Throughout history, necessity has often been the mother of invention, with some of the most impactful creations rooting from simple yet profound needs. A quintessential example transpired in 1891, when frustration kindled innovation for Almon Strowger. As an undertaker in his local town, Strowger identified a conflict of interest in the manual telephone exchange system—a competitor’s wife, working as a telephone operator, systematically diverted business away from him. This realization sparked the creation of the Strowger switch, revolutionizing the telecommunications industry by automating telephone circuit switching and heralding the decline of manual operators.
In the realm of sports, physical education teacher James Naismith confronted a different challenge linked to fitness. In an attempt to keep his athletes active during the harsh Canadian winter months, Naismith conceived an indoor game that would go on to captivate millions. Utilizing a ball and wicker baskets repurposed from collecting peaches, basketball was born—a sport that initially saw players fetching the ball with a ladder after each point scored.
Venturing into a snowy New York City evening in 1902, one could find Mary Anderson in a taxi, frequently stalled as the driver needed to clear the windshield manually for safe driving. Determined to find a solution, Anderson designed a simple device leading to safer commutes: the windshield wiper. Initially dismissed by companies for its lack of commercial value, this invention has since become a mandatory feature in all automobiles.
Across the Atlantic, Emperor Napoleon sympathized with a different kind of challenge, one that threatened the effectiveness of his vast armies. Spoilage of food was a critical issue, so Napoleon offered a hefty cash reward for a practical preservation method. Nicolas Appert, a confectioner, seized this opportunity by cooking food within sealed jars, a technique that forestalled spoilage and set the stage for the lucrative canned food industry. It wasn’t until five decades later that Louis Pasteur scientifically substantiated the principles behind this invention.
Meanwhile, in the mundane environment of the Columbia Paper Bag company, Margaret E. Knight encountered a limitation with the produced bags’ durability. Motivated to enhance their design, Knight engineered a prototype that transformed the industry, leading to the creation of the flat-bottom paper bag—an invention that every food delivery service today relies upon for transporting weighty orders.
Harold Gillies, a New Zealander and member of the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I, witnessed a French dentist’s reparative dental work and saw potential for advancement. Through his urging, he facilitated the founding of a facial injury ward and subsequently performed over 11,000 surgeries. His pioneering efforts in skin graft techniques laid the foundations for modern plastic surgery, a field with roots dating back to the ancient practices of Sushruta in India.
The year 1940 marked the advent of hydrotherapy as a means for pain alleviation by Candido Jacuzzi, a man determined to ease his son’s suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Jacuzzi’s innovation of the hydrotherapy pump permitted immersive therapy in an ordinary bathtub—an invention synonymous with relaxation and luxury in modern bathrooms and hotels, bearing the Jacuzzi family name.
Agriculture witnessed a revolution thanks to Fritz Haber, a German chemist, who along with his team developed the Haber-Bosch process for synthesizing ammonia. With BASF, Haber realized the process on a commercial scale, paving the way for industrial fertilizers that now sustain over half of the world’s population.
In the midst of World War II, Lyle Goodhue might not have realized the long-term impact of his invention: an apparatus that enabled the fine spraying of mosquito repellent, which undoubtedly saved countless lives from malaria. This apparatus was the precursor to the aerosol spray, an invention with a market value reaching billions.
Lastly, we wade into the world of music, where guitarist George Beauchamp’s desire to amplify the gentle strums of his slide guitar led to the birth of the electric guitar. Known as the ‘Frying Pan’ due to its shape, Beauchamp’s innovation used horseshoe magnets and has since become a staple in the music industry.
Our appreciation for these extraordinary inventions is a reminder of the relentless human spirit. Whether for communication, nourishment, convenience, health, or entertainment, these innovations bear testament to enduring legacies that continue to shape our world in profound ways.
