14 Gifts That Revolutionized the World

While some view gift-giving as overly commercial, especially during holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, for many, the act of exchanging gifts plays a vital role in various celebrations. Beyond the surface, gift-giving offers numerous psychological benefits, such as strengthening relationships and releasing oxytocin for both the giver and recipient, not to mention the value of the gift itself! However, some presents throughout history have had a far greater influence than just bringing joy to a few individuals—they’ve had a transformative effect on the world.

Octavia E. Butler’s Inaugural Typewriter

At the age of 10, Octavia Butler desperately wanted a typewriter to bring her stories to life. Despite not having much money, her mother fulfilled her wish. “Why would she need a typewriter at her age?” one of her mother’s friends remarked. “It will just gather dust in the closet. What a waste of money!” But that investment proved invaluable; the young Butler “pecked [her] stories out two-fingered.” Thanks to that childhood gift, Butler nurtured her writing talent, eventually creating iconic works in the science fiction and fantasy genres, such as Kindred (1979) and Parable of the Sower (1993). She became the first Black female sci-fi author to be published and is celebrated as the “mother of Afrofuturism” for her groundbreaking influence in the genre.

The Statue of Liberty

New York’s Statue of Liberty stands as one of the most iconic symbols of America, but the copper monument wasn’t originally designed in the United States. It was a gift from France to the United States, proposed by poet and historian Édouard de Laboulaye in 1865. Sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi created the statue—officially known as Liberty Enlightening the World—with assistance from engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who later designed the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, in creating its structural framework.

Besides being a symbol of friendship between the two nations, Laboulaye envisioned the grand statue as a way to mark the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the recent abolition of slavery in the United States. These themes are captured in the tablet Lady Liberty holds, inscribed with the Roman numerals for July 4, 1776, and the broken chains at her feet. The statue also came to represent a symbol of hope for immigrants arriving in America, as it was the first landmark they encountered on their journey to Ellis Island for processing. Author Emma Lazarus anticipated the significance of this symbolism, and in her 1883 poem “The New Colossus”—written to assist with funding the statue’s pedestal—she described Lady Liberty as the “Mother of Exiles.”

Standing at 305 feet (93 meters), including its pedestal, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. Over time, the statue has changed: its copper surface has oxidized to a blue-green hue, and the original torch has undergone several modifications, with various glass elements and lighting systems that give it a glowing appearance. In 1984, the original torch was retired and is now housed in the Statue of Liberty Museum, while Lady Liberty was given a replica of Bartholdi’s original torch to hold high.

Christopher Robin Milne’s Cherished Stuffed Bear

On August 21, 1921, A. A. Milne gifted his son, Christopher Robin Milne, a stuffed teddy bear for his first birthday. Originally named “Edward Bear,” the toy later inspired A. A. Milne’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh stories. The bear's name was changed due to two different animals: Winnie came from Winnipeg the black bear at London Zoo, while Pooh was inspired by a swan (possibly a real swan) that Christopher Robin mentions in the 1924 poetry collection When We Were Very Young, which also introduces Edward Bear for the first time.

Many of Pooh's iconic friends—Eeyore, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, and Tigger—were based on real-life stuffed toys gifted to young Christopher Robin throughout the years (Owl and Rabbit are the only entirely fictional exceptions). These toys are currently on display at the New York Public Library, except for Roo, who was unfortunately lost in the 1930s.

Winnie-the-Pooh has enjoyed immense global success: He was voted the most popular children's book character in a 2016 survey by the Reading Agency, and Forbes named him the most valuable fictional character of 2002 after generating nearly $6 billion. Pooh also has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Homestead Act of 1862

In the 18th and 19th centuries, distributing unsettled land was a challenging task for the U.S. government. Boundaries between plots were unclear, leading to border disputes, and the land itself was too expensive for many settlers. While the Land Ordinance of 1785 established a system for measuring boundaries, land prices remained too high. During the 1850s, homestead legislation was passed three times by the House of Representatives, only to be rejected by the Senate. In 1860, Congress passed a homestead bill, but President James Buchanan vetoed it.

In 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, granting individuals the opportunity to claim 160 acres of surveyed land without cost. The process involved completing an application and then residing on and improving the land, which, at times, was more challenging than anticipated. After five years—and upon paying a small registration fee—landowners would receive the deeds to their property. By 1934, roughly 1.6 million homesteaders had benefited from the Act, leading to 10 percent of U.S. land—over 270 million acres—being privately owned. The Homestead Act was repealed in 1976, although in Alaska, land claims continued until 1986.

Numerous U.S. presidents have praised the Homestead Act. John F. Kennedy referred to it as “probably the single greatest stimulus to national development ever enacted,” while George H.W. Bush described it as a policy that “empowered people, freeing them from the burden of poverty.” However, the act also had its darker consequences: The lands given to settlers were already inhabited by Native peoples who, according to the National Park Service, were “pushed farther from their homelands or forced onto reservations.” Over time, the Homestead Act also had significant environmental and economic impacts. Rexford Tugwell, undersecretary of agriculture under Franklin D. Roosevelt, argued in his 1935 essay “No More Frontiers” [PDF] that the Act “signed the death warrant of the prudent use of our land resources,” contributing to the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Greg Grandin, author of The End of the Myth (2019), stated that the Homestead Act “accelerated the practice by which farmers farmed until depletion and then moved on to a new plot,” leading to both ecological and economic disaster.

