May 15, 2025 • 37 mins
While things like the Slinky and the Post-it Note may seem pretty ubiquitous, simple ideas today, they each have their own bizarre accidental origin story. In the second part of this week's two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the stories of military coil research and a tenacious 3M employee nicknamed "Mr. Persistent."
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ridiculous Histories, a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the show,
(00:28):
fellow Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much for
tuning in. Let's hear a shout out for the man
the myth legend, super producer, mister Max Williams.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I get weirder and weirder on the way.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
We say Williams. At the end, we'll accidentally invent a
new name for Max. At some point, you're Noel Brown.
I've been bowling. We are continuing our series on accidental
inventions throughout history with the help of our research associate
Jeff And before we really start, as our pal Dylan
(01:04):
would say, dig it up the rudabagas he does he
does at the weirdest times. No, You and I decided
off air that we were we weren't just uh spinning
spinning tails and blowing smoke when we called ourselves an
accidental invention. Before we get into proper accidental inventions in
(01:26):
today's episode, we thought we would share with you, guys,
uh an origin story of Ridiculous History, which is itself
an accidental invention.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
And it is itself, in a way, a very regular
source that we use to this day. For this show.
You'll recall in the last episode we cited our alma
mater How Stuff Works a couple of times, and we're
going to do that again in this one. Originally, when
Ben and I were working under the House Stuff Works
website slash kind of podcast thing, we were asked by
(02:07):
our boss to make a quick and dirty podcast that
would help satisfy like a momentary ad deal six weeks.
Six weeks, you guys, six weeks. Just kill it and
use the articles on the house Stuff Works website that
were published under the Moniker Ridiculous History. We can't claim
credit for that one as your research material, and we're like, cool,
(02:29):
we'll take one for the team. We'll do this. Boss
talking about our beloved at Major DOMO Admiral Connell Byrne,
who has just continued to rise in the world and
he's actually it's weird.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I used to be so pissed at him, uh, because
I thought that a boss at a Jack donnagey level
had no right to be as cool as he is.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
He is cool. He's yeah and super cool. Like Gate he.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Gave you a s or something, gave me a with
Juno one oh six from his band that he used
to be because of course called Adam.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And here's the kicker. He said, this doesn't it doesn't work,
but I bet you could like fix it. And I
had another one and I was going to use it
to scavenge for parts. Turns out I took I took
it to my synth guy because I have one, and
he was like, oh, it's just wired for a UK
power exactly. All he had to do was like do
some very quick fix and it was a pristine. It
even came in the original case emblazoned with the stencil
(03:28):
for his band Atam.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Where Science meets Magic. Uh yes, so also, uh, the
I can share one story with Kennel. We have we
He and I have long had an ongoing discourse because
he's a fantastic writer as well. We've had a long
discourse about books, so we will we will chat with
(03:51):
each other, non related to work about just different different.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Books we like.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
And anyway, the final chapter of the Accidental Invention of
Ridiculous History is we, as Noel said, took one for
the team and then on maybe week five ran out
of articles. So we read out of articles and on
the say like the same, we recognize we're running low
(04:15):
on research material that morning, and that afternoon we get
the We get the marching orders to continue the show forever.
And the only reason we're able to do that accidental
invention is thanks to.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You ridiculous historians. You said it, Ben, no question. Thanks
for hanging with us for low these many years, and
for any new folks out there, welcome, and I don't know.
We love doing the show and it is a great
example of an accidental invention that ended up working out.
It's something that you and I do every single week
and we will until the wheels fall off metaphorically to
(04:51):
use a car car stuff reference there and Hughes. Thanks
to Max and for being such a great producer, super
producer and partner and star trek nerd and Skyrim aficionado.
We couldn't do it without you, buddy, correspond that's right,
that's true. Ccn't mind.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Can I jump real quick to illustrate how cool Conne
is because a couple of years ago at our Christmas party,
which we had our Holidays party we had at the
Claremont rooftop, I remember Kna and I were just talking
about he.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Had met me.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I met him in person for the first time, just
like a little bit before that, and he was just
like saw me watching the Hawks game. He's like, oh
your Hawks fand he'd given me like three tickets three
of the I heard tickets, like hundred me down, found me,
sent me the email.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, he'll do it. Yes, he's a good dude. Everyone's
got a good Connell story.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
So after this was done, So after this this, a
few months later, we're up there and I'm breaking down
the difference between a pick and roll and ISO and
basketball with him and Sean Titne, who you know, doesn't
who's in charge of the sports play So I don't
explain this stuff to him. But Connle's like super engaging.
He's like really loved the conversation. Like, man, this is
actually like to your point, I'm like, I'm supposed to
(06:01):
hate I thought I was supposed to.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Hate corporate overlords.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Well, Ben, you quote you've quote him all the time
with is uh what is it?
Speaker 1 (06:07):
The world is both understandable and worth understanding.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, and Connell is both interesting and interested, and we.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Know he probably doesn't listen to the show.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
So now going on, been on. I think he's like
the head of the entire IR digital universe. At this point,
the guys, we should just text him later, but you should.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
But look at us. We are at accidental invention. We
are a little podcast train that could uh post being
bitten by radioactive microphones, a jokeer not letting go.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
We wanted to, with the help of our pal Jeff,
explore some other uh accidental inventions. We we talked about
some world changing ones. Maybe we uh dip our toes
or start walking up and down the stairs with a
favorite toy of yesteryear, the slinky.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Ah, yes, the slinky spring a spring, a marvelous thing.
Everyone knows it's slinky. Uh. It defined an era, you know,
it was like the thing I'm a jig that everyone
had to have. I did you have? Honest, I'd certainly
have had multiples. You know. Now they're still around and
they'll be like plastic ones made with different color gradients.
(07:18):
And you know, the original one was literally this kind
of industrial metal.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Coil fingers smell weird after yeah, like I knowell you
know about your your feelings about handling metal.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
The slinky would not have been a toy for young men.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
And it's originally what's that old line from Egon spangler. Uh,
I had a slinky once as a child, but I
straightened it.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
That's that sounds like a far side panel, doesn't It's like,
oh my god, it's about linear thinking. Uh. Well, that's
interesting that you say that, Ben, because you know you
while you might think that the slinky came from the
mind of some sort of like Willy Wonka esque figure,
you know not not. The truth came from somebody much
more square in the best way spring like. Even during
(08:05):
World War Two, an engineer by the name of Richard James,
which makes some only my second favorite Richard James. Uh
one up only by Richard D. James of Aphex twin.
That's incredible. Musician technologists out there, weirdos alive.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
He's always do Yeah, he's always like. He's always like please, Ben,
Richard was my father's name. Call me Penis.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
That's also a good joke about Richard versus Dick. Doesn't
make sense. It doesn't make sense as a nickname is
a shortening of Richard. Never understood it. But this Richard
James wanted to help the troops by inventing stable springs
that could be used to bolster the technology and within
naval ships. It would help stabilize I think the you know,
(08:51):
the ride on rough waters.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yeah, because these are very sensitive instruments, right then as
now and all right, the story is our non aphex
Richard is he's he's working on these springs, and he's saying, okay, look,
I need to make sure that if the seas do
not favor our boys at war, the royal, right, then
(09:17):
we can still save the instruments via the miracle of coils.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
And while he is.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Working on these springs figuring out you know, uh, correct materials,
tensile strength and so on, he knocks one of the
springs off the table. This is the accident. And when
it is knocked off the table, it doesn't just a
plump low and behold this mysterious spring. This coil walks
(09:46):
down the floor le boop.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I was trying to make a real version of it.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
That's that's what I don't know why my version was
French la boop le boo boom.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
It does seem like a bit of a French invention,
that's right. It's almost like you know the thing that
the clown that you knock down and then it just
sort of pops right back up. It's a booy, right,
But then it's also a toy. This was a spring.
