charles Richter, the man who invented the Richter scale for measuring earthquakes, was a nudist.
- Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Thomas Edison have something surprising in common – none of them have a college degree!
- Adolf Hitler considered Henry Ford an inspiration and even kept a photo of him on his desk.
- In 1903, Thomas Edison electrocuted an elephant to show that Tesla's AC current was dangerous.
- Leo Fender, the man who invented two of the most famous guitar models in history (Stratocaster and Telecaster) never learned to play guitar.
- The man who invented diesel engines, Rudolph Diesel, killed himself in 1913 because he thought his invention had failed.
- Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47 recently quoted, "I'm proud of my invention, but I'm sad that it is used by terrorists". The former Soviet officer later said that he wished he had invented something more benign, like a lawnmower.
- Kalashnikov's comment is reminiscent of Einstein's statement after seeing the destruction of the nuclear bomb ("If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker").
- Tea bags were invented by accident. In 1904, Thomas Sullivan thought it would be better to send tea samples to customers in small silk bags rather than in boxes. Customers thought they were meant to be dunked in water and soon Thomas was inundated with requests for his "dunking bags".
- Richard Gatling, a doctor during the American Civil War noticed that most soldiers died of disease and not bullets. He is famous for saying "if I could invent a machine – a gun – which could by its rapidity of fire, enable one man to do as much battle duty as a hundred, that it would, to a large extent supersede the necessity of large armies, and consequently, exposure to battle and disease would be greatly diminished". He went on to develop the Gatling Gun, which was the world's first machine gun.
- When Peter M. Roberts invented the quick-release ratchet as a teenager, he came to Sears and the company offered him $10,000 for the patent saying it had no value. Sears went on to make nearly $50 million off of quick-release wrenches.
- Edwin Armstrong, inventor of FM radio, was bullied by numerous powerful AM radio supporters (NBC and AT&T) until he committed suicide in 1954 thinking that FM radio was a failure.
- Ruth Wakefield, the inventor of chocolate chip cookies, sold her invention to Nestle in return for a lifetime supply of chocolate.
- When Anders Celsius proposed the Celsius temperature scale, he initially put the freezing point at 100 degrees and the boiling point at 0 degrees. One of his colleagues, Carl Linnaeus, waited until Anders's death to switch the scale around which facilitated more practical measurements.
- James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, is the only coach in University of Kansas history to have a losing career.
- The upside down ketchup bottle earned its inventor, Paul Brown, $13 million.
- After Thomas Jefferson invented the swivel chair, he sat on one while writing the Declaration of Independence.
- B. F. Skinner, an American psychologist, once invented a temperature controlled crib. He called it the "heir conditioner".
- Gunpei Yokoi, the inventor of GameBoy, was working as a maintenance man at a Nintendo factory when he impressed the CEO with a toy he had created while the CEO happened to be passing by one day. His career quickly changed directions.
- When Volvo introduced the three point seat belt, it gave all other car manufacturers a free license to use it. Today, the company can proudly say that "there is a little bit of Volvo in every car".
- Whoopee cushions were first invented by Elagabalus, a 14 year old Roman Emperor and he would often use his invention on guests. He was assassinated at the age of 18.
Article published on http://list25.com/
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