Bulova : Why Didn't I Think of That? ®

Bulova

America Runs on Bulova Time

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For sometime now, we’ve had a special project in the works. We wanted to give our listeners and readers a chance to hear a new Why Didn’t I Think of That?® feature every day, even if they’re away from the radio. And that’s exactly what we’ve done. Today marks the beginning phases of a plan [...]


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Hall of Fame Spotlight: Spray Paint

Nobody thought about putting paint in an aerosol can until Ed Seymour. In 1949, Seymour was looking for a novel way to demonstrate a new aluminum paint. His wife suggested putting it in an aerosol can, like ones recently introduced for insecticides. To his surprise, the sprayer — not the paint — became the star of his demonstration.


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Hall of Fame Spotlight: Dole Pineapple

While in Hawaii in the 1800′s, James Dole discovered a fruit most people had never seen or heard of before: The pineapple. He began importing the fruit to the mainland and introduced the country to this exotic, sweet treat. The pineapple became a national favorite, and the Dole Food Company became the largest supplier of fruits and vegetables in the world.


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TOMS Shoes

He started his first business in college. He sold his second business to Clear Channel. He came within four minutes of winning CBS’s the Amazing Race. He’s led an interesting life, but what Blake Mycoskie is best known for is starting TOMS Shoes, the company that has donated well over a million shoes to needy men, women, and children.


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Hall of Fame Spotlight: Gatorade

Today it’s as synonymous with sports as cheerleaders or sweatbands. But not too long ago, Gatorade was just a nameless concoction, cooked up to revitalize the University of Florida’s football team: the Gators. The Gators were losing. A lot. One reason for that was the hot Florida weather dehydrating the players. The “Gator-Aid” not only saved the team, but it has been hydrating and refreshing some of the world’s greatest athletes ever since.

Today’s Hall of Fame Spotlight: The Story of Gatorade.

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What they do:
Made the first men's wristwatch.

Inspiration:
There was a time when men carried pocket watches, and women wore bracelet watches. That prejudice was weakened during World War I, when armies gave men “wrist watches” to take into battle. A year later, in 1919, watchmaker Joseph Bulova introduced the first line of consumer wristwatches for men.

About the business:
Bulova was an innovative entrepreneur who made high quality clocks that sold in unprecedented numbers. But his wristwatches for men initially bombed. That is, until Charles Lindberg strapped on a Bulova. Lindberg wanted his plane as light as possible when he took his 1927 flight to Paris. He didn’t even want a clock in his cockpit – instead, he wore a Bulova wristwatch. When Lindberg wore it, Bulova told the world about it, and sales for Bulova’s Lone Eagle watch soared to incredible heights. Today Bulova remains a manufacturer of high quality time pieces.

Axioms:

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I was trying to decide which invention to cover in today’s blog post. Honestly, I was blanking.

So I started poking around the Why Didn’t I Think of That? site, and I ended up in the Inspiration Hall of Fame.