1. NBC and AT&T used corporate and government bullying to destroy the life of Edwin Armstrong, the inventor of FM radio, leading to his suicide – Source
2. Robert Taylor, inventor of soap-in-a-pump-bottle (Softsoap), knew larger competitors like Colgate would try to copy his product. In order to ensure that they couldn’t copy him, he bought every small bottle hand-pump (100 million bottles) in the US. This resulted in a year of the market to himself. – Source
3. Ingo Potrykus, the co-inventor of golden rice (a genetically engineered, vitamin-A-rich strain of rice that could save millions of lives in developing countries), has called for his product to be distributed for free to poor farmers. – Source
4. The inventor of the LASER fought with both the US Patent office and LASER manufacturers for a period of 38 years before finally achieving the right to both obtain and enforce patents covering the LASER technology he invented. – Source
5. Mikhail Kalishnikov, inventor of the AK-47, greatly regretted having invented the weapon, and is quoted as saying “I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work, for example a lawnmower.” – Source
6. American psychologist B. F. Skinner invented a temperature controlled baby crib that he called the “heir conditioner”. – Source
7. Thomas Jefferson invented the swivel chair and sat on the first one while writing much of the Declaration of Independence. – Source
8. Pop Rocks were the result of Tang inventor William A. Mitchell’s attempt to create an instant carbonated soda. – Source
2. Robert Taylor, inventor of soap-in-a-pump-bottle (Softsoap), knew larger competitors like Colgate would try to copy his product. In order to ensure that they couldn’t copy him, he bought every small bottle hand-pump (100 million bottles) in the US. This resulted in a year of the market to himself. – Source
3. Ingo Potrykus, the co-inventor of golden rice (a genetically engineered, vitamin-A-rich strain of rice that could save millions of lives in developing countries), has called for his product to be distributed for free to poor farmers. – Source
4. The inventor of the LASER fought with both the US Patent office and LASER manufacturers for a period of 38 years before finally achieving the right to both obtain and enforce patents covering the LASER technology he invented. – Source
5. Mikhail Kalishnikov, inventor of the AK-47, greatly regretted having invented the weapon, and is quoted as saying “I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work, for example a lawnmower.” – Source
6. American psychologist B. F. Skinner invented a temperature controlled baby crib that he called the “heir conditioner”. – Source
7. Thomas Jefferson invented the swivel chair and sat on the first one while writing much of the Declaration of Independence. – Source
8. Pop Rocks were the result of Tang inventor William A. Mitchell’s attempt to create an instant carbonated soda. – Source