The First Webcam Was Created Specifically to Watch Coffee Brew
It may surprise you to learn that the original webcam was designed to keep an eye on a coffee maker. Drs. Paul Jardetzky and Quentin Stafford, two scientists from the University of Cambridge, made it their mission to solve the problem of waiting around for coffee because they detested it. They made the decision to install a camera so they could record the coffee maker and post it online. This setup intended to reduce the amount of trips people would take back and forth to check if the pot was done brewing coffee.
They could now always tell when the pot needed to be refilled or was ready to serve. The webcam has advanced so much!
Modern Fridges Have Magnetic Doors Because Children Used to Get Stuck Inside
The Refrigerator Safety Act was created in 1956 as a result of numerous incidents of children becoming trapped in refrigerators during the 1950s. Refrigerator doors could only be opened from the outside using a latch prior to the invention of magnetic doors. However, this allowed toddlers to open and become trapped inside. Your refrigerators all have magnetic seals because mechanical door latches had to be outlawed and replaced!
Who would have thought that something as basic as magnetic refrigerator doors could have such a somber backstory? It’s good to know that refrigerators are now child-locked.
M&Ms Were Invented for Soldiers Fighting in WWI
M&Ms are among the most popular chocolate candies in the world; they are colorful, bite-sized, and have a distinctively crispy sugar outer shell. However, how did this chocolate’s concept originate? Because Smarties are so durable, soldiers in the Spanish Civil War consumed a lot of British candy, according to Mars, the son of the candy company. He created M&Ms because he wanted to make something similar for soldiers in World War I!
M&Ms were made especially to withstand high temperatures without melting, and the outer shell would shield the chocolate, which is a candy that can practically withstand war.
Lysol Was Marketed as a Birth Control for Women
Are you aware of the cleaning solution that many people use to sanitize their homes? The one that, after using it, most likely makes you want to open every window in your house? That same product was once inserted into the bodies of women. Lysol marketed its product as an over-the-counter contraceptive for women during a time when access to real, regulated birth control was prohibited. This was unhealthy and dangerous, as you can imagine.
Even more potent than the Lysol we use today for cleaning, women used it as birth control. Many women died as a result of this practice, which also physically harmed them.
ATM Pins Are 4 Digits Because the Inventor’s Wife Couldn’t Remember More Than That
Anywhere in the world, at any time of day, was the goal of John Shepherd-Barron. He had the brilliant idea for a machine that could dispense cash like a vending machine at this very moment. He then suggested that since he could recall his six-figure army number, each individual should have a six-digit PIN for access. But repeatedly, his wife was only able to recall four numbers.
They decided a four-digit PIN number was preferable to a six-digit code because she had trouble remembering it.
The Inventor of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Sold Her Recipe to Nestlé for $1
American chef Ruth Graves Wakefield gained notoriety for inventing the first chocolate chip cookie. She apparently traveled to Egypt and was influenced by the local cuisine, so she started experimenting with different recipes after she got back home. The nationwide craze started when she started serving chocolate chip cookies. Ruth accepted an offer from the massive chocolate company Nestlé, which gave her a lifetime supply of Nestlé chocolate and $1 in return for giving up her recipe.
As easy as it may seem, the addition of chocolate was a brilliant idea that even gained international recognition.
Wealthy People Used to Buy Stick-On Moles Made of Silk, Velvet, and Mouse Skin
The 18th-century and modern standards of beauty are completely different. Nowadays, a lot of people lament and feel ashamed of any facial moles they may have. Although there are numerous cosmetic procedures to get rid of them, people used to think very differently about them. It was considered a stunning and daring fashion statement to have a beauty mark on your face. Individuals even made them from mouse skin, silk, and velvet.
Since wealthy people had more money to spend on fancier fake moles made of opulent materials, these stick-on moles were once so common that they were used to identify them.
Birthday Candles Come From an Ancient Greek Tradition Used to Honor the Gods
Candles on birthday cakes are said to have been a tradition since the Ancient Greeks. It was apparently done in honor of Artemis, the Greek moon goddess. To symbolize the moon, a round cake would be baked, and to represent the moonlight, candles would be added and burned. The smoke from the candles was even thought to carry your prayers all the way to the gods and goddesses, according to some people.
Remember that a Greek god or goddess might be listening to your birthday wish the next time you blow out your birthday candles!
In England, Chocolate Milk Was Initially Used as Medicine
When Sir Hans Sloane, an Irish botanist, traveled to Jamaica in the 17th century, he was given an unusual beverage. Fresh cacao shavings were added to hot water that the local Jamaicans had brewed. He thought of sweetening it with milk and sugar because he couldn’t stand the taste. He introduced the concept to England, where it was initially used as medicine. After a while, it simply became a cool beverage, and thus chocolate milk was created!
Nowadays, the majority of children choose chocolate milk as one of their favorite drinks.
The First Vending Machines Were Created to Dispense Holy Water
The function of vending machines has evolved in an interesting way. Hero of Alexandria, a Greek mathematician from antiquity, created the first vending machine with a specific purpose in mind. These days, they serve mostly junk food, soda, chips, and candy. But he first made them to provide common people with holy water. All you had to do was insert one coin, and it would fall into a pan, which would open a valve and release holy water.
