TALES OF THE ORDINARY

The Extraordinary Stories Behind These 10 Everyday Inventions

Image: Museums Victoria

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how behind every commonplace object there is an interesting story. Each of these invention stories stems from the need to solve a problem or make our lives a little easier.

Delve with us into the fascinating history of these 10 commonplace items that, in one way or another, have shaped our modern world.

Image: Antoine Dautry

Where would we be without ballpoint pens? Still leaking ink everywhere, I assume. In 1938, Hungarian journalist Laszlo Biro patented the first successful ballpoint pen, inspired by the quick-drying ink used in newspaper printing. This revolutionary writing instrument provided a smoother, more reliable alternative to fountain pens, making on-the-go writing easier and more accessible.

Image: Nina Cuk

Zippers are one of those inventions that are absolutely everywhere, and our lives would certainly be more complicated without them. Imagine buttoning up a camping tent!

Initially patented in 1851 by Elias Howe, the zipper struggled to gain traction until Swedish-American electrical engineer Gideon Sundbäck improved upon the design in the early 20th century. Once intended as a fastening device for shoes, the zipper's versatility soon led to its widespread use in clothing, luggage, and beyond.

Image: Diana Polekhina

Who knew there was a love story behind the ubiquitous Band-Aid? In 1920, a Johnson & Johnson employee called Earle Dickson invented the Band-Aid as a solution to his wife's frequent kitchen injuries.

Combining adhesive tape with sterile gauze, Dickson created a convenient and effective way to dress small wounds. During World War II, millions were shipped overseas, popularizing the product everywhere and becoming the household staple we know today.

Image: Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0

Safety pins are a straightforward invention - a clothespin that protects its user from the sharp point. Yet, this commonplace fabric fastener did not exist before 1849, when it was patented by American mechanic Walter Hunt. Hunt didn’t think much of his invention and sold the patent to W. R. Grace and Company for only 400 dollars, which made millions off his design.

Image: Tyler Nix

German entrepreneur Melitta Bentz revolutionized the coffee industry in 1908 with her patented invention: the disposable paper coffee filter.

Tired of finding grounds in her coffee as well as of the bitter taste that most brewing methods of her time produced due to over-brewing, Bentz began experimenting with conical blotting paper filters. This led to her creating the simple yet effective filtration method that remains a staple of coffee preparation today.

Image: Andres Siimon

Originally crafted from natural rubber, the first rubber bands emerged in the mid-19th century as a solution for securing bundles of papers and banknotes. Although many others had previously worked on the idea, British businessman Stephen Perry is often recognized as the true inventor of rubber bands. The first commercially successful version of the product was made simply by slicing hollow tubes of vulcanized rubber, almost the same process that is still used today.

Image: Alex Padurariu

Before toothbrushes, people used just about anything they could find to maintain their oral hygiene. Twigs, feathers, animal hair, and even porcupine quills have been used in the quest for a shining smile.

But it wasn’t until the 1930s that the first practical nylon toothbrushes were invented, by American giant DuPont. Surprisingly, the first electric toothbrush was invented only twenty years later, by a Swiss company in 1954.

Image: Mitchell Luo

After watching auto-engineers try different methods to achieve smooth painting on two-color cars, 3M engineer Richard Drew designed the first masking tape in 1925, later developing the product into the clear adhesive tape we know today.

With its transparent and moisture-resistant design, the Scotch tape revolutionized the world of adhesive products, finding applications in every field, from house repairs to industrial uses.

Image: Rob Wicks

While their exact origin is debated, the widespread use of self-igniting matches dates back to the early 19th century. However, the first designs utilized highly dangerous white phosphorus, causing dangerous intoxications in both factory workers and users.

After a series of worker strikes and international bans, the industry switched to red phosphorus, a much safer alternative to produce and manipulate.

