1Edmond Albius
Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old slave boy in 1841 invented the technique for pollinating vanilla orchids profitably. Without this technique, it’s unlikely that vanilla would be nearly as well known as it is today.
2. Almon Brown Strowger noticed he was losing business because a competitor would have his wife, a telephone operator redirect calls asking for Strowger to his business. Strowger later invented the automatic telephone exchange which eliminated the need for operators.
3. The man who invented the K-Cup coffee pods doesn't own a single-serve coffee machine. He said, "They're kind of expensive to use...plus it's not like drip coffee is tough to make." He regrets inventing them due to the waste they make.
4. Chocolate milk was invented by Irishman Hans Sloane in the 1680s when he was in Jamaica. He found the locals' mix of chocolate and water nauseating and used milk instead. He then brought chocolate milk to Europe where it was sold as medicine.
5. In the 1820s, a Cherokee named Sequoyah, impressed by European written languages, invented a writing system with 85 characters that were considered superior to the English alphabet. The Cherokee syllabary could be learned in a few weeks and by 1825 the majority of Cherokees could read and write.
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6Anya Pogharian
In 2015, a 17-year-old Canadian named Anya Pogharian invented the portable dialysis machine spending just $500 to build it (dialysis machines typically cost about $30,000). Her machine filters 4 liters of blood in 25 minutes.
7. Philadelphia Cream Cheese was invented in New York and has never been produced in Philadelphia. Its name was given as a marketing strategy in the 1880s because at that time Philadelphia was known for its high-quality dairy.
8. The slinky was invented by accident when a mechanical engineer was working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea. After accidentally knocking some samples off a shelf, he watched in amazement as they gracefully “walked” down instead of falling.
9. The voice of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, Paul Winchell was one of the original inventors of an artificial heart, an automobile that runs on battery power, a method for breeding tilapia, and many other inventions that are still around today.
10. The deep-dish pizza was invented in 1943 when someone at the small pizza shop Pizzeria Uno in Illinois decided to make a pizza using a cake mold.
11Swivel chair
The first swivel chair was invented by Thomas Jefferson, and that he sat on it when he drafted the United States Deceleration of Independence.
12. Silly String was invented to be used as an aerosol spray to create an instant cast on broken and sprained bones. It worked, but while testing nozzles it was noticed it produced a 30' string. This inspired the inventor to change the formula to be less sticky, add color, and market it as a toy.
13. Snow globes were accidentally invented by a medical tool repairman. He was trying to make a brighter light bulb for operating rooms, so he tried using a water-filled glass with reflective particles to do this. The effect looked like snow to him which is how he got the idea for snow globes.
14. The webcam was invented just because 3 people wanted to keep a check on coffee level without walking to their breakroom.
15. The stethoscope was invented because a French doctor felt uncomfortable placing his face on a younger woman's chest.
16Jacuzzi
The jacuzzi was invented by Candido Jacuzzi to provide pain relief for his 15-month-old son, Kenny Jacuzzi, who was born with rheumatoid arthritis.
17. A man named Momofuku Ando is credited with helping end Japan's post-war food shortage by inventing instant ramen. He was born Taiwanese and didn’t become a Japanese citizen until 1966.
18. The revolving door was invented because the inventor disliked the social convention of men holding doors for women.
19. The plasma globe was invented accidentally by an MIT undergrad, who was working in a lab to create electrical rocket engines. Right after inventing it, he naturally brought it to his girlfriend's house party.
20. William Phelps Eno, the person who invented the stop sign, the pedestrian crosswalk, the traffic circle, the one-way street, the taxi stand, and pedestrian safety islands, never learned how to drive.
21Dog whistle
Charles Darwin’s cousin, Sir Francis Galton, who invented the dog whistle, meteorology, forensic fingerprinting, mathematical correlation, the concept of “eugenics” and “nature vs nurture”, and the concept of inherited intelligence, had an estimated IQ of 200.
22. Bette Graham became a typist to support herself and her son Michael in 1951. She was a poor typist and invented a white tempera paint to cover her mistakes. This led to her business Liquid Paper Company which she sold 25 years later for $48 million. Michael went on to become a member of The Monkees.
23. The Filet o' Fish was invented so Catholics could eat at McDonald's on Fridays.
24. Martin Couney, an owner of a freak show in the early 1900s invented an incubator to exhibit premature babies. In doing so, he saved thousands of lives and marked the start of advanced prenatal care for preemies.
25. A German soldier named Artur Fischer survived Stalingrad on the last plane out. After the war, he went on to invent many ubiquitous items such as the synchronized camera flash and the plastic wall anchor and held over 1100 patents before dying at the age of 96.
