Manu-fact-uring: The untold truth behind your favorite products
Imagining a new, innovative product is easy. Turning that dream into a reality, however, takes a lot of hard work. Inventors often spend years trying and failing before they have a product that can be brought to market. Other times, greatness comes accidentally when inventors stumble upon a revolutionary idea or object. Below are a few fun facts about some of the most iconic mass-produced products, from invention and development to manufacturing and marketing.
George De Mestral was inspired to make Velcro after noticing how cockleburs attached to his dog’s fur."De Mestral observed the burrs under a microscope. He saw that each one was covered with hooks that looked like a monster’s mouthful of spiked fangs. These hooks grabbed onto anything that had a loop--clothing fiber, animal fur, or human hair." |
Mark Twain accidentally invented the modern bra clasp while trying to improve suspenders."His ‘improvement in adjustable and detachable straps for garments’ was a button-on adjustable strap that could be used to tighten garments–it could pinch a shirt at the waist, for example. The patent was granted in 1871." |
Bubble Wrap was initially intended to be used as modern, textured wallpaper.“It took another invention of the time — IBM’s 1401 model computer — to seal Bubble Wrap’s fate as a packing material. Under the company name Sealed Air, Fielding and Chavannes approached IBM about using the air-filled plastic in shipping containers, replacing traditional box-fillers like newspaper, straw, and horsehair." |
Teflon was discovered when Dr. Roy J. Plunkett was working with gases related to refrigerants."The Teflon story began on April 6, 1938. Dr. Roy J. Plunkett was working with gases related to refrigerants. After checking a frozen, compressed sample of tetrafluoroethylene, he and his associates made an unexpected discovery: The sample had polymerized spontaneously into a white, waxy solid to form polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)." |
James Wright discovered Silly Putty while trying to create an inexpensive substitute for synthetic rubber."The government didn’t want his “nutty putty,” but a few years later, businessman Peter Hodgson noticed what a hit the stuff was at a party. He renamed it “Silly Putty” and marketed it as a toy, packaging it in colorful plastic eggs because he put it out around Easter time." |
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn