January is creativity month! There’s a lot of cool science that originated in January. Not only did Galileo discover Jupiter’s four biggest moon’s (Read The Substitute from Jupiter), but it’s also the month Earth reaches perihelion, the point where Earth comes closest to the Sun, about two weeks after the December Solstice. But that’s not all! January 28 is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day! (We’re sure you already had that marked on your calendar.) That made us stop and think about a lot of items we take for granted but make our lives easier or more pleasurable.
Consider these items, born of necessity, about 100 years ago.
Mrs. Earl Dickson, an inexperienced cook, often burned and cut herself back at the turn of the 20th century. Mr. Dickson, a Johnson and Johnson employee, got plenty of practice in hand bandaging. Out of concern for his wife’s safety, he began to prepare bandages ahead of time so that his wife could apply them by herself. By combining a piece of surgical tape and a piece of gauze, he fashioned the first crude adhesive strip bandage.
At 13 years old, Chester Greenwood’s head was cold one December day in 1873. To protect his ears while ice skating, he found a piece of wire, and with his grandmother’s help, padded the ends. In the beginning, his friends laughed at him. However, when they realized that he was able to stay outside skating long after they had gone inside freezing, they stopped laughing. Instead, they began to ask Chester to make ear covers for them, too. Hence for many, earmuffs are standard winter equipment.
The term Frisbee did not always refer to the flying plastic disks that have spawned a variety of games. More than 100 years ago, in Bridgeport, Conn., William Russell Frisbie owned the Frisbie Pie Company and delivered his pies locally. All of his pies were baked in the same type of 10″ round tin with a raised edge, wide brim, six small holes in the bottom, and “Frisbie Pies” on the bottom. Playing catch with the tins soon became a popular local sport. However, the tins were slightly dangerous when a toss was missed. It became the Yale University custom to yell “Frisbie” when throwing a pie tin. In the ’40s when plastic emerged, the pie-tin game was recognized as a manufacturable and marketable product. Now FRISBEE® is a registered trademark of Wham-O Mfg. Co.
So take time this month to appreciate those who developed many of the goods and services we use every day! We also need to be open to ideas from all sources – not just corporate “creative” departments. We all have a streak of creativity in us. Remember that the next time you need a Band-Aid or enjoy playing with a Frisbee. And let those creative juices start flowing!