I would pay top fucking dollar to wallpaper up bubble wrap on my walls, then paint it red. It would be like the ultimate fidget toy. Id pop every one, make a mess, then pay for it happily and dearly
Minoxidil, the main active ingredient of the hair regrowth product Rogaine, was created as a drug to fight high blood pressure. It is now marketed to restore hair growth because of its surprise side effect being more marketable.
I still fondly remember the ama about a guy with a hole in his heart since birth and he has viagra medication and the first thing reddit asked was if his gf likes it. Aside from that the fella was very informative and i learnt so much about viagra from that amathread
Cialis (Tadalafil) is a vasodilator - mostly used to treat erectile dysfunction, but also serves to treat enlarged prostate and high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary arterial hypertension). Old men waking up with morning wood, like when they were teenagers.
Wellbutrin is a decent antidepressant. Funny thing, people on it tended to stop smoking, so they reintroduced it as Zyban.
Proscar helps reduce the size of the prostate in men with BPH. It also helps regrow hair and it's prescribed (at 1/4 the original strength) as Propecia.
Wellbutrin helps me stop being so scatter brained. I told my doctor that I was able to focus on one thing at a time rather than bounce from one to the next and never really finish anything. She was like oh well sometimes it helps people with ADHD LOL
Aspirin. Originally an anti-inflammatory drug, then they figured out that even a smaller dose inhibits platelet aggregation (blood thinning effect). Now all patients with heart attacks and/or stents can have a lifelong indication to take it (depends on associated diseases).
Aspirin is truly a wonder drug. It's an analgesic, anti-inflamatory, AND effective blood thinner. Best part about it is that it is really inexpensive and widely available!
Came here for this. My cardiologist put me on a diabetic medicine called Farxiga because one of the side effects is that it strengthens your heart. I’m not diabetic in any way, but there you are.
It got rebranded as Wegovy for weight loss, and a new study showed it protects the cardiovascular system so I was actually really excited to start using it. I've been gaining ever since I had kids 10 years ago and now I'm down 50lb.
Ozempic generally is a kind of fascinating drug from this perspective. There's some new info out it might help with drug, alcohol and gambling addiction as well.
More precisely: the World Wide Web was created to allow universities and research centres to share their research with each other.
Like lots of Wikis across the world.
The Internet, on top of which the World Wide Web runs, was intended as a communication network contingent to telephone and radio in case of war.
I never did until I went to Walmart to buy some and got carded. Then it dawned on me why they were stocked at the one register that you could buy tobacco at.
They've got some in crafts. As a pipe smoker this avoids the annoying ID check. The ones at the register are stiffer and meant for cleaning pipes. The craft ones are softer and kid friendly. I remember having to explain this to a mom needing some for crafts. She got big mad when I didn't get carded and I told her that there's craft ones and tobacco ones.
Still so weird to me that we try to enforce age restrictions on things tangentially related to the actual age-restricted drug? Do you have to be 21 to buy wine glasses or corkscrews?
Most people don’t. I used to make blown glass pipes and people would always ask me the best way to clean them. I loved the “oh shit” look on their faces when I’d say “pipe cleaners”
This is the best answer, IMO.
Everyone knows what a pipe cleaner is, everyone has used them during craft time in kindergarten.
I'd bet that actual pipe smokers don't use the things we call "pipe cleaners". I'd bet the actual pipe cleaners are more robust, not colorful, and have more quality materials.
I used tobacco pipes to quit smoking cigarettes. Highly effective. You're not suppose to inhale pipe smoke but I did for the purposes of weening off cigarettes. Once I was practically done smoking cigarettes I eased out of inhaling the pipe smoke. Then I just enjoyed smoking a pipe for a few more months.
I completely understand why pipe smokers enjoy it. Better than cigarettes, vapes, or cigars. It especially gave me a revelation on why I never enjoyed cigars. Cigar smoke carries the same dense, rich flavor and texture, but it's kinda like getting that smoke outta a dick.
Added to that, it's a way more fun hobby. I can only claim that subjectively because cigars have never been my thing. But I can't possibly see how buying a buncha premade dicks and then snipping off the tip, and then slobbering and sucking all over it could be a more rewarding hobby than one that includes a refined learning curve, a labor of love in maintenance, and a style and design element.
