Hi there! I’m excited to share some fascinating facts about inventors with you. Did you know that Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was inspired to create the Nobel Prize after reading a mistaken obituary about himself? The headline called him “The Merchant of Death,” which he didn’t like, so he decided to leave a better legacy. Some people think this is just a story, but it’s actually true!
Louis Pasteur, who invented vaccines and the process of pasteurization, was once in charge of a science program at a French school in the 1800s. He was so strict about not allowing smoking that when he threatened to expel any student caught smoking, 73 out of 80 students left the school!
Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, once said that taking calligraphy classes in college helped make the first Macintosh computers successful. They were the first computers with beautiful fonts, which made them stand out.
John Harvey Kellogg and W.K. Kellogg, who invented Corn Flakes, ran a health facility called The Battle Creek Sanitarium. Some famous people like Amelia Earhart and Henry Ford were their patients. Speaking of Henry Ford, he was once asked to run for a Senate seat but said he wouldn’t spend any money on the campaign. He lost the election.
Samuel Morse, who created the telegraph and Morse code, also ran for mayor of New York. His campaign slogan was “No immigrants, no Catholics,” which was quite controversial.
Alexey Pajitnov invented the popular game Tetris in 1984. However, because he lived in the Soviet Union, he had to give the rights to the government. He eventually received royalties in the 1990s, but the Tetris theme song is still free for everyone to use.
Yoshiro Nakamatsu holds an impressive 3,377 patents, which is about three times more than Thomas Edison. Some of his inventions include a toilet seat lifter and a musical golf putter. He also claims to have invented the basic technology for the floppy disk.
In 1893, Margaret A. Wilcox invented an early version of the car heater. She also had a patent for a washing machine that could wash both clothes and dishes!
Floyd Paxton invented the bread clip while on an airplane when he needed to seal a bag of snacks. This was before planes had Wi-Fi, so he had to get creative!
Nikola Tesla, a famous inventor, had some interesting quirks. He disliked pearls so much that he wouldn’t talk to women wearing them. He even sent his secretary home if she wore pearls to work!
Benjamin Franklin enjoyed rewriting popular songs into drinking tunes. He was quite the creative thinker in many ways!
In 2012, a fifth grader named Clara Lentz created a model for a new molecule called tetra nitrooxycarbon, which was later published in scientific journals. Garrett Morgan, who lived from 1877 to 1963, invented many things like early gas masks and hair straightening creams, even though he only had an elementary school education.
The lint roller was invented by Nicholas McKay when he needed to clean his suit before a school dance. Paul Brown invented the upside-down squeeze bottle in 1991, which he sold to companies like NASA for $133 million!
Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes accidentally invented bubble wrap while trying to create 3D plastic wallpaper. Douglas Engelbart designed the computer mouse, but its patent expired before it became widely used, so it didn’t make him rich.
If you’re thinking about inventing something, remember to be ahead of your time, but not too far ahead. Paul Winchell invented the first mechanical artificial heart and was also the voice of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh!
The snowmobile was invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier when he was just 19. Margaret Knight was only 12 when she invented a device for textile mills. Leo Fender, who invented the first mass-produced electric guitar, never actually learned to play it!
Harvey Ball, who created the smiley face symbol, was paid just $45 for his design. The inventor of the fire hydrant remains unknown because the patent was lost in a fire.
Thanks for reading about these amazing inventors! Hopefully, you’ve been inspired to come up with your own great ideas. Remember, don’t forget to be awesome!
Imagine you are an inventor like the ones you’ve read about. Think of a problem you face in your daily life and design an invention to solve it. Draw a detailed sketch of your invention and write a short paragraph explaining how it works and why it’s useful. Share your invention with the class and discuss how it could impact people’s lives.
Choose one of the inventors mentioned in the article and research more about their life and inventions. Create a short presentation using slides or a poster to share with the class. Include interesting facts, challenges they faced, and how their inventions changed the world. Be prepared to answer questions from your classmates.
Work in groups to create a timeline of the inventions mentioned in the article. Use a large piece of paper or a digital tool to display the timeline. Include the inventor’s name, the invention, and the year it was created. Add illustrations or images to make your timeline visually appealing. Present your timeline to the class and discuss the evolution of technology over time.
Participate in a class debate about which invention from the article is the most influential. Divide into teams, each representing a different invention. Prepare arguments to support why your invention had the greatest impact on society. Listen to opposing arguments and be ready to counter them. Conclude with a class vote to determine the most influential invention.
Imagine you are an inventor keeping a journal of your daily thoughts and ideas. Write a series of journal entries from the perspective of one of the inventors in the article. Include their thoughts on their inventions, any challenges they face, and their hopes for the future. Share your journal entries with a partner and discuss how the inventor’s experiences might relate to your own life.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to Mental Floss. Did you know that Alfred Nobel was inspired to start the Nobel Prize when he read his own obituary in a newspaper that was published by mistake? Nobel didn’t like the headline “The Merchant of Death is Dead,” a reference to the fact that he invented dynamite. So, he found a new legacy for himself. Some may say this is a myth, but it’s true. Check the video description for proof.
