Necessity is the mother of invention

Nutella, bras, and instant ramen: 10 things created out of necessity

Nothing gets the human mind going like needing something and not being able to get it. When common items are in short supply due to a crisis, the human mind always finds a way to get something like it, or even better.

Crises such as war, famine, recessions, or natural disasters have shocked humanity and forced it to be resourceful. Let’s have a look at ten things that originated out of necessity.

The world runs on caffeine, and also does war. During the American Civil War, the Union army produced a water-soluble coffee concentrate, made from a mixture of coffee, milk, and sugar. The resulting ‘coffee’ was said to look like grease, and tasted so awful that it was discontinued.

This invention was not successful, but it was a starting point that pioneered the development of soluble coffee as we know it by the end of the 19th Century. In the 1910s, Red E Coffee became the first instant coffee to achieve success, and the development of Nescafé two decades later made the drink a global sensation.

Japanese cuisine is strongly dominated by rice, so why is one of its star products made from wheat? After World War II, Japan experienced a food shortage, especially rice, which led the government to promote the consumption of wheat bread.

Trying to figure out a way to produce shelf-stable wheat noodles—a food item more familiar to the Japanese than bread—Momofuku Ando developed in 1958 a system to flash-fry noodles that were easy to rehydrate. In 1971, Momofuku also developed cup ramen, which popularized instant noodles worldwide.

The widespread use of chemical warfare during the 20th century meant that antidotes were essential on the battlefield. But how to deliver the exact dose in the quickest way possible? In the 1970s, engineer Sheldon Kaplan and his colleagues created the ComboPen, a system that used pre-measured doses in glass containers and a spring mechanism to administer the injection.

This new system not only helped with quick treatment on the field, but the concealed needle also made the process easier for those with a fear of needles. Furthermore, it can be used by anyone, even those with little to no medical training. After successfully testing the ComboPen, they realized it could be used for other emergency medications, such as epinephrine, creating this way the EpiPen.

Corsets were not the torture device some people imagine, but they were the main supportive undergarment used by women up to the early 20th Century. By that time, most corsets had metal boning, but the material was rationed for ammunition during World War I.

When the shortage of metal boning made corsets go out of style, women turned to the Brassiere —what we would now call a bra, which existed already, but was not popular— for support, making it the standard garment.

If you go to Vietnam (or a Vietnamese coffee shop), you will certainly find egg coffee on the menu. This thick and creamy drink, sweetened with condensed milk, is a Vietnamese staple and an ingenious response to food shortages.

During the 1940s, at the start of the First Indochina War, basic food items were difficult to come by. In a luxurious Hanoi hotel, bartender Nguyen Giang is trying to figure out how to make café au lait without milk. He gets the idea to use an egg yolk, which froths up just like milk does, giving coffee a creamy consistency that pairs well with sweetened condensed milk, a staple of Vietnamese cuisine. Egg coffee became so popular that Nguyen opened his own shop in Hanoi in 1946, which is still standing.

Although this canned processed meat is an American invention, it’s also a fairly common ingredient in countries like Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. SPAM was one of the main rations sent to American soldiers during World War II and the Korean War. They were sent so much SPAM that they grew tired of it, selling or giving away the surplus.

Locals had a hard time finding meat, so SPAM was quickly adopted into their cuisines, and is now featured in popular dishes such as the Korean budae jjigae (which means ‘army base stew’), the Japanese SPAM onigiri, or the Philippine spamsilog (a breakfast of spam, fried rice, and eggs).

Nutella is widely known for its chocolate and hazelnut spread —a version of the Italian _gianduja_—, but did you know it has its origins in a food shortage? At the start of the 19th century, Napoleon Bonaparte had established a blockade, intended to prevent British goods from entering territories under French control.

In the city of Turin, Italy, the blockade diminished the cocoa supplies. To combat this, chocolatiers mixed the cocoa with chopped nuts —mainly hazelnuts— to stretch it, creating the gianduja.

Japgokbap or multigrain rice is a Korean staple dish, and one that was born out of necessity. Korea has always been a fertile country suited for agriculture, but this has not prevented its citizens from experiencing famine and struggles. During the Japanese occupation (1910–1945), Korean farmers were forced to grow Japanese rice instead of their native variety to address the food shortage in Japan.

With their main food source being scarce, Koreans had to rely on other grains like millet, sorghum, or corn. They mixed these grains with beans, and the small rations of rice they could get to make it more filling and nutritious, in a dish they called Japgokbap, and that saved thousands from famine.

For people prone to accidents, Band-Aids are a lifesaver that keeps minor wounds clean and protected. They were created with this goal in mind, but they became popular out of financial necessity.

Band-aids were invented in 1920 by Earle Dickson, who was inspired by his wife’s regular accidents in the kitchen and needed a quick way to dress the wounds without assistance. A few years later, the financial struggles of the Great Depression meant that people weren’t always able to get medical assistance, and started relying on Band-Aids to treat domestic wounds.

Many cultures eat offal, but not all started doing it out of necessity. In Argentine barbecues, offal (called achuras, a native word meaning ‘what is discarded’) is a staple alongside cuts of meat and sausages, but this was not always the norm.

