The Hookless Fastener
The zipper is an invention that has changed the world, it was invented in 1913, but we still use it today. In 1851 a man named Elias Howe created something like it called "an Automatic, Continuous clothing closure" which inspired the invention of the zipper. It was created by Gideon Sundback and Whitecomb Judson, but before it made its grand appearance in 1918, it went through many years of rejection. Inventor after inventor tried working on it, and slowly it made its way into production. The first few zippers usually wore out too quick or they came apart easily. In 1913 business was gradually moving up, but in 1914 Sundback improved his creation in design which caused sales to sky rocket. One of the first lined up to buy it was the US army, they needed zippers for their troops and thier gear.
The Oreo Cookie
With two chocolate-flavored cookies and a rich vanilla filling between them, the oreo is loved by many and has became one of America's most beloved cookies. It was invented in 1912, by Nabisco, the National Biscuit Company which is now owned by Kraft Foods. Ever since 1912 there have been many changes made to it. The oreo's name was first the "oreo biscuit," then it came out the "oreo sandwich" and finally the "oreo cream sandwich." It's name was changed many times, but each time the name "oreo" was kept and no one really knows why. Some say it is French for gold, Greek for mountain, and others think someone took the "re" out of cream and added it to the 2 "o"s out of chocolate. Not only were changes made to the name, but to it's shape and texture. When they first came out Nabisco had three cookies one a beautifully embossed set of wafers with a rich cream in the center, another called the Mother Goose biscuit, and finally the oreo. Most enjoyed the taste of the oreo, even though it wasn't that stylish, it was good.
Stainless Steel
In 1913 Harry Brearly mixed chromium and steel together to make stainless steel. He is credited for creating it, but he was not the first one to come up with the idea. Leon Gillet first documented the invention of it, but he never understood its corrosive resistance. From 1911 to 1912 more people added their information to it and finally in 1913 it was a finished product. Brearly came up with the name "rustless steel" to get business, it worked but not at first. It could have been mistaken for a regular steel or silver, except people were weary to use it. He wanted his product to sell so had someone make some knives out of it, that gave him the reputation of the inventor who invented "the knife that would not cut." harry left his work place to work at another, and his business grew from there to what we use in our every day lives.
First Crossword puzzle
What is said to be the most popular word game in the world was invented in 1913. The first known crossword puzzle showed up in The New York World newspaper, by a man named Arthur Wynne, Liverpool. Wynne was in charge of creating the FUN column for the newspaper, they had recently had things like connect the dots, word squares, and hidden words in the paper but he wanted to create a challenge for himself so he invented the crossword puzzle. The puzzles back then were quite different from the ones we have today, they were shaped like diamonds. In that time period everyone called them "word-crosses, "and they didn't include the black spaces like they do today plus the ones back then had a whole in the center. Not long after its birth, magazines started picking it up, soon it would spread all over the world. Ever since then the crossword has brought happiness to the world in many ways.
First Pop-up Toaster
During World War 1 a man noticed how burnt the toast was so he decided he would invent something to better suit the people. On May 29, 1919 the first pop-up toaster was created, Charles P. Strite was the first to invent an automatic pop-up. His invention included the springs and the timer to tell when the toast was done. The struggle for inventing the toaster really started in 1905 and ended in 1933, it went back and forth to many different inventors till it became what it is today. With all these ideas the modern toaster was invented and it still thrives to this very day. The main reason the idea for the toaster in 1905 didn't come out or any until 1919, was because of the fact Strite sold his invention to restaurant companies and from that point on word started to get out.
Lifesavers
Chocolate was popular during this time, but in the summer it would melt, so Clarence Crane form Cleveland, Ohio invented the lifesaver in 1912. He called it his "summer candy" because it didn't melt in warm temperatures. When he invented it he noticed with it being a circle with a whole in the center it looked like a life saver and from that point on its been called that. As you have noticed the lifesaver has been changed from being just white with the flavor of peppermint to all sorts of different flavors and the change of it's color. Edward Noble was sold its rights in 1913 and in the 1920s and 1930s it came out in fruit flavors. From 1912 and on the lifesaver has become a favorite to lots of people around the world.
First Military Tank
In World War 1 people saw that their machine guns didn't do the trick and their troops were being killed of at a rapid pace. The tank was originally designed so artillery could be transported to different placed at a faster rate and troops could have the kind of protection they needed. A colonel from the British army brought up the idea of a vehicle with armor able to get through enemy trenches and crush barbed wire. In 1914 it was tested, but it was not used until 1916 by the British army. It was called the tank because they didn't want the word getting out with that in mind they convinced the workers they were working on a water container for the British army. Not long after the tank was brought in horse Calvary and use of machine guns on the battlefield faded away.
Safety Hood and Smoke Protector
A man named Garret A. Morgan, a black inventor, created the gas mask in 1914. The man who came up with the idea was Alexander von Humboldt in 1799 so that miners could have a primitive respirator. It didn't really come to attention until 1916 when 32 men were saved from an underground explosion underneath Lake Erie. People started to want it more after that, so it started making it's way into production. Not only was the gas mask used around native places, it was used in war. Chemical warfare started in 1915 when Germany used chlorine gas on the French. Slowly it began to be used more often and over time it began to change. Their have been other masks used for firefighters and divers associated with the gas mask.