Why Didn't I Think of That: Bizarre Origins of Ingenious Inventions We Couldn't Live Without (Paperback)

by Allyn Freeman (Author), Bob Golden (Author) "It's 1908, you're Frau Bentz, a German hausfrau, 35-years-old with a loving husband and two dutiful sons..." (more)
Key Phrases: dirt devil, New York, United States, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Ben & Jerry originally wanted to start a bagel business, but they couldn't afford the bagel-making machine?

• The Slinky(r) toy was born aboard a World War II battleship?
• Band-Aids(r) were invented by a husband to help his accident-prone wife dress her own cuts and bruises at home?
• The idea for Velcro(r) came from cockleburs that got stuck on an engineer's wool trousers and in his dog's fur?

Ever wonder how anyone came up with the idea for a product you couldn't imagine living without? Familiar products like Velcro(r) ,disposable diapers, Post-It Notes(r) ,and coffee filters. Read this book and you'll discover — once more — that truth is indeed often stranger than fiction. You'll also see that coming up with a million-dollar idea isn't as difficult as you think. This collection of entrepreneurs ranges from housewives to PhDs.

Filled with wacky and fascinating facts, awe-inspiring success statistics, and rags-to-riches stories, Why Didn't I Think of That? chronicles the odd origins behind 50 famous inventions and reveals the business side of each product's actual production, marketing, and distribution. You'll discover how inventors from all walks of life struck it rich with unlikely contraptions that range from the practical (like Tampax(r) and Tupperware(r) ) to the curiously inane (like the Barbie(r) doll and Silly Putty(r) ).

Inspirational, detailed, and always quirky, this delightful book captures all of the drama and colorful history of products like Heinz(r) ketchup, The Club(r) , Jell-O(r) ,Hallmark(r) cards, Trojan(r) condoms, Vaseline(r) , Rollerblades(r) , Kitty Litter(r) , the Swiss Army(r) Knife, Bic(r) pens, Dirt Devil(r) , Pampers(r) , S.O.S(r) pads, and many more.

From the Publisher
What would we do without Velcro, Bic pens, White Out and Band-aids? How about such notables as Tupperware, The Club, and Rollerblades? Learn the inspiring success stories behind the products we most take for granted in this well-researched, engaging volume of 50 products ranging from kitchen items to toiletries to office supplies and more. This book takes you through every step of the development of each product with a detailed look at how multi-million dollar businesses were built from the simplest of ideas.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (September 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471165115
• ISBN-13: 978-0471165118
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #810,684 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Cute - but oh so shallow, October 5, 2000

By	Joel H. Leitner "jleitner" (Larchmont, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Every entry in this collection is a good start on the subject - but that's it. As soon as it gets interesting, the authors move on to the next factlet. This may be fun for "Hey, did you know that..." type of conversations, but as soon as someone wants more information, you're out of this book's depth. After a while, it gets frustrating to read - in fact, it's the only book of this type I had to force myself to finish. Plus, the authors' adherence to an apparent 5th grade reading level, with no order or clear chronology even within each entry, makes it even more annoying.

If you want an outline of interesting tidbits, or if you're not yet in high school, you may enjoy this book (in fact, it wouldn't be a bad gift for some little inventor you may know, up to about age 13). But if you want depth, insight, and a touch of adult-level irreverance and humor, go elsewhere (personally, I'm a BIG fan of Cecil Adams).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast and Fun, March 28, 2001

By	Allyn I Freeman "jagsox" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Forget what some negative reviewer wrote; this book is fast, fun and full of interesting factoids. The language is breezy and the 50 chapters move along at an interesting pace. My entire family really enjoyed this book and we learned a lot of interesting knowledge.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun book, August 5, 2006

By	Wendy Schroeder (Englewood, Co United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The origins of lots of products made in America is in this book. Short pieces that take only about 5 to 10 minutes to read. I found it fun to read about how people came up with the ideas of such products as Tootsie Roll, Slinky, Silly Putty, Thermos, Tupperware, etc. Not useful information but just fun to learn about. How people come up with ideas for products that are part of everyday life now. Anyone who likes trivia will enjoy this book.