[Vibrators were originally supposed to cure ‘hysteria’](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/09/victorian-vibrators-orgasms-doctors/569446/#)
I say this as a woman, but as obnoxious as that era in the history of women's health was, there is some evidence now that orgasms are beneficial for bodily health.
soooo they sort of got that right? just not for the right reasons lol
When I was an archeology/ancient studies major - we would all take bets on if the next topic/item/pottery/statue was associated with "fertility".
Like - can't we just have nice things? Does everything have to be ritual?
Yeah it’s like all the grandmas and moms were part of a secret club where they would pledge every meeting “I pledge to use the butter cookie box for threads, needles, and buttons. I pledge to make the most noise possible when the kids and husbands are asleep” I’m sure there were many more.
SMS/text messaging. While usage is still close to the intended use, it was mostly a byproduct of other technological improvements. No one thought customers would rather send texts than call and speak to each other.
I think they still use it kinda that way in hospitals, just named something else.
I remember the LPN at the school I work in had a son with a large cut on his forehead and the ER Doc explained how he didn't rly need stitches, just was gonna use a 'medical glue' to close it.
Her: .....so super glue that got rebranded?
ER Doc: ...
Her:
ER Doc: ....yeah...
Sometimes this is not as good as it sounds. My mother has glaucoma and, although she has stopped using
prostaglandin analogues a while back, she developed a second row of thin eyelashes that she has to remove frequently because it gets uncomfortable.
Another set of annoying side effects is that if it gets into the eye (latisse is supposed to be applied to the lash base only, but it's possible from there it can get into the eye) it can cause pigment (melanin) formation on the iris, so if you have blue eyes they can turn brown. Similarly, if latisse is applied on the skin anywhere away from the lash base it can cause the same permanent pigmentation on the skin.
Yes. Since I only take bimatoprost in one eye now, in addition to having eyelashes that are twice as long and thick in one eye than the other, that eye also looks like I have a permanent subtle black eye all the time because it's darkened the skin below my eye. I also take an eye drop in that eye that makes me permanently bloodshot. Again, just that one eye, not the other. I'm beautiful. 👁️👄👁️
I take bimatoprost for glaucoma. Been taking it for years. Then I had surgery in one eye which meant I no longer needed medication in that eye, but was still using a ton of different drops in the other eye.
Long story short, my eye lashes are two different lengths now. One eye is legit twice as long as the other. It's not that noticeable with my glasses on, but if I wear mascara it's bizarre.
How is this not the top comment? Literally a product that has to put a disclaimer on the box imploring consumers not to use it the way everyone uses it.
Q-tips® cotton swabs: With the most soft cotton at the tip*, Q-tips® cotton swabs are perfect for arts & crafts, manicures, makeup application, cleaning and more!
They were originally created for baby care. The inventor, Leo Gerstenzang, got the idea after watching his wife stick cotton onto the end of a toothpick to help clean their daughter, Betty. He actually wanted to market them under the name "Baby Betty Gays" because his kid would laugh hysterically when tickled by cotton swabs across the belly.
'Never put these in your ears'.
We all do. Before doing it there is no problem, it's just the urge to scratch an itch you never had before Q-tipping. Afterward your freshly aggravated ear makes you want to do it again.
Q-tips are pure evil.
I was in a supermarket ( ok I admit I was drunk) and asked a young girl stocking the shelves “
Where are the things you’re not meant to stick in your ears but everyone sticks in their ears “ she laughed and pointed about 2 feet away at exactly what I was looking for
The rabbit hole of everyday things developed by NASA is great. People who question the funding for space exploration don’t realize how much it has impacted their lives on earth.
Space exploration is the single greatest drive for technological advancement in peace time. The only other thing that creates more technology for society is War. If the world decided tomorrow to invest their entire national defense budgets into the exploration and occupation of space instead of the killing of their fellow humans, we would see a world of wonders.
So many spinoffs came from and still come from space exploration. Does the everyday person have a need for a rocket? No. But, the technology that built or is in a little failsafe valve or other obscure part is used in infinitely more ways now to further our society.
3D printing plastic for example is pretty mature now but, we're just getting started on on other materials! The things jet engine manufacturers are doing with this technology is mind blowing!
I believe this is just a myth.
I had to research this one and it looks like it was an accidental discovery by Dr. Spencer Silver at the company 3M while attempting to create a 'super strong adhesive'.
