Childhood Distractions: Invention of the Koosh Ball, Logs and Rubiks Cube

Posted on January 12, 2011October 12, 2015 by Invention Geek

Have you ever wondered about the invention of your favorite toys? Every toy, every product, started as an idea somewhere. But whose idea was that Koosh Ball? Who designed that Rubik’s Cube that still has many of us stumped and frustrated?

The Koosh Ball

Koosh Ball Patent The Koosh Ball was developed in 1986 by Scott Stillinger. He was attempting to design a ball that would be easier for his 5-year old daughter and 8-year old son to hold and throw. The original prototype was made from rubber bands. Stillinger received US Patent 4,756,529 on July 12, 1988 for a generally spherical object with floppy filaments to promote sure capture.

In order to market the product, Stillinger created OddzOn Products Inc with his brother-in-law who had been a marketing manager at Mattel. The product was one of the hottest toys to receive for Christmas in 1988. It is has been estimated that millions of the toy have been sold. Continue reading “Childhood Distractions: Invention of the Koosh Ball, Logs and Rubiks Cube” →

Slopes All Day: Invention of the Snow-making Machine

Posted on January 5, 2011October 12, 2015 by Invention Geek

snow making The opening of the ski slopes is not completely in the hands of Mother Nature, and for that you can thank Dr. Ray Ringer. Ringer was not actually trying to invent a way to extend the ski season. His discovery of snowmaking is another happy accident.

Ray Ringer was working with other Canadian scientists to study the effects of rime ice on jet engines. An attempt to reproduce natural weather conditions lead to the discovery of how to make snow. The scientists were spraying water into the air of a low temperature wind tunnel right before a jet engine intake to create rime ice on the aircraft. Instead of creating ice, they kept making snow. The jet engines and the wind tunnel had to be shut down regularly to shovel away the powder. Continue reading “Slopes All Day: Invention of the Snow-making Machine” →

A Toilet Brush Christmas? Invention of the Aluminum Tree

Posted on December 15, 2010October 12, 2015 by Invention Geek

evergreen tree Artificial Christmas trees first appeared in America during the late 19th century. German immigrants brought these new types of Christmas decorations with them. These early trees did not resemble live pine trees in the least. Instead, they were made of metal wires covered in feathers of turkeys, ostrich, swan or goose feathers. These feathers were often dyed green.

In the 1930’s, an American toilet bowl brush manufacturer changed the look of artificial trees. The Addis Brush Company created the first artificial brush tree. This tree was actually manufactured using the same equipment as the company’s toilet brushes. The introduction of these trees increased the popularity of the artificial tree. Continue reading “A Toilet Brush Christmas? Invention of the Aluminum Tree” →

The Merchant of Death Has Died: Alfred Nobel’s Dynamite Invention

Posted on December 8, 2010October 12, 2015 by Invention Geek

dynamite Swedish chemist, inventor and engineer Alfred Nobel held more than 350 patents and owned several companies which created and sold explosives. Still he is best known as the founder of the Nobel Prizes and that is the way he wanted.

Alfred Nobel began experimenting with nitroglycerine as an explosive in 1863. These experiments were very dangerous and accidents in the lab led to the deaths of several people including Noble’s younger brother. Because of this the Swedish government banned the experiments inside the city limits of Stockholm. This ban did not deter Nobel. He moved his experiments to a barge on Lake Malaren. In 1864, he began mass production of nitroglycerin. Continue reading “The Merchant of Death Has Died: Alfred Nobel’s Dynamite Invention” →

Nothing Between You and the TV But Space!

Posted on December 1, 2010October 12, 2015 by Invention Geek

Zenith Space Command We can all thank Robert Adler for the ability to be complete couch potatoes while watching TV. Born December 4, 1913, Robert Adler held 180 patents for electronic devices but he is best known for having invented the first useable wireless television remote control.

The first remote control known as “Lazy Bones” was developed in the 1950’s by Zenith. This remote used a cable that ran from the TV to the user. An idea for a wireless remote control was devised by fellow Zenith engineer Eugene Polley. This remote control used light beams to control the television. The problem was that when the television was in direct sunlight it would often turn on by itself. Continue reading “Nothing Between You and the TV But Space!” →

Invention Geek – Invention of Stethoscope ?

Posted on November 19, 2010October 12, 2015 by Invention Geek

Question from Cassie K.:
I was watching Antiques Roadshow and some expert was talking about old medical devices. He said the stethoscope was invented by a doctor who felt embarrassed listening directly to a woman’s heartbeat by pressing his ear to her chest, which was how they did that at the time. Out of respect he took a rolled up tube of paper and listened to her heartbeat that way… and it evolved from there.
Is that really true?