I'm sorry, I totally said it wrong. Initially I was saying, like,
these were designed to help stabilize a ship. That's not
nothing's gonna do that. If you're on rough water. You're
on rough water. But you can help safeguard the delicate instruments, right,
(10:24):
that are so crucial to your ability to navigate and
to like you know, shoot missiles and whatnot.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Super super tough, especially the surveillance instrumentation.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Shock absorption would would be what this is going for, right,
And it was real good at that, But it was
also I think, if I'm remembering the physics of it,
it transfers energy like from you know, it basically stores
potential energy and sort of moves it from one stage
to the next down like a stairstep or whatever.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
And then that's yeah, yeah, you nailed it. That's what
stands out to Richie James because not only does this
thing walk its way down to the floor after he
knocks it off the table, but then it recoils itself
and assumes its original shape. It stands upright, and look,
this is another sort of fleming spencer thing.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
This guy.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, yeah, Just so this guy could have said, my
job is too tough.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I keep springs walking away from me like a dick.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
But instead, with his optimism which he must have had,
or perhaps with simply his feverish curiosity coming to all
inventors to he said, hang on, this might be funny.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Oh yeah, a what if we could make this little
hoppy boy? Uh?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
What if we can to make something of him? So
he goes back home and he's married. He has a
wife named Betty. And you know how it is when
you're in a long term relationship and someone is super
into their job and they this happened.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
You're about tired of hearing about it, right, But this happens.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Yeah, let's be honest, this happens to you and me
all the time when we're dating folks, and you know,
we'll especially.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Strangers on the street, are tired of hearing about it.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Right. And so he goes and he tells his wife
about the idea, and she's probably doing that internet meme
of going uh huh, oh wow.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
That's crazy. Okay, all right, that's really oh wow wow. Okay, yep,
So but you know what, No, she's into it. She's
She's supportive of old Dick James, and in nineteen forty four,
she decides to help him out by lending a clever
name to this accidental invention.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
This is the weirdest thing I did not No, you know,
we're etymology nerds. I had always assumed that slinky was
created specifically for this brand of toy. But slinky is
a real word, meaning sneak and sinuous movement.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
All out line people talk about a slinky dress, you know,
or like slinking around like an old tomcat. Right. I
love the sinulous sleek movement. Okay, how can we make
this thing a little less sexualized? Okay, we'll just keep
(13:22):
it stark silver and we'll call it the slink. Just
don't look it up right, right, wildly inappropriate. No one
tell the kids.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
So it comes to pass that they take out a
loan to get a five hundred dollars loan in nineteen
forty four. If we could inflation calculate, boop, dude, well, boom,
five hundred dollars in nineteen forty four was only nine
(13:52):
eighty five dollars in twenty cents, which is still you know,
in the world of big corporations.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Yeah, toy type to me, come on, you know, look
out the door for less than ten grand.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
So they co found, in a burst of humility, something
they call James Industries in nineteen forty five. At that
very same year, the slinky hit store shelves. At first,
you know, there's what we call a learning curve for
the market, like, how is this a value proposition in
(14:28):
the world of dolls and you know, little action figures
and toy cars. How can we convince people that this
extremely nerdy, literal bundle of wire is a toy they
should spend money.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
On, oh Man exactly. You know, Ben, I actually had
a pretty interesting encounter recently where there's some toy stores,
specialty toy stores, as toy stores in general are less
and less free, you know common, like you don't have
KB toys, and I think Toys are Us is completely
out of business. They are Fao Schwartz. I think that's
what I'm talking about, Ben, Thank you, That's exactly what
I'm talking about. In New York City there's still Fao Schwartz.
(15:05):
And you might have seen some viral videos of this
cute little kind of plush cafe where they're cooking with
like plush toys and like like like plushy bacon and
cats and it's very Japanese, but they have just a
regular part of the toy store and in that I
once walked in and they were doing these demonstrations of
these like they had this one thing where it could
(15:25):
make a coin like levitate and it was probably using
some sort of gyroscopic technology. But the thing about it
is the guy didn't tell you how it worked. You
had to buy it and like see, but it was
really cool and I almost bought it. I was really
taken by this. So this is exactly what they do.
They decide, Okay, people aren't quite wrapping their heads around
this spring thing. We need to take this to the
(15:48):
people and show them how it works. And what a
what a absolute WoT it is.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Yeah, yeah, this is where you know, you're like Jesus
doing demonstrytion in the street.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Right.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
There are four hundred slinky stocked during the Christmas shopping
season at Gemble's department store in Philly. It's nineteen forty
five and in less than two hours after them essentially
saying look at this league, after two hours, all of
the slinkies are sold. That's about they were sold for
(16:24):
a dollar apiece, and that's about fourteen bucks each in
today's value. We want to thank our friends over at
the Smithsonian, specifically Rachel Alalensack for writing an excellent article
the Accidental Invention of the Slinky.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yep, yeah, no, it's true. And Ben, we can't talk
about the slinky and it's sort of impact on popular
culture without talking about log. Ah. Yeah, it's big, it's heavy.
It's wood. It's big, it's heavy, it's wood. What rolls
downstairs alone or in rolls over your neighbor's Dog's great
(17:03):
for a snack and it fits on your back, it's
log log log. Now, Brend and Stimpy was created by
a dude who's not good. He did some bad things,
but that was part of our childhood. And that was
a pretty damn good parody of Slinky because the theme
song that it had the spring spring of Marvel's thing.
They basically you know Nailer but yeah, John k had
(17:27):
some real issues with you know, courting young young women
and not good. But sorry, I had to mention it
didn't mean to make it out everybody's mind.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
The log story, the log parody. We also know that
when they were writing the log parody, they may well
have had a list of the original slinky lyrics.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
That's what I mean. It's like super super Spot on
the money down to the cadence.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And they may have written those lyrics as reference points
in their parody composition. They may have written those on
post it notes. Oh bad, another another class monster stuff
a genius like man, do you ever use post it notes?
Speaker 2 (18:13):
You know, I've said this, but I haven't said on
the show, but it does come up from time to time.
I so rarely write with my hand anymore, I realize,
And I know that's sort of like a statement about
technology and whatever, but like everything I do is digital,
and so I just but I would, I maybe should,
because I think there's something to be said, and scientifically speaking,
(18:34):
there's definitely something to be said about writing things down
and the connections that it makes with your brain and
all of that. So I have there. I will say this.
They are cool for there are little ones you can
get as dividers for chapter markers or like doing research
and like books and books. Can you imagine? Those are
super cool? But I couldn't say I've used a proper
post it in ages, but people use them to beat
(18:54):
out stories and writers rooms all the time, you know,
big important thing, very very cool. Then the story's need
and the colors. It's just another one of these things
like tupperware that starts off as one thing and then
becomes this like cultural phenomenon. And we see the digital
legacy of post its as well in the notes app
right on mac yeah, yeah, yeah, and different collaborative sort
(19:17):
of visual representation stickies and sticky mac. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
So look, this is another accidental invention. It's nineteen sixty eight.
There's a guy working for a giant company named three M.
This guy's name is super cool Spencer Silver. It's his
real name, not like his LA band name.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
It's very very cool. It's almost as good as like polystyrene.
That's right. We're talking about Spencer Silver working in the
lab slaving away, I believe, as part of the department
responsible for creating super strong adhesives, which is you know,
kind of three one of three m's Stocks and Trade.
They're a chemical company and they make things like that
(19:59):
clinic cleaners, you know, solvents and answers. Well, that's the
thing exactly. And this is also early days where maybe
a lot of that stuff was just running on out
into the rivers and the water supply, and it took
some doing to make them stop. But that's not Spencer's fault. No,
that's not.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
No, it's not it's not he's.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
He's trying to.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
He is tasked with developing the world's best adhesive.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Yeah, because he makes the world's weakest one. It's too good,
it's too good, it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
His bosses are saying, essentially, Spencer, we need you to
invent a glue so strong that it can hold planes
together in the air. Right, And he says, right on,
And then what does he do?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
No, he makes the weakest he's of all time. But
it's just like I was saying, Man, I'm sorry, I
got excited. Just weak enough, right, yeah, like to hold
up a single tiny piece of paper, just pressure sensitive too.
So if I'm not sure, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
If you use this on a plane, then theoretically you
could go up to the plane and push two of
your fingers on it and the plane would just fall apart.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
That's exactly right. However, there were implementations, of course, outside of.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
This, yes, for acrylate co polymer microspheres. His invention and
what he noticed is okay, this is weak sauce, as
the Internet would call it, but it is reusable weak sauce,
and it doesn't trail. Yeah, don't leave messy residue. It's
not strong. It's not permanent. It's like you were saying, Noel,
(21:37):
strong enough to hold together paper, but weak enough to
allow even the most.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Even the most whimpy of people to pool the montage
to the Olympics. Yeah, no, it's great, it's true. But
once again, if I'm not mistaken, he doesn't immediately land
on post it notes.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
It's another team effort, right, Oh yeah, A lot of
he's got the thing.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
He doesn't know what the hell to do with. This
is a weak thing. I gotta be something.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
But yeah, yeah, He's like, look, I found these I
believe in the weakness of my product. I believe the
weakness of a product. I've found these unique traits for
this material. And a lot of his colleagues and his
bosses in people in other departments at three M are like, Wow,
this guy sucks at making adhesive airplace.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
That's good. It's sort of like talking about like a
really bad superpower. And it's like, I you'd be better
at thinking of an example, but of like something that
like who's isn't squirrel Girl that's like considered one of
the weakest sauce superpower superheroes.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
She can speak with squirrels, She's got a couple of powers.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean. Wonder Twins also,
but it's like, what do I do? Was this, you know,
like I've got this gift slash curse, what do I
do with it?
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Or in Doctor Horrible's blog that came out during COVID
or during the writer's strike. Excuse me, there was a
guy whose superpower was that he's moist, Yeah, exactly, Or
it's like that character in I Know He's Maybe he
was just for the Spider Verse movies, that Jason Schwartzman voice.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
He's just like a Polka Dot man or whatever, like
he like just creates random portals, control over it, you know. Yeah,
so what do I do? He spends years spinning his
wheels about this, right, and finally he needs someone to
take a little bit of an outside perspective. Right, that's
really important with collaboration, right, yes, yeah, this is great
(23:44):
for the story too.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
This comes from Silver's own interviews later, Like you were
saying Noel for years. He's he's thinking, I've got something here. Okay,
it's not going to work to keep planes together.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
It's not good exactly for what.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
We were looking for, but it's reusable, it's residue free.
He is going around to any literally any of his
colleagues will listen to him and saying, hey, guys, help
me with this. His own line, and he's quoted in
posted dot com saying this. He says, I came to
be known as mister Persistent Superpower.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
It's like a superhero name. That's his superpower and persistence.
Is he yeah? Is he great? I don't know? Does
he have super strength?
Speaker 1 (24:31):
No?
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Can he fly?
Speaker 4 (24:32):
No?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
What's not talking about? This?
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Persist at some point if we let him into the Avengers.
But like you're saying, team power.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
He hangs out with another three M scientist, a guy
named Art Fry again, real name, real name, Yeah, and
so Art Fry is in addition to being a scientist,
he is a frustrated member of a local church choir.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
That's right, he is, and he is really struggling, despite
his scientific background and prowess, with a really basic problem
to mark the pages of the hymnal that they are
using to kind of mark what songs are going to
sing that day. They're using little scraps of papers. But
the problem is, gosh darn it, every time he comes
(25:25):
back the next Sunday, they're all over the floor like
so much confetti. Because the spirit moved to you clearly.
But I mean, what do I do about? I don't
know what page to go to? Sa religious hymns.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
I love the made for TV version of this.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
There's gotta be a way. Only I had help putting
on my shoes exactly. This salad won't spin itself. Now
that being said, Man, a salad spinner is helpful because
it's the central usual effect that sucks the water out,
and it does a better job than just drying it
with a towel or directly. It makes it crisper. I'm
(26:00):
just saying, I'm I'm I'm on team salad spinner here.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
I hear you, Man, I'd like it if it were multifunctional.
I think we could take the idea of the one is.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
The one thing. You could use it as a calender
if you wanted to. That's a great part.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Okay, it does two things. It could also just be
a container.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
It can It does have a lid with a little
hand crank on it. You could just use it to
store believing in people, believe in, believe in yourself, and
then the others and the rest will follow. But what's
going on with mister persistent here? All right?
Speaker 1 (26:29):
And how do he and mister Fry sort of join forces? Okay,
so this is how persistent Silver is. This is why
they call it. Mister Persistent. He holds seminars where he
talks about how cool the opportunity of post it notes
could be, even though they don't call it post it notes.
(26:50):
And so Art Fry frustrated member.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Of the local church choir.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Uh, he thinks back and he has a flashback moment
where he says, oh, yeah, who's that we call mister
p that he loves the microspheres, you know. Uh, And
this hits him and he reaches out in Silver and
they start working on this and they say, look, we're
going to develop something out of this. And they realized
(27:16):
all that they're writing messages on these notes that have
been laced with this adhesive lace to communicate, you know,
around the office. And later you'll see interviews with Art
Fry who says, I thought, what we have here isn't
just a bookmark. It's a whole new way to communicate,
(27:36):
which I way a little ambitious.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
A whole new way to be passive, aggressive to your
coworkers on the on the company fridge right.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Right to whoever keeps eating my Philly cheese steak man.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
That was actually brave of you to bring one of
those to work, Ben, I got it. That does mean
like people are gonna they're gonna come at your Philly
So I think so one it's a popular saying. Well,
I mean, I hope that you took care of that
a whole new ways. It was Josh Clark, he knows
what he did. It's true.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
So now they have to pitch it the post it
note to their bosses, which is that's the next stage.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
By the way, this is just like the idea. It ain't.
