Coca-cola was invented by a pharmacist who recommended soldiers using morphine drink it to treat their nervous system. It was originally made out of kola nuts and coca leaves, hence “coca-cola”.
I don’t even know why I am typing this, but it should make for some good comments…
Tea bags were originally a novelty. Thomas Sullivan deviced the idea of wrapping tea in silk bags to appeal to customers. It was a hit, but not for the novelty, because it became clear it was much easier to brew the tea through the porous material than their old method. His idea exploded, sales sky rocketed and soon everyone was tea bagging their customers…
Originally, black clothes were reserved almost exclusively for funerals and mourning – worn for at least 2 years. In 1926, Coco Chanel created the famous first little black dress, named “Chanel’s Ford” for her beloved. First movie starlets of the time began wearing the dress in other situations, then it grew to worldwide acclaim.
The little blue pill began as a treatment for cardiac disorder, but Pfizer soon realized it was relatively useless in that regard. During trial, however, they did note an unusual side effects, most noticeably, greatly increased blood flow to pelvic regions. Now, nursing homes everywhere can’t keep it in stock.
This substance was originally a source of tremendous frustration for mid-19th century oil workers. British chemist Robert Cheesbrough saw much more opportunity in the substance though, adapting it so a wide range of uses from curing wounds to cleaning carpets.
The bane of gym goers and cardio freaks everywhere wasn’t originally a fitness invention at all. Created in 1818 by Sir William Cubitt, the original idea for the treadmill was to use idle prisoners as labor to turn a mill grain. They would hold a rail as they walked what amounted to an endless staircase.
The slinky model was originally used as a way to suspend fragile instruments aboard ships. That is until Naval engineer Richard T. James dropped a “tension spring” and watched it crawl across the floor, much to his amusement. Thus, the idea of the slinky as a toy for children was born. More than 300 million of the little springs have been sold to this day.
These handy little notes are the result of a failed attempt at a stronger adhesive. As Dr. Spencer Silver was inventing said adhesive, he realized it wasn’t nearly strong enough. A colleague of his suggested he use the substance to anchor bookmarks to his hymnbook, easily marking and labeling without damaging the sacred pages. Now they’re used for everything from bookmarks to pranks and decorations.
This childhood favorite was originally created to clean to soot from houses equipped with fireplaces and adorned with wallpaper. When vinyl wallpaper was created, cleaning easily with a sponge (DOH!), they had to find a new use or go under. A relative of the inventor, a nursery school teacher, just happened to give some of the putty to children to play with. The kids were enamored. So, the Play-Doh team added food coloring to give it vivid bright colors and now kids everywhere eat it as a snack… and play with it.
Pillows were originally a sign of wealth in ancient Mesopotamia. Hard head rests were preferred to keep out bugs and insects away from people’s hair and face. The ancient Chinese thought soft pillows were useless and instead used pillows of bamboo, jade, porcelain, wood and even bronze – giving them strength and protection from demons.
The creation of the microwave was essentially a messy accident. Raytheon engineer Percy Spencer was testing radar equipment one day and noticed the microwaves from the radar had melted a chocolate bar in his pocket. Seizing the opportunity, Percy threw some popcorn into a magnetron and watched as it began to pop.
This “hygienic gasoline”, named after Dr. Joseph Lister, was originally invented in 1879 to clean surgical instruments. Eventually people realized there were many more applications and used it in various ways, from treating wounds, to curing dandruff and fungi. Some people even used it as deodorant (OUCH). It wasn’t until the 1920’s that it became a mainstream oral antiseptic.
Japanese rock musician Daisuke Inoue stumbled into the karaoke phenomenon. He originally used a version of the system to allow fans to participate between his band’s songs. One evening, he was unable to attend his own show, so his band mates used a tape recorder in his place. In 1971, he invented the machine that would play music without the vocals so musicians could relax as the public sang to the music.
High Hells began as a symbol of status in ancient Egypt. High officials, including men & women would wear them during religious rituals. The heeled shoes were also a favorite of butchers so that they could avoid the blood and other bits on the floor. Another early use for high heels was so that Persian equestrians could anchor themselves while shooting their bows. The famous stiletto high heel, however, wasn’t invented until the 20th century.
Not a significant difference, I supposed, bubble wrap was originally intended to be used as a three-dimensional plastic wrapper. That idea flopped, however, the inventors quickly realized how important the material could be for packaging. No word on whether they sat around popping it all day for fun.
h/t Bright Side
