Inventions Facts for Kids
Genius facts about great inventions
Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes — but it was originally designed to be textured wallpaper. The wallpaper idea failed completely, and it wasn't until 1960 that IBM realized it was perfect for protecting fragile computers during shipping. Today over 250 million meters of bubble wrap are made every year.
Post-it notes were invented accidentally in 1968 when 3M scientist Spencer Silver was trying to create a super-strong adhesive and instead made a pressure-sensitive glue that stuck lightly and could be removed cleanly. Another scientist, Art Fry, realized it was perfect for bookmarks in his hymn book. The iconic yellow color was also an accident — the lab only had yellow scrap paper nearby.
Super glue (cyanoacrylate) was accidentally discovered twice — first in 1942 by Dr. Harry Coover while developing clear plastic gun sights, and again in 1951 by the same scientist while working on heat-resistant coatings. Both times he initially rejected it as useless because it stuck to everything. It only became a commercial product in 1958.
Louis Braille invented his famous raised-dot reading system for blind people at the age of just 15, in 1824. He had been blinded in an accident at age 3 when a tool pierced his eye. His system was based on a military code designed for soldiers to read messages in the dark, which Braille simplified and adapted. Braille is now used worldwide in over 130 languages.
The stethoscope was invented in 1816 by French doctor René Laënnec who was too embarrassed to press his ear directly against a female patient's chest to listen to her heartbeat. He rolled up a tube of paper and discovered he could hear the heart more clearly through it than with his bare ear. Today, the stethoscope is one of the most universally recognized medical instruments.
Walter Hunt invented the safety pin in just three hours in 1849 in order to pay off a $15 debt. He sold his patent immediately for $400 — the equivalent of about $15,000 today — without realizing how valuable the invention would become. Hunt also invented the first practical sewing machine but similarly sold his patents for too little.
The chocolate chip cookie was invented by accident in 1930 by Ruth Wakefield at the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts. She was making chocolate cookies but ran out of cocoa powder and substituted broken pieces of a Nestlé chocolate bar, expecting them to melt. Instead the chunks held their shape, and the world's most beloved cookie was born.
The cardiac pacemaker was invented in 1956 when engineer Wilson Greatbatch accidentally used the wrong resistor while building a device to record heart sounds. The circuit pulsed rhythmically instead, mimicking a heartbeat. Rather than discard the mistake, he realized it could be used to stimulate a heart — and developed it into a device that has saved millions of lives.
Duct tape was invented during World War Two when the US military needed a strong, waterproof tape to keep moisture out of ammunition cases. It was initially called 'duck tape' because it repelled water like a duck's feathers. After the war, it was adopted by plumbers and heating duct workers and renamed 'duct tape,' though many people still call it duck tape.
Play-Doh was originally invented in the early 1950s as a wallpaper cleaner to remove coal soot from walls. When coal heating fell out of fashion, sales dropped dramatically. A nursery school teacher named Kay Zufall suggested repurposing it as a modeling clay for children. The product was re-launched as Play-Doh in 1956 and became one of the best-selling toys in history.