Patent Stories
History of the Chinese Checkers Patent
Chinese checkers (1) Didn’t originate in China or Asia (2) Wasn’t a new game. Two brothers created a new name for an existing game to capitalize on Americans’ interest in orientalism and made a killing.
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History of the Dice Patent
Dice have been around for all of recorded human history and have a pretty interesting backstory.
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History of the Fire Helmet
The firefighter’s helmet was created almost 200 years ago and has barely changed since
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History of the Camera Patent
Similar to the US-Russia space race of the mid-50s, the English and French competed feverishly to take the first photograph
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History of the Croquet Patent
Croquet's meteoric rise in popularity was followed by an equally precipitous fall after the invention of one sport
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History of the Fire Extinguisher Patent
Fire extinguishers have come a long way from the “fire bombs” of the 1700s
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History of the Dart Board Patent
From bored soldiers to King Henry VIII, darts had quite a progression in the 1300s
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History of the Hot Air Balloon Patent
Not trusting early designs, an animal trio were the first hot air balloon passengers
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History of the Christmas Lights Patent
Shockingly, candles aren’t the most dangerous form of Christmas lights that have been tested over the past few centuries
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