Cool Inventions

The idea behind the first skateboard was to produce a means of surfing outside of water. In the 1950s, Californian surfers, unhappy at the unpredictable nature of the weather and waves for surfing, began attaching roller skate bases to the front and back ends of wooden boards. Although these constructions were somewhat unstable, they allowed for ‘sidewalk surfing’ along streets and down hills. The fad soon caught on in other cities of the US, and it wasn't long before the pastime developed—in directions such as curb-jumping and climbing banked surfaces: this was ‘street surfing.’ By the early 1970s, bicycle manufacturers and toy companies were producing sturdier and more reliable boards, with more speedy and reliable urethane wheels on flexible mounts. The riders’ abilities improved along with the equipment, and things began heading in the direction that has resulted in the sport we have today.

The birth of water-skiing can be traced back to June 28th, 1922 when Ralph Samuelson, an eighteen-year-old from Minnesota, proposed the idea that if you could ski on snow, then you could also most probably ski on water. His first attempt at water-skiing was on Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minnesota, being towed by his brother Ben. The pair went on to experiment for several days until July 2nd, 1922, when Ralph discovered that the best way to stay upright longest was by leaning backwards with ski tips pointed upwards. In terms of his first equipment, Ralph tried barrel staves, then snow skis, before finally fashioning the first dedicated water skis from lumber he had purchased from a local store. This basic ski was completed and augmented with bindings made from leather strips, and a long window sash, which was used as a towrope.

In 1827, John Walker, an English chemist, discovered that if he coated the end of a stick with certain chemicals and left them to dry, he could cause a spark and flame by striking the stick on many surfaces. These were the first friction matches. He made use of a concoction of chemicals including antimony sulphide, potassium chlorate, gum, and starch. Unfortunately for him, Walker failed to patent his invention. His first sale of the matches was on April 7th, 1827 to a Mr. Hixon, a solicitor in Stockton-On-Tees, his hometown. In the end, before his death in 1859 at the age of 78, Walker made little money from his invention.

Airbags may have really taken off in the 1990s, but they were dreamed up and created a lot earlier. General Motors tested the first proper airbags on a 1973 Chevrolet, in cars that were only sold for government use. They went on to offer them as an option to the public in the form of driver-side airbags in commercial models in 1975 and in 1976. Cadillacs were available with driver and passenger airbags during those same years. Airbags were offered once again as an option in the 1984 Ford Tempo, and, by 1788, Chrysler had become the first company to fit airbag restraint systems in the US as a standard. In 1994, TRW began production of the first gas-inflated airbag, and it wasn't long before there were fewer cars without airbags than with them.

The hula hoop, as might be expected from its simple design, is an ancient invention—no modern company or inventor can truly lay claim to having invented the first hula hoop. The original hula hoops were made from metal, bamboo, wood, different types of grass, and vines. However, many companies ‘re-invented’ their versions of the hula hoop, basing them on more modern materials like plastic and adding a variety of extra features such as glitter, sounds, and coloured lights. Perhaps the Wham-O version is the most successful of hula hoops in modern times—they were the company that trademarked the name Hula Hoop and started manufacturing the toy out of a synthetic material called Marlex in 1958, selling 20 million hula hoops in the first six months.