Sometimes a new invention is so cool it sticks immediately, and we cannot even dare to think about our lives without them. Think like, a potato peeler or a taco-making machine. Glorious! However, other inventions began their careers with purposes completely different from the ways we use them now. And, if you’d be interested to learn more about these repurposed inventions, stick around and read what cool discoveries people shared on this awesome Reddit thread talking about just that.
If you’re still wondering what the heck we are going on about here, we can give you a couple of examples of reinvented inventions. So, spoiler alert, and here we go. Have you heard about Play-Doh? While we all know it as this colorful stuff for kids and adults to play with, it was originally created as a wallpaper cleaner. That’s right! Speaking of wallpapers - did you know that bubble wrap was intended to be a textured wallpaper? Sounds pretty weird, huh? Then we have things like Kleenex, Coca-Cola, a bazillion medicines, and plenty more cool inventions that were intended to be used in a whole different way, yet failed at that but found their glory in a completely unexpected place.
So, ready to learn more about these famous repurposed inventions? If so, you know what to do; no need to invent anything new! Once you are done reading, please give your favorite submissions a vote (thanks again, people on AskReddit!), and share this article with your friends. Oh, and if you know of other famous inventions that were intended for an entirely different purpose, share your knowledge in the comments section!
#1
“For every pipe cleaner that actually cleans a pipe, 500,000 get twisted into children’s art projects.”
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45points
#2
"Paintball guns; they were originally called paintball markers and were invented as a way for loggers and park rangers to mark trees for trimming, cutting down, etc. without having to walk up to each tree with spray paint or something. A couple of dudes who were using them started shooting at each other for fun and paintball as a sport was born. In fact some people still call them 'markers' to avoid the stigma some associate with the word 'gun'."
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43points
#3
Iamfree25 wrote:
"Penicillin. It was a happy accident, but one nonetheless."
"Penicillin. It was a happy accident, but one nonetheless."
Make_me_a_turkey replied:
"Yeah, pretty much. He was culturing bacteria and noticed that one plate was contaminated with a fungus. He was about to throw it out when he noticed no bacteria grew around the fungus.
"Yeah, pretty much. He was culturing bacteria and noticed that one plate was contaminated with a fungus. He was about to throw it out when he noticed no bacteria grew around the fungus.
And thus, modern antibiotics were born."
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41points
#4
HomegrownMO wrote:
"WD-40 aka Water Displacement the 40th attempt. WD-40 was invented to keep the outer skin of missiles from rust and corrosion."
"WD-40 aka Water Displacement the 40th attempt. WD-40 was invented to keep the outer skin of missiles from rust and corrosion."
wildyaz replied:
"Fun fact, he worked at Boeing when he discovered WD-40. Boeing had a policy that if you invented something while working for them you had to give up the patent for it. He quit and released it about a year later."
"Fun fact, he worked at Boeing when he discovered WD-40. Boeing had a policy that if you invented something while working for them you had to give up the patent for it. He quit and released it about a year later."
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40points
#5
“Mysterion_x wrote: ‘Playdough. Was supposed to be a wallpaper cleaner originally.’
moreorlesser replied: ‘Now it serves as a delicious appetizer.’
Najmul190 added: ‘wait, what?’”
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37points
#6
"The best man at a wedding was the best swordsman the groom could afford. If anyone objected to the wedding, the best man would duel him.
The honeymoon lasted a whole month after the wedding, where the bride's father would supply the groom with all the mead he could drink."
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33points
#7
“Pizzas. They were originally made for poor people who weren’t able to afford food regularly. It was flatbread with cheese and tomato.”
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32points
#8
clofas1 wrote:
"MTV, a.k.a. Music Televison."
"MTV, a.k.a. Music Televison."
HorseMeatSandwich added:
"And TLC, or "The Learning Channel." Not a lot of learning happening on that channel these days, unless you enjoy "learning" about the daily lives of morbidly obese people, and idiots marrying morons from different countries in a matter of weeks."
