Cylinders balance strength, stacking and handling better than spheres or cubes. The tab is a riveted lever that breaks a scored section of the lid.
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Rivets stopped pocket corners from tearing on workwear, and the tiny pocket was made for a pocket watch. It is not actually the fifth pocket, which is the second back pocket added in 1901.
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People mostly used bread crumbs, plus wax and stones for other media. Edward Nairne popularized the rubber eraser around 1770, though Joseph Priestley noted rubber's erasing power too.
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Teflon came from a gas cylinder that unexpectedly turned to powder in 1938. Bubble wrap began as failed 3D wallpaper in 1957 and found a use as packaging.
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The zipper grew from 19th-century fastener patents and became a practical device when Gideon Sundback redesigned it around 1913. Its interlocking teeth are locked and unlocked by a Y-shaped slider.
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Yellow most likely began as 1889 luxury marketing for Koh-I-Noor pencils, though the reason for the color is debated. No. 2 is a middle hardness grade, roughly HB.
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No single person invented the paper clip. Many designs were patented from 1867, and the familiar looped Gem clip appeared around 1892 without a patent. Johan Vaaler's credit is a myth.
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Yes. Tin cans were patented in 1810, but the first can openers appeared in 1855 in England and 1858 in the US, about 45 to 48 years later.
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3M chemist Spencer Silver made a weak, reusable adhesive around 1968 to 1970. Years later Art Fry used it for a hymnal bookmark, which became Post-it Notes.
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Walter Hunt, a New York mechanic, patented the spring-based safety pin on April 10, 1849, reportedly while trying to raise money to pay a $15 debt.
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Swiss engineer George de Mestral copied the hooks of burdock burrs after a hunting walk, then spent years developing a nylon hook-and-loop fastener patented in the 1950s.
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The hole in many pen caps is there mainly to reduce choking risk if a cap is inhaled, under safety standard ISO 11540. Some sources also cite airflow benefits.
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Ridged edges began as a defense against clipping and counterfeiting of gold and silver coins. Today they mostly survive through tradition, with a side benefit for people who identify coins by touch.
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Toilet paper spread from a 1857 medicated novelty to a rolled, perforated staple as indoor plumbing grew and Scott Paper overcame Victorian embarrassment.
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