It doesn't have this brilliant, you know, zeitgeisty name yet, right,
which is half of the product. If I'm being if
we're being honest, that's a really good point.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
I mean, I think it is because if you, I mean,
like German companies have struggled with that sometimes if a
German company discovered the slinky what they have called it,
like kinder metal coil.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Yes, exactly. They probably would have been. And it's not
to say that like sticky paper is something that one
could hold holy like own, right, right? You know what
I mean? Like it's I think it's too general, Like
how how is any different from taking a piece of
Did they have Scotch tape? At this point? We should
(28:58):
talk about that some time. That was the Scotch company, right,
that did like another chemical.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Company actually did an upside on that one.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
I thought we did too. I thought we did.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
Scotch was a.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Bizar, it was a dis it was crappy.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Tape was considered not very good, like.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Post I just gotta wonder, though, what came first, the
post it or the Scotch tape.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
I think Scotch came first.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
I think you would have to because to me, is.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
There scot was the early twentieth this is middle one.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
I think that's true. But I think the thing about
Scotch tape too, is it also has sort of a
weak residue.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Lists it turns out hold that's a good thing, because
so many times you don't want to tape something down
that's super glue because then you can't That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
But what I'm saying is like it they sort of
already had something going that could have been, you know,
co opted into something like this, but it was a
lot of that had to do with the name and
the brand in nineteen thirties.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Yeah to nineteen thirty by Richard Drew.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Right, And this is something that three M is aware of.
They're aware of Scotch tape. They're not going to change
the name, just get because they do think Scott's are
cheap people.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
How'd the pitch meeting go with the three M brass?
Oh boy, yeah, that's the setup. Thank you know. Uh.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
The company execs don't love it until a lab manager
named Jeff Nicholson spelled like our dear research associate Jeff.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
He gets into it, and he is radicalized. He says,
we're going to get this out on the market. We
are going to first off, we're gonna do something really clever,
says Jeff. We're not going to sell this immediately. We're
going to make a bunch of it, and then we're
going to give it out to businesses and people around Boise,
(30:42):
Idaho for free.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
So just like a drug dealer. But with post it notes,
it was just the tiny post it's to start, yeah,
and then they graduate, I need more full sized ones.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Now your first post is free, right exactly. And this
is actually this is funny. Jeff found this thanks to
our alma matter how stuff works. Post its are like
orthodox post it notes are yellow. Apparently that's an accident
as well, because when they are making these free samples,
(31:14):
they just go to the lab literally next door and say, hey,
do you guys have any paper, and they say, oh,
I get we.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Have pea colored stock here.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And so after ninety percent of the people in Idaho
get the reorder this stuff. They like the taste, right,
so now they want more, all fricking cow right, yes,
So now they say, okay, well, dang, people are used
to the urine colored like the pea papers, so we're
(31:50):
just gonna keep with the yellow paper.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
Let's do it. It seems to be a hit. It was,
in fact, an overnight success. As they put it in
the History of post it notes on post dot com.
It was always a self advertising product because customers would
put the notes on documents they sent to others. Built
in advertising, arousing the recipient's curiosity a very arousing product.
(32:14):
Slinky there, we say. They would look at it, peel
it off and play with it, just thick it on
different stuff. Oh you know what, I mean, where's this?
But yeah it is? And you know what, to this
day people still f with posted notes when they're bored
at the office. Oh yeah, post the note art is
a real thing, It really is. We haven't gotten into
(32:37):
the cornucopia of colors that were to follow, you know,
that became its own thing right now, we're just with
the one, the p yellow. But that in and of
itself is an absolute smash. Silver said, like many groundbreaking innovations,
theirs was a product nobody thought they needed until they did.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
And we know what is on your mind? Now this
is the story everybody. Everybody right now is uh screening
with their post or muttering yeah, they're writing their posting botes. Wiously,
why are Furiously? Why aren't the guys talking about Velcrow
and George demus Stral.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
You want to know why because we took a little
consultation conciliatory off Mic break and discussed how Velcrow in
and of itself is an episode because it is not
only an accidental invention, which again we could lump in
with tupperware because that was a byproduct. Therefore, one could
(33:34):
argue it was like a repurposing of an accidental thing
that happened. But it's so incredibly important in manufacturing and
military applications. Uh if I'm not mistaken, man, we've talked
about Velcrow stuff like on stuff they don't want you
to know. Oh yeah, like it's so we decided rather
than short change you because we're also running a little
uh low on time. We've got some travel coming up,
(33:57):
we'd save it and give you a full Velcrow episode
coming right up.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Yes, and uh with that mind, thank you, as always
Ridiculous Historians for joining us. If you have some ideas
for future accidental inventions, picture, we won't steal them, we promise, yeah,
picture inventions overly want we mean yeah, we legally can't.
On our Facebook page, Ridiculous Historians. Big thanks to our
(34:23):
super producer mister Max Williams and our research associate for
this week series, Jeff.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Jeff the g e O f F Jeff Bartlett g
e O F f G. It's a great spelling of Jeff.
It is it is? We asked when you get a Jeff,
do you say as a J E F F or
G E O F?
Speaker 1 (34:42):
I always ask, I ask for what are Oh that's
big for that demographic. They care about it. I remember
talking to one of your close friends. The first time
I met him.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
People ask me with or without them loud, and then
I punched them.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
And people ask me, is that you're real name? But
by that point I've already ghosted a customs.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
So you threw down a smoke bomb, and like that threw.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
It out a smoke bob, we also want to throw
it down a smoke bomb of thanks to.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
I love that idea. Yeah to Alex.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Williams uh our brother in arms who composed this slap
and bop?
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Who else who? Just speaking of a smoke bomb of thanks?
It just makes me think back to we recorded this morning,
uh the Strange news segment of our stuff they Don't
Want You to Know podcasts with our buddy Matt. And
prior to that, we did a really cool conversation with
John Cameron Mitchell of Hedwig and the Angry Inch Fame,
who has a great podcast out called Cancelasian Islands, and
he introduced us to a concept of like positive conspiracies Yeah,
(35:40):
I'm glad you brought that up. I think that's so cool.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
I can't remember the word research on that a few
years back, and I didn't want to I didn't want
to slow the rule. But it's it's really interesting because
it comes from a guy named doctor Goldner back in
the early nineteen eighties and it.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Can we say what it is real quick case.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
Yeah, Prunoia is This is doctor gold Goldener's words. Prunoia
is the positive counterpart of paranoia, the delusion that others
may think well of one. And I mentioned that on
stuff they're watching.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Yeah, I was just so we do so many I forget.
But the way John put it in the context of
our conversations with y'all, y'all should check out really hit
me and I just thought it was worth mentioning.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
And also do check out John's newest podcast, Cancelation Island,
available wherever you find your favorite shows. While you're doing that,
do check out The Puzzler by our one and only
Bahamas aj Bahamas Jacobs.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Yeah, and if you missed it, we had a great
chat with him recently about ridiculous historical fashion fads, very
illiterative episode and a lovely man and if.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
You're ever like the guys on Ridiculous History are just
too nice to each other and everybody else, check out
our episodes featuring Jonathan Strickland aka the Twister, who has
still yet to be prosecuted for as many war.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Crimes, Yes, against humanity and podcasting dumb. Huge thanks to
Alex Williams who composed our theme, super producer Max Williams.
