What they do:
Invented the first fully automated pinsetter for bowling.
Inspiration:
When 14 lb. bowling balls sent heavy wooden pins flying into the air, pin boys were frequently injured. The pin boys often demanded higher wages for their hazardous work, and bosses like George Beckerle complained they were costing him a fortune.
About the business:
Back in 1936, Beckerle complained about his pinsetters to one of his bowlers, Gottfried Schmidt. Schmidt worked across the street at a factory, which made machinery for the paper folding industry, and he thought maybe they could figure out a way to better mechanize pin setting. Schmidt asked a company draftsman to draw up a blueprint and together the three men perfected the machine. They became partners and proud owners of the world’s first fully automatic pinsetter.
Jake Zien was a 17 year old with a quirky idea for a flexible power strip. Ben Kaufman was a 19 year with a start-up and a vision of harnessing ideas just like Jake’s.
Now, thanks to Kaufman’s invention crowdsourcing site Quirky, Zien and other inventors like him are seeing their products go from sketchpad to store shelf faster than they can say “perpetual royalties.”
Searching for comfort from the heat, Steven Villegas altered a pair of army surplus pants into a legless skirt, optimized for the working man. He called it the “Utilikilt.” His utilitarian man-skirt quickly became a surprise hit with construction workers, bikers, and other unlikely customers. On the latest episode of The Why Didn’t I Think of That? ® Podcast, we put the spotlight on this up-and-coming entrepreneur.
The Why Guys speak with Villegas about his unique product on this week’s Why Didn’t I Think of That? Podcast.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were some sort of community where artists, tinkerers, geeks, and inventors of all shapes and sizes could pay a small monthly fee and have access to expensive, technical tools, as well as a work space in which to operate?
Well, actually, there is. It’s called TechShop.
Harry Coover, the man who invented Super Glue, has passed away at the age of 94. His discovery actually came about by accident…
This entrepreneur invented a way to help his distressed customers — and start a new industry — at the same time. Hear the story of auto mechanic Ernest Holmes and the invention of the Tow Truck.