Anne Frank’s Diary

On June 12, 1942, Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager in Amsterdam, received a gift from her parents: a diary—actually an autograph book that she repurposed into a journal—for her 13th birthday. She had picked it out a few days before and, in her second diary entry, she described it as “maybe one of my nicest presents.” Less than a month after, Anne and her family went into hiding in a secret annex to escape the Nazis, where they lived until their discovery and arrest in August 1944. Anne later died of typhus at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Her diary was first published as The Diary of a Young Girl in 1947.

Despite Frank’s belief that “later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl,” her diary has since sold over 30 million copies across 67 languages, becoming one of the most famous books chronicling life during the Holocaust. John F. Kennedy once said that “of the multitude who throughout history have spoken for human dignity in times of suffering and loss, no voice is more compelling than that of Anne Frank.”

Louis Armstrong’s First Cornet

As a young boy, jazz legend Louis Armstrong worked for the Karnofsky family. One day, he was asked to promote the family’s junk wagon, but rather than simply shouting like a paperboy, Armstrong decided to play a small tin horn. The Karnofskys, unlike many employers, recognized Armstrong's musical gift. “They could see that I had music in my soul,” he later wrote. Beyond offering moral support, when Armstrong found an old cornet in a pawn shop, Morris Karnofsky gave him a $2 advance on his wages, enabling him to purchase the instrument. This act gave him the push he needed to eventually reach musical greatness.

Dr. Stephen Lewis, the curator of music and performing arts at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, describes Armstrong as “one of the single most important—if not the most important—figures in American music history,” adding, “his influence on jazz is so profound that many scholars, critics, and fans consider him the first great jazz soloist. … Today, he is celebrated as one of the geniuses who helped shape American music, with his performances still studied by scholars and treasured by fans across the globe.” Armstrong’s unique vocal style also inspired later artists such as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.

Chadwick Boseman’s Theater Program Tuition

In 1998, while studying at Howard University, Chadwick Boseman and his classmates were accepted into a prestigious summer theater program at the University of Oxford. However, they lacked the funds to attend, so their teacher, actress Phylicia Rashad, reached out to her industry connections for help. Although Boseman didn't know at first who had sponsored him, he later discovered that it was Denzel Washington who had stepped in to support him.

At the time, Boseman sent Washington a thank-you letter. Years later, after achieving Hollywood success himself, he wanted to express his gratitude in person. On The Tonight Show, Boseman recalled that when he finally had the chance to thank Washington face-to-face, Washington humorously responded, “Oh, so that’s why I’m here. You owe me money! I came to collect!”

Once the story became public, Boseman also publicly acknowledged Washington during a speech at the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony in 2019, stating, “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington.” The success of Black Panther was monumental: It grossed $1.34 billion worldwide and became the first superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards (though it lost to Green Book, it still won three Oscars in other categories). The NAACP notes that in his career, Boseman—who portrayed legendary Black figures like James Brown, Jackie Robinson, and Thurgood Marshall in addition to T’Challa/Black Panther—“helped to reverse generations of silver-screen stereotypes with an authenticity and dedication to Black culture, fostering culture and pride in an entire community.”

The Resolute Desk

Since 1880, the Resolute Desk has been a fixture in the offices of most U.S. presidents, often taking center stage in the Oval Office from the 1960s onward. However, this stunning piece made of oak and mahogany wasn’t always just a desk. Back in 1852, the HMS Resolute embarked on a mission to the Arctic to find John Franklin’s lost expedition. Unfortunately, the ship became trapped in ice, following in the footsteps of Franklin’s own HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel. In 1855, the American whaling ship George Henry discovered the drifting Resolute. The ship was repaired in America and returned to Queen Victoria as a symbol of goodwill. Instead of scrapping the wood, some of it was repurposed to create a desk, which Queen Victoria gifted to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880.

Throughout its long history, the Resolute Desk has been used to sign significant legislation, including the Treaty of Paris in 1898, which brought an end to the Spanish–American War, and Proclamation 3504 in 1962, which imposed a naval quarantine on Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Cherry Trees in Washington, D.C.

Another symbol of Washington, D.C. is the collection of Japanese cherry trees that can be found surrounding the Tidal Basin, on the grounds of the Washington Monument, and in East Potomac Park. The idea to plant these trees was first proposed in 1885 by writer Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore after her visit to Japan. In 1909, she gained traction with her idea when first lady Helen Herron Taft responded positively to a letter about the proposal. At the same time, Japanese chemist Dr. Jokichi Takamine was visiting the U.S. and, upon hearing of the plan, convinced Tokyo's mayor, Yukio Ozaki, to donate the trees. However, the initial shipment was contaminated with bugs and had to be destroyed.

