From names to fame

Nachos were named after their inventor, and so were these 9 other items

Image: tarheelgarden

No, Jacuzzis weren’t invented in a northern Italian town named Iacuzzi. Some everyday words like "Pilates" or "leotard" might sound like far-off places in European countries, but these labels don’t have geographical origins. Some creations and concepts were taken up so quickly, that society ignored the monickers their inventors had assigned to them, and named them after the person instead. So, who were Nacho, Theremin, and Mausolus? Let’s dive into these 10 stories to find out.

Image: Ahmet Kurt

Have you noticed that the word "Pilates" is often capitalized? It should be, because it’s a proper noun: the famous exercise was developed by the German physical trainer Joseph Pilates.

The son of a gymnast and a naturopath, Pilates spent four years at the Knockaloe internment camp on the Isle of Man during World War I. There, he developed a series of exercises to train the mind as well as the body, which he practiced and taught to his fellow internees.

The workout –which, its creator made clear, is not a therapy– focuses on breathwork and training flexibility and strength, not unlike modern yoga. In his time, Joseph Pilates named it Contrology, because he referred to it as "the art of controlled movement."

Image: Jonathan Borba

The Jacuzzis were an immigrant Italian family of inventors before the name became the trademarked label for hot tubs. The company was founded in America in 1915 and named after the surname of the seven brothers who ran it. Back in northern Italy, their official name was Iacuzzi, but it was misspelled in immigration.

Originally, Jacuzzi developed aviation products, mainly cabins for transporting mail in planes. They decided to abandon the industry, however, after one of the brothers was tragically killed in a plane crash. They diversified into water pumps, which became the most famous of their inventions: a hot tub for hydrotherapy. Candido Jacuzzi developed it as a therapeutic aid to treat his son’s rheumatic arthritis and patented it in 1952.

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Have you ever met someone called "Nacho"? It’s the short nickname for "Ignacio," a very popular name in Spanish-speaking countries. That’s what’s at the core of the story behind the famous snack.

In 1943, the Mexican maître d’ Ignacio Anaya worked at a restaurant on the border between Piedras Negras, Mexico, and Eagle Pass, Texas. Legend has it that, one day, unable to find the cook, he improvised a dish with fried corn tortilla pieces, shredded cheese, and jalapeño pepper, which he served to American diners.

The dish was a success and, when asked what it was called, Anaya joked that they could call it "Nacho’s Special" after himself. In a few years, he had opened a restaurant and the popularity of the simple dish had spread throughout Texas and the southern US.

Image: Pawel Czerwinski

You may not know what a Theremin looks like, but you certainly have heard of it. This electronic musical instrument has a synthesized whistling sound that we now all associate with eerie scenes in science fiction and horror movies.

Léon Theremin was a Russian physicist who stumbled upon this invention while trying to craft a proximity sensor for the Soviet government in 1920. He eventually discovered that the movement of his hands could manipulate sound waves, and so the strange instrument was born. Another name given to it was "etherphone."

Famous musicians, from Dmitri Shostakovich to Frank Zappa and even the Rolling Stones, have used this instrument, which lends itself to an interesting stage performance and other-worldly sound.

Image: Roney John

Yes, mausolea are an ancient concept. But that doesn’t mean we have forgotten the man who commissioned the first one.

Mausolus was a Persian governor of the region of Caria around 350 B.C. While he still lived, he began the construction of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, a monumental above-ground chamber where he and his wife Artemisia would be buried. Greek architects and sculptors of the time were summoned to work on the project. The resulting structure was so impressive that the term "mausoleum" came to name similar fastous burial monuments.

Nothing but ruins remain of Mausolus’ original resting place, but the type of tomb stuck with humanity. One of the most famous and emblematic mausoleums in the world is the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

Image: Andrea Piacquadio

The one-piece thighs were invented by the French acrobat Jules Léotard in the 19th century. He notably used to wear a close-fitting outfit from his upper legs to his shoulders while performing daring trapeze acts. This suit he had designed, stretchy and snug, allowed for flexibility and movement. Jules called them maillots as was custom back then in France, but the look had become so iconic that, following his death in 1870, people started referring to them as "leotards."

Many sporting activities use a variation of leotards, like gymnastics, ballet, yoga, or figure skating. In fact, the one-piece swimsuits we know today, which were introduced in the 1920s, derive from this piece of clothing.

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The gruesome device that became associated with the French Revolution was not designed, as you might think, by Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin. In fact, Guillotin was a French physician who was opposed to the death penalty and so, in 1789, proposed introducing a more humane way of execution than the ones carried out in the late 18th century.

There are records of the device going as far back as 1210, but for some reason, Guillotin’s name remained unfortunately linked to it. The descendants of Dr. Joseph-Ignace petitioned to have the name of the artifact officially changed, but this proved difficult and the label persists.

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Adolphe Sax was a Belgian musician and instrument maker trying to come up with a family of instruments that would bridge the gap between the woodwind and brass sections. He first started fiddling with a bass clarinet, experimenting with its acoustics and keys, and eventually, in the 1840s, introduced a new instrument which would be known as "saxophone."

Its first incorporation was in French and British military bands, and the rich, powerful tone of the instrument caught people’s attention. Slowly, the instrument was introduced in conservatories and incorporated experimentally in orchestral compositions, eventually reaching the United States, where its popularity never waned.