We haven't thanks to enough. We had a nice little
love then at the top, but we do love you Max,
and a huge thanks to you too. Our research associated
Jeff Bartlett again and Ben Man to you. It's been
a fun little series and I think it's going to
be an ongoing one.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Yeah, let's make it so again.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Accidentally, we'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts
from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Ridiculous Histories, a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the show,
(00:28):
fellow Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much for
tuning in. Let's hear a shout out for the man
the myth legend, super producer, mister Max Williams.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I get weirder and weirder on the way.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
We say Williams. At the end, we'll accidentally invent a
new name for Max. At some point, you're Noel Brown.
I've been bowling. We are continuing our series on accidental
inventions throughout history with the help of our research associate
Jeff And before we really start, as our pal Dylan
(01:04):
would say, dig it up the rudabagas he does he
does at the weirdest times. No, You and I decided
off air that we were we weren't just uh spinning
spinning tails and blowing smoke when we called ourselves an
accidental invention. Before we get into proper accidental inventions in
(01:26):
today's episode, we thought we would share with you, guys,
uh an origin story of Ridiculous History, which is itself
an accidental invention.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
And it is itself, in a way, a very regular
source that we use to this day. For this show.
You'll recall in the last episode we cited our alma
mater How Stuff Works a couple of times, and we're
going to do that again in this one. Originally, when
Ben and I were working under the House Stuff Works
website slash kind of podcast thing, we were asked by
(02:07):
our boss to make a quick and dirty podcast that
would help satisfy like a momentary ad deal six weeks.
Six weeks, you guys, six weeks. Just kill it and
use the articles on the house Stuff Works website that
were published under the Moniker Ridiculous History. We can't claim
credit for that one as your research material, and we're like, cool,
(02:29):
we'll take one for the team. We'll do this. Boss
talking about our beloved at Major DOMO Admiral Connell Byrne,
who has just continued to rise in the world and
he's actually it's weird.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I used to be so pissed at him, uh, because
I thought that a boss at a Jack donnagey level
had no right to be as cool as he is.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
He is cool. He's yeah and super cool. Like Gate he.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Gave you a s or something, gave me a with
Juno one oh six from his band that he used
to be because of course called Adam.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And here's the kicker. He said, this doesn't it doesn't work,
but I bet you could like fix it. And I
had another one and I was going to use it
to scavenge for parts. Turns out I took I took
it to my synth guy because I have one, and
he was like, oh, it's just wired for a UK
power exactly. All he had to do was like do
some very quick fix and it was a pristine. It
even came in the original case emblazoned with the stencil
(03:28):
for his band Atam.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Where Science meets Magic. Uh yes, so also, uh, the
I can share one story with Kennel. We have we
He and I have long had an ongoing discourse because
he's a fantastic writer as well. We've had a long
discourse about books, so we will we will chat with
(03:51):
each other, non related to work about just different different.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Books we like.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
And anyway, the final chapter of the Accidental Invention of
Ridiculous History is we, as Noel said, took one for
the team and then on maybe week five ran out
of articles. So we read out of articles and on
the say like the same, we recognize we're running low
(04:15):
on research material that morning, and that afternoon we get
the We get the marching orders to continue the show forever.
And the only reason we're able to do that accidental
invention is thanks to.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You ridiculous historians. You said it, Ben, no question. Thanks
for hanging with us for low these many years, and
for any new folks out there, welcome, and I don't know.
We love doing the show and it is a great
example of an accidental invention that ended up working out.
It's something that you and I do every single week
and we will until the wheels fall off metaphorically to
(04:51):
use a car car stuff reference there and Hughes. Thanks
to Max and for being such a great producer, super
producer and partner and star trek nerd and Skyrim aficionado.
We couldn't do it without you, buddy, correspond that's right,
that's true. Ccn't mind.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Can I jump real quick to illustrate how cool Conne
is because a couple of years ago at our Christmas party,
which we had our Holidays party we had at the
Claremont rooftop, I remember Kna and I were just talking
about he.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Had met me.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
I met him in person for the first time, just
like a little bit before that, and he was just
like saw me watching the Hawks game. He's like, oh
your Hawks fand he'd given me like three tickets three
of the I heard tickets, like hundred me down, found me,
sent me the email.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, he'll do it. Yes, he's a good dude. Everyone's
got a good Connell story.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
So after this was done, So after this this, a
few months later, we're up there and I'm breaking down
the difference between a pick and roll and ISO and
basketball with him and Sean Titne, who you know, doesn't
who's in charge of the sports play So I don't
explain this stuff to him. But Connle's like super engaging.
He's like really loved the conversation. Like, man, this is
actually like to your point, I'm like, I'm supposed to
(06:01):
hate I thought I was supposed to.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Hate corporate overlords.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Well, Ben, you quote you've quote him all the time
with is uh what is it?
Speaker 1 (06:07):
The world is both understandable and worth understanding.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, and Connell is both interesting and interested, and we.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Know he probably doesn't listen to the show.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
So now going on, been on. I think he's like
the head of the entire IR digital universe. At this point,
the guys, we should just text him later, but you should.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
But look at us. We are at accidental invention. We
are a little podcast train that could uh post being
bitten by radioactive microphones, a jokeer not letting go.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
We wanted to, with the help of our pal Jeff,
explore some other uh accidental inventions. We we talked about
some world changing ones. Maybe we uh dip our toes
or start walking up and down the stairs with a
favorite toy of yesteryear, the slinky.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Ah, yes, the slinky spring a spring, a marvelous thing.
Everyone knows it's slinky. Uh. It defined an era, you know,
it was like the thing I'm a jig that everyone
had to have. I did you have? Honest, I'd certainly
have had multiples. You know. Now they're still around and
they'll be like plastic ones made with different color gradients.
(07:18):
And you know, the original one was literally this kind
of industrial metal.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Coil fingers smell weird after yeah, like I knowell you
know about your your feelings about handling metal.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
The slinky would not have been a toy for young men.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
And it's originally what's that old line from Egon spangler. Uh,
I had a slinky once as a child, but I
straightened it.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
That's that sounds like a far side panel, doesn't It's like,
oh my god, it's about linear thinking. Uh. Well, that's
interesting that you say that, Ben, because you know you
while you might think that the slinky came from the
mind of some sort of like Willy Wonka esque figure,
you know not not. The truth came from somebody much
more square in the best way spring like. Even during
(08:05):
World War Two, an engineer by the name of Richard James,
which makes some only my second favorite Richard James. Uh
one up only by Richard D. James of Aphex twin.
That's incredible. Musician technologists out there, weirdos alive.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
He's always do Yeah, he's always like. He's always like please, Ben,
Richard was my father's name. Call me Penis.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
That's also a good joke about Richard versus Dick. Doesn't
make sense. It doesn't make sense as a nickname is
a shortening of Richard. Never understood it. But this Richard
James wanted to help the troops by inventing stable springs
that could be used to bolster the technology and within
naval ships. It would help stabilize I think the you know,
(08:51):
the ride on rough waters.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yeah, because these are very sensitive instruments, right then as
now and all right, the story is our non aphex
Richard is he's he's working on these springs, and he's saying, okay, look,
I need to make sure that if the seas do
not favor our boys at war, the royal, right, then
(09:17):
we can still save the instruments via the miracle of coils.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
And while he is.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Working on these springs figuring out you know, uh, correct materials,
tensile strength and so on, he knocks one of the
springs off the table. This is the accident. And when
it is knocked off the table, it doesn't just a
plump low and behold this mysterious spring. This coil walks
(09:46):
down the floor le boop.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I was trying to make a real version of it.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
That's that's what I don't know why my version was
French la boop le boo boom.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
It does seem like a bit of a French invention,
that's right. It's almost like you know the thing that
the clown that you knock down and then it just
sort of pops right back up. It's a booy, right,
But then it's also a toy. This was a spring.
