Some of the most familiar things in modern life have surprisingly complicated origin stories, with forgotten inventors, competing claims, and ideas that took years to become useful.
1. The Barcode
The first barcode concept was patented in 1952, but the technology took decades to become practical.
The first UPC scan in a supermarket happened in 1974, when a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum became the first retail item scanned with the system. Barcodes now appear almost everywhere.
2. The Microwave Oven
Percy Spencer was working with radar technology when he noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted near a magnetron.
His experiments eventually led to the microwave oven. The first commercial models were enormous and expensive compared with today’s countertop machines.
3. The Zipper
The modern zipper was not the work of one inventor.
Whitcomb Judson patented an early fastener in 1893, but Swedish-American engineer Gideon Sundback later developed the interlocking-tooth design that finally made the concept reliable. It took years before clothing manufacturers embraced it.
4. The Post-it Note
3M scientist Spencer Silver was trying to create a powerful adhesive in 1968.
Instead, he produced a weak adhesive that could be removed and reused. Years later, colleague Art Fry realized it could solve his problem of bookmarks falling out of his church hymnal.
5. The ATM
The basic idea of a machine allowing customers to access bank services without a teller appeared decades before ATMs became common.
Inventor Luther Simjian developed an early version in 1939, but the concept initially attracted little interest. Later systems finally made cash machines practical for everyday banking.
6. The Paper Clip
The familiar paper clip has no single, universally accepted inventor.
Several designs appeared around the turn of the 20th century, while the Norwegian Johan Vaaler later patented his own version. The simple wire loop became one of the world’s most recognizable office objects.