We hope that your winter is bright and active, and after the winter holidays we were really lazy! In February, we have finally won over laziness and are ready to bring beautiful, bright, eternal things to the world. However, it was January idleness that inspired me to write this article. Let's talk about laziness and its practical application!

1. Circular saw.

It is incredible, but the purely male instrument was invented by a woman. A resident of the Protestant community of shakers Tabitha Babbit worked as a seamstress. She was inventive and observative. One day she noticed two carpenters sawing logs. After watching them, she realized that a part of their efforts were wasted, because the saw worked only when moved in one direction. A tool that could saw constantly was needed. It was the circular saw.

The basis for the first working sample of the saw was a spinning wheel, which instead of the usual wheel had a disc with teeth. I think that for 19 century it was a breakthrough, and the life of community members became much easier. However, Tabitha did not receive money for her invention. For shakers, it was unacceptable to get money. Therefore, no one in the community did think about a patent for such a useful device.

2. Ball-point pen.

As it is not difficult to guess, the ballpoint pen was invented by a writing person, Biro Laszlo, a Hungarian journalist. He was tired of constantly leaking ink! How can a person feel when the ink runs out in the middle of an important interview? The turning point for the book industry was 1938, when Laszlo came up with the idea of pouring ink into a small tube with a spinning ball at the end. A familiar device, isn't it? However, our modern pens stepped far forward from those used by Biro. The imperfection of its design allowed him to patent the invention only in Hungary and Argentina, where he left for before the Second World War.

I believe that for his new homeland, Biro was a very significant person, because on his birthday Argentines celebrate the Inventor's Day. In addition, the ballpoint pens in that country are called "birome".

3. Car wipers.

Winter story. About transport. In 1902, realtor Mary Anderson was riding on the city tram. On this day, there was a snowstorm and the driver could hardly something. To continue the way, he had to move aside a part of the windshield and clean it somehow. The method could not be called effective. The glass got quickly covered with snow and had to be opened again. In addition, snow and wind fell into the cabin. I think after half an hour of this trip passengers felt like real polar explorers.

While everyone was fighting the snow, Mary came up with a simple and brilliant idea. She figured out how to clean the glass from the cockpit. This thought did not leave the inventive lady at home and she began drawing her new invention. It took her a year to complete the invention.

Its principle was simple. The rubber brush was attached to a special lever in the cab. To clean the glass, the driver just had to press the lever. The cleaner was proposed to be installed seasonally for autumn and winter.

There is another version of the circumstances under which Mary came up with the first wiper. During a family trip by car, Anderson and her husband got into the bad weather. Her husband could see the road, Mary had to lean out of the window with a rag and wipe the glass.

With all their potential, the first wipers by Mary Anderson were not in demand, and car companies generally considered this device useless. However, in 1911 car wipers appeared , similar to those that are widely used in our time. Unfortunately, Mary's patents had expired by then. That`s a pity.

4. Band-aid.

I can't imagine my life without a band-aid. Especially in summer. You can even determine the time of year for the purchase of adhesive plaster. So now I am especially grateful to Earl Dixon, who invented the band-aid.

In the 1920s, Earl worked for Johnson & Johnson to buy cotton. I think Dixon was a very caring husband because he invented the band-aid after watching his wife suffer. Mrs. Dixon was probably not the most dexterous hostess (much like me). In general, she often had to bandage cuts and bruises. From time to time they got wet and had to be changed. Of course, in our time we have the right to be outraged that he could help his wife, but Earl of 1920s went his own way. He cut the gauze into pieces, then pasted them on a sticky tape, and on the other side glued a strip of fabric. I do not know what Mrs. Dixon said about it, but the bosses of the Johnson & Johnson company appreciated the invention and did not miscalculate.

In 1924, the production of adhesive plaster was established, and in 1939 it began to be sterilized. Revenue from the sale of a new medical device totaled millions, and Earl eventually received the post of Vice President. I'm sure Mrs. Dixon was the most excited.

5. Diapers.

Someone is inspired by bad weather, someone by difficulties in the economy, and the chemist-technologist Victor Mills was inspired by his own grandchildren. He had three of them and caring grandfather, he was immensely glad... Regular washing of diapers was a real horror for Victor. Then he came up with the idea of how to make the process less unpleasant. So, disposable diapers with a special absorbent appeared. Yes, of course, diapers, there were diapers before. Soft wool or fabric were used as an absorbent layer, but in fact they are not much different from baby linen.

Victor Mills was an employee of Procter & Gamble and his idea was appreciated. The first diaper on the new technology appeared in 1956. Then as a absorber small wood chips were used. The popularity of this type of diapers grew in the early 1960s. The name Pampers, which has now become almost a household name, comes from the English verb "to pamper". In general, I do not know how to live with this. That's funny, the Huggies diapers, following Procter, launched by Kimberly-Clark company, generally translated as "cuddles".

6. Corrector or coverage.

The invention of putty, in my opinion, is the apotheosis of laziness and functionality. Coverage, as you've probably guessed, invented corrector. Betty Nasmyth Graham worked as a proofreader in the editorial office. In other sources Betty was nicknamed "the careless Secretary". At some point, she just got tired of constantly sending articles with numerous edits to reprint. Several experiments with children's chemical set and in her hands was a magical mixture, which we call corrector.

7. Shatterproof glass.

Do you like washing dishes? I don`t, French chemist Edouard Benedictus didn`t like it neither. To put it simply, when he worked in the chemical laboratory, he was too lazy to wash the flasks and tubes. Such an irresponsible chemist. One day, the flask, which naturally was not washed, fell and a miracle! It didn't break! Edward was happy and amazed. What may have seemed like an accident turned out to be a chemical reaction. A solution of nitrates, ethanol and ethyl alcohol remained in the flask. It evaporated, and a thin film remained on the walls of the vessel, which did not allow the glass to break. One of the first who began to use the discovery of Edward, was a car company Volvo, which puts the safety of drivers and passengers in the first place .