Buzz
While the names of the creators behind the world’s most celebrated inventions are etched in history, the stories of the everyday products we rely on are equally captivating, with their own unique inventors.
10. Louis Reard and the Birth of the Bikini
In 1946, two French visionaries revolutionized swimwear. Jacques Heim, a designer from Cannes, introduced a two-piece suit, naming it the 'Atome,' after the French word for 'atom.' To promote his invention, Heim hired a skywriting plane to advertise: 'Atome... the world’s smallest bathing suit...,'
Just three weeks later, French automobile designer Louis Reard unveiled his own version, pushing the boundaries of modesty. Using under 200 square centimeters (30 sq in) of fabric, he connected two inverted triangles with string and designed a separate bra top. He called it the 'bikini,' named after the Bikini Atoll, the site of U.S. atomic tests.
Prior to the bikini, European swimsuits typically consisted of a halter top and shorts that covered the navel, making it difficult for Reard to find a woman willing to model such a daring outfit. Eventually, he recruited an exotic dancer, Micheline Bernardini, who showcased the suit on July 5, 1946, at the popular Paris swimming pool, Piscine Molitor. The bikini immediately became a sensation among young women and, predictably, with the men watching.
A year later, the bikini made its American debut but faced resistance in a conservative society. It took several more decades, with the sexual revolution, for the public to embrace open expressions of sensuality.
Louis Reard promoted his creation as '...smaller than the smallest bathing suit.' He even claimed that a two-piece suit could only be considered a true bikini 'if it could be pulled through a wedding ring.'
9. Aquilino Cosani and the Swiss Ball
Despite its name, the Swiss ball, also known as the exercise ball, was actually created in 1963 by an Italian, Aquilino Cosani, a plastics manufacturer. Initially designed as a toy named 'Gymnastik,' Cosani produced balls in various sizes using burst-resistant vinyl.
Dr. Elseth Kong and Mary Quinton, English physical therapists based in Switzerland, were the first to use the ball to develop a neurological rehabilitation program for infants and newborns with cerebral palsy. Later, Swiss physical therapist Susan Klein-Vogelbach adapted the ball in the late 1960s for adult orthopedic and back rehabilitation in Basel, Switzerland.
In the 1970s, the ball was introduced to the United States by another physical therapist. American doctor Joanne Posner-Mayer encountered the ball while working in Copenhagen, and upon returning to the U.S., she brought it back with her to share its benefits.
8. Edward Nairne and the Invention of Erasers
In 1770, Edward Nairne, an English optician and engineer, sold the first rubber eraser. Nairne stumbled upon his invention by accident—he was trying to pick up bread crumbs to erase pencil marks, a common method at the time, but his hands grabbed a piece of rubber instead. Realizing how effective it was, Nairne began selling rubber cubes as erasers.
Later that year, British chemist Joseph Priestly made the same discovery about rubber’s unique properties. It was Priestly who coined the name for the substance, previously known as 'vegetable gum,' based on its ability to erase pencil marks.
Early rubber erasers were perishable and emitted a bad odor. Charles Goodyear, the man credited with pioneering rubber, solved both problems in 1839 by adding sulfur in a process he called vulcanization. Rubber erasers appeared on pencils in 1858, though the U.S. initially denied Hymen L. Lipman a patent for the combination, as it merely combined two existing inventions. However, by the next decade, Lipman did receive a patent, and his Faber company began producing pencils with pink rubber tips.
Today, rubber is still produced from the latex of the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, but some varieties are made using synthetic materials like styrene and butadiene.
7. Robert A. Chesebrough and Vaseline
Petroleum jelly has a wide range of applications, from soothing chapped lips to serving as hand lotion or even an antiseptic. But what inspired the creation of this versatile product?
The invention came from a British-born chemist named Robert Chesebrough, who was 22 years old at the time. When his job of clarifying kerosene from sperm whale oil became obsolete, he traveled to Titusville, Pennsylvania, to investigate newly discovered petroleum. The idea struck him after observing oil workers using a sticky substance called Rod Wax to treat their cuts and burns. Chesebrough took the material back with him and began experimenting with it.
To isolate the most effective part of the wax, he distilled it until the oil evaporated, leaving behind only the thicker components. Robert patented this process of making petroleum jelly, which involved heat under a vacuum followed by bone char filtration to refine the remaining substance.
In 1870, Chesebrough began marketing his product under the name 'Vaseline.' To promote his creation, he staged public demonstrations where he cut or burned himself with acid or an open flame, then applied Vaseline to showcase its healing properties. He even claimed to eat a spoonful of Vaseline daily for its supposed health benefits.
6. Robert Yates and the Can Opener
In 1820, English merchant Peter Durand patented the method of preserving food in cans and began supplying the Royal Navy with canned goods. However, the can opener wouldn’t be invented until several decades later. The first cans were made of iron, which meant people had to use a hammer and chisel to open them.
On July 13, 1855, Robert Yates from Middlesex, UK, patented the first can opener. This early version featured a curved blade and a lever knife. In the late 1850s, as containers became thinner, Ezra Warner from Waterbury, Connecticut, invented his own design, resembling a large, bent bayonet; a sickle-shaped blade sawed through the can’s edge, while a metal guard stopped it from cutting too deeply. Due to their heavy-duty designs, these early can openers were often left in grocery stores and not intended for home use.
