Loosely modeled after
the grip of the Colt .45, the first electric power drill was introduced
in 1916 by Black & Decker. Forty-five years later, the company
released a cordless version.
Wi-Fi Router
Since its introduction
in 2000, Wi-Fi has made its way into more than 9000 devices, from phones
to TVs. According to a Wi-Fi Alliance poll, 75 percent of young
Americans say they would give up coffee before Wi-Fi.
Pocket Calculator
Math nerds couldn't
slip the first all-transistor calculator (1957) into their shirt
pockets: The three-unit IBM 608 weighed 2400 pounds. Anyway, at $83,210,
it was too pricey. By 1976, four-function pocket calculators weighed a
few ounces and cost a few dollars.
Polaroid Camera
In 1943, Jennifer Land,
3, watched her father, Edwin, take photos: "Why can't I see the
pictures now?" Her plea was answered in 1948, when Polaroid--the company
her father headed--began selling instant film and cameras. It spent 10
years and $250 million developing the iconic SX-70,
which debuted in 1972. The expenditure nearly sank the firm, but by
1974 the camera was a hit: It spit out 1 billion prints that year.
Leatherman
Invented in 1983 by Tim
Leatherman, the Pocket Survival Tool (PST) has 14 tools, including a
can opener, pliers, a file and four screwdrivers. Today, the Leatherman
Surge features 21 tools.
Circular Saw
The quest to downsize
and repurpose the spinning blades used in sawmills led to the 1923
invention of the worm-drive circular saw by one Edmond Michel. The
Michel Electric Handsaw Company was later renamed Skilsaw Inc., hence
the early nickname for all circ saws.
Cassette Tape
Invented by Philips in
1962, this format began outselling vinyl on a per capita basis in the
U.S. in the early 1980s before yielding later in the decade to the CD.
