7 Things You Didn’t Know Were Invented by Kids
Check out brilliant everyday inventions that came from children
By Olivia Putnal
Anyone who’s gotten to know a child knows how incredible they can be.
Sure, they blurt out embarrassing observations in public, but that’s
because they don’t filter their thoughts. And yes, they occasionally
ruin wallpaper with crayons or finger paint, but that’s because their
creativity knows no bounds. Here are seven examples of children whose
imagination and ingenuity produced something extraordinary.
Toy Truck
In 1963, 6-year-old child inventor Robert Patch created a convertible
toy truck. Patch had two goals for his truck: one, that it could easily
be taken apart and put back together; two, that it could transform into
all sorts of different vehicles. After drawing up a sketch, the boy got a
patent for his idea, and the rest was playtime history. Photo by Shutterstock.
Trampoline
In 1930, when George Nissen was a 16-year-old high school gymnast, he
began tinkering with an idea for a bouncing apparatus to train on. But
it wasn’t until 1934 that Nissen and his University of Iowa tumbling
coach Larry Griswold built a device that actually worked. Then, in 1937,
when Nissen was traveling the carnival circuit, he came across the
Spanish word
trampolin, which means “diving board.” Adding an
“e” to the end, he trademarked the name for what was to become a
backyard family favorite. Photo by Shutterstock.
Snow Mobile
In 1922, when Canadian Joseph-Armand Bombardier was 15 years old, he was
tinkering around with his dad’s old Ford Model T motor and decided to
attach it to a sled to see if the machine could power through the snow.
He enlisted the help of his brother to steer while he took control of
the motor, and the first inklings of a powered snow machine were born.
Fifteen years later his device, the B-7, was the first snowmobile to hit
stores. Photo by Shutterstock.
Television
Just about everyone owns a TV, but did you ever dream that a teenager
came up with the idea? In 1920, 14-year-old Philo Farnsworth first
conceived of it, supposedly while he was plowing a potato field. In
1926, he and his business partner founded Crocker Research Laboratories
(later named Farnsworth Radio and Television Corporation); only one year
after that, the first-ever transmitted images were sent. Photo by Shutterstock.
Popsicles
In 1905, when Frank Epperson was 11 years old, he was trying to concoct
his own version of soda pop. One particularly cold night, he left his
beverage—a glass filled with soda water powder and water—outside on the
porch by accident, with the mixing stick still in it. The ingredients
froze overnight and Epperson was inspired. In 1924, after the young
inventor had some success in the real estate business, he applied for a
patent, naming his creation the Epsicle. Later, it was changed it to the
now well-known Popsicle. Photo by Michael Rosenfeld / Getty.
Earmuffs
Chester Greenwood grew up ice skating in his native Maine. One day in
1873, the 15-year-old finally became so annoyed with how cold his ears
became outdoors that he asked his grandmother to sew fur onto a two-loop
wire he created. Soon he had a patented and approved model of what he
originally called ear protectors. The state of Maine is so thankful for
his invention that every December 21 is celebrated as “Chester Greenwood
Day.” Photo by iStockphoto.
Braille
Born in France in 1809, Louis Braille was blinded by an injury when he
was only 3 years old. In 1824, while he was a 15-year-old student at the
Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, he created a type of reading
that involved raised, imprinted dots organized in a pattern to
facilitate learning. The first Braille book was released in 1829—and
Louis Braille went on to become an instructor at the school where he had
once been a student. Photo by Shutterstock.
Toy Truck
Snow Mobile
Television
Earmuffs
Braille
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