Ever wonder who took the time to create some of the simple things you take for granted? Here are a few fun facts about some things we use daily.
The cutting edge
1886
Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a pharmacist
Discovered after an alcohol ban in Atlanta forced him to tweak the recipe of a wine he had created.
Contact lenses
1887
Adolf Eugen Fick, a physiologist
The original contact lenses (which, yes, were begging for improvement) originally were tested and fitted to animals and then people. After going through several reinventions, our more modern-day contact lenses were not on the scene until the 1970s.
Velcro
1948 (patented in 1957)
George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer
While hiking in the woods, Mestral noticed the way burrs latched on to his clothing. He made two nylon strips act in the same way, putting hooks on one and loops on the other.
Legos
READ MORE
1958
Godtfred Christiansen
The Lego toy company was founded by the creator’s father, Ole Kirk Christiansen, in 1932 and was around before its most popular building block came to be.
Band-Aid
1920
Earle Dickson, a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
With a clumsy wife at home, Dickson was forced to invent an easy wound cover for constant kitchen accidents.
Popsicles
1905 (patented in 1923)
Frank Epperson, an 11-year-old
After accidentally leaving his fruit juice to be frozen with a spoon in it, Epperson discovered a new frozen treat. Years later, Epperson went on to patent his childhood discovery, inventing Fudgsicles, Creamsicles and Dreamsicles.
Source: Enchantedlearning.com