Dear Cassie,

The invention of the stethoscopes is one of those rare legends that is, in fact, true!

An early drawing of Laennec's original stethoscope.

The stethoscope was invented in 1816 by Frech Physician Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec. The method of listening to ones heartbeat at the time involved placing an ear directly on the patient’s chest. Laennec found himself uncomfortable examining a female patient using this method.

Remembering a trick from childhood, he rolled up sheets off paper into a cylinder. He placed one end on the woman’s chest and the other end at his ear. He quickly discovered that the sound of the patient’s hearbeat was loud and clear through the tube.

Laennec named his new device the stethoscope, from stethos (chest), and skopos (examination).

Laennec’s original invention didn’t look much different than a rolled up tube of paper. More “modern looking,” flexible-tube stethoscopes would begin to surface later in the 1850’s.

Invention Geek – Invention of Prosthetic Limbs?

Posted on November 12, 2010October 12, 2015 by Invention Geek

Question from Jamie W.:
Hi Geek!! I have a medical invention question for you: I remember reading somewhere of solid prosthetic limbs made out of wood being used as far back as B.C. time. Is that true? And, can you tell me when one was invented that incorporated movement and acted more like a “real” limb?

In a very primitive form, prosthetic limbs have been in use since as far back as 500 B.C. The earliest written reference to a fake limb is from around 500 B.C. A prisoner escaped by cutting off his own foot and then attached a wooden replacement. The oldest proof of a prosthetic limb which dates from 300 B.C was found in Capri, Italy. In 1858, a copper and wooden leg was found.

Real advancements in prosthetics were not made until the early part of the 16th century. A French military doctor, Ambroise Paré invented a hinged mechanical hand and prosthetic legs that had locking knees and harness for attaching. Around 1690, Pieter Verduyn, a Dutch surgeon developed a leg prosthesis with specialized hinges and a cuff for attaching to the body. The features designed by these two man are still part of many modern prosthetics.

The Accidental Discovery of Radiation X – Contribution to Medical Tools

Posted on November 10, 2010November 11, 2015 by Invention Geek

first x-ray This week in 1895, a monumental advancement in medical technology was made by accident in a German lab.

On November 8, 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays while experimenting with vacuum tubes. Röntgen was investigating cathode rays with a fluorescent screen painted with barium platinocyanide and a Crookes tube which he had wrapped in black cardboard so the visible light from the tube wouldn’t interfere. He noticed a faint green glow from the screen, about 1 meter away. He realized some invisible rays coming from the tube were passing through the cardboard to make the screen glow. Continue reading “The Accidental Discovery of Radiation X – Contribution to Medical Tools” →

The Invention of the First Computer…Sort of

Posted on November 3, 2010October 12, 2015 by Invention Geek

The first program-controlled computer machine was built in the inventor’s parent’s living room. The Z1 was assembled between 1936 and 1938 by a German man with no background in electronics. Konrad Zuse, a civil engineer, quit his job at an aviation company to build his device.

His job at the aviation company required extensive mathematical calculations that were done by hand with paper and pencil. Mechanical calculators at the time were very expensive and were mainly designed for statistics, accounting and other business applications. A quote from Zuse explains his motivation for building the machine:”You could say that I was too lazy to calculate and so I invented the computer. ” Continue reading “The Invention of the First Computer…Sort of” →

Answer to Your Questions? – Ouija Board Patent

Posted on October 27, 2010October 12, 2015 by Invention Geek

ouija ad Believe it or not, there are numerous patents for the most popular device supposedly used to communicate with those in the spirit world. The device wasn’t really invented by any of the patent holders, instead it was refined. A Ouija board is used by putting your fingertips on the planchette or indicator and allowing the spirits to guide the planchette around the board. This idea was not new to the Ouija board. “Automatic writing” which was practiced by the ancient Chinese was a process of producing writing utilizing a planchette. Supposedly, the hands of the writer were guided by forces beyond themselves.

In the mid-nineteenth century, spiritualist were everywhere. Spiritualists began holding seances and looking for ways to communicate with the dead. The talking board was among the ways people were attempting to talk with spirits. The first patent for one these talking boards was granted to Adolphus Theodore Wagner, on January 23, 1854 in London, England. Continue reading “Answer to Your Questions? – Ouija Board Patent” →

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