1. Pillow
The pillow was originally invented so that beetles and other creeping creatures do not crawl into the ears, mouth and nose of a person during sleep. The pillow was first used in present-day Iraq more than 9,000 years ago. True, then it was not like the feather soufflé on which you comfortably plunge into the palaces of Morpheus. It was an ordinary piece of stone.
Pillows and ancient Egyptians did not use for comfortable sleep. For them it was important to protect their head, which, in their fair opinion, was the most important part of the body. And the ancient Chinese were sleeping on hard pillows (although they knew how to make soft ones) because of the belief that this way you can harden the energy of the body and protect your sleep from the invading demons.
2. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton, a pharmacist and US civil war veteran who was injured in the battle for Columbus. Like other wounded soldiers at the time, Pemberton used morphine to drown out the pain of his wounds. And just like the other soldiers, he became addicted to this narcotic pain medication. After the end of the American Civil War, dependence on morphine became so large that it even got the name “army disease”. Then Pemberton invented a drink based on wine and coca leaves and, without undue modesty, named it in his honor. The idea of ​​creating this drink was to get rid of morphine addiction. Over time, as the Coca-Cola brand grew, the recipe for the drink was adjusted by various carbonate and non-narcotic sweeteners,
3. Bubble Wrap
Bubble packaging – a polyethylene material filled with air bubbles, today is used as a wrap for items to prevent damage during transportation. In fact, this material was invented in 1957, when Alfred Fielding and Mark Chavanns came up with the idea of ​​wall-paper with excellent thermal insulation. The effect of protection against the cold was provided just by these very air bubbles. True, the idea failed, and this wallpaper was ultimately unclaimed. But later, marketer Frederick Bowers convinced IBM manufacturers that bubble wrap can be an excellent protection for their valuable goods during transport. IBM bought this idea and sent a batch of 10,000 computers packed in porous polyethylene. Thus began the era of widespread use of bubble wrap.
4. High heel
This invention is not part of your daily life (we hope), but according to the original plan, high heels were meant just for men. And for the military. For the first time, high heels were used by Persian cavalrymen in the 16th century. They allowed archers to maintain balance while riding horses to provide more accurate shooting. Then the heel reached Europe and in the 17th century was used by nobles as a distinctive attribute of the upper class. Since it is not comfortable to move in high heels, it meant that those who wear them do not have to work. Then, in order to classify with men, women also began to wear heels. Over time, when the high heel stopped being considered a sign of high status, the men refused it, and the women continued to use it to maintain their slimness.
5. T-shirt
The first T-shirts were tailored specifically for US Navy personnel during the Spanish-American War and were used as underwear. Since the T-shirt was cheap and comfortable in every sense of clothing, mothers began to buy it for their children so that they would wear it during games and activities. Subsequently, the T-shirt began to be used more often, it began to be produced for mass consumption, to advertise, and then completely give it a variety of design styles: V-shaped collars, sleeveless jackets, polo and others.
6. Viagra
Viagra was conceived as a remedy for heart disease. However, during clinical trials, researchers found that the effect of the drug on the normalization of the heart is minimal. But significantly improved blood flow in the pelvic region and the penis. This feature of Viagra could not be assessed by men, and as a result, the pharmaceutical market purchased the drug, the annual sales of which reach almost $ 2 billion.
7. “Listerine”
“Listerine” – a well-known brand for rinsing the mouth was not originally thought as such. At the start of production, this tool was used by surgeons as a disinfectant. At the same time, Listerine was advertised and sold as a treatment for wounds, getting rid of dandruff, unpleasant foot odor and even protection against insect bites. In some cases, it was used as a deodorant. Later, the Listerin manufacturers, the Johnson brothers (Johnson & Johnson), together with the pharmacist Jordan Pitt Lambert, began selling the product to dentists as an oral antiseptic. It is the heirs of Lambert who are responsible for the fact that the “Listerine” subsequently turned into a mouthwash, which is now used everywhere.
