The Stuff of Genius
Have you ever had an idea that seemed crazy -- maybe crazy enough to work? Every invention starts out as an idea, and it only takes a bit of genius to make it reality. See how some of the greatest inventions were brought to life ...
Have you ever had an idea that seemed crazy -- maybe crazy enough to work? Every invention starts out as an idea, and it only takes a bit of genius to make it reality. See how some of the greatest inventions were brought to life in The Stuff of Genius from HowStuffWorks.com. When George de Mestral and his dog set out on a leisurely mountain stroll, they returned covered in burrs. Learn how an afternoon walk inspired the creation of Velcro in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
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How a Japanese Drummer Changed the World
Daisuke Inoue was a drummer for several Japanese bands, and ...
Daisuke Inoue was a drummer for several Japanese bands, and spent hours memorizing popular songs. At least, that is, until he realized how much easier life would be if he could automate the band. Learn more in this podcast.
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Why are blueprints blue?
Before the days of copiers and electronic documents, duplicating documents ...
Before the days of copiers and electronic documents, duplicating documents was a time-consuming, arduous task. Learn how John Herschel's blueprints changed the face of the modern world -- and why they're blue -- in this podcast.
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Crum's Crispy Potato Chips
Frustrated by a picky customer, cook George Crum fried up ...
Frustrated by a picky customer, cook George Crum fried up some paper-thin potato slices. Find out how George's revenge scheme went awry -- and how his potato chips became the Stuff of Genius -- in this episode.
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Robert Cade and the Amazing Sports Drink
When a local football coach asked Robert Cade to help ...
When a local football coach asked Robert Cade to help hydrate his players, he set off on a journey to find the perfect sports drink. Tune in and learn more about Cade's Stuff of Genius in this episode.
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Peter Robertson and the World's Best Screwdriver
After he was injured using a conventional flathead screwdriver, frustrated ...
After he was injured using a conventional flathead screwdriver, frustrated tool salesman Paul Robertson took matters in his own hands. Learn more about his Stuff of Genius in this episode.
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The Taser
As a leading physicist at NASA, Jack Cover already had ...
As a leading physicist at NASA, Jack Cover already had a few achievements under his belt. Yet his Stuff of Genius was something completely unrelated. Tune in and learn how a fateful encounter with an electric fence led to the taser in this episode.
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The World Wide Web
Nowadays the internet is nearly ubiquitous -- but how did ...
Nowadays the internet is nearly ubiquitous -- but how did it all begin? Tune in for a closer look at the man who changed the world -- and invented the world wide web -- in this episode.
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The Safety Pin
With patents on everything from fountain pens to rifles, Walter ...
With patents on everything from fountain pens to rifles, Walter Hunt has sometimes been called "America's forgotten inventor." However, his most successful invention is incredibly commonplace -- tune in and learn more about the safety pin.
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Tape
It's easy to take tape for granted -- it's usually ...
It's easy to take tape for granted -- it's usually around when you need it, and you can buy it in numerous places. However, this wasn't always the case. Tune in and learn how Richard Drew's Stuff of Genius changed the world of adhesives in this podcast.
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WD-40
Norm Larsen started with a simple idea: If water causes ...
Norm Larsen started with a simple idea: If water causes rust, then a substance that displaces water can prevent rust. Sure, his first thirty-nine tries didn't work out -- but the last one was pure genius. Tune in and learn more.
