Bobby pins were invented during the flapper era that happened after World War I. The bobbed hair that was being worn needed to be held in to place. Luis Marcus, who invented the Bobby pins, originally sold them as a pair $0.35. At one point, he was going to name his new invention the Marcus pin. In the end, however, he decided that naming it after bobbed hair was a better marketing solution. Marcus passed away in 1990 at the age of 102.
Marcus never got rich off of his invention. Bobby pins were incorporated with his beauty supply firm that he worked at every day until his retirement in the late 1940’s. Marcus always thought that the invention of the Bobby pin was rather frivolous. His daughter would often call people that Marcus would rather talk about the progress of his golf game and discussed invention of the Bobby pin.
The Bobby pin was able to change the world, even if it was a small invention, because it helped women be able to feel confident and look their best. Here are some other inventions that have changed history too.
1. The Printing Press
Gutenberg developed the printing press around the year 1440 and his machine help to improve the processes that were already in place for mass production. By the year 1600, Gutenberg press had created over 200 million new books. Not only did this spread the wealth of information that humanity had, but it made books cheap enough that the average household could purchase them. Mark Twain once wrote that what the world has become today, and both good and the bad, is because of what Gutenberg invented.
2. The Compass
Before GPS systems became prevalent everywhere, the best way to know which direction you were going was the compass. Magnetic compasses were originally invented in China and replaced astronomical navigation by the 14th century. Because people were able to know where they were going, it allowed for exploration across the oceans and the ability for cultures to interact with each other when they previously would have been isolated.
3. Steel
We define the development of human cultures based on the products that they use. There are ages that are based off of the extensive use of bronze, stone, and iron that scientists track. As for the invention of steel, there is evidence that humans have created this alloy for almost 4000 years. It wasn’t until the 1850s, however, that it began to be mass-produced. Eventually steel became the foundation of the industrial age.
4. The Light Bulb
Thomas Edison might not have invented the light bulb, but he certainly made it commercially feasible. The first long-lasting light bulbs were invented in 1879 and it only took a year for many societies to start implementing electric lighting so that streets didn’t have to be dark at night. Electric lights have now been incorporated into plenty of inventions that we still use today.
Strong proponent of individual liberty and free speech. My goal is to present information that expands our awareness of crucial issues and exposes the manufactured illusion of freedom that we are sold in America. Question everything because nothing is what it seems.