"And TLC, or "The Learning Channel." Not a lot of learning happening on that channel these days, unless you enjoy "learning" about the daily lives of morbidly obese people, and idiots marrying morons from different countries in a matter of weeks."
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30points
#9
Ghoulak21 wrote:
"Duct tape: meant to cover holes in ammo boxes, so the ammo doesn't get wet."
"Duct tape: meant to cover holes in ammo boxes, so the ammo doesn't get wet."
BADMANvegeta_ replied:
"And now I use it to put my 1998 Camry back together so it runs for another 10 years."
"And now I use it to put my 1998 Camry back together so it runs for another 10 years."
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28points
#10
“Beer. Originally to make questionable water ok to drink and to give monks nutrition during fasting. Bud Light accomplishes neither of these things.”
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27points
#11
"Microwave transmitters were originally created to transmit radar signals in WWII. When a worker noticed that being near the transmitter melted a candy bar in his pocket, it led to the development of the microwaves that we use in our homes today."
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24points
#12
"Not really an invention but IQ test. They were never meant to figure out how smart you were, they were for identifying students who may need additional help."
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24points
#13
Commenter No. 1 wrote:
"Listerine mouthwash- it used to be a floor cleaner."
"Listerine mouthwash- it used to be a floor cleaner."
Fjompen321replied:
"Probably why it burns the tip of my tongue."
"Probably why it burns the tip of my tongue."
rode_the_short_buss added:
"When I was in my early 20's I had my tongue pierced. Before they would pierce it I had to swish Listerine around my mouth for 2 full minutes. That pain was worse than the actual piercing."
"When I was in my early 20's I had my tongue pierced. Before they would pierce it I had to swish Listerine around my mouth for 2 full minutes. That pain was worse than the actual piercing."
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23points
#14
“Facebook was designed as a platform where college students could connect and stay in touch. Nowadays virtually no college students use Facebook and it’s just a site full of fake news, divisive political opinions, and grandparents sharing content that was posted on other social media 4 weeks ago.”
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23points
#15
"Graham crackers. Originally created by Sylvester Graham who wanted to create a diet that was devoid of pleasurable foods. It is now used to create delicious snacks and is almost used exclusively for its pleasurable flavor."
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23points
#16
Phzko wrote:
"Crystal meth was made by Germany in WW2 to help soldiers last longer without sleep I'm pretty sure."
"Crystal meth was made by Germany in WW2 to help soldiers last longer without sleep I'm pretty sure."
John_Browning1 elaborated:
"It’s pervitin, there’s a story about a soldier who went on a 2-week killing spree because he took his whole platoon's pervitin supply drop."
"It’s pervitin, there’s a story about a soldier who went on a 2-week killing spree because he took his whole platoon's pervitin supply drop."
Commenter No. 3 asked:
"Didn’t that guy just ski for two weeks and not kill a single person?"
"Didn’t that guy just ski for two weeks and not kill a single person?"
zibatha replied:
"Yep, must have been quite a ski trip."
"Yep, must have been quite a ski trip."
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22points
#17
"Copyright. It was supposed to ensure that people were sufficiently rewarded to produce original works that there was a steady stream of new works and after a reasonably short period of time others would be free to use those works to build new ones and increase the supply of creative works in society. Now's it's a device designed to protect a steady stream of income for corporations and their shareholders for 100 years or more."
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22points
#18
“Malls. Originally, the mall was to be more than stores. It was intended to have things like schools, apartments, a park, and even medical facilities. Basically, like a mini town where people could live. But only the store part was ever made.”
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22points
#19
"Maybe it's been said already: Coca-cola and Dr. Pepper were originally marketed as medicine and health tonics. I believe Dr. Pepper's original name was something like 'Dr. Pepper's health elixir.'"
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21points
#20
"Menstrual pads. They were invented to soak up blood in bullet wounds. After the war, Kotex had several hundred tons left over and found that nurses had been using them as feminine hygiene."
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21points