Comics

American Association of Advertising Agencies – Founded in 1917, the AAAA is a national trade association for the ad agency business. According to its website, its membership “produces approximately 80 percent of the total advertising volume placed by agencies nationwide.”

Banjulele – This cross between a banjo and ukulele, also spelled “banjolele,” came about with the growth of jazz music in the late teens and early 1920s. The banjo, with origins in Africa and development in the southern states, became a popular rhythmic accompaniment for the emerging music form, and it was eventually adapted into hybrids using the mandolin and ukulele.

“Biotechnology” – While we associate this word with modern research, it was first used in 1917 by Karl Ereky, a Hungarian agricultural engineer, to describe a system of raising pigs on sugar beets. He defined biotechnology as “all lines of work by which products are produced from raw materials with the aid of living things.”

Boeing Airplane Company – The aerospace giant Boeing Company began when William E. Boeing first incorporated in 1916 as the Pacific Aero Products Co. In 1917 Boeing changed the company’s name to the Boeing Airplane Company.

Browning Automatic Rifle – Designed by John Browning in 1917, it was used by U.S. forces from World War I though the Korean War. The rifle was immediately popular as a replacement for the American “Lewis Gun” and the French “Chauchat Gun” because it was lighter, its magazine could be changed faster, and it could be pointed and fired like a rifle by just one man.

Camouflage – The word associated with low-visibility military uniforms first appeared in the English language in 1917, thanks to World War I. The idea of making troops’ uniforms hard to see evolved from the beginning of the European conflict – consider that French troops began the war wearing blue and red uniforms. Coverings for helmets and early printed fabric began appearing around this time. Little did anyone know that 90 years later, camouflage patterns would appear on everything from designer clothing to school notebooks.

Cataphote – This type of reflector, invented in Paris by Henri Chrétien, became popular on bicycles and later on cars and road signs.

Cheerwine – This burgundy-red, cherry-flavored cola was invented by L.D. Peeler in Salisbury, N.C. and is still bottled by the family today. The product’s name reflects a trend during the Temperance era of positioning soft drinks as an alternative to alcohol (i.e. “root beer” and “ginger ale”). Popular mainly in the southeastern U.S., it has gained a cult following throughout the country.

Clark Bar – Yet another product with ties to World War I, the candy bar was individually wrapped to ship overseas to American troops. It became immensely popular “over there,” and its popularity followed the soldiers home.

Converse All Stars – The Converse Rubber Shoe Company revolutionized the young game of basketball when it introduced the Converse All Star, the world’s first performance basketball shoe. In 1923, Chuck Taylor of the Akron Firestones lent his name to the shoe, becoming the first player endorser.

Electric Christmas lights – Although Thomas Edison created the first strand of electric lights in 1880, which he used to adorn his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J., strands of electric Christmas lights were reserved for the wealthy until Albert Sadacca came along. Sadacca, whose family owned a novelty lighting company, suggested that the store offer strands of brightly colored electric lights to the public. By the 1920s, Albert and his brothers organized the National Outfit Manufacturers Association (NOMA), whose members dominated the Christmas light market until the 1960s.

Electric drill (Black & Decker) – Entrepreneurs S. Duncan Black and Alonzo G. Decker received patents in 1917 for their pistol grip and trigger switch on the first portable electric drill, produced at the company’s plant in Towson, Md. Their company would eventually become the world’s largest producer of power tools and accessories, as well as the U.S. leader in the small household appliance industry.

Electric razor – The Lek-tro-shav safety razor received a patent in 1917, making it one of the first electric razors. The single edge razor used 110 Volt power from a lightbulb socket and had a vibrating system in the handle. The razor was manufactured by Vibrating Electric Razor Co. of Omaha, Neb.

“Felix the Cat” – While the exact origin of this cartoon character is disputed, some experts suggest that “Felix” originated in an animated short feature released in 1917 – “The Tale of Thomas Kat” by animator Pat Sullivan (Sullivan’s partner Otto Messmer also claimed to be the character’s originator). “Felix” became the animated film star of the silent movie era. His popularity faded with the advent of talking films (and a certain animated rodent), but he was reborn as a 1950s television cartoon.

Forbes Magazine – Scottish immigrant B.C. Forbes, the leading business columnist for the Hearst newspaper chain, founded his own magazine in 1917 to chronicle the booming American business scene. Published bi-weekly for 15 cents an issue, Forbes offered business success stories and criticisms of corrupt or exploitative businesses, with most articles written by B.C. himself.

Forklift – The electric lift truck, sometimes called the “backbone of industry,” evolved from chain-and winch hoists in the late 1800s. In 1917, a company invented a lift truck for use in its axle factory, and visitors soon were requesting the company to build such machines for them. The “Tructractor” shown here was the first machine from the Clark Material Handling Company.

Gantt Chart – Anyone who’s taken a business course is familiar with this project management diagram displaying a horizontal bar spanning a time period in which a particular task is to take place. Charles Gantt developed it in 1917.

Gas-electric hybrid car – The darling of environmentalists now is not a new invention. The Woods Motor Company of Chicago built the first hybrid car in 1917. The Woods Dual Power was available for $2,650 (1917 dollars), with wire wheels an extra $25 and a special paint package another $100. Manufactured in 1917 and 1918, it was a considered too expensive, too slow and too difficult to service to be a commercial success.