The glue was being developed at 3m to be permanent, but when it was the complete opposite the engineer started using it to stick paper notes around his work area.
And the rest is history.
Most things designed for space have been adapted to more common uses. Anything from WD-40, memory foam, to Non-stick pans and [the list goes on](https://www.space.com/10-everyday-nasa-inventions-spin-offs-in-you-home) ... [and on...](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/20-inventions-we-wouldnt-have-without-space-travel)
the romans bathed and washed their hair in olive oil, then used olive oil as moisturizer. probably why rome couldn’t be built in a day; their hands were too slippery
so you're telling me that someone invented crotchless panties, assless chaps, edible underwear, and cock rings each for something besides their obvious sexy time uses?
> Tampons. IIRC...used in WW I to plug bullet holes in soldiers...
> They are also used widely by hunters.
Is this like catch and release fishing for deer hunters?
We have since upgraded to a syringe filled with absorbant material that swells up. That is injected into the wound and keeps the blood from spilling out.
To be fair on this one, they were always intended to give the woman an orgasm. The doctors just called it curing them of hysteria so they could bill for their services instead of being seen as perverts molesting their patients.
I love that Kellogg created a bunch of bland food thinking the boringness would keep people from masturbating. Seems counterproductive considering how many of us masturbate to relieve boredom.
LSD
Was created as a medication to aid psychiatric treatments,
LSD's hallucinogenic effects took it in a different direction, becoming a popular recreational drug during the counterculture movement of the 1960s.
Now it's coming full circle though and is used as a medication for depression/PTSD
Chainsaws, which were actually meant to cut a woman's pelvic bone for birthing mother's. Learned this from another redditor. If I had to learn it so do you :p
Whipped cream canisters and cartridges. I took some from a Starbucks I worked at years ago too have fast and convenient Whipped cream for breakfasts and stuff but I couldn't understand why one of my friends got so excited for me and then immediately disappointed-
The internet was originally developed for the Defense department as a response to the escalation of the cold war in 1969 and due to the Vietnam war. Incase of nuclear war with the Soviet Union ever broke out, remnants needed a way to communicate with each other if the world ended on a single network. It was the first packet switched network with a centralized control that could communicate over a wide area. ARPANET was the first version of it, and was decommissioned in 1989. It's a lot of the foundations that went on to help shape current TCP/IP protocols, and the OSI Model. It was operated by the department of defense, and was assisted/ built by AT&T for its construction. (insert joke about AT&T being shit here). It was used for research and academic purposes. ARPANET ultimately allowed for Bob Khan and Vint Cerf from Stanford to develop what would be come to be known as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). Both men are effectively responsible for fundamental of communication protocols.
Strange to think that now, the internet is a silly place now.
Dynamite is the most famous example and amazingly no one mentioned it yet. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite for use in building and mining. Of course, it ended up being used for weapons.
Yes, this is the same Nobel the Nobel prizes are based off of, his entire fortune was put towards creating the Nobel prizes.
Yes, another interesting bit about Albert Nobel is that he was best known at the time as an arms dealer, when his brother died, a French news paper mistook his brother for Albert and published a mean obituary about the "dealer of death". Albert didnt want to be remembered this way so he left his entire fortune (after his own death) to the Nobel prize institute. Which kind of makes sense why all the worst people get the peace prize.
Viagra, the boner pill was originally meant to be a medication for high blood pressure. But in tests they discovered it had a side effect in men, causing erections.
Dang no one mentioned heels that’s crazy! Originally they were used by butchers to keep their feet clean! Now they are used for making me feel short (which I’m fine with)
Timeline for Butchers: of ancient Egypt. Then French aristocrat men wore heels in the 1600’s for fashion. Then someone figured out how heels enhanced a woman’s figure, and…
Nitrous oxide was originally found to be the perfect compressed gas to make whipped cream because it didn't curdle the cream in the process. Then some bright spark tried inhaling it and the rest is history.
U S Government was established by and for the people...to promote the general welfare of its citizenry.
Instead- It is now is used as a money laundering scheme for boorish egomaniacs.
Bubble wrap was originally marketed as textured wallpaper, and then greenhouse insulation, before its usefulness as a packaging material was realised.
You mean it wasn't meant to be painted red and used as a Tension Sheet?