In 1870, William Lyman revolutionized the can opener, creating a version suited for households. This design featured a sharp rod that pierced the center of the can, an adjustable lever clamped over it, and a rotating cutting wheel that moved around the can’s rim. By 1925, the Star Can Opener Company of San Francisco introduced a new model that eliminated the need to pierce the center. Instead, a second toothed gear, called the 'Feed Wheel,' gripped the can’s edge, enabling the cutting wheel to rotate smoothly.
5. Harry Coover and the Invention of Superglue
Dr. Harry Coover stumbled upon the incredibly strong adhesive cyanoacrylate in 1942 while working on clear plastic precision gunsights for Allied forces. He and his team initially found the substance too difficult to handle, as it stuck to everything it touched. After abandoning their experiments, they moved on to other ideas.
In 1951, while working at Kodak’s chemical plant in Kingsport, Tennessee, Dr. Coover accidentally rediscovered the potent adhesive properties of cyanoacrylate. His team was researching heat-resistant polymers for jet aircraft when they began experimenting with this chemical again. Once again, it caused trouble, as it bonded with every surface. This time, Coover recognized its potential. By the end of the decade, he was marketing and selling the superglue under the name 'Eastman 910.'
During the Vietnam War, field surgeons used the adhesive to seal soldiers’ wounds and stop bleeding, buying crucial time for transport to hospitals. The glue later proved invaluable in forensics as it helped capture and preserve fingerprints.
4. Diane von Furstenberg and the Wrap Dress
Diane von Furstenberg, the Belgium-born designer behind the wrap dress, embarked on her fashion career after marrying Italian Prince Egon von Furstenberg. The marriage, surprisingly, sparked a desire for more than just the royal life. In 1969, with no formal design training, she began working as an apprentice for Italian textile maker Angelo Ferretti. After her marriage ended three years later, she entered the New York fashion scene in the 1970s.
The idea for the iconic wrap dress came to Furstenberg after seeing Julie Nixon Eisenhower, daughter of President Nixon, wearing a wrap skirt paired with a wrap blouse. The first version of the dress featured a jersey knit fabric and bold '70s colors and patterns. It was an immediate success when it debuted in 1976, with over five million units sold.
3. Lonnie G. Johnson and the Super Soaker
Lonnie Johnson, a former NASA engineer and US Air Force officer, held 40 patents for his various inventions. Yet, his fame comes not from his professional life but from the childlike creativity within him.
In 1982, Johnson was working on an experiment involving a heat pump, using water instead of the typical Freon. When he connected the pump to his bathroom sink and turned on the water, a surge of high-pressure water shot out into his tub. This unexpected event sparked the idea for a new water gun.
The resulting product was a water gun that used air pressure to shoot water in a stream. Johnson faced challenges in manufacturing and selling the toy on his own, so he partnered with Daisy, a company known for air-powered BB guns. However, Daisy's marketing failed, and Johnson moved on to Entertech, which also struggled and eventually went bankrupt.
In 1989, Johnson met Larami president Myung Song and demonstrated an improved version of the water gun. The two signed a deal, and the toy's name was changed from “Power Drencher” to “Super Soaker.” Larami filed several patents, began production, and the Super Soaker became a global phenomenon, forever changing Johnson's life—and the childhoods of millions.
2. Earle Haas and the Tampon
For centuries, women have improvised with various materials such as cloth, wool, lint, and even grass to absorb menstrual blood. However, the modern tampon, complete with its tube applicator, was invented and patented by Dr. Earle Haas from Denver, Colorado, in November 1931. Haas later trademarked the name “Tampax,” a fusion of the words “tampon” and “vaginal packs.”
In 1934, a group of investors bought Dr. Haas’s patent and formed the Tampax Sales Corporation to introduce the product to women who had no previous knowledge of it. The first Tampax advertisement appeared in American Weekly on July 26, 1936, claiming, “...Your doctor will be the first to tell you that Tampax is the most natural and the most hygienic method of sanitary protection… accepted for advertising by the American Medical Association.” The ad was misleading as the AMA had not actually endorsed the product, but it convinced consumers that it had received medical approval.
In 1945, the product gained some level of AMA endorsement, although it wasn’t formal. Dr. Robert L. Dickenson wrote an article for the Journal, including statistical analysis supporting tampons. In his article, Dickenson also listed reasons why women should choose tampons over pads, stating that pads caused irritation, created odor, were bulky under clothes, increased the risk of contamination, and were “responsible for rhythmic play of pressure against surfaces uniquely alert to erotic feeling.”
1. Tim Blake and the Surfboard
In ancient Hawaii, surfing was not merely a pastime but a deeply spiritual activity. Hawaiians would offer prayers to the gods for favorable waves and the best wood for crafting surfboards—typically from the Koa, Wili Wili, and Ula trees. However, after Captain Cook's arrival and the influence of early European missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries, surfing nearly vanished, only to be revived in the early 20th century as missionary influence began to wane.
The modern era of surfboards began in 1926, when Tom Blake introduced the hollow surfboard. This 4.5-meter (15 ft) board featured numerous holes drilled through it, covered with a thin layer of wood on both the top and bottom. Blake then revolutionized the design further by adding a fin to the tail of the board, providing surfers with better control and maneuverability on the waves.
