27 Eyebrow-Arching Trivia Tidbits About Famous Inventions
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Did you know that the invention of the bicycle was actually an accident? And that the Post-it Note was created when a scientist forgot to bring along his memo pad? It's true! Browse through this list of eyebrow-arching facts about some famous inventions, and be sure to share them with your friends – they'll be amazed. Who knows, maybe you'll even inspire someone to come up with their own great idea!
Some inventions are so famous; you don't even need to mention them by name. But did you know that the invention of the ballpoint pen was met with skepticism and protests? Or that chocolate milk was once considered a medicinal drink? Check out these eyebrow-arching facts about some of history's most famous inventions. Who knows, you might learn something new!
If you're anything like us, you've probably wondered what the backstory is behind the goods you use on a daily basis. It turns out that many of those items have fascinating backstories. Like:
![CRACKED.COM In 1902, Leon Teisserence de Bort from France and Richard Assmann from Germany discovered the stratosphere just 3 days apart from each other. They arrived at the same conclusion despite using different scientific approaches.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/7/812827.jpg)
![CRACKED.COM Mexico never held a Day of the Dead parade before Spectre came out. The Day of the Dead is traditionally observed in a private, guarded manner-but after watching the 2015 Bond movie, tourism officials said, Hey, throwing a parade is a great idea. (Not everyone liked it, though.)](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/8/812828.jpg)
![The city of Holland, Michigan heats its streets with a 168-mile-long snowmelt system under the pavement. The system consists of tubes filled with heated water from the city's power plant. It makes salting and plowing unnecessary, saving the city money. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/6/812826.jpg)
14 Mesmerizing Machines That Run The World Behind The Scenes
![CRACKED.COM LOUISE MAY ALCOTT THOUGHT LITTLE WOMEN WAS DULL. She returned to her passion of writing suspense tales of liberated women, having tired of providing moral pap for the young.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/5/812825.jpg)
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![The original in Xbox IV Mondensarat Girline A 350 0660m XBOX This aluminum behemoth accompanied Bill Gates on his GDC 2000 keynote when he announced Microsoft's foray into console gaming. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/2/812822.jpg)
![The sand-filled boxes under train seats help keep the train under control. IBEG These boxes automatically dump sand onto the tracks when the wheels need more friction. This keeps the train from speeding out of control when rolling down a steep hill or when the tracks are wet from rainy weather. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/3/812823.jpg)
Invisible, Super-Smart Gadgets That Are Hidden All Around Us
![Actual dead rats are used to deliver spy stuff. The CIA has confirmed that since World War FIG. 1 II, the body cavities of dead rats have been used as hiding FIG. Z places for small items like rolls of film. They stuff the little corpses with gear, coat them in hot sauce to keep scavengers away, and drop them from planes. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/1/812821.jpg)
![We've managed to create transistors so small, they almost don't work. CORES is DITEL( 19-9900K OK123 GAM SRELS 3.68GHZ L983F183 SMAXB34 At the scale we're reaching (5-7 nanometers) for transistors that can be manufactured, quantum physics effects AMDA CROSSFIR screw with their mechanism. TACHHOLGI CRACKED.COM NOW YOU KNOW](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/0/812820.jpg)
![The stethoscope was created when a doctor felt awkward pressing his ear to a woman's chest Dr. Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laënnec MacGyvered a stethoscope in his office one day and spent three years perfecting his creation. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/9/812819.jpg)
![THE TREADMILL WAS CREATED TO PUNISH PRISONERS CHESS GROUP Through most of the 19th century, convicts in both Britain and the U.S. were made to climb the spokes of the tread-wheel, a large paddle wheel, for hours on end. The wheels were often used to pump water or grind corn, which is why they were eventually called treadmills. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/8/812818.jpg)
Everyday Objects That Started Out As Something Else Entirely
![CRACKED.COM In 18th century Europe, the introduction of house numbers was often met with protest, destruction, and vandalism. 52 The numbers weren't seen as a convenience, but as a tool for military conscription, taxation, and government surveillance.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/7/812817.jpg)
![School? That's un-American! CRACKED COM Mandatory schooling, anyway. So said various detractors throughout the 20th century, who said forcing children into schools violated the American concept of liberty (and deprived parents of free labor).](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/6/812816.jpg)
![Takaaki Kajita in Japan and Arthur В. McDonald in Canada independently proved that neutrinos have mass. CRACKED COM They shared the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/5/812815.jpg)
![CRACKED.COM Kevin McCallister's Talkboy sold out the following Christmas. Talkay The tape recorder that ESCAPLI uses to commit credit card fraud in Home Alone 2 was created for the movie, but a real version was made and sold in stores. Come Christmas 1993, the manufacturer couldn't keep up with demand. MARV](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/2/812812.jpg)
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14 Mesmerizing Machines That Run The World Behind The Scenes
![CRACKED.COM THE CREATOR OF THE POP-UP AD ISSUED A ... MINE - NO INC - NOT This world until PUBLIC APOLOGY. O Twitter. email DE - Log in Password ds and other fascinating me Forget momen updates on therthings New to Twitter? Sign up wa ch events unfold, in-real ngle. Full name Email Password Sign up for Twitter 623.B Ethan Ads Zuckerman Adidas understands Cookies info Brand he's responsible for one of the most hated advertising models. Не encourages websites to explore other revenue models.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/9/812809.jpg)
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![Bashful, the iPad prototype This was Steve Job's first attempt to put an incredibly great computer in a book that you can carry around with you. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/4/812804.jpg)
![Reflective marker colors communicate key information for regular drivers and emergency services. For example: Red means the road is closed to traffic. Green indicates emergency-vehicle-access to a gated community. Yellow separates opposite-direction lanes and the far sides of one-way lanes. Blue indicates a roadside fire hydrant. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/5/812805.jpg)
Invisible, Super-Smart Gadgets That Are Hidden All Around Us
![27 Eyebrow-Arching Trivia Tidbits About Famous Inventions](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/8/812808.gif)
![The first microprocessor wasn't invented by Intel, despite the popular myth. A 205 20S os 50a It was created for the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet (the Central Air Data Computer) - it could change the sweep of its wings, among other things. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/3/812803.jpg)
![Nutella was created during the cocoa shortage after WWII nutella TERRERO The chocolate alternative uses hazelnuts, sugar and just using a touch of the limited cocoa. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/2/812802.jpg)
![TNT WAS A YELLOW DYE. EXPLOSIVE TNT OUNDS VGO When German chemist Julius Wilbrand first made trinitrotoluene in 1863, he didn't intend to blow up anything. Не only wanted to dye things yellow. TNT is so stable that for decades it was used as nothing but a dye without anyone realizing it could go boom. GRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/4/812814.jpg)
Everyday Objects That Started Out As Something Else Entirely
![The first privately used indoor toilets SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF PEOPLE, They were afraid that having a direct connection to city sewers would allow sewer gasses to waft into people's homes, spreading disease and even death. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/6/812806.jpg)
![Umbrellas look French! GRACKED COM The first man in London to use an umbrella was publicly ridiculed. Jonas Hanway took out an umbrella in the early 1750s. People pelted him with garbage, calling him effeminate (or, worse, French).](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/0/812810.jpg)