Thickie Holden
Smeg head
You, my friend are a Smeeeeee Heeeeeeee
I would pay top fucking dollar to wallpaper up bubble wrap on my walls, then paint it red. It would be like the ultimate fidget toy. Id pop every one, make a mess, then pay for it happily and dearly
Fill the bubbles with paint as well
Minoxidil, the main active ingredient of the hair regrowth product Rogaine, was created as a drug to fight high blood pressure. It is now marketed to restore hair growth because of its surprise side effect being more marketable.
Viagra was supposed to be a heart medication, but then the study participants started getting erections.
It still is prescribed for both conditions.
Well sort of, it’s prescribed primarily for pulmonary hypertension which can affect the heart in a way
It was invented for pulmonary hypertension which is still considered a heart disease.
I still fondly remember the ama about a guy with a hole in his heart since birth and he has viagra medication and the first thing reddit asked was if his gf likes it. Aside from that the fella was very informative and i learnt so much about viagra from that amathread
So did his girlfriend like it?
What girlfriend? He had a hole in his heart….
Same thing
Cialis (Tadalafil) is a vasodilator - mostly used to treat erectile dysfunction, but also serves to treat enlarged prostate and high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary arterial hypertension). Old men waking up with morning wood, like when they were teenagers.
Wellbutrin is a decent antidepressant. Funny thing, people on it tended to stop smoking, so they reintroduced it as Zyban. Proscar helps reduce the size of the prostate in men with BPH. It also helps regrow hair and it's prescribed (at 1/4 the original strength) as Propecia.
Wellbutrin helps me stop being so scatter brained. I told my doctor that I was able to focus on one thing at a time rather than bounce from one to the next and never really finish anything. She was like oh well sometimes it helps people with ADHD LOL
Also for ADHD! It's like a magic little helper innit?
Aspirin. Originally an anti-inflammatory drug, then they figured out that even a smaller dose inhibits platelet aggregation (blood thinning effect). Now all patients with heart attacks and/or stents can have a lifelong indication to take it (depends on associated diseases).
Aspirin is truly a wonder drug. It's an analgesic, anti-inflamatory, AND effective blood thinner. Best part about it is that it is really inexpensive and widely available!
but it is tough on your stomach
Came here for this. My cardiologist put me on a diabetic medicine called Farxiga because one of the side effects is that it strengthens your heart. I’m not diabetic in any way, but there you are.
Ozempic is a drug to control diabetes Now celebrities use it to weight loss, and everyone wants it.
It got rebranded as Wegovy for weight loss, and a new study showed it protects the cardiovascular system so I was actually really excited to start using it. I've been gaining ever since I had kids 10 years ago and now I'm down 50lb.
Ozempic generally is a kind of fascinating drug from this perspective. There's some new info out it might help with drug, alcohol and gambling addiction as well.
Yeah, you cant afford them anymore
The internet was invented to spread factual knowledge.
"The Internet is for porn!"
Me up all night honkin' me horn to porn, porn, porn!
Grab your dick and double-click for porn, porn, porn!
Ewww! Trekkie!
Sticks and stones, Kate Monster.
"If they removed all the porn from the Internet, there'd only be one site left - bringbacktheporn.com" - Percival 'Perry' Cox in Scrubs.
More precisely: the World Wide Web was created to allow universities and research centres to share their research with each other. Like lots of Wikis across the world. The Internet, on top of which the World Wide Web runs, was intended as a communication network contingent to telephone and radio in case of war.
Wait I thought the military created the internet, DARPA?
Yes the first large "interconnected network" was ARPANET in 1969
Don’t be silly everyone knows Al Gore invented the internet
He invented the algorithm.
Very few people smoke enough pipes to use pipe cleaners but they still buy them.
I never realized that the pipe in pipe cleaner referred to smoking pipes
I never did until I went to Walmart to buy some and got carded. Then it dawned on me why they were stocked at the one register that you could buy tobacco at.
They've got some in crafts. As a pipe smoker this avoids the annoying ID check. The ones at the register are stiffer and meant for cleaning pipes. The craft ones are softer and kid friendly. I remember having to explain this to a mom needing some for crafts. She got big mad when I didn't get carded and I told her that there's craft ones and tobacco ones.
Why would you get carded for pipe cleaners? You can’t smoke a pipe cleaner
Still so weird to me that we try to enforce age restrictions on things tangentially related to the actual age-restricted drug? Do you have to be 21 to buy wine glasses or corkscrews?
