Eureka! It’s Kid Inventors’ Day
Most kids spend their time these days watching funny YouTube videos and doing their online Zoom meetings. I can’t say that I’m not doing the same! But there have been a few outliers in history that have, either by accident or through sheer child-like genius, who have devised some awesome inventions — some of which we see in our everyday lives.
The Ice Lolly
Frank Epperson was just 11 years old when invented the ‘Popsicle’ — otherwise known as an Ice Lolly. It was winter in 1905 when Frank decided to mix himself a drink using soda water powder and water. He accidentally left the drink outside in sub-freezing temperatures overnight, with the stirring stick still inside the glass. The drink froze completely solid, and this the first popsicle was born.
This frozen treat didn’t gain notoriety until later on during1922 when an older Frank gave out his tasty invention as a treat at a fireman’s ball. He originally patented this idea under the name, “Eppsicle,” but changed it after his own kids started calling it a “popsicle.” Ultimately, it was children that came up with both the invention, and the name!
Earmuffs
It was 1873 and at just 15 years of age, Chester Greenwood noticed that his ears were hurting from the cold after spending a day out ice-skating. He figured out that wrapping a scarf around his head didn’t help this a whole lot, so he set out to find a different solution. He took some time drawing a testing, and ultimately designed a wire frame, then asked his grandmother to sew some beaver skins onto the ends, resulting in the first ever pair of earmuffs. He successfully patented invention at 19 years old, and sold them to soldiers during the first World War.
Smartphone Electrocardiogram
Here in the UK we often take access to healthcare for granted, but there are many places all over the globe where it is much more difficult to come by. In many of these regions, computers and fully-equipped medical centers can be scarce — but mobile smartphones are still a part of everyday life. 17-year-old Catherine Wong, a science student from New Jersey, invented a small device that can display a person’s heartbeat right on the screen of their smartphone back in 2012. Using this device, an average person is able to undertake an electrocardiogram to check for any problems. With heart conditions such as a heart attack or heart disease being some of the biggest killers worldwide, this kid of tech could potentially be lifesaving and bring much needed diagnostics to places where it would have previously been more difficult to do so.
If you feel as though you have an eye for inventing, why not take a look at the Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics courses at the University of Wolverhampton?
By Phoebe Hinton-Sheley