Buzz
Inventors are the cornerstone of advancement; without their contributions, humanity would rely solely on innate instincts and rudimentary actions. Innovation drives cultural growth, replacing the largely obsolete process of biological evolution. However, for every successful invention, countless others have faltered and faded into obscurity.
The journey from conception to creation and eventual distribution is riddled with obstacles—each step presenting a new opportunity for failure. Whether it’s a flawed concept, an idea ahead of its time, being outpaced by a competitor, or facing rejection from the market, the path of an inventor is fraught with challenges. Even the most renowned innovators have faced their share of setbacks.
Below are ten instances where some of history’s greatest inventors experienced significant failures.
10. Alexander Graham Bell—The Cygnet
Alexander Graham Bell is best known for inventing the first functional telephone and founding the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T). However, the prolific inventor also ventured into various other fields, achieving varying degrees of success. Among his more unconventional endeavors was the creation of the Cygnet, a massive tetrahedral kite.
The Cygnet, which translates to 'little swan' in French, was a 40-foot-long aircraft constructed from thousands of tetrahedral cells designed to harness the wind. Weighing 2,000 pounds, it appeared doomed from the start. While it did manage to lift a pilot briefly, its lack of maneuverability led to a crash. Bell eventually refined his designs, leading to the development of the iconic Silver Dart.
9. Thomas Edison—The Kinetophone
Thomas Edison, a visionary inventor, revolutionized the world with creations like the lightbulb, the phonograph, and foundational motion picture technology (more on this later). He also transformed the invention process by introducing the scientific method and collaborative approaches, reshaping commercial innovation. However, he also believed that movies would be experienced individually, with viewers standing hunched over a noisy, dark machine—a notion that seems baffling in hindsight.
Indeed, Edison. How rational.
The Kinetoscope, one of the earliest motion picture devices, displayed sequential film images by rapidly flashing them before the viewer. However, the design required users to awkwardly bend over and peer into a bulky box. The Kinetophone attempted to enhance this by integrating a phonograph to synchronize sound with moving images. While innovative, the concept was ultimately overshadowed by more advanced projection systems.
8. The Soviet Union—Flying Tanks
World War II spurred nations to push the boundaries of military technology. While innovations like the Jeep and duct tape proved highly effective, others, such as the Soviet Union's Antonov A-40, fell short. The A-40, also known as Krylya Tanka ('winged tank'), featured a tank equipped with detachable glider wings, allowing it to be towed by an aircraft and glide onto the battlefield.
However, the tank's weight made it impractical for flight, despite the addition of wings.
To address this, the Soviets removed unnecessary weight, including ammunition, fuel, weapons, and even headlights. Despite these modifications, the tanks remained too heavy. The project was abandoned after a single, unsuccessful test flight, marking the end of this ambitious endeavor.
7. Nintendo—The Famicom
Nintendo stands as one of the most iconic names in the gaming industry today, renowned for its numerous successful games and consoles. Since the triumph of the Super Nintendo, even their less successful systems have sold millions. However, it’s surprising to recall that before the NES, their first home console, the Famicom, was a commercial disaster.
The Famicom was designed to rival the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision, and on paper, it had the potential to succeed. Unfortunately, a defective chipset plagued the console, causing frequent game freezes. This flaw forced Nintendo to recall all Famicom units during the crucial holiday shopping period.
Fortunately, after making several adjustments and briefly exploring home computing and arcade machines, Nintendo relaunched a redesigned version of the Famicom, which became known as the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES.
6. AT&T—The Picturephone
Today, services like Skype, Zoom, and Facetime are widely used by millions for video and audio calls, making face-to-face communication seamless. Surprisingly, AT&T introduced a functional picturephone as early as 1964, yet it failed to capture public interest.
AT&T unveiled the Picturephone at the 1964 World’s Fair in Queens, NY, and set up public video phones in Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City’s Grand Central Station. Despite being decades ahead of its time, the technology was prohibitively expensive, costing $16 to $27 per minute for low-quality video, which led to its lack of popularity.
5. Bill Gates—The Tablet
While Apple’s iPads dominate the tablet market with their sleek design and functionality, Bill Gates actually developed a tablet ten years before the first iPad. Though similar in concept, Gates’ version was far less advanced.
In 2011, Bill Gates introduced the Microsoft Tablet PC, which initially appeared promising. Running on Windows XP, it was lightweight and portable compared to traditional desktops. However, its downfall was its attempt to simply replicate a smaller PC, lacking the innovation needed to succeed.
As a result, it incorporated an overly bulky operating system, making it exorbitantly priced at $2,000 upon release. Unsurprisingly, the iPad emerged later, identified the ideal niche for tablets, and ultimately dominated the market. Reflecting on his defeat, Gates remarked, “(Jobs) executed certain aspects better than I did. His timing, engineering, and overall presentation were superior.”
4. Sir James Dyson—Vacuums
Sir James Dyson, one of the world’s wealthiest and most renowned inventors, founded Dyson Ltd. on the groundbreaking technology of bagless vacuums. Utilizing cyclonic separation, his innovation eliminated the need for replacement bags, revolutionizing the industry.
However, success didn’t come instantly.
Dyson endured an astonishing 5,127 failed prototypes before achieving a functional design. During this relentless trial-and-error phase, he was fortunate to dedicate himself fully to inventing, supported by his wife’s income. Yet, his perseverance in the face of repeated setbacks was a testament to his determination, not mere luck.
3. Louis Le Prince—Movie Camera
While Thomas Edison is often credited with inventing the motion picture, Louis Le Prince may have actually been the first. The two inventors engaged in fierce legal battles over who pioneered the technology first, with neither gaining a definitive edge. However, Le Prince is often regarded as the loser in this rivalry, partly due to his mysterious and unexplained disappearance.
On September 16, 1890, Le Prince boarded a train to Paris and vanished without a trace. Speculation about his fate quickly arose, including a far-fetched theory that Edison orchestrated his assassination to eliminate competition.
2. Nikola Tesla—Thought Camera
Nikola Tesla was a visionary genius whose influence extends far beyond his era. With over 300 patents, his most famous contributions include the Tesla coil and alternating current. Tesla’s curiosity spanned a wide range of fields, from hard science to the paranormal. Among his more unconventional inventions was the “Gedankenprojektor,” or “thought projector.”
Tesla described his concept: “I believed that a clear image formed in the mind would, through reflex action, create a matching image on the retina, which could then be captured and interpreted by the right device.” His vision was to record the retina’s interior, which he believed held a reflection of a person’s thoughts, and project these thoughts onto a screen in real-time. Had it succeeded, its impact would have been undeniable.
1. Steve Jobs—NeXT
Despite founding Apple, Steve Jobs was ousted from the company within ten years due to conflicts with other executives and interpersonal issues. After leaving, he invested $7 million of his own funds to establish NeXT Inc., which ultimately failed to gain traction.
NeXT’s first product was the NeXT workstation, a high-end computer designed for educational institutions. However, its steep $10,000 price made it impractical for most buyers, leading to its commercial failure. Jobs attempted a comeback with the NeXTcube, which performed slightly better but still fell short of his previous successes. Fortunately, Apple acquired NeXT Inc., paving the way for Jobs’ return to the company where he achieved his greatest accomplishments.