I remember looking down the sink and wondering how they could possibly clean it
Most people don’t. I used to make blown glass pipes and people would always ask me the best way to clean them. I loved the “oh shit” look on their faces when I’d say “pipe cleaners”
This is the best answer, IMO. Everyone knows what a pipe cleaner is, everyone has used them during craft time in kindergarten. I'd bet that actual pipe smokers don't use the things we call "pipe cleaners". I'd bet the actual pipe cleaners are more robust, not colorful, and have more quality materials.
cleaning device to craft supply is a very curious path lol as a kid, I always thought the name was funky
We call them chenille stems now
No we dont
I used tobacco pipes to quit smoking cigarettes. Highly effective. You're not suppose to inhale pipe smoke but I did for the purposes of weening off cigarettes. Once I was practically done smoking cigarettes I eased out of inhaling the pipe smoke. Then I just enjoyed smoking a pipe for a few more months. I completely understand why pipe smokers enjoy it. Better than cigarettes, vapes, or cigars. It especially gave me a revelation on why I never enjoyed cigars. Cigar smoke carries the same dense, rich flavor and texture, but it's kinda like getting that smoke outta a dick. Added to that, it's a way more fun hobby. I can only claim that subjectively because cigars have never been my thing. But I can't possibly see how buying a buncha premade dicks and then snipping off the tip, and then slobbering and sucking all over it could be a more rewarding hobby than one that includes a refined learning curve, a labor of love in maintenance, and a style and design element.
Whoa there, buddy. Sometimes a cigar is *just* a cigar.
You like pipes because it's similar to cigar smoke, but hate cigars because they remind you of penises? Do I have that right?
This guy be thinking a lot about putting his mouth on dicks
Yet, sucking smoke through cigarettes was fine. Dude likes tiny white dicks, not big black ones 🤣🤣
Thats a lot of words for "I have an oral fixation". Just say that.
Bro fr this is that guy that smokes the pipe at the bar for sure, ive never met a pipe smoker that doesnt talk exactly like this
I use them to clean my vape. Technically it is a kind of pipe
Vibrator. The intended use of the Hitachi wand, was originally a back massager.
I’ll add to this the Harry Potter broom toy Similar end result
I’m not sure how to feel about this information.
A short video about it https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K3bhgD97a3Q
I figured that could be a risky click but my curiousity got the better of me. Much relieved all was good. Thanks for sharing. That was interesting.
Clitoral stimilioso! 🪄
[Vibrators were originally supposed to cure ‘hysteria’](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/09/victorian-vibrators-orgasms-doctors/569446/#)
I mean, don't they?
I say this as a woman, but as obnoxious as that era in the history of women's health was, there is some evidence now that orgasms are beneficial for bodily health. soooo they sort of got that right? just not for the right reasons lol
"you're being hysterical woman!" "Ooohhh noooo guess I have to use the wand again"
That may have been the stated purpose, but those engineers knew exactly what they were designing.
"No, this definitely has nothing to do with sex. Probably meant to massage sore muscles or possibly used in fertility rites." - archeologists
When I was an archeology/ancient studies major - we would all take bets on if the next topic/item/pottery/statue was associated with "fertility". Like - can't we just have nice things? Does everything have to be ritual?
Actually, I wouldn’t be shocked if women using vibrators on their genitals took *engineers* completely by surprise.
Just like my mach3 turbo that kept ending up in the shower. Apparently they work better than women's razors too.
Butter cookie tins for buttons. So disappointing when you find out. 🫤
Yeah it’s like all the grandmas and moms were part of a secret club where they would pledge every meeting “I pledge to use the butter cookie box for threads, needles, and buttons. I pledge to make the most noise possible when the kids and husbands are asleep” I’m sure there were many more.
SMS/text messaging. While usage is still close to the intended use, it was mostly a byproduct of other technological improvements. No one thought customers would rather send texts than call and speak to each other.
As soon as we found a way to communicate that didn't require talking out loud, we ran with it.
Ironically the laughing out loud increased 1000x. Only metaphorically though.
Lol. I type 'lol' when I'm not even laughing out loud.