By 1912, 3,020 Japanese cherry trees were successfully planted in Washington, D.C. Since then, the U.S. has sent cuttings of the trees back to Japan whenever the original stock needed replenishing. Today, approximately 1.5 million visitors flock to the city each year in March and April to enjoy the vibrant pink blossoms during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which began in 1935. Since 1939, the festival has included the appearance of official cherry blossom princesses in the parade and at other ceremonial events. Though the title may resemble a beauty pageant, the princesses are chosen for their academic and professional achievements. One notable example is Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who went on to have a distinguished career.

Steve Jobs’s Heathkits

As a child, Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, received several gifts that helped pave his path to becoming a tech giant. While his father first introduced him to the world of electronics, it was his neighbor Larry Lang, an engineer at Hewlett-Packard, who truly sparked his passion. Lang gifted Jobs Heathkits, DIY kits for building electronics like radios and TV receivers. Not only did these kits teach Jobs valuable hands-on skills, but Lang later explained in an interview that they also instilled in him the belief that one could build the very things one saw around them, demystifying technology.

Jobs also wasn’t afraid to ask for what he wanted. At the age of 12, he even cold-called Bill Hewlett of Hewlett-Packard to request a favor. “I am a student in high school, and I want to build a frequency counter and I was wondering if you had any spare parts I could have,” Jobs later recalled. Hewlett not only gave Jobs the parts but also offered him a summer internship on the frequency counter assembly line.

Jobs and Apple’s impact reaches far beyond the creation of the first successful personal computer and the iPhone. In 2018, seven years after Jobs’s passing, Apple became the first U.S. company to be valued at $1 trillion. Even today, Jobs remains one of the most fascinating tech figures, alongside figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. His iconic black turtlenecks became a symbol of his legacy, and his influence extended into various industries, inspiring figures like Disney CEO Bob Iger, as well as Theranos founder (and convicted felon) Elizabeth Holmes.

Carl Sagan’s Chemistry Sets

At just 4 years old in 1939, Carl Sagan attended the New York World’s Fair, an event that ignited his lifelong curiosity about science. He later wrote that although his family was barely above the poverty line, his parents fully supported his dream of becoming an astronomer. One way they showed their support was by gifting him chemistry sets, a small yet pivotal part of his journey that eventually led him to become a renowned astronomer. He became widely recognized for his ability to “make the universe clearer to the ordinary person.”

Elvis Presley’s First Guitar

The “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Elvis Presley, played countless guitars throughout his legendary career, but his very first guitar was a gift for his 11th birthday. It’s often said that Elvis wanted a bicycle, with some accounts suggesting he even hoped for a rifle, but in the end, his mother chose to buy him a guitar. The cost of the instrument is reported to be either $7 or $12.50. This Kay acoustic guitar became the instrument on which the King learned to play and is believed to be the one on which he recorded his early songs at Sun Records.

Dolly Parton’s First (Proper) Guitar

Another musician who was gifted a guitar is country star Dolly Parton. While Parton’s first instrument was a mandolin strung with piano strings, her Uncle Louis, noticing her growing passion for music, gave her a Martin guitar and taught her how to play it properly. “This was like manna from heaven to me,” she recalls in her 1994 autobiography, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “At last I could play along with the songs I heard in my head.”

In 1988, after establishing herself as a powerhouse in the music industry, Parton founded the Dollywood Foundation, a charitable organization aimed at helping young people achieve success. Beyond offering college scholarships, the foundation operates the Imagination Library, an initiative inspired by her father’s struggle with illiteracy. This program sends books to children across North America, the UK, Ireland, and Australia (as of 2023, a remarkable 226,964,860 books have been distributed). Research indicates the program significantly boosts early childhood literacy [PDF]. The library ships a new book every 1.3 seconds [PDF].

The Christmas Truce

Though World War I was still ongoing during Christmas 1914 (many had expected it to end by then), the holiday spirit persisted—even in the bleak trenches of the front lines. On Christmas Eve, British and German soldiers began singing carols, which eventually led to a friendly exchange. British Army Private Marmaduke Walkinton recalled that a German soldier called out, “Tomorrow you no shoot, we no shoot.”

While the temporary ceasefire wasn’t observed across the entire Western Front—French soldiers understandably didn’t share festive sentiments for their country’s invaders—many areas experienced a break in the fighting. Some soldiers took this time to gather their fallen comrades and repair the trenches, but others embraced the Christmas spirit. German Lieutenant Johannes Niemann was struck when he witnessed “our soldiers exchanging cigarettes, schnapps, and chocolate with the enemy.” Along with trading small gifts, soldiers played soccer matches in No Man’s Land.

The Christmas Truce didn’t change the course of the war—orders to resume combat came soon after the holiday ceasefire—but it undoubtedly saved lives. The truce demonstrated that Christmas-induced kindness can emerge in the most unexpected circumstances, and it has been immortalized in various media, including the 2014 Sainsbury’s Christmas advert and the 2017 Christmas special of Doctor Who, titled “Twice Upon a Time.”