I'm sorry, I totally said it wrong. Initially I was saying, like,
these were designed to help stabilize a ship. That's not
nothing's gonna do that. If you're on rough water. You're
on rough water. But you can help safeguard the delicate instruments, right,
(10:24):
that are so crucial to your ability to navigate and
to like you know, shoot missiles and whatnot.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Super super tough, especially the surveillance instrumentation.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Shock absorption would would be what this is going for, right,
And it was real good at that, But it was
also I think, if I'm remembering the physics of it,
it transfers energy like from you know, it basically stores
potential energy and sort of moves it from one stage
to the next down like a stairstep or whatever.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
And then that's yeah, yeah, you nailed it. That's what
stands out to Richie James because not only does this
thing walk its way down to the floor after he
knocks it off the table, but then it recoils itself
and assumes its original shape. It stands upright, and look,
this is another sort of fleming spencer thing.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
This guy.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, yeah, Just so this guy could have said, my
job is too tough.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I keep springs walking away from me like a dick.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
But instead, with his optimism which he must have had,
or perhaps with simply his feverish curiosity coming to all
inventors to he said, hang on, this might be funny.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Oh yeah, a what if we could make this little
hoppy boy? Uh?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
What if we can to make something of him? So
he goes back home and he's married. He has a
wife named Betty. And you know how it is when
you're in a long term relationship and someone is super
into their job and they this happened.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
You're about tired of hearing about it, right, But this happens.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Yeah, let's be honest, this happens to you and me
all the time when we're dating folks, and you know,
we'll especially.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Strangers on the street, are tired of hearing about it.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Right. And so he goes and he tells his wife
about the idea, and she's probably doing that internet meme
of going uh huh, oh wow.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
That's crazy. Okay, all right, that's really oh wow wow. Okay, yep,
So but you know what, No, she's into it. She's
She's supportive of old Dick James, and in nineteen forty four,
she decides to help him out by lending a clever
name to this accidental invention.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
This is the weirdest thing I did not No, you know,
we're etymology nerds. I had always assumed that slinky was
created specifically for this brand of toy. But slinky is
a real word, meaning sneak and sinuous movement.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
All out line people talk about a slinky dress, you know,
or like slinking around like an old tomcat. Right. I
love the sinulous sleek movement. Okay, how can we make
this thing a little less sexualized? Okay, we'll just keep
(13:22):
it stark silver and we'll call it the slink. Just
don't look it up right, right, wildly inappropriate. No one
tell the kids.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
So it comes to pass that they take out a
loan to get a five hundred dollars loan in nineteen
forty four. If we could inflation calculate, boop, dude, well, boom,
five hundred dollars in nineteen forty four was only nine
(13:52):
eighty five dollars in twenty cents, which is still you know,
in the world of big corporations.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Yeah, toy type to me, come on, you know, look
out the door for less than ten grand.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
So they co found, in a burst of humility, something
they call James Industries in nineteen forty five. At that
very same year, the slinky hit store shelves. At first,
you know, there's what we call a learning curve for
the market, like, how is this a value proposition in
(14:28):
the world of dolls and you know, little action figures
and toy cars. How can we convince people that this
extremely nerdy, literal bundle of wire is a toy they
should spend money.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
On, oh Man exactly. You know, Ben, I actually had
a pretty interesting encounter recently where there's some toy stores,
specialty toy stores, as toy stores in general are less
and less free, you know common, like you don't have
KB toys, and I think Toys are Us is completely
out of business. They are Fao Schwartz. I think that's
what I'm talking about, Ben, Thank you, That's exactly what
I'm talking about. In New York City there's still Fao Schwartz.
(15:05):
And you might have seen some viral videos of this
cute little kind of plush cafe where they're cooking with
like plush toys and like like like plushy bacon and
cats and it's very Japanese, but they have just a
regular part of the toy store and in that I
once walked in and they were doing these demonstrations of
these like they had this one thing where it could
(15:25):
make a coin like levitate and it was probably using
some sort of gyroscopic technology. But the thing about it
is the guy didn't tell you how it worked. You
had to buy it and like see, but it was
really cool and I almost bought it. I was really
taken by this. So this is exactly what they do.
They decide, Okay, people aren't quite wrapping their heads around
this spring thing. We need to take this to the
(15:48):
people and show them how it works. And what a
what a absolute WoT it is.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Yeah, yeah, this is where you know, you're like Jesus
doing demonstrytion in the street.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Right.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
There are four hundred slinky stocked during the Christmas shopping
season at Gemble's department store in Philly. It's nineteen forty
five and in less than two hours after them essentially
saying look at this league, after two hours, all of
the slinkies are sold. That's about they were sold for
(16:24):
a dollar apiece, and that's about fourteen bucks each in
today's value. We want to thank our friends over at
the Smithsonian, specifically Rachel Alalensack for writing an excellent article
the Accidental Invention of the Slinky.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yep, yeah, no, it's true. And Ben, we can't talk
about the slinky and it's sort of impact on popular
culture without talking about log. Ah. Yeah, it's big, it's heavy.
It's wood. It's big, it's heavy, it's wood. What rolls
downstairs alone or in rolls over your neighbor's Dog's great
(17:03):
for a snack and it fits on your back, it's
log log log. Now, Brend and Stimpy was created by
a dude who's not good. He did some bad things,
but that was part of our childhood. And that was
a pretty damn good parody of Slinky because the theme
song that it had the spring spring of Marvel's thing.
They basically you know Nailer but yeah, John k had
(17:27):
some real issues with you know, courting young young women
and not good. But sorry, I had to mention it
didn't mean to make it out everybody's mind.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
The log story, the log parody. We also know that
when they were writing the log parody, they may well
have had a list of the original slinky lyrics.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
That's what I mean. It's like super super Spot on
the money down to the cadence.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And they may have written those lyrics as reference points
in their parody composition. They may have written those on
post it notes. Oh bad, another another class monster stuff
a genius like man, do you ever use post it notes?
Speaker 2 (18:13):
You know, I've said this, but I haven't said on
the show, but it does come up from time to time.
I so rarely write with my hand anymore, I realize,
And I know that's sort of like a statement about
technology and whatever, but like everything I do is digital,
and so I just but I would, I maybe should,
because I think there's something to be said, and scientifically speaking,
(18:34):
there's definitely something to be said about writing things down
and the connections that it makes with your brain and
all of that. So I have there. I will say this.
They are cool for there are little ones you can
get as dividers for chapter markers or like doing research
and like books and books. Can you imagine? Those are
super cool? But I couldn't say I've used a proper
post it in ages, but people use them to beat
(18:54):
out stories and writers rooms all the time, you know,
big important thing, very very cool. Then the story's need
and the colors. It's just another one of these things
like tupperware that starts off as one thing and then
becomes this like cultural phenomenon. And we see the digital
legacy of post its as well in the notes app
right on mac yeah, yeah, yeah, and different collaborative sort
(19:17):
of visual representation stickies and sticky mac. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
So look, this is another accidental invention. It's nineteen sixty eight.