Gift wrap –Desperation fueled this invention by the Hall brothers of Hallmark fame. According to the company’s website, gifts were traditionally wrapped in brown paper or colored tissue, called “gift dressing.” In the pre-Christmas rush, the brothers’ store ran out of gift dressing stock, and Rollie Hall found a stack of fancy French envelope linings in the warehouse. At 10 cents a sheet, the linings flew off the shelf. By the next Christmas the brothers were offering sets of three linings per package and again sold out. This was evidence enough for them to start designing and printing their own gift wrap.

Keds – Produced by the U.S. Rubber Company, Keds were the first mass marketed athletic shoe. The term “sneaker” was later coined by an executive with the N.W. Ayer & Sons advertising agency because the shoes’ rubber soles were quiet on any surface. U.S. Rubber initially wanted to call its product “Peds,” but that name was already trademarked by another company.

K-Y Jelly – This personal lubricant became popular in the medical field as an alternative to petroleum-based products. More recent marketing has positioned the product in a slightly different scene.

Lie detector – William Marston, a Harvard Ph.D. student in psychology who already had a law degree, was following up on previous research on an objective, scientific process to detect an emotional or physical response to deception. He referred to his Marston Deception Test as “the end of man’s long, futile striving for a means of distinguishing truth-telling from deception.” We cannot tell a lie, though – lie detector, or polygraph, tests are still controversial.

Lincoln Logs – How do you follow a famous father? Architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s son John Lloyd Wright did so by creating one of America’s best-loved toys. John – who probably played with blocks as a child – reportedly was inspired after a visit to the construction sight of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, for which his dad had designed a unique foundation of interlocking beams to protect the building from earthquakes. The notched redwood logs, named after fellow Illinoisan Abraham Lincoln, became an instant success.

Lions Clubs – The Association of Lions Clubs International was founded in Dallas by Melvin Jones, a Chicago insurance broker. The Lions would later become the world’s largest service club, with members in more than 180 countries.

Marshmallow Fluff – Where would civilization be without the “fluffernutter” sandwich? Archibald Query is credited with inventing this food product in Somerville, Mass., where it has been celebrated by a “What the Fluff” Festival.

Moon Pie – Again, gastronomic history wouldn’t be complete without this treat, claimed by Chattanooga, Tenn. The snack is said to have been created for residents and workers in small Appalachian mining communities and eventually became a Southern staple, along with an RC Cola (each costing a nickel for many years).

Omaha Steaks – This pioneering direct marketing company was founded by Latvian immigrants J.J. and B.A. Simon (father and son) as the “Table Supply Meat Co.” In 1966, the company changed its name to Omaha Steaks International and is now recognized as the nation's largest direct response marketer of premium Midwestern beef. The company, still family-owned, sells by mail, phone, internet and at more than 80 retail stores nationwide.

Phillips Petroleum – Brothers Frank and Lee Phillips incorporated their oil company in Bartlesville, Okla. After selling most of their properties to Tidal Oil Co. in 1916, the brothers retained their Oklahoma properties and started their new company with $3 million in assets. By 1922, net assets would exceed $50 million.

Pitney Bowes –The firm began business in 1917 as the Universal Stamping Machine Company in Stamford, Conn. Co-founder Walter H. Bowes had started selling check-endorsing and stamp-canceling machines for use in post offices. In 1919, Bowes joined wits and talent with Arthur H. Pitney, who since 1900 had been working on a postage meter of his own in Chicago, to form the Pitney Bowes Company. Today the firm is the largest manufacturer of postal machines and has expanded its operations to include the manufacture of other office machines and equipment.

Pulitzer Prizes – The first prizes were awarded in 1917 in four categories: Editorial Writing, New York Tribune; Reporting, Herbert Bayard Swope of the New York World; Biography or Autobiography, Laura E. Richards and Maud Howe Elliott for Julia Ward Howe; and History, J.J. Jusserand for With Americans of Past and Present Days. Other categories specified by Joseph Pulitzer’s bequest were phased in over the next few years.

Radio Flyer – This iconic symbol of carefree childhood was created by Italian immigrant Antonio Pasin. A woodworker by trade, Pasin made his wooden wagons at night and peddled them on Chicago streets during the day. The company, originally called the Liberty Coaster Company, later named itself after its most famous product, whose shape is trademarked and whose exact shade of red paint is a company secret.

Raggedy Ann – Legend has it that artist John Gruelle created the doll, and later storybooks, in memory of his daughter Marcella, who died after a reaction to a contaminated smallpox vaccination. Arcola, Ill., claims to be Raggedy Ann’s birthplace.

Sheet glass – As industrial technology revolutionized glass-making, U.S. firm Libbey-Owens (a partnership of Michael Owens of Owens glass and his backer E.D.L. Libbey) improved on previously developed processes and became the first commercial manufacturer of sheet glass.

Sheetrock – U.S. Gypsum patented the world’s first wallboard panel. The company says that since 1917, it has “produced enough wallboard to build more than 36 million average-sized homes. Laid end to end, this drywall would stretch to the moon and back 29 times; would wrap around the earth's equator 551 times; would fill the Sears Tower 224 times; and would cover the surface of Lake Erie.”

SOS Pads – Door-to-door salesman Edwin Cox needed a gimmick to sell his pots and pans, so he took conventional steel wool pads and repeatedly hand-dipped them into soap until they became saturated. Armed with the dried soap pads, he began offering to clean people’s dirty pans if they would listen to his pitch, and lo and behold, sales increased. Cox’s wife is