Image: Nejc Soklič

An ax on one side, an adze on the other. Both tools had been used by humans for millennia, but no one had combined them in one until 1911.

Edward "Ed" Pulaski was a U.S. Forest Service ranger in the early 20th century. In 1910, leading a crew of firefighters, he was trapped in the Great Fire of Idaho which he barely escaped by leading the men to an abandoned mine. After this heroic but harrowing experience, Pulaski set himself to develop a device that would help confront wildfires.

Today we know that Pulaskis can cut wood and roots and dig soil, which means we can easily carve a firebreak with one. Despite this life-saving invention, Pulaski never profited from it and lived modestly. The mine where he saved the firefighting crew is now remembered as a historic site, the Pulaski Tunnel Trail.

Image: Andreas Weilguny

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin was responsible for designing this type of rigid airship. The engineer had spent years toward the end of the 19th century laying out and perfecting the model, which was launched in the year 1900.

The airships were seen as futuristic and luxurious, though they quickly became used for ​​civilian travel and military operations. Owing to the success of this design, many rigid airships came to be known as "zeppelins" by extension.

Crazy careers

Tired of your boring job? Become an ale taster! 10 weirdest jobs ever

Image: Clem Onojeghuo

From medieval Europe to early industrial America, people have taken on some truly bizarre professions. Many of these jobs existed out of necessity, cultural tradition, or lack of technology. Others were born of superstition or unusual demands of society’s elite. From leech collectors to sin-eaters, here are 10 real jobs from history that may sound absurd today but were once legitimate ways to earn a living.

Image: David Trinks

Doctors in medieval Europe and well into the 19th century used leeches for bloodletting. To obtain the large numbers required, collectors waded into marshes and let the creatures attach themselves to their legs.

The demand was so high that wetlands across Europe were nearly stripped of leeches. Despite the grisly nature of the work, it was a stable source of income for poor laborers.

Image: Josh Olalde

In medieval England, ale tasters checked the quality and fairness of beer sold in taverns. They ensured proper strength, taste, and pricing for consumers.

While the role sounds more fun than work, it involved serious regulation. Some tasters also inspected bread, showing how essential beer was to medieval diets.

Image: Daniil Komov

While this job doesn’t sound so strange—we have modern equivalents of this after all—the comparison doesn’t fully capture how essential their work was to 19th-century cities plagued by poor sanitation and overcrowded streets.

In Paris and London, rat catchers became semi-celebrities of street life. Their work helped reduce disease risks, though they themselves faced high exposure to bites and plague.

Image: Boudewijn Huysmans

In Tudor England, "gong farmers" cleaned cesspits and privies. The word "gong" had nothing to do with the Asian percussion instrument; rather, it derived from an Old English term referring to a privy and its contents.

They worked at night to avoid public disgust, carrying waste in buckets outside city walls. The job was dangerous due to toxic fumes, but surprisingly lucrative. Workers often earned more than many skilled tradespeople, though at the cost of extreme social shunning.

Image: Jessica Kantak Bailey

In Tudor and Stuart England, princes weren’t punished directly. Instead, their "whipping boy" was flogged whenever they misbehaved—a form of indirect punishment meant to instill guilt in the young prince.

The practice only worked with boys close to the prince, ensuring emotional impact. One of the most cruel practices of the era, whipping boys often gained favor and lifelong connections at court.

Image: Griffin Quinn

A colorful euphemism for "grave robber," this profession flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries, as demand for cadavers by medical schools reached an all-time high while legal supply remained scarce.

Despite being illegal and widely despised, it was a lucrative career. The trade also created related jobs, as concerned families hired cemetery watchmen and private grave guards. In some infamous cases, "resurrectionists" even escalated to murder to meet demand.

Image: Stephen Radford

In gunpowder factories, specialized workers tested batches by igniting small amounts to check burn quality. How each batch responded to ignition determined the safety and effectiveness of the product.

The work was inherently perilous—accidents were frequent, and uncontrolled explosions could have devastating consequences for both workers and factories. Yet, gunpowder was so essential to empires that testing remained a permanent job.

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Did you know treadmills were originally designed for prisoners? Keep that in mind on your next visit to the gym. In 19th-century Britain, prisoners powered massive treadmills that ground grain or pumped water.

The devices also served as punishment through hard, monotonous labor. The so-called "everlasting staircase" could last for hours, leaving inmates utterly exhausted. Perhaps this also explains how prisoners could later easily outrun guards—talk about a double-edged sword.

Image: Amy-Leigh Barnard

Food tasters were employed at royal and imperial courts to sample dishes before rulers ate, ensuring safety from any poisoning attempts. The role existed in ancient Rome, medieval Europe, and even into modern times.

While certainly not the worst job a commoner could hold among royalty (whipping boys and grooms-of-the-stool arguably had it worse), and though some tasters lived comfortably at court, their job was literally a matter of life and death.

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In 17th- and 18th-century Britain, some families hired "sin-eaters" to consume bread and beer placed on a corpse. The ritual symbolized absorbing the deceased’s sins.

Despite their spiritual services, sin-eaters were social outcasts. Typically paid in food or a few coins, they carried a heavy stigma, as they were believed to take on the spiritual burden of the dead they served.