Products and Inventions

The zipper was invented in 1893; it was originally intended for shoes.

Kotex was first manufactured as bandages during World War I.

Levis were invented for the California gold miners in l873.

The first transcontinental phone call was from New York to San Francisco, in l9l5.

Chanel No. 5 is the most popular perfume in the world.

The “first electronic computer” was built in l889 for the U.S. Census Bureau.

Contact lenses were invented in l887.

The LaCoste shirt is named after French tennis star Rene LaCoste, the l927 Davis Cup winner.

The first bra was invented by a French designer in l902. But bras didn’t catch on until I9l3.

The first sound recording ever made was “Mary Had a Little Lamb“, in l877 by Thomas Edison.

The first all-talking movie was called “The Lights of New York.”

One company manufactures an edible set of Monopoly, made of chocolate and butterscotch.

The first sperm banks opened in l964; they were located in Tokyo and Iowa City.

The largest airline in the world is Aeroflot, the official Soviet airline.

The first known brothel opened its doors in 550 B.C. in Athens, Greece.

In l984, the National Coca Company of Peru introduced toothpaste with cocaine in it.

The first pay phone was installed in a Hartford, Connecticut bank in 1889. The price: 5 cents.

Thomas Edison demonstrated the first practical electric lightbulb on December 20th, 1879.

Alexander Graham Bell was 29 years old when he invented the telephone. Bell also installed the White House’s first telephone.

The name condom comes from Dr. Charles Condom (1630-1685). This product was originally made of linen and was invented in the early 1500s.

The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung (doo-doo, poop!), used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C.

A whopping 60% of all new cars sold in the 1980s were recalled for some defect.

It takes eight seconds to make a baseball bat in a bat factory.

The first chain store was the A + P; It was founded in 1842.

The patent for the ball-joint pen was awarded to John J. Loud of Weymouth, Mass. in 1888.

Ford Motor Co. manufactured a plastic auto-the first ever-in 1941.

Painting accounts for almost half the cost of auto assembly.

Scissors were invented by Leonardo da Vinci.

There are about 30,000 robots in the U.S.

The first advertisement to discuss body odor was a 1919 ad for the deodorant Odo-Ro-No.

There are 600 million phones on Earth.

A Brannock Device is the thing shoe salespeople use to measure feet.

Dr. Seuss designed the first animated color TV commercial in 1949, for Ford.

The all-aluminum can was introduced in 1964.

The first “streamlined swimsuits” of the early 1900s were made of wool and weighed as much as 20 lbs.

The first electric toothbrush was developed and tested on dogs. They reportedly enjoyed it.

On a typical day, your name is transmitted between computers five times.

The first rodeo wasn’t held until l847.

The U.S.

In Los Angeles, there are more cars than people.

Americans spend $8 billion a year on porn.

More Americans visit Tijuana than any other foreign city.

In l980, a secretary at John Deere and Co. was fired for “making a Xerox copy of her bottom.”

According to one poll, 50% of American kindergarteners believe TV commercials.

There are three times as many astrologers as astronomers in America.

About 96% of all American children can recognize Ronald McDonald. And 7% of all working Americans have worked at McDonald’s at some time.

Almost 90% of American doctors are male.

98% of American homes have at least one TV.

Only 53% of Americans have ever been to a dentist.

America’s first nudist organization was founded in 1929, by 3 men.

In l989, gamblers lost a record $4.43 billion in Nevada casinos.

The U.S. uses more steel making bottle caps than car bodies.

Before l863, mail service in the U.S. was free.

U.S. airports are busier on Thursdays than any other day.

The average American carries $27 on them. On the average, American men carry more cash than women do.

Casinos in Las Vegas don’t have clocks in them.

39% of Americans think the best way to get rich is to win a lottery.

In 75% of American households, women manage the money and pay the bills.

About 70% of Americans who go to college do it just to make more money.

63% of the Americans who earn minimum wages are women.

The U.S. bought Alaska from the Russians for about 2 cents an acre.

American kids’ allowances titled $8.6 billion in 1989.

Two-thirds of the world’s lawyers are in the U.S.

The U.S. Dept. of Defense spends about $6,000,000 on recruiting-every day.

One out of five American families doesn’t have a bank account.

Americans make $500 million worth of illegal long-distance calls annually.

90% of American businesses are family owned.

About half of American men polled say they enjoy money more than sex.

American teenagers spend over $70 billion a year.

A parking space in one New York City “condo garage” sells for $29,000.

There are about 30,000 robots in the U.S.

Among American cash crops, marijuana outranks corn in yearly value.

Nearly 50% of Americans read, work, or watch TV while they eat dinner.

In anonymous surveys, 40% of Americans confessed to cheating on their taxes.

Every year, Americans send three billion Christmas cards.

The average American kid will watch 30-40,000 TV commercials this year.

The number one use of gold in the U.S: Class rings.

Americans spend over $400 million on toys every day.

A cab ride from Los Angeles to New York costs $6,000.

Six billion pens are thrown away every year in the U.S.

Americans throw away around 10% of the food they buy at the supermarket.

Trash disposal costs the U.S. over $l0 billion a year.

More than 28 million Americans buy Christmas presents for their dogs every year.

Americans buy two billion disposable razors and razor blades every year.

An estimated 79% of all Americans have bought lottery tickets.

An estimated 70% of all Americans visit shopping malls at least once a week.

Each year, Americans consume 9 billion franks-an average of 87 per person.

The average American uses two pine trees’ worth of paper products each year.

According to recent surveys, 20% of American families don’t have a bank account.

70% of Americans have been to Disneyland or Disney World.

Americans spend $2 million a day on exercise equipment.

Source: “Uncle John’s 4-Ply Bathroom Reader” by The Bathroom Readers’ Institute, 2003