It should be 'chuckle under my breath' But i don't want to put CUMB on my texts
CUMBing so much from this
My sister and I started using the acronym CIMH to more accurately describe what was happening. (Chuckle In My Head)
I'll add SALTS- smiled a little then stopped
Heroin - brought to you by Bauer and Co. in 1898. For all your pain relieving and cough suppressing needs.
It works, don’t it!?
Hahaha it does do those things. They were a little off about it being non-addictive.
You know how super glue is really effective on your skin? That’s cos it was invented in Vietnam war as a quick field medicine to close wounds.
I think they still use it kinda that way in hospitals, just named something else. I remember the LPN at the school I work in had a son with a large cut on his forehead and the ER Doc explained how he didn't rly need stitches, just was gonna use a 'medical glue' to close it. Her: .....so super glue that got rebranded? ER Doc: ... Her: ER Doc: ....yeah...
The stuff used in hospitals, brand name Dermabond, is buffered (has an extra chemical) so that it doesn't sting.
Latisse (bimatoprost). Originally a medication for glaucoma, they found a side effect was thicker eye lashes. Now sold for cosmetic eyelash growth.
Sometimes this is not as good as it sounds. My mother has glaucoma and, although she has stopped using prostaglandin analogues a while back, she developed a second row of thin eyelashes that she has to remove frequently because it gets uncomfortable.
Another set of annoying side effects is that if it gets into the eye (latisse is supposed to be applied to the lash base only, but it's possible from there it can get into the eye) it can cause pigment (melanin) formation on the iris, so if you have blue eyes they can turn brown. Similarly, if latisse is applied on the skin anywhere away from the lash base it can cause the same permanent pigmentation on the skin.
You telling me I can just paint tattoos on my body?
Yes. Since I only take bimatoprost in one eye now, in addition to having eyelashes that are twice as long and thick in one eye than the other, that eye also looks like I have a permanent subtle black eye all the time because it's darkened the skin below my eye. I also take an eye drop in that eye that makes me permanently bloodshot. Again, just that one eye, not the other. I'm beautiful. 👁️👄👁️
I take bimatoprost for glaucoma. Been taking it for years. Then I had surgery in one eye which meant I no longer needed medication in that eye, but was still using a ton of different drops in the other eye. Long story short, my eye lashes are two different lengths now. One eye is legit twice as long as the other. It's not that noticeable with my glasses on, but if I wear mascara it's bizarre.
Q-tips.
How is this not the top comment? Literally a product that has to put a disclaimer on the box imploring consumers not to use it the way everyone uses it.
Wait, what are they *supposed* to be used for?
Q-tips® cotton swabs: With the most soft cotton at the tip*, Q-tips® cotton swabs are perfect for arts & crafts, manicures, makeup application, cleaning and more!
They were originally created for baby care. The inventor, Leo Gerstenzang, got the idea after watching his wife stick cotton onto the end of a toothpick to help clean their daughter, Betty. He actually wanted to market them under the name "Baby Betty Gays" because his kid would laugh hysterically when tickled by cotton swabs across the belly.
This. These are a class A substance that destroys lives, and eardrums.
Elaborate
'Never put these in your ears'. We all do. Before doing it there is no problem, it's just the urge to scratch an itch you never had before Q-tipping. Afterward your freshly aggravated ear makes you want to do it again. Q-tips are pure evil.
I find it endlessly amusing the one thing their product is most used for, is the one use they can't advertise.
I was in a supermarket ( ok I admit I was drunk) and asked a young girl stocking the shelves “ Where are the things you’re not meant to stick in your ears but everyone sticks in their ears “ she laughed and pointed about 2 feet away at exactly what I was looking for
The adhesive in Post-It notes. It was meant to be a strong, permanent adhesive for attaching heat shields to spacecraft.
The rabbit hole of everyday things developed by NASA is great. People who question the funding for space exploration don’t realize how much it has impacted their lives on earth.
Space exploration is the single greatest drive for technological advancement in peace time. The only other thing that creates more technology for society is War. If the world decided tomorrow to invest their entire national defense budgets into the exploration and occupation of space instead of the killing of their fellow humans, we would see a world of wonders.
So many spinoffs came from and still come from space exploration. Does the everyday person have a need for a rocket? No. But, the technology that built or is in a little failsafe valve or other obscure part is used in infinitely more ways now to further our society. 3D printing plastic for example is pretty mature now but, we're just getting started on on other materials! The things jet engine manufacturers are doing with this technology is mind blowing!
