The name of the game

10 things that were named after their creators

It is common for discoveries and inventions to be named after their developers or discoverers, but some products are so common that we fail to recognize them as related to a person’s name. From hot tubs to writing systems, inventors and scientists have left their personal mark everywhere. Here are ten common things that are named after the mastermind behind them.

Did you know that "Jacuzzi" is a brand and not the name of this type of hot tub? Founded in the early 20th century by the Jacuzzi brothers, the manufacturing company was initially focused on aviation and agricultural pumps. In the 1950s, Candido, one of the brothers, designed a portable hydrotherapy pump to help with the treatment of his son, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis.

After witnessing the child’s positive response to the treatment, Candido patented the invention, which became popular as a therapeutic aid first, and later as a spa device. In the late 1960s, Jacuzzi developed the first whirlpool bath, which used jets to mix air and water.

Though similar wooden wheels already existed (but were not common), this quintessential fair attraction as we know it was designed by engineer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, as organizers wanted a feature that rivaled the 1889 Paris Expo’s Eiffel Tower.

Ferris designed a 264-foot-tall steel wheel (equivalent to a 25-story building), weighing over 2,000 tons, with 36 passenger cars. Each car could fit up to 60 people, meaning the ride could carry about 2,000 passengers at once.

The development of the telegraph in the 19th century revolutionized the speed and reach of communications, but what the best-suited code for it was was still an ongoing discussion. In the 1830s, Samuel Morse, Alfred Vail, and Joseph Henry developed their own electrical telegraph system and looked into developing a code based on "on and off" electrical pulses.

Morse developed a system around short and long pulses (dots and dashes) that his machine would transform into indentations onto a moving paper tape. In 1844, he sent the first Morse code message from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, which read "What hath God wrought?"

Tactile writing systems already existed before Louis Braille, a blind 15-year-old French student, developed his now-famous writing system in 1824, but they were not practical. Braille had learned to use the "night writing" code, based on 12 raised dots representing letters, but he realized that each cell or group of dots was too big to be felt at once with the fingertips.

Braille spent nine years developing a new system, based on the "night writing" code, with 6 dots per cell, which allowed for each "letter" to be encompassed at once. Today, the Braille system, virtually unchanged from its development, is one of the most widely used writing systems for the visually impaired.

Before "sandwich" was the name of a beloved snack or an easy lunch choice, it was a town in Kent, England, which gave its name to the Earldom of Sandwich. Eating food encompassed in bread is as old as humanity, but sandwiches didn’t receive their name, nor were they considered a category of their own, until the 18th century.

John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, was known for his love of cards and gaming. To avoid leaving the card table when feeling hungry, he had his servants bring him roast beef between two pieces of toasted bread, which eliminated the need for a fork and prevented the cards from getting greasy. The snack became popular in London attached to his name, and the rest is history.

As many women know, Pap smears are routinely used to detect precancerous or cancerous cells that could lead to cervical cancer, but what many might not know is that the test was originally called the "Papanicolaou test," and that is named after the couple who developed it.

George Papanicolaou was a Greek physician who, while studying the reproductive cycles of guinea pigs, came up with a way of identifying malignant cells with a microscope. His wife and assistant, Mary Papanicolaou, volunteered as a test subject, and after two decades of studies and investigation, the Papanicolaou test gained wide acceptance, becoming one of the main screening tests for cervical cancer.

If you ever saw a lab, you might have noticed an abundance of small, shallow circular containers, filled with samples. These are called "Petri dishes" and are used by scientists to grow microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. The dishes and their lids are transparent, so scientists can easily observe the samples or examine them under the microscope without disturbing them.

Why are they called "Petri" dishes? They were developed by a German physician named Julius Richard Petri, an assistant to the famous microbiologist Robert Koch. Petri observed that the glass plates covered by bell jars used in the lab allowed air and germs to contaminate the samples and made observation difficult. He designed a shallow, circular, two-part glass dish with a slightly larger lid that let oxygen in while keeping other bacteria out, and allowed for easy and close examination.

Unless you speak Spanish or are familiar with common Spanish nicknames, it might come as a surprise to know that one of America’s favourite snacks and a staple in Tex-Mex cuisine bears the name of a person. In this case, "Nacho," a common nickname for someone named "Ignacio."

These fried corn tortilla chips were invented by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, who worked at a restaurant in Coahuila, Mexico, near the U.S. border. A group of American tourists arrived after the kitchen had closed, but Anaya decided to improvise. He cut and fried corn tortillas, and topped them with melted cheese and jalapeños, a combination that surprised and delighted the guests. When asked about the name of the dish, he called it the "Nacho special."

Are you a boysenberry enthusiast? Did you know that boysenberries are not only a hybrid of 4 different berries (raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and loganberries) but that they owe their name to their creator, Rudolph Boysen? However, the one to name them was Walter Knott, the farmer behind the famous "Knott’s Berry Farm."