Dispensable holy water might be hard to find, so you might as well have some ice cream.
Due to a Production Mistake, the King of Hearts Is the Only One Without a Mustache
Few people are aware that only one of the four kings in a deck of playing cards is missing a mustache. As it happens, King Charles VII is represented by the king of hearts. Perhaps it’s his preference for a shaven face or his superior personal hygiene? Unfortunately, this was just an error and not a deliberate design decision! Before the playing cards were put into production, the designer neglected to draw his mustache, and nobody noticed. Every time you play cards with your friends, you can demonstrate your keen observation skills and bring up this minor detail that most people probably overlook.
Treadmills Were Created as a Torture Device
There’s a good reason if you detest using the treadmill and dread using it for exercise. It’s possible that your body will detect that the now-familiar machine was originally a torture device! Yes, the treadmill’s history is not a pleasant one. It was developed as a form of punishment for inmates. Its victims had to run for hours at a time. And the answer to the question of whether this punishment resulted in fatalities is yes. Therefore, remind yourself of this fact the next time you don’t feel like using the treadmill.
Pineapples Used to Be a Luxury Item Worth up to $8,000 Each
The ideal tropical summer fruit is the pineapple. These days, you can find them lining grocery stores or on practically any fruit platter at most gatherings. However, this wasn’t always true. At one point, pineapples were valued at up to $8,000 each, making them extremely opulent. They were only displayed at parties by extremely wealthy people who wanted to show off how rich they truly were. Due to their scarcity at the time, pineapples had to be specifically shipped from the Caribbean to the buyer.
Barcode Scanners Don’t Actually Read the Black Lines
The set of parallel black lines that a barcode scanner reads has long been thought of as a barcode. Usually, they are printed with black bars on a white background, but did you know that the white background is equally important to their effectiveness? Without the white blank spaces between, a barcode cannot be considered complete. To put it briefly, the scanner will read the black and white bar pattern and convert it into a code, which is subsequently converted into different types of information! You can now share this fascinating fact with your cashier the next time they scan your food items at the checkout line.
Chainsaws Were Originally Invented to Assist With Childbirth
There are times when childbirth isn’t all sunshine and butterflies, and in the past, it was almost never. The following unpleasant fact should allay any prior doubts you may have had about that: chainsaws were created to facilitate childbirth. Yes, exactly. Prior to the widespread use of caesarian sections, physicians employed an alternative technique to assist in removing stuck or breech babies from the birth canal. To create space for the struggling baby, the “symphysiotomy” technique involved cutting away at the birthing woman’s bone or cartridge. And to top it all off, no anesthesia was used.
Mcdonald’s Famous Chicken Nuggets Were Inspired by a Health Kick
The public started to worry about their consumption of red meat in the 1970s as they grew more health conscious. McDonald’s immediately took notice and wanted to offer a healthier menu option so that dieters could still enjoy their meals. They began serving chicken, including their notorious chicken nuggets. They had no idea that this would become a global phenomenon and what they would be known for. Don’t rely on McDonald’s McNuggets for a well-balanced meal because, despite their purported white meat chicken origin, they are far from healthful.
Today’s iPhone Is a Million Times More Powerful Than the 1969 Computer NASA Used to Get Us to Space
We’re more connected than ever thanks to iPhones, which have transformed the way we communicate with one another through face-time, text message games, and readily available social media apps. However, their capabilities surpass our wildest expectations. They are practically powerful enough to send someone all the way to the moon, in addition to being able to connect us to family members who live all over the world! The Apollo Guidance Computer, which NASA used to send astronauts into space in 1969, is a million times less powerful than an iPhone!
Coca-Cola Makes a Really Good Drink… And Pesticide
On a hot, sunny day, Coca-Cola seems like a refreshing beverage. It seems to apply to plants as well as humans. In India, hundreds of farmers have reported spraying Pepsi and Coca-Cola on their plants as a pesticide. They mentioned that it has been shown to be equally effective in controlling crop pests without actually poisoning and killing the insects, and it is far less expensive than local pesticides. Who knew there were so many other uses for the soft drink?
Rice Is the Oldest Food That’s Still Eaten Today
One of the oldest foods still in use today, rice is a mainstay in practically every cuisine in the world. The cultivation of rice dates back more than 10,000 years, and its use dates back to the Neolithic period. The better food selection has endured and changed cuisines across cultures. These days, you can find it in shops on any street and in nearly every restaurant. It’s no surprise that rice is so popular because it keeps well for years. The idea that you might be eating the same food as your ancestors is kind of cool.
Plastic’s Harmful BPA Was Used to Treat Menopause
Do you recall when, about ten years ago, we all found out that certain plastic products contained a dangerous chemical called BPA? All of the store-bought reusable bottles suddenly had large labels that read, “BPA Free!” We wouldn’t risk purchasing a bottle without a label. The dangerous BPA was once administered to women as a menopausal treatment, which is crazy news. Yes, you read correctly. Originally administered to women as medicine, the toxic substance that aids in hardening plastic is currently prohibited in many nations worldwide. Quite crazy, isn’t it?