Anyway, that’s the first of many interesting facts about inventors that I’m going to share with you today. This video is brought to you by our friends at Geico.
Louis Pasteur, the inventor of vaccines and pasteurization, was the head of a science program at a French school during the mid-1800s. He once told students that anyone caught smoking would be expelled, leading to 73 of the school’s 80 students resigning.
Steve Jobs claimed that taking calligraphy courses in college was one of the reasons the earliest Macintosh computers were successful; they were the first ones with beautiful typography.
John Harvey Kellogg and W.K. Kellogg, who invented Corn Flakes, ran a medical facility called The Battle Creek Sanitarium in the late 1800s. Some of their patients included Amelia Earhart, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Henry Ford. Speaking of Henry Ford, when President Woodrow Wilson asked him to run for a Senate seat, Ford responded with a letter saying, “If they want to elect me, let them do so, but I won’t make a penny’s investment.” He lost the election.
Another inventor turned politician was Samuel Morse, who created the telegraph and Morse code. He ran for mayor of New York with the slogan “No immigrants, no Catholics.”
Alexey Pajitnov invented Tetris in 1984, but because he lived in the Soviet Union at the time, he had to cede its rights to the government. He did eventually receive royalties in the ’90s, but the Tetris theme song is still in the public domain.
Yoshiro Nakamatsu holds 3,377 patents, which is about three times what Thomas Edison accumulated. Some of his patented inventions include a toilet seat lifter, a self-defense wig, and a musical golf putter. He also claims to have invented the basic technology for the floppy disk.
In 1893, a woman named Margaret A. Wilcox invented an early car heater and also had a patent for a washing machine that could wash both clothes and dishes.
The inventor of the bread clip, Floyd Paxton, came up with the idea while on an airplane and needed to seal a bag of snacks. This was before planes had Wi-Fi.
Among his many eccentricities, Nikola Tesla hated pearls; he wouldn’t speak to a woman wearing them and would send his secretary home if she wore pearls to work. He once claimed to have fallen in love with a pigeon.
Benjamin Franklin had many hobbies, including rewriting popular tunes into drinking songs. In 2012, fifth grader Clara Lentz created a model for an undiscovered molecule, tetra nitrooxycarbon, which was later published in scientific journals.
Garrett Morgan, who lived from 1877 to 1963, invented many things despite only having an elementary school education. He created some of the earliest gas masks and hair straightening creams and improved pre-existing sewing machines and traffic signals.
The lint roller was created by Nicholas McKay after he struggled to clean his suit before chaperoning a high school dance. Paul Brown invented the upside-down squeeze bottle in 1991 and sold his product to various companies, including NASA, for $133 million.
Robert Taylor invented the pump bottle and cornered the market by buying about a hundred million of them, making around $25 million in six months.
Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes were trying to develop 3D plastic wallpaper when they accidentally invented bubble wrap. Douglas Engelbart designed the computer mouse, but the invention never made anyone rich because its patent expired before it became commonly used.
Some advice for inventors: be ahead of your time, but not too far ahead. Paul Winchell invented the first mechanical artificial heart and was also the original voice of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh and Gargamel from The Smurfs.
The snowmobile was invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier, who started working on it when he was just 19 years old. Margaret Knight was only 12 when she invented a device for textile mills that would stop them if they got stuck.
Leo Fender, who invented the first mass-produced electric guitar, never learned to play the guitar. John Landis Mason invented mason jars and also created the first screw-top salt shakers.
The inventor of the smiley face symbol, Harvey Ball, was paid just $45 for the design. Finally, I must mention that the inventor of the fire hydrant is unknown because it’s believed that the patent for it burned in a fire.
Thanks for watching this video, which was made with the help of many wonderful people. And thanks again to Geico for making this video possible. Hopefully, we’ve inspired you to invent something convenient and become a millionaire. As we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
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This version removes any inappropriate or sensitive content while maintaining the informative nature of the original transcript.
Inventors – People who create new devices or processes through their innovative ideas and skills. – Thomas Edison is one of the most famous inventors in history, known for creating the electric light bulb.
Vaccines – Biological preparations that provide immunity to a particular infectious disease. – The development of vaccines has been crucial in controlling diseases like smallpox and polio.
Computers – Electronic devices that process data and perform tasks according to a set of instructions called programs. – The invention of computers revolutionized the way scientists conduct research and analyze data.
Patents – Legal rights granted to inventors to protect their inventions from being made, used, or sold by others without permission. – Patents encourage innovation by allowing inventors to benefit financially from their creations.
Inventions – New devices, methods, or processes developed from study and experimentation. – The telephone is one of the most significant inventions in communication history.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Understanding history helps us learn from past mistakes and successes.
Science – The systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. – Science has led to many discoveries that have improved our quality of life.
Legacy – Something handed down from an ancestor or from the past. – The legacy of ancient civilizations can be seen in modern architecture and government systems.
Technology – The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. – Advances in technology have made it possible to explore outer space.
Creativity – The use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness. – Creativity is essential for scientists when developing new theories and experiments.