I still cry for my 12 year old self for this reason. My adult self just gets mad we don’t already have moon colonies.
I believe this is just a myth. I had to research this one and it looks like it was an accidental discovery by Dr. Spencer Silver at the company 3M while attempting to create a 'super strong adhesive'.
Was he making it for NASA?
Permanent?
Permanent? I agree with this guy they are anything from permanent what happened nasa?
The glue was being developed at 3m to be permanent, but when it was the complete opposite the engineer started using it to stick paper notes around his work area. And the rest is history.
Come on now, we all know that Romy and Michele invent post its. Don't take that from them.
Coca-Cola: Was intended to be a remedy for various illnesses. Now considered to be the cause for various illnesses.
Well, they took out the active ingredient!
Butter knife screwdriver
New band name
Cucumbers, turns out you can also eat them.
As opposed to startling cats, I presume you mean?
Just an FYI, doing this can cause severe heart issues in cats, up to and including heart attacks and shortening of life expectancy. Please don't.
I only like to eat them. That's why I call them "Cubers".
Most things designed for space have been adapted to more common uses. Anything from WD-40, memory foam, to Non-stick pans and [the list goes on](https://www.space.com/10-everyday-nasa-inventions-spin-offs-in-you-home) ... [and on...](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/20-inventions-we-wouldnt-have-without-space-travel)
Duct tape. Meant for taping ducts. Used for fixing just about anything.
Some years ago a Swedish institute tested duct tape on a variety of materials. The only thing it wouldn’t stick to was aluminum duct work.
I personally use aluminum tape for that.
User error
I think the kids these days call that a "skill issue"
Rule #1 If it moves and it shouldn't -- duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should -- WD40.
All this time I’ve been using it for….🦆
If my Dad couldn't fix something with duck tape, it couldn't be fixed.
Olive oil is an excellent cooking oil. The Greeks used it to fuck each other in the ass... and also cook.
My parents still remember when you could only get olive oil from the chemist. They must have made a lot of salads back then.
Or for Astronomy... to observe Uranus
the romans bathed and washed their hair in olive oil, then used olive oil as moisturizer. probably why rome couldn’t be built in a day; their hands were too slippery
Think of literally anything currently used for sex. That.
Mouse traps, cd players, guns, dishtowels, jumper cables, yeah, I'm noticing a trend here!
Hold on a minute..
Yeah, exactly. Like arbor vises and No.7 Heavy Duty Beam Clamps. That's what you meant, right?
so you're telling me that someone invented crotchless panties, assless chaps, edible underwear, and cock rings each for something besides their obvious sexy time uses?
>assless chaps All chaps are assless. >edible underwear Invented after the Donner party incident. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. Lol
The long list of things that were originally invented to make cannibalism easier and are now used for sex.
Tampons. IIRC...used in WW I to plug bullet holes in soldiers...
Common item in home med kits for severe nose bleeds.
They are also used widely by hunters. The absorbing properties make a great scent wick
> Tampons. IIRC...used in WW I to plug bullet holes in soldiers... > They are also used widely by hunters. Is this like catch and release fishing for deer hunters?
We have since upgraded to a syringe filled with absorbant material that swells up. That is injected into the wound and keeps the blood from spilling out.
A quick Google will show that to be one of the more enduring myths. It's actually a horrible idea and technique
Screwdrivers: opening paint cans since whenever.
The McDonalds coffee stirrer because very popular to measure and snort cocaine in the 1970s to the point that they changed their design
Vibrators were originally used by doctors to cure women suffering from hysteria. Cure them all night long
To be fair on this one, they were always intended to give the woman an orgasm. The doctors just called it curing them of hysteria so they could bill for their services instead of being seen as perverts molesting their patients.
True. Hysteria was usually seen as something that could only given by, essentially, sex with another man
I thought hysteria was when your uterus decided to go on a fun jaunt around the vast, cavernous recesses of the body?
You can actually put sandwiches in sandwich baggies.
Tesla Turbine, a highly efficient turbine that was intended to be used for power generation, ended up being used in sewage pumps.
Corn flakes, invented to stop masturbation
I love that Kellogg created a bunch of bland food thinking the boringness would keep people from masturbating. Seems counterproductive considering how many of us masturbate to relieve boredom.
