Top 10 Quirky Objects with Fascinating Backstories

 

Did you know that the things around us, the ones we use everyday, once had a fascinating beginning? They didn't always start off the way we think they did and even if they existed, they weren't used until something exciting happened. 

Yes, even that fork that you use now to eat salads and pasta, once upon a time they were considered an insult to even place on the table. 

Let's read on to find out which everyday object had the most fascinating backstory. 

Here are the TOP 10 Quirky Objects with Fascinating Backstories

1)Teabags

There’s nothing calming like a cup of hot tea to drain away all the stress accumulated during the day. 

But did you know that the little bags of tea that we take for granted has an interesting backstory. 

The idea for teabags came on accidentally. The tea merchant was sending off tea samples in small silk bags but the customers thought it was supposed to be used as is. 

So should the credit go to the tea merchant who sent the tea in those bags or to the customers who decided to dunk that bag into hot water and found out it works?

2) Matches

Matches may or not be used as popularly today as it was done years ago. While matches were invented a long time ago, the friction matches is another story entirely. 

In 1826, a chemist called John Walker was mixing chemicals when he accidentally ran a wooden stick across which caused it to ignite. He then began selling it as Friction Lights. However, these matches were prone to starting accidental fires, and so in 1844, a Swedish Chemist, Gustaf Erik Pasch, moved the phosphorous component to the striking surface of the box. 

And so there we have it, that is how we got those matchboxes after someone almost lit their workplace on fire. 

3) Q-Tips

The Q-tips we now use for arts and crafts, or to help with make-up application, didn’t always start that way. They were once used to remove wax out of ears!

Okay, some of us still use it for that in spite of what the doctors say about a large amount of wax being pushed down the canal. So, we use it just a little bit and outside the ear, then toss it. 

But Q-tips have an interesting history. 

The idea was conceived by Leo Gerstenzang who saw his wife cleaning their baby’s ears with a cotton covered toothpick and decided to make Q-tips! 

The credit also goes to the wife for coming up with the idea of a piece of cotton on a toothpick. Credit where credit is due. 

4) Forks

Forks were not always part of a cutlery set. They were once seen as an insult to even use it. After all, why were we even given hands in the first place if we have to use forks to eat?

It took some time for forks to become popular and that is all thanks to Catherine de Medici. 

Catherine was an Italian noblewoman who married King Henry II in 1533. At her wedding banquet, she showed everyone that she did not care to spoil her hands or her dress, and so opened up her bag to remove the fork. The French court was impressed with this cutlery item that represented sophistication and luxury, and from then onwards accepted the fork onto their tables. 

5) Yo-Yo

 

The Yo-Yo was always intended to be as a toy and came into existence 2500 years ago. And yes, kids were given yo-yos as a gift so that they could play with this toy all day long. 

Except, not everyone used yo-yos as a toy. 

It is believed that in the 16th and 17th century, warriors in Philippines used the yo-yo as a weapon to attack enemies. They would swing it around to attack enemies and often customized the yo-yos so that they either had sharp edges or were weighed down to make them heavier. 

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the yo-yo was back to being a toy. 

6) Toilet Paper

For a long time, people used several other methods to clean up after relieving themselves. Corncobs, moss, and even stones were used for wiping. 

In 1857, Joseph Gayetty decided to make wiping after using the toilet, more convenient. But his intention was to use something softer for those suffering from hemorrhoids. 

And so, for some time, the Toilet Paper was sold as Medicated Paper and came in 500 sheet packs. 

In 1890, it was finally being sold as Toilet Rolls and people stopped using hard things to wipe themselves with. 

7) Canned Food

The cans that are sitting on your kitchen shelf did not always start off that way. The conception of sealing food to conserve it for a long time came in during the 19th century during the Napoleonic Wars. 

The French government held a contest and were prepared to offer 12,000 francs to anyone who could find a way to preserve food for soldiers. The method had to be reliable and stay for a long time. 

It was Nicolas Appert who came up with the idea to seal food in glass jars and then heat them with boiling water to kill bacteria and create a vacuum seal. 

Of course, he won the contest! The metal cans idea came in much later in the 19th century by the British and American companies. 

8) Sunglasses

Did you know that sunglasses were not always used to protect eyes from the sun? In the 12th century, the Chinese created sunglasses out of smoked quartz. 

Yes, they did use it for sun protection but they were used extensively by Emperors and Aristocrats during court proceedings so that no one could study their expressions and guess what they were thinking. 

After all, eyes are the windows to the soul and the emperors and aristocrats wanted to make sure no one could peek into theirs. 

9) Safety Pin

The safety pin that we use to hold our garments together was patented in 1849 by Walter Hunt. As it turns out, the safety pin was safe from Hunt’s financial debts. 

Walter Hunt was never stable financially and invented the safety pin to clear his $15 debt. He sold the patent to William J.H. Clark for $400. 

Clark quickly jumped on the invention and mass-produced it. The product went on to become extremely successful. 

10) Bar Codes

You may not realize it but bar codes have simplified the way we shop. 

Earlier, retail shops would find it difficult to create receipts and invoices for customers and then check the inventory for the products that were sold. 

Fortunately, in the late 1940s, going to the beach for Joseph Woodland turned out to be profitable for him. 

He was idling away on the beach, doodling on the sand with his finger when he realized that he could put these patterns on products so that they could be effectively scanned in high-speed retail stores. 

He did take some time coming up with the pattern we see today. Originally, he had made circles which would not scan as effectively. The bar codes we see today contain all the product information and it is all thanks to Joseph Woodland doodling on the beach. 

Sometimes, it helps to go to the beach.