There's a guy working for a giant company named three M.
This guy's name is super cool Spencer Silver. It's his
real name, not like his LA band name.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
It's very very cool. It's almost as good as like polystyrene.
That's right. We're talking about Spencer Silver working in the
lab slaving away, I believe, as part of the department
responsible for creating super strong adhesives, which is you know,
kind of three one of three m's Stocks and Trade.
They're a chemical company and they make things like that
(19:59):
clinic cleaners, you know, solvents and answers. Well, that's the
thing exactly. And this is also early days where maybe
a lot of that stuff was just running on out
into the rivers and the water supply, and it took
some doing to make them stop. But that's not Spencer's fault. No,
that's not.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
No, it's not it's not he's.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
He's trying to.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
He is tasked with developing the world's best adhesive.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Yeah, because he makes the world's weakest one. It's too good,
it's too good, it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
His bosses are saying, essentially, Spencer, we need you to
invent a glue so strong that it can hold planes
together in the air. Right, And he says, right on,
And then what does he do?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
No, he makes the weakest he's of all time. But
it's just like I was saying, Man, I'm sorry, I
got excited. Just weak enough, right, yeah, like to hold
up a single tiny piece of paper, just pressure sensitive too.
So if I'm not sure, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
If you use this on a plane, then theoretically you
could go up to the plane and push two of
your fingers on it and the plane would just fall apart.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
That's exactly right. However, there were implementations, of course, outside of.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
This, yes, for acrylate co polymer microspheres. His invention and
what he noticed is okay, this is weak sauce, as
the Internet would call it, but it is reusable weak sauce,
and it doesn't trail. Yeah, don't leave messy residue. It's
not strong. It's not permanent. It's like you were saying, Noel,
(21:37):
strong enough to hold together paper, but weak enough to
allow even the most.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Even the most whimpy of people to pool the montage
to the Olympics. Yeah, no, it's great, it's true. But
once again, if I'm not mistaken, he doesn't immediately land
on post it notes.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
It's another team effort, right, Oh yeah, A lot of
he's got the thing.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
He doesn't know what the hell to do with. This
is a weak thing. I gotta be something.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
But yeah, yeah, He's like, look, I found these I
believe in the weakness of my product. I believe the
weakness of a product. I've found these unique traits for
this material. And a lot of his colleagues and his
bosses in people in other departments at three M are like, Wow,
this guy sucks at making adhesive airplace.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
That's good. It's sort of like talking about like a
really bad superpower. And it's like, I you'd be better
at thinking of an example, but of like something that
like who's isn't squirrel Girl that's like considered one of
the weakest sauce superpower superheroes.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
She can speak with squirrels, She's got a couple of powers.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean. Wonder Twins also,
but it's like, what do I do? Was this, you know,
like I've got this gift slash curse, what do I
do with it?
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Or in Doctor Horrible's blog that came out during COVID
or during the writer's strike. Excuse me, there was a
guy whose superpower was that he's moist, Yeah, exactly, Or
it's like that character in I Know He's Maybe he
was just for the Spider Verse movies, that Jason Schwartzman voice.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
He's just like a Polka Dot man or whatever, like
he like just creates random portals, control over it, you know. Yeah,
so what do I do? He spends years spinning his
wheels about this, right, and finally he needs someone to
take a little bit of an outside perspective. Right, that's
really important with collaboration, right, yes, yeah, this is great
(23:44):
for the story too.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
This comes from Silver's own interviews later, Like you were
saying Noel for years. He's he's thinking, I've got something here. Okay,
it's not going to work to keep planes together.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
It's not good exactly for what.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
We were looking for, but it's reusable, it's residue free.
He is going around to any literally any of his
colleagues will listen to him and saying, hey, guys, help
me with this. His own line, and he's quoted in
posted dot com saying this. He says, I came to
be known as mister Persistent Superpower.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
It's like a superhero name. That's his superpower and persistence.
Is he yeah? Is he great? I don't know? Does
he have super strength?
Speaker 1 (24:31):
No?
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Can he fly?
Speaker 4 (24:32):
No?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
What's not talking about? This?
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Persist at some point if we let him into the Avengers.
But like you're saying, team power.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
He hangs out with another three M scientist, a guy
named Art Fry again, real name, real name, Yeah, and
so Art Fry is in addition to being a scientist,
he is a frustrated member of a local church choir.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
That's right, he is, and he is really struggling, despite
his scientific background and prowess, with a really basic problem
to mark the pages of the hymnal that they are
using to kind of mark what songs are going to
sing that day. They're using little scraps of papers. But
the problem is, gosh darn it, every time he comes
(25:25):
back the next Sunday, they're all over the floor like
so much confetti. Because the spirit moved to you clearly.
But I mean, what do I do about? I don't
know what page to go to? Sa religious hymns.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
I love the made for TV version of this.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
There's gotta be a way. Only I had help putting
on my shoes exactly. This salad won't spin itself. Now
that being said, Man, a salad spinner is helpful because
it's the central usual effect that sucks the water out,
and it does a better job than just drying it
with a towel or directly. It makes it crisper. I'm
(26:00):
just saying, I'm I'm I'm on team salad spinner here.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
I hear you, Man, I'd like it if it were multifunctional.
I think we could take the idea of the one is.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
The one thing. You could use it as a calender
if you wanted to. That's a great part.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
Okay, it does two things. It could also just be
a container.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
It can It does have a lid with a little
hand crank on it. You could just use it to
store believing in people, believe in, believe in yourself, and
then the others and the rest will follow. But what's
going on with mister persistent here? All right?
Speaker 1 (26:29):
And how do he and mister Fry sort of join forces? Okay,
so this is how persistent Silver is. This is why
they call it. Mister Persistent. He holds seminars where he
talks about how cool the opportunity of post it notes
could be, even though they don't call it post it notes.
(26:50):
And so Art Fry frustrated member.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Of the local church choir.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Uh, he thinks back and he has a flashback moment
where he says, oh, yeah, who's that we call mister
p that he loves the microspheres, you know. Uh, And
this hits him and he reaches out in Silver and
they start working on this and they say, look, we're
going to develop something out of this. And they realized
(27:16):
all that they're writing messages on these notes that have
been laced with this adhesive lace to communicate, you know,
around the office. And later you'll see interviews with Art
Fry who says, I thought, what we have here isn't
just a bookmark. It's a whole new way to communicate,
(27:36):
which I way a little ambitious.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
A whole new way to be passive, aggressive to your
coworkers on the on the company fridge right.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Right to whoever keeps eating my Philly cheese steak man.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
That was actually brave of you to bring one of
those to work, Ben, I got it. That does mean
like people are gonna they're gonna come at your Philly
So I think so one it's a popular saying. Well,
I mean, I hope that you took care of that
a whole new ways. It was Josh Clark, he knows
what he did. It's true.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
So now they have to pitch it the post it
note to their bosses, which is that's the next stage.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
By the way, this is just like the idea. It ain't.
