Inventors - Trivia, Quizzes, and Brain Teasers | Mental Floss

The Unusual Origin Stories of Vaseline, Kleenex, and 7 Other Household Items

Whom should you thank for this flushable wonder?

The Unusual Origin Stories of Vaseline, Kleenex, and 7 Other Household Items

Coming Soon: Lickable TV Screens

The technology isn't quite this advanced.

Coming Soon: Lickable TV Screens

Ed Lowe, the Inventor Behind Kitty Litter

Without Ed Lowe, we might not be so friendly with cats.

Ed Lowe, the Inventor Behind Kitty Litter

The Stories Behind 20 Inventions That Changed the World

Brian Mueller (super soaker), New Africa (light bulb and seat belt), Feng Yu (duct ape), los_jan (toilet), non123 (Walkman), 3DMI (Hubble), Areeya_Ann (birth control pills) // Shutterstock; Julia Lemba (backgrounds) // iStock via Getty Images Plus

The Stories Behind 20 Inventions That Changed the World

11 NASA Inventions We Use Every Day

OK fine, maybe you don't use this every day.

Who Invented the Pencil?

Pencils have a long evolutionary history.

Amazon Has an Entire Section Dedicated to Shark Tank Products

Matt Doyle/Getty Images

Who's the Mason of Mason Jar Fame?

Mason jars solved a food storage problem.

11 Surprising Facts About Thomas Edison

Levin C. Handy, Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Meet Nina Chhita, the Artist Celebrating Diverse Female Scientists With Her Instagram Illustrations

Kenya's Wangari Maathai isn't a household name, but she should be.

Fried Beer Exists—and We Have Texas to Thank (or Blame) for It

You can have your beer and eat it, too.

13 Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions

Would you fly in this?

Joseph Lee: The 19th-Century Black Baking Pioneer Whose Bread-Crumbing Machine Revolutionized Hotel Kitchens

Cannasue/iStock via Getty Images

Thomas Edison’s First Patented Invention—a Voting Machine for Congress—Was a Total Flop

Sadly, Congress voted 'No' on using Thomas Edison's voting machine.

6 Inventors Killed by Their Own Inventions

Franz Reichelt is now remembered as the "flying tailor."

17 of the World’s Oldest Films, Captured by Thomas Edison

A photo of inventor Thomas Edison, who was born in Milan, Ohio, on February 11, 1847.