Talking dolls, metal detectors, wooden swimming fins… are among the strange inventions of great scientists.
A true inventor will always explore ideas that serve the needs of life, even the smallest ones. Therefore, they tirelessly think, innovate, and create new products.
Among these inventions, some become great, while others are not particularly useful or recognized by the public.
Here are some forgotten inventions from renowned scientists:
1. Leonardo Da Vinci – The Giant Crossbow
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) is famous for his role as an inventor; however, his products often remained as models or sketches and rarely became actual products.
One of his inventions became an icon despite never physically existing – this includes flying machines. Having spent time on the battlefield, Leonardo designed an armored vehicle similar to a tank and a gigantic, bizarre crossbow.
This is perhaps one of his most useful inventions. The crossbow was mounted on six wheels for easy movement. The bow was made from thin wood, making it lightweight and flexible.
However, few would guess that the sole reason for him inventing a 25-meter wide crossbow was to psychologically intimidate the enemy. The strength derived from the threat was the most important part of his design. However, in 2010, scientists in the United States materialized this idea.
2. Benjamin Franklin – Wooden Swimming Fins
Throughout his life, Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790) contributed numerous inventions across different fields. He was a very curious child and began his inventing career at the age of 11 when he invented a pair of fins for swimming.
Young Franklin loved swimming and always wanted to improve his swimming skills. He thought of attaching two wooden fins to his arms instead of his legs. He described his fins as looking like a painter’s palette, 25 cm long and 15 cm wide, with a small round hole to fit his thumb.
This type of fin did not become a famous invention, but for young Franklin, the wooden fins helped him swim faster, albeit at the cost of straining his wrists.
Franklin also tried wearing sandals while swimming, but they were ineffective. Ultimately, with a burning passion for swimming, Franklin practiced tirelessly and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968.
3. Justus Von Liebig – Meat Extract Tablets
Listed among the greatest chemists of the 19th century, Justus von Liebig (1803 – 1873) not only founded chemical experiments but also invented meat and vegetable extract tablets for soup (the precursor to modern seasoning cubes).
After noticing that leather manufacturers only processed the hides and discarded the meat, Justus von Liebig and engineer George Christian Giebert developed a method for processing meat, leading to the establishment of Liebig’s Extract of Meat Company in 1864.
Liebig’s initial aim was quite humanitarian, seeking to find a solution to provide meat for the poor. He publicly announced his findings and hoped someone would perfect the process and reduce costs. However, when Liebig began his own company, many competitors emerged. Ultimately, Liebig had to rebrand his company.
4. Alexander Graham Bell – The Metal Detector
In addition to his great invention, the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell (1847 – 1922) created one of the first metal detectors aimed at saving President James Garfield.
On July 2, 1881, James Garfield was shot in an attack. Doctors and medical experts from all over rushed to remove the bullet from his body. They believed it was necessary to insert something into the wound to locate the bullet.
However, this method only risked further complicating the infection. Bell suggested using an electromagnetic device to locate the metal bullet. This detector would emit a magnetic field, and upon detecting metal, it would make a sound.
However, when the detector was brought close to the president, it emitted continuous sounds as if bullets were everywhere. Bell thought there was a malfunction with the device, took it back to fix it, but when he returned to the president, it continued to make noise.
Later historical researchers agreed that the device was ineffective at that time because no one noticed the metal embellishments on the president’s bedding. These metallic threads neutralized the detector’s function. Some records indicate that Bell only used the detector on the right side of the patient’s body at the doctor’s request, as he insisted the bullet was on the right and had no thought that the bullet could migrate to another area.
5. Thomas Edison – The Talking Doll
Thomas Edison (1847 – 1931) was not only a brilliant inventor but also an entrepreneur. Unlike other inventors, Edison made a considerable amount of money from his creations because he knew how to target lucrative markets.
After achieving success with his phonograph invention, he sought to incorporate it into various other items, leading to the birth of the talking doll in 1888.
However, this product was not well received by the public because when the battery ran low, the doll’s voice became garbled and eerie. Edison was passionate about this product, but the talking doll was only sold for a few weeks before being forgotten.
6. Nikola Tesla – The Remote-Controlled Boat
Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943) was not only a scientist associated with electrical theories but also a pioneer in the invention of radio waves – a concept many considered to be witchcraft.
A clear demonstration occurred in 1898 at Madison Square Garden, where Tesla showcased his latest invention, a small remote-controlled boat.
The boat featured a small rudder, a small propeller, and two antennas. Tesla successfully controlled the boat in front of an astonished crowd.
Everyone was surprised by what happened, however, they did not believe Tesla’s scientific explanation. Most people agreed that he used telepathy. There were some more practical opinions, such as… a trained monkey was sitting inside controlling the ship.
With his vision, Tesla immediately thought of using remote-controlled ships as weapons. He planned to create a remote-controlled submarine and sell it to the government. However, the authorities in Washington laughed off this idea, and of course, no one agreed with his plan.
7. Joseph Priestley – Soda Water
Joseph Priestley (1733 – 1804) was a renowned theologian, philosopher, and chemist. His most notable achievement was the discovery of oxygen along with many other gases.
Unfortunately, he was isolated by the scientific community due to his insistence on the existence of “caloric” when this theory was considered outdated. But before all of that happened, Priestley invented a popular everyday drink: soda water.
The story occurred when Priestley lived next to a brewery and often conducted experiments there. One time, he discovered a method of infusing water with carbon dioxide (CO2) by hanging a bowl of water over a fermenting beer barrel. He then found that the water had a pleasantly sour taste.
At first, Priestley reserved this fizzy drink for himself and his friends. Later, he hypothesized that this water could be used to treat vitamin C deficiency. Although this hypothesis was inaccurate, the drink still provided benefits to people.
In 1772, he published the details of the method for creating soda water in a paper titled “A Guide to Mixing Water with Carbonic Gas.” Priestley never researched further or sought to profit from his discovery, but this idea became the foundation for a lucrative business.
8. Copy Machine – James Watt
James Watt was one of the leading scientists in the “Industrial Revolution” with his invention of the steam engine. He is recognized worldwide as a genius who dedicated his talent entirely to science.
Due to a lack of interest in business, he lived much of his life in poverty and debt. One of the notable products that made his life a bit more comfortable was the copy machine.
With just a press of a button and a small stack of paper, you can quickly reproduce documents. The operating principle of this machine is also used in modern photocopy machines.
9. Electric Piano – Walther Hermann Nernst
Walther Hermann Nernst was a famous German chemist. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1920 for his scientific work on: “Research, Calculation of Chemical Affinity and the Third Law of Thermodynamics.”
He was also the inventor of the first electric piano, the Neo-Bechstein-Flugel, in collaboration with the Bechstein and Siemens companies.
Although it was called an electric piano, this product did not have speakers but consisted of thin strings and a small hammer to produce sound.
Later, it was integrated with a radio and a recording machine. This technology is still in use today.
10. Life Table – Edmond Halley
Surely everyone has heard of “Halley’s Comet”? This star is named after the British astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist.
He made significant contributions to astronomy. Therefore, few remember one of his other great inventions in the field of demographics – the Life Table.
It is simply a statistical table regarding the birth, death, and migration of a population in a city, from which future predictions can be made. This invention has made statistics much easier.