It doesn't have this brilliant, you know, zeitgeisty name yet, right,
which is half of the product. If I'm being if
we're being honest, that's a really good point.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
I mean, I think it is because if you, I mean,
like German companies have struggled with that sometimes if a
German company discovered the slinky what they have called it,
like kinder metal coil.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Yes, exactly. They probably would have been. And it's not
to say that like sticky paper is something that one
could hold holy like own, right, right? You know what
I mean? Like it's I think it's too general, Like
how how is any different from taking a piece of
Did they have Scotch tape? At this point? We should
(28:58):
talk about that some time. That was the Scotch company, right,
that did like another chemical.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Company actually did an upside on that one.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
I thought we did too. I thought we did.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
Scotch was a.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Bizar, it was a dis it was crappy.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Tape was considered not very good, like.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Post I just gotta wonder, though, what came first, the
post it or the Scotch tape.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
I think Scotch came first.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
I think you would have to because to me, is.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
There scot was the early twentieth this is middle one.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
I think that's true. But I think the thing about
Scotch tape too, is it also has sort of a
weak residue.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Lists it turns out hold that's a good thing, because
so many times you don't want to tape something down
that's super glue because then you can't That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
But what I'm saying is like it they sort of
already had something going that could have been, you know,
co opted into something like this, but it was a
lot of that had to do with the name and
the brand in nineteen thirties.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Yeah to nineteen thirty by Richard Drew.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Right, And this is something that three M is aware of.
They're aware of Scotch tape. They're not going to change
the name, just get because they do think Scott's are
cheap people.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
How'd the pitch meeting go with the three M brass?
Oh boy, yeah, that's the setup. Thank you know. Uh.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
The company execs don't love it until a lab manager
named Jeff Nicholson spelled like our dear research associate Jeff.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
He gets into it, and he is radicalized. He says,
we're going to get this out on the market. We
are going to first off, we're gonna do something really clever,
says Jeff. We're not going to sell this immediately. We're
going to make a bunch of it, and then we're
going to give it out to businesses and people around Boise,
(30:42):
Idaho for free.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
So just like a drug dealer. But with post it notes,
it was just the tiny post it's to start, yeah,
and then they graduate, I need more full sized ones.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Now your first post is free, right exactly. And this
is actually this is funny. Jeff found this thanks to
our alma matter how stuff works. Post its are like
orthodox post it notes are yellow. Apparently that's an accident
as well, because when they are making these free samples,
(31:14):
they just go to the lab literally next door and say, hey,
do you guys have any paper, and they say, oh,
I get we.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Have pea colored stock here.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And so after ninety percent of the people in Idaho
get the reorder this stuff. They like the taste, right,
so now they want more, all fricking cow right, yes,
So now they say, okay, well, dang, people are used
to the urine colored like the pea papers, so we're
(31:50):
just gonna keep with the yellow paper.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
Let's do it. It seems to be a hit. It was,
in fact, an overnight success. As they put it in
the History of post it notes on post dot com.
It was always a self advertising product because customers would
put the notes on documents they sent to others. Built
in advertising, arousing the recipient's curiosity a very arousing product.
(32:14):
Slinky there, we say. They would look at it, peel
it off and play with it, just thick it on
different stuff. Oh you know what, I mean, where's this?
But yeah it is? And you know what, to this
day people still f with posted notes when they're bored
at the office. Oh yeah, post the note art is
a real thing, It really is. We haven't gotten into
(32:37):
the cornucopia of colors that were to follow, you know,
that became its own thing right now, we're just with
the one, the p yellow. But that in and of
itself is an absolute smash. Silver said, like many groundbreaking innovations,
theirs was a product nobody thought they needed until they did.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
And we know what is on your mind? Now this
is the story everybody. Everybody right now is uh screening
with their post or muttering yeah, they're writing their posting botes. Wiously,
why are Furiously? Why aren't the guys talking about Velcrow
and George demus Stral.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
You want to know why because we took a little
consultation conciliatory off Mic break and discussed how Velcrow in
and of itself is an episode because it is not
only an accidental invention, which again we could lump in
with tupperware because that was a byproduct. Therefore, one could
(33:34):
argue it was like a repurposing of an accidental thing
that happened. But it's so incredibly important in manufacturing and
military applications. Uh if I'm not mistaken, man, we've talked
about Velcrow stuff like on stuff they don't want you
to know. Oh yeah, like it's so we decided rather
than short change you because we're also running a little
uh low on time. We've got some travel coming up,
(33:57):
we'd save it and give you a full Velcrow episode
coming right up.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Yes, and uh with that mind, thank you, as always
Ridiculous Historians for joining us. If you have some ideas
for future accidental inventions, picture, we won't steal them, we promise, yeah,
picture inventions overly want we mean yeah, we legally can't.
On our Facebook page, Ridiculous Historians. Big thanks to our
(34:23):
super producer mister Max Williams and our research associate for
this week series, Jeff.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Jeff the g e O f F Jeff Bartlett g
e O F f G. It's a great spelling of Jeff.
It is it is? We asked when you get a Jeff,
do you say as a J E F F or
G E O F?
Speaker 1 (34:42):
I always ask, I ask for what are Oh that's
big for that demographic. They care about it. I remember
talking to one of your close friends. The first time
I met him.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
People ask me with or without them loud, and then
I punched them.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
And people ask me, is that you're real name? But
by that point I've already ghosted a customs.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
So you threw down a smoke bomb, and like that threw.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
It out a smoke bob, we also want to throw
it down a smoke bomb of thanks to.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
I love that idea. Yeah to Alex.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Williams uh our brother in arms who composed this slap
and bop?
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Who else who? Just speaking of a smoke bomb of thanks?
It just makes me think back to we recorded this morning,
uh the Strange news segment of our stuff they Don't
Want You to Know podcasts with our buddy Matt. And
prior to that, we did a really cool conversation with
John Cameron Mitchell of Hedwig and the Angry Inch Fame,
who has a great podcast out called Cancelasian Islands, and
he introduced us to a concept of like positive conspiracies Yeah,
(35:40):
I'm glad you brought that up. I think that's so cool.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
I can't remember the word research on that a few
years back, and I didn't want to I didn't want
to slow the rule. But it's it's really interesting because
it comes from a guy named doctor Goldner back in
the early nineteen eighties and it.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Can we say what it is real quick case.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
Yeah, Prunoia is This is doctor gold Goldener's words. Prunoia
is the positive counterpart of paranoia, the delusion that others
may think well of one. And I mentioned that on
stuff they're watching.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Yeah, I was just so we do so many I forget.
But the way John put it in the context of
our conversations with y'all, y'all should check out really hit
me and I just thought it was worth mentioning.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
And also do check out John's newest podcast, Cancelation Island,
available wherever you find your favorite shows. While you're doing that,
do check out The Puzzler by our one and only
Bahamas aj Bahamas Jacobs.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Yeah, and if you missed it, we had a great
chat with him recently about ridiculous historical fashion fads, very
illiterative episode and a lovely man and if.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
You're ever like the guys on Ridiculous History are just
too nice to each other and everybody else, check out
our episodes featuring Jonathan Strickland aka the Twister, who has
still yet to be prosecuted for as many war.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
Crimes, Yes, against humanity and podcasting dumb. Huge thanks to
Alex Williams who composed our theme, super producer Max Williams.
We haven't thanks to enough. We had a nice little
love then at the top, but we do love you Max,
and a huge thanks to you too. Our research associated
Jeff Bartlett again and Ben Man to you. It's been
a fun little series and I think it's going to
be an ongoing one.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Yeah, let's make it so again.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Accidentally, we'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts
from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Ridiculous History News
Hosts And Creators
Ben Bowlin
Noel Brown
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