9 Short Histories of Everyday Items

These products all have interesting histories!

3) Velcro

If you’ve ever looked at a dog’s fur covered in cockleburs and wondered if this was how Velcro was invented then you’ll be happy to know that this was a big part in the creation of this extremely useful modern day invention. George De Mestral studied the burrs and came up with invention in the 1950s and he chose nylon for the material. Of course it wasn’t until a decade later that the world would come to love it as much as he did.

Via/ Flickr

2) Ice Cream Cones

These tasty ice cream holders were invented by accident, or more by necessity. At the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis the hot weather meant that ice cream was selling quickly, but the paper cups were running out.

Vendors selling hot waffles weren’t fairing so well in the heat and the story goesthat a waffle vendor (Ernest Hamwi) helped out a neighboring ice cream vendor (Arnold Fornachou) and that soon other vendors were copying the winning combination. The first patent for ice cream cones didn’t come until after the fair, with a host of vendors claiming it was their invention.

Via/ Flickr

1) Post-It Notes

The essential office pads were invented by accident. The glue, originally tested for use on rolls of tape, was considered a faulty product and it was not immediately seen as an advantage that it could easily be removed from surfaces.

Via/ Flickr

If you enjoyed this then click the “Next Page” button to learn about some accidental inventions that shaped the modern world!

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