South American meat is renowned for its quality, but there was a time when some parts of the cow were considered unsuitable for consumption. These discarded parts, from the brain to the intestine and everything in between, were recovered by the lower classes and made their way into Argentine cuisine, where nowadays every last part of the cow is consumed.

The truth about your brain

You won’t believe what happens in your brain while you sleep

Image: Milad Fakurian

Your brain is one of the most powerful and mysterious organs in your body. It controls everything from your thoughts to your emotions and even processes information at lightning speed. But how much do you really know about it? Some long-believed myths about the brain have been debunked, while other surprising facts reveal just how incredible this organ truly is. Get ready to be amazed by these fascinating brain facts!

Image: Natasha Connell

You’ve probably heard this one before, but it’s completely false! While it’s true that not all parts of the brain fire at the same time, imaging studies show that most regions are active throughout the day, even when we sleep.

Your brain is constantly working, controlling bodily functions and emotions, and processing information. So next time someone says you’re only using 10% of your brain, you can confidently tell them that’s just a myth!

Image: Aarón Blanco Tejedor

Here’s a weird fact: While your brain processes pain signals from the rest of your body, it has no pain receptors of its own. This is why surgeons can perform brain surgery on conscious patients without causing them pain.

However, the membranes and tissues surrounding the brain do have pain receptors, which is why headaches and brain injuries can be so excruciating.

Image: Usman Yousaf

How come we have headaches if the brain has no pain receptors? Well, that’s because headaches are triggered by chemical activity in the brain, changes in nerves and blood vessels, and even fluctuating serotonin levels.

In some cases, hormones like estrogen can also play a role, which explains why migraines are more common in women.

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Dreams are proof that your brain never rests! (Warning: this fact can make you feel exhausted.) While you sleep, your limbic system, that is, the part of the brain that deals with emotions, becomes especially active, which is why dreams often feel so intense.

On average, humans experience four to seven dreams per night, even if we don’t always remember them. And what about that scary nightmare about falling? Well, you can thank your amygdala, the brain’s fear center, for that one.

Image: Brett Jordan

Have you ever walked into a room and instantly forgotten what you were after? That’s because short-term memory only lasts about 20-30 seconds! That’s not enough!

Your brain holds a limited amount of information in its active state before deciding whether to store it or discard it. Ironically, we can’t really choose what makes the cut, but we do hope these facts stay with you!

Image: BUDDHI Kumar SHRESTHA

That sharp, icy pain when you eat something too cold? It’s your brain’s way of telling you to slow down! Officially called sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, a brain freeze happens when cold food or drinks rapidly chill the blood vessels in your throat, causing them to constrict and then rapidly expand. This sends pain signals to your brain, warning you of the sudden temperature shift. It’s annoying, but it’s actually your body trying to protect itself!

Image: Josh Riemer

You didn’t need us to tell you, but let’s look at the details: The average person has between 12,000 and 60,000 thoughts per day. What’s even more interesting? 95% of those thoughts are the same ones you had yesterday. Is that not surprising enough? Hear this out: 80% of them tend to be negative. That’s because our brains are wired for survival, constantly analyzing risks and potential dangers.

Image: Terry Vlisidis

Even though it only makes up about 2% of your body weight, your brain employs a major quantity of energy! It consumes 20% of your oxygen and blood supply, making it one of the most demanding organs in your body.

If your brain goes without oxygen for just five minutes, brain cells start dying, leading to irreversible damage. This is why deep breathing and cardiovascular exercise are great for brain health!

Image: Alexander Andrews

Do you know that feeling when you hit the back of your head and see stars? That’s because your occipital lobe, which controls vision, is located at the back of your brain. If you get hit there, your brain momentarily misfires, causing flashes of light.

Interestingly, your brain processes vision on the opposite side; while your right brain controls your left eye, your left brain controls your right eye. It’s one of the many ways the brain operates in a complex way.

Image: Rodion Kutsaiev

Believe it or not, your brain generates between 12 and 25 watts of electricity when you’re awake. If you can’t really grasp how powerful that is, check this out: It’s enough to power a small light bulb! Your brain’s electrical activity is what allows neurons to send signals at speeds of up to 260 miles per hour.

Image: Robina Weermeijer

Your brain may be the fattiest organ in your body, consisting of at least 60% fat! This is why consuming healthy fats, like omega-3s and omega-6s present in fish, for example, is essential for brain health.

Healthy fats stabilize brain cell walls, reduce inflammation, and support cognitive function. So go ahead and enjoy that avocado toast, it’s food for your brain!

Image: Robina Weermeijer

It’s not just your memory that fades over time; the brain itself physically shrinks as one gets older. It continues developing until your late 40s, but after that, it slowly decreases in size.

Now, size doesn’t equal intelligence, so a smaller brain doesn’t necessarily mean a less capable one. Staying mentally active, exercising, and eating brain-boosting foods can help keep it in top shape!

Image: Lisa Yount

We often think of cholesterol as bad, but your brain actually depends on it! In fact, 25% of your body’s cholesterol is stored in your brain, where it helps with learning and memory. However, unlike other organs, the brain can’t absorb cholesterol from the blood, it has to produce its own. So, while too much cholesterol in the body can be harmful, the right amount is vital for brain function. At least you can use that as an excuse to get that burger!