5 everyday things invented for totally different purposes

In our everyday life, we are surrounded by various objects that we use without giving much thought. Though most of these seem too mundane to even intrigue us, some of them have surprising origins that could blow our minds. We have curated a list of such interesting everyday items that were invented for completely different purposes than we use them for. 

Here are 5 everyday things that were invented for completely different purposes. 

Coca-Cola

While we now savour the taste of Coca-Cola as a soft drink, it was invented to cure morphine addiction. A pharmacist and US Civil War veteran, John Pemberton, invented the drink after he was injured in the Battle of Columbus. Like most injured soldiers of the time, John started using morphine to reduce the pain of his injuries and got addicted to it. Morphine addiction was a serious issue after the US Civil War and was termed as “the army’s disease”. 

His search for the cure of his addiction resulted in the invention of a drink called “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca,” which was an alcoholic wine mixed with cola nut and coca plant, from which cocaine is derived. In 1886, John had to stop the use of alcohol in his French Wine Coca after the sale of alcohol was restricted in his country. He sold the new non-alcoholic drink, which was made from a mixture of cane sugar, coca leaves, and cola nut, as a cure for morphine addiction. He later sold his shares of the company, and the drink was named Coca-Cola by the new owners. 

Bubble wrap 

Most of us love pressing the bubble wrap that comes in packaging, but it wasn’t originally made for safe transportation of packages. In 1957, Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes invented bubble wrap as a wallpaper that would have some air-bubble space within. It does sound strange, but the 1950s and 1960s were a time when people covered their walls various things, ranging from bamboo to fabric. The bubble wrap wallpaper idea sank, and Alfred and Mark resorted to selling it as a greenhouse insulator. When that failed too, it was marketed to IBM as a protector for their IBM 1401 computers during shipping. As IBM shipped over 10,000 computers wrapped in bubble wrap, the fate of bubble wrap changed forever. 

High Heels 

While the click of high heels is surely a fashion statement now, they weren’t quite invented as a head-turning accessory. High heels were first made in the 16th century for Persian soldiers to provide improved stability to help them shoot bows with improved efficiency while riding on horses. 

The high heels made their way to Europe in the 1600s, where they were worn by the higher class, given their design was fit only for a person who didn’t have to run errands. Women started sporting heels in an effort to look more like men, leading to men ditching heels as they were no longer a status symbol limited to the male gender. 

Listerine 

Before being used as a mouthwash, Listerine was used as a surgical disinfectant. When the Johnson brothers were looking for a way to make surgeries safer, they were inspired by English surgeon Sir Joseph Lister and came up with an antiseptic liquid in 1879, which they called Listerine. Listerine went to the shelves as a surgical disinfectant that could also be used to treat wounds, dandruff, athlete’s foot, insect bites and could also be used as a deodorant. Later, the Johnson brothers teamed up with a pharmacist and started selling Listerine to dentists as an oral antiseptic, which could also be used to treat bad breath. 

Pillows 

An everyday essential, pillow, was invented to prevent bugs from crawling into the nose, ears, and mouths of people. It was first used in what is present-day Iraq over 9,000 years ago when it was carved from stone. The pillow was used by Ancient Egyptians to protect their heads, which they believed were the most important part of their body. Hard pillows were used by Ancient Chinese as they believed that soft ones were not effective in repealing demons. 

Small and hardened pillows were used by Japanese geishas so that their delicate hairstyles would not get scattered while they were asleep, while Africans believed that pillows could help to connect people with ancestors and allows spirits to visit them. 

Earlier in Europe, pillows were perceived as a sign of weakness and were rarely used by men. The industrial revolution led to pillows becoming softer and a commonly used item. 

(Cover Image Source - Pinterest)