Image: Carlos Lindner

While the concept of cooling indoor air dates back to ancient civilizations - and even Benjamin Franklin experimented with various cooling methods - modern air conditioning as we know it was pioneered by Willis Carrier in 1902.

Originally designed to control humidity in a Brooklyn printing plant, Carrier's invention revolutionized not only industrial processes but also comfort in homes, businesses, and even hospitals.

This is not pig Latin

Et tu, English? 12 Latin phrases we use regularly

Image: Patrick Schneider

English might be a Germanic language, but it is greatly influenced by Latin—not only in the huge number of words derived from Latin roots, but also in the many Latin phrases English speakers use on a daily basis. Here are some of the most commonly used ones!

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Literal translation: and all the rest/other things.

This is one of the most commonly used Latin phrases, but the abbreviation etc. is so widespread that people often fail to realize its Latin origins. We also write it as one word, etcetera, but the original phrase has two words: et (and) and cetera (the rest, other things that are similar).

Image: Jorgen Hendriksen

Literal translation: for the good.

The original phrase was pro bono publico ("for the public good"), dating back to ancient Rome, where wealthy and respected men provided legal advice for free—‘for the public good.’ The phrase was shortened, but its meaning remains unchanged.

Image: Nika Benedictova

Literal translation: the state in which

Here we have another case of a longer phrase that was shortened. The original was in statu quo res erant ante bellum ("in the state in which things were before the war"), a phrase commonly used in treaties. Nowadays, its use has shifted to mean "the current state of things."

Image: Nika Benedictova

Literal translation: word for word.

Verbatim ac litteratim means "word for word and letter for letter." This Latin expression comes from verbum (word) and can be used both as an adverb ("he said it verbatim") and as an adjective ("a verbatim report").

Image: Nika Benedictova

Literal translation: with the positions turned.

The meaning and use have remained consistent over time: vice versa is used to express that something is true when the order is reversed.

Image: Mia Mackenzie

Literal translation: to the point of nausea/sickness.

Have you ever had to listen to a discussion so long that you felt nauseated by it? If so, you know exactly what ad nauseam means. The nausea is most often a figure of speech, but there have certainly been cases of real sickness.

Image: Christoph Schmid

Literal translation: elsewhere.

Alibi was originally used as an adverb of place. Its current legal meaning—someone’s claim to have been "elsewhere" when a crime was committed—was first recorded in the 17th century. Nowadays, it’s a key term not only for lawyers and police officers but also for all true crime aficionados.

Image: Aleksander Stypczynski

Literal translation: generous mother.

What do generous mothers have to do with colleges and universities? We have to think figuratively. Alma means generous or kind, but combined with mater, it takes on the sense of a mother who nourishes her children. The first medieval university, the University of Bologna, adopted this idea as a motto: Alma Mater Studiorum, or "nourishing mother of studies."

Image: Federico Scarionati

Literal translation: prize, reward, profit.

In Latin, praemium was always used to refer to something gained. The added meaning of premium as "top quality" is of much later origin, as is the meaning of premium as "an extra fee or payment."

Image: Luismi Sánchez

Literal translation: in good faith.

We mostly associate this phrase with its legal meaning—that is, the absence of deceit or fraud. While its original use was similar, it was not necessarily limited to legal contexts and could be applied to a multitude of situations. Bona fide is generally used as an adjective, but it also has a noun form: bona fides.

Image: Jonathan Skule

Literal translation: agreement.

This word comes from the Latin consentire, meaning "to be in agreement" or "to join in feeling." From the verb, the word shifted into the noun consensus (agreement), which became the standard term for a unanimous or general agreement.

Image: Tamara Malaniy

Literal translation: to one’s pleasure.

This is a shortened version of the original Latin phrase ad libitum, which originally meant "to one’s pleasure" or "as much as one likes." The shortened version comes from music, where ad lib indicated that the musician could interpret the piece according to their taste. From there, ad lib evolved to its current meaning: to improvise or deliver spontaneously.