A new chapter in the British carmaker's history
Many products that we take for granted and use in our daily lives debuted at World's Fairs. These large international exhibitions used to be the perfect place to launch new products, and indeed many great inventions were first presented to the public in such spaces. This includes important inventions, such as the telephone and ketchup, among others.
In this gallery, we travel back in time and bring you a list of popular things debuted at World's Fairs. Click on to get to know them.
Alexander Graham Bell got his first US patent for the telephone in 1876. Bell then made a public demonstration of the telephone at the Philadelphia World’s Fair.
Bells’ "apparatus for transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically" changed the way the world communicated.
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was present at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. Their innovative product was the color TV.
Most Americans were familiar with televisions, but watching TV in color was completely new. RCA even installed a color TV studio at the fair, where visitors could watch live reports and announcements. The studio also gave the opportunity for visitors to see themselves on color television!
Before 1876, Heinz was best known for their horseradish. They then introduced a new tomato “catsup,” and it was a game changer.
Ketchup was introduced to the world at the 1876 Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh-based company advertised their new product as being a “bBlessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household!”
Henry J. Heinz definitely took advantage of the thousands of visitors coming to their booth to market his product. “He really pioneered the idea of using fairs as a marketing tool,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.
Coca-Cola was already an established company for many years when they started to experiment with new flavors. The first one was Cherry Coke, which debuted at the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The new flavor was a hit, and three years later Coca-Cola began to mass produce it. Today, other flavors are marketed by the soda company.
Whitcomb Judson invented the “automatic continuous clothing closure” in 1851, but it wasn’t until 1893 that it became popular.
Judson’s “clasp locker” debuted at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The zipper was originally intended for shoes.
The zipper then became popular on children’s clothing for its ease of use, and then grew to become the universal fastener we all know today.
The popular cellulose wrapper debuted at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. Visitors could actually see the product being made at the Wonderful World of Chemistry exhibit.
There was also a candy wrapping machine as part of the exhibit, which wrapped vast amounts of hard candy a day. Cellophane is still used to this day on a number of things.
Pay toilets debuted at London's Great Exhibition World’s Fair in 1851. Pay-per-use toilets may not be very popular in every nation, but they can certainly be found around the world.
Visitors had the chance to try them, but, of course, had to pay. A penny gave them the chance to use a clean toilet and have access to a towel, a comb, and a shoe shine.
Fun fact: “spending a penny” became a euphemism for using the bathroom in Victorian times.
A futuristic piece of tech was presented at the 1982 World Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. We’re talking about the touchscreen, which most of us use today on a daily basis.
Josephine Cochrane invented the hand-powered dishwasher in 1886, but she failed to secure investors because she was a woman. In 1893, Cochrane took her invention to the Chicago World’s Fair.
The product was a success. So much so that Josephine Cochrane won the prize for “best mechanical construction, durability and adaptation to its line of work.”
High demand from the industry (e.g. restaurants, hotels, etc.) led to Cochran opening her own factory in 1898. Dishwashers were used by professionals for decades before they became a household appliance.
George Ferris designed a 231-foot- (70.4-meter-) tall wheel and presented it at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.
The Ferris wheel was a success. Nearly 1.5 million visitors bought tickets to ride the giant wheel. It goes without saying that its popularity only grew after the fair.
American architect and inventor Joseph Lyman Silsbee (pictured) presented the first moving walkway at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.
Like in a rundown mall, the walkway broke down multiple times, so it didn’t quite impress visitors. Silsbee then had the chance to present it again at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, and this time it was a success.
Moving walkways are now found across the globe in multiple settings, including airports.
The invention of the ice cream cone came about in 1904, when St. Louis hosted the World’s Fair. It was so hot that they ran out of “penny licks” (small glasses) used to serve ice cream.
Syrian concessionaire Ernest Hamwi found a solution: he curled one of his zalabias (a waffle-like pastry) into a cone shape and used it to serve ice cream. It became known as the Ice Cream Cornucopia.
Before plugs and sockets, home appliances would be connected to the house’s main power source. Then, in 1904, Harvey Hubbell patented the first detachable electric plug in the US and presented his invention at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.
Within 10 years, electricity use across America’s homes had completely changed.
Sources: (History) (Listverse)
See also: Amazing inventions we have African Americans to thank for
Popular things that debuted at World's Fairs
From ketchup to the telephone
LIFESTYLE Inventions
Many products that we take for granted and use in our daily lives debuted at World's Fairs. These large international exhibitions used to be the perfect place to launch new products, and indeed many great inventions were first presented to the public in such spaces. This includes important inventions, such as the telephone and ketchup, among others.
In this gallery, we travel back in time and bring you a list of popular things debuted at World's Fairs. Click on to get to know them.