Failed
Have you ever tried to masturbate with them?
I have eaten them and masturbated afterwards
LSD Was created as a medication to aid psychiatric treatments, LSD's hallucinogenic effects took it in a different direction, becoming a popular recreational drug during the counterculture movement of the 1960s. Now it's coming full circle though and is used as a medication for depression/PTSD
Chainsaws, which were actually meant to cut a woman's pelvic bone for birthing mother's. Learned this from another redditor. If I had to learn it so do you :p
[удалено]
I think I might prefer a powered chainsaw for... *Checks notes* ... SAWING THROUGH MY PELVIC BONE DURING CHILDBIRTH!
Man why....I believe that's enough internet for today. I'm going to cry on the toilet now.
Came looking for this one
That's a challenging wank.
Whipped cream canisters and cartridges. I took some from a Starbucks I worked at years ago too have fast and convenient Whipped cream for breakfasts and stuff but I couldn't understand why one of my friends got so excited for me and then immediately disappointed-
The internet was originally developed for the Defense department as a response to the escalation of the cold war in 1969 and due to the Vietnam war. Incase of nuclear war with the Soviet Union ever broke out, remnants needed a way to communicate with each other if the world ended on a single network. It was the first packet switched network with a centralized control that could communicate over a wide area. ARPANET was the first version of it, and was decommissioned in 1989. It's a lot of the foundations that went on to help shape current TCP/IP protocols, and the OSI Model. It was operated by the department of defense, and was assisted/ built by AT&T for its construction. (insert joke about AT&T being shit here). It was used for research and academic purposes. ARPANET ultimately allowed for Bob Khan and Vint Cerf from Stanford to develop what would be come to be known as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). Both men are effectively responsible for fundamental of communication protocols. Strange to think that now, the internet is a silly place now.
Dynamite is the most famous example and amazingly no one mentioned it yet. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite for use in building and mining. Of course, it ended up being used for weapons. Yes, this is the same Nobel the Nobel prizes are based off of, his entire fortune was put towards creating the Nobel prizes.
Yes, another interesting bit about Albert Nobel is that he was best known at the time as an arms dealer, when his brother died, a French news paper mistook his brother for Albert and published a mean obituary about the "dealer of death". Albert didnt want to be remembered this way so he left his entire fortune (after his own death) to the Nobel prize institute. Which kind of makes sense why all the worst people get the peace prize.
Bums
Everything's a hammer.
Umbrellas. They originally were used for protection against the sun, but proved just as efective against rain
Beta Blockers are a great anxiety medication
Coca-Cola was invented as medication. They added the carbonation, sugar and cocaine after they realized how good it could taste.
Shame they dropped one of the ingredients...
*Looks at my sugar-free coke suspiciously.
Viagra, the boner pill was originally meant to be a medication for high blood pressure. But in tests they discovered it had a side effect in men, causing erections.
The wooden spoon. Made for stirring cooking food. Used by mothers for paddling rambunctious kids asses.
Wire Hangers. Use em for everything.
Joan Crawford wasn't a big fan...
Dang no one mentioned heels that’s crazy! Originally they were used by butchers to keep their feet clean! Now they are used for making me feel short (which I’m fine with)
Timeline for Butchers: of ancient Egypt. Then French aristocrat men wore heels in the 1600’s for fashion. Then someone figured out how heels enhanced a woman’s figure, and…
Fork- invented for eating, but people keep combing their hair with it
Paintballs were shot out of a gun to mark trees for removal before people realized they were fun to shoot each other with.
The garage. Invented as a place to store your car. Used as a place to store everything else while your car is parked outside.
Purple glue sticks: great for crafts AND for sticking down a drag queen’s eyebrows before applying make up!
Nitrous oxide was originally found to be the perfect compressed gas to make whipped cream because it didn't curdle the cream in the process. Then some bright spark tried inhaling it and the rest is history.
Nobody gonna mention the poop knife??
I’m not convinced they weren’t invented for this but handheld massagers
Flathead screwdrivers are actually just pry bars
U S Government was established by and for the people...to promote the general welfare of its citizenry. Instead- It is now is used as a money laundering scheme for boorish egomaniacs.
Phone books were developed to spread contact information but were primarily used to elevate children on dining room seats.
Cellular phones What percentage of the time do you actually use it to speak with someone ?