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I wondered if many
inventors were involved in similar myths or misunderstandings. It
turns out that quite a few stories about well-known inventors have
been misreported. We set the record straight on a few of them.
For example, we grew up learning that Galileo Galilei invented
the telescope, right? Well, it turns out that it wasn't Galileo, but
rather an optician named Hans Lippershey who invented it in 1608,
while Galileo invented his own version a year later. He did invent
the thermometer, though.
Regular readers of this column know that Leonardo da Vinci
(1452-1519) recorded his inventions and discoveries backward in his
notebooks, writing from right to left. The common misconception is
that he did this to prevent people from copying his ideas (patents
were not yet available to protect his inventions). Since mirrors had
already been in use in the mid-1400s, his writings could easily be
deciphered. The real reason for writing backward has never been
revealed.
Henry Ford did not invent the automobile. Instead, he created the
mass production system that allowed him to make cars affordable to
the average working man. There were many others who invented earlier
versions of cars, including Karl Benz and brothers Charles and Frank
Duryea in the late 1800s.
Similarly, it wasn't Charles Goodyear who founded the tire
company that bears his name. While he did invent the process of
vulcanizing rubber, it was Frank Seiberling who founded the Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Company in 1898 -- which was 38 years after Charles
Goodyear died. Ironically, he died broke. Seiberling named the
company Goodyear as a tribute to Charles Goodyear.
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Staying on the same track as Ford's automobile and Goodyear's
tires, many people do not realize that NASCAR traces its roots back
to bootleggers outrunning the law. In the South during Prohibition
in the 1920s and early 1930s, the bootleggers would modify their
cars to allow them to avoid the police. Later, they wanted something
more challenging than outrunning the law, so they raced their souped-up
cars against each other. Ironically, NASCAR does not allow sponsors
to advertise hard liquor on the race cars or to sponsor any NASCAR
races.
In other news, Xerox, Monopoly and Pepsi are all considered
failures. At least that was the initial diagnosis on each one.
Chester Carlson's Xerox was rejected by more than 20 companies in
the 1940s and 1950s, including IBM, Kodak and General Electric.
Meanwhile, Parker Brothers rejected Monopoly in a big way in 1904,
citing 52 fundamental flaws. The Loft Candy Company purchased the
Pepsi brand in 1931, then watched it struggle just like its founder
Caleb Bradham did. When Coca-Cola was offered a chance to buy the
nearly bankrupt company, it rejected it without even making a bid.
By the way, the 100 Years War really did last 116 years
(1337-1453); Walt Disney really was afraid of mice; and in case
you're wondering if the word "gullible" is in the dictionary, trust
me: It is. I looked it up myself.
[Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann may be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2006
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