Boysen had enlisted Knott’s help to cultivate this hybrid plant, but had ultimately abandoned the vines and sold his farm. Knott transplanted some plants to his own farm and started selling the large berries in his produce stand. The fruit quickly became popular, and when Knott was asked the name of the variety, he named them "boysenberries" as an homage to their developer.

What came first, the diesel fuel or the diesel engine? The answer is neither, as Rudolf Diesel, a German engineer and inventor, came first of all. As an engineering student in Munich, Diesel attended a lecture about the issues of steam engines, which motivated him to start developing a more efficient engine.

He developed an internal combustion engine, which used the heat of compressed air instead of a spark plug to ignite fuel. The engine was patented in 1892, and Diesel named it after himself. This engine used different types of fuel but, over time, it became obvious that a specific type of oil worked best. With time, this petroleum-based fuel also became known as "diesel".

FINAL WORDS

Taking These Words To The Grave: 10 Famous Epitaphs

Image: Matt Botsford

One wise old man once said: "Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inextinguishable source of magic. Capable of inflicting injury and remedying it. But in our opinion that isn’t the only thing words can do. Even in the darkest times, words can also make us laugh and find the magic behind the afterlife. In this article, we’ve gathered ten famous epitaphs that had a thing or two to comment on. Read on and enjoy!

Image: Emre Turkan

We already know that the end of this road called life is the same for us all, no one can escape death. Now, for Mel Blanc, the man of 1000 voices, that knowledge was perfectly represented by his most iconic line.

Mel Blanc was a legendary voice actor and the voice of over 400 characters among those you can find Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes. And the words were forever fixed on his tombstone.

Image: Adi Goldstein

This phrase belongs to Joan Hackett, the American film and television actress. Joan had many prominent roles in her life, including Will Penny, Mourning Becomes Electra, and Only When I Laugh which won her the Gloden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She was diagnosed with cancer in 1981 and her death came on October two years later. Her remains are buried in The Abbey of The Psalms Mausoleum at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and whoever visits her tomb receives a final request from her: "Go away - I’m asleep!"

Image: Unseen Histories

Our final words deserve a good thought before we make any decision, they can be forever used to remind the world of our important contributions and that was the case of Martin Luther King Jr. who quoted himself in one of the most famous speeches in history "I have a dream."

Faithful to his inspirational spirit, Luther King’s final words are "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I’m free at last!"

Image: Austin Ban

It is no surprise that the best epitaphs come from people who knew their way around words while they were alive. Dorothy Parker is a true testament to that.

The American poet and writer was one of the founders of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of writers, and literary critics who got together at the Algonquin Hotel to collaborate in columns that were published across the country.

Parker was known for her witty remarks and her final words are one last joke for us: "Excuse my dust!"

Image: geralt

No, this is not a glitch, you’re still in the right article. This extremely long number is Pi and it is also the choice of words, or number better, of Ludolph van Ceulen.

The German-Dutch mathematician was the first person to calculate the numerical value of Pi to bring more precision to the constant. The result of his lifetime work is a number of 20 digits and an amazing epitaph that will stay forever with his remains.

Image: josunshine

The Ramones made history with their music, and however tumultuous, Dee Dee Ramone’s contributions made him the legend he is still today.

His final words are just a reflection of the essence of the punk rock band and his troubled life, a final goodbye from a rebellious spirit who lived on his own terms and left an indelible mark on the history of music. But everything must come to an end and so he says: "OK… I gotta go now."

Image: Vincentas Liskauskas

Hollywood can turn your life straight upside down, but no one ever said the road is any easy. Bette Davis is not the exception, but her resilience and determination brought overwhelming success as a result.

Now, her epitaph "She did it the hard way" is proof of the numerous challenges she had to overcome, but is a reminder of what can be achieved if one is driven by tenacity.

Image: TopSphere Media

Talk about a wordplay, right? Is this epitaph inviting us to step into the afterlife? Is it an opening credit to an eerie movie?

Considering it is Jack Lemmon’s epitaph, a beloved actor, one can easily imagine it reflects his connection to his craft. As short as "in" can be, it makes us think of a person who is always "in the scene" and never truly out of the spotlight. Short, powerful, and a great way to be remembered, don’t you think?

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Death on its own is a sad, tragic business for everyone. So we do need someone to be brave enough to toy with it and make irreverent remarks on its consequences.

Spike Milligan, a legendary Irish comedian and writer took that job seriously and chose an epitaph that can make anyone laugh in the face of such adversity. "I told you I was sick" is a genius reminder of his legacy. And a reminder to pay attention to our loved ones’ warnings, right?

Image: Pereanu Sebastian

We couldn’t end this article without mentioning what is probably one of the most famous epitaphs in the world. None other than the great Charles Bukowski is to thank for it.

"Don’t try" is actually a phrase he used to describe his writing. According to him, that was the key to good writing, which can’t be forced. But as an epitaph, it captures the essence and philosophy of his views and contributions. And in this context, it is a reminder that we are all going the same way, there’s nothing we can’t do about it so we might as well live today!