Otis Elevators
It was daring. It was dramatic. It shocked thousands at the New York World’s Fair. Learn how Elisha Graves Otis proved to the world his passenger elevator was safe.
View ArticleLulu’s Dessert
You probably think a big company came up with ready-to-eat gelatin. Well think again. Coming up, a lulu of an idea!
View ArticleManpower
When a law firm whose secretary was ill barely got a legal brief to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in time -- its partners got an idea. Why not create a side business offering companies temporary employees?
View ArticleNCR Cash Registers
To prevent his bartenders from pilfering his cash box, saloon keeper James Ritty invented the world’s first "cash register.” His inspiration came from a sea cruise to Europe as he watched a device...
View ArticleBirds Eye Frozen Foods
While ice fishing in Labrador, fur trader Clarence Birdseye noticed that fish froze stiff as soon as they were pulled out of the water into the air. Not only that, weeks later, when defrosted and...
View Article7-Eleven
Ice wasn’t enough – he wanted to sell more. Learn how an innovative employee inspired a Texas ice company to invent the modern convenience store. Hear how 7Eleven went from 8 stores in Dallas to 40,000...
View ArticleErnest Holmes Towing
One day, when business school executive John Wiley and his son were driving near Chattanooga TN, their Model T Ford veered to the right, crashed down an embankment and flipped upside down in a creek....
View ArticleDick’s Sporting Goods
His boss called him a “stupid kid.” And with money from his grandma’s cookie jar, he proved him wrong! Learn how an 18-year old turned a $300 gift into a national retail empire. The story of Dicks...
View ArticleThe Childproof Container
The next time you find yourself swearing at a bottle of aspirin that just won’t open, you’ll know who to thank. Coming up– the origins of the childproof container. The year was 1936, and Henri Breault...
View ArticleDuncan YoYo
This entrepreneur found his fortune on a California street corner during the Great Depression. Learn how an ancient toy became an American sensation. The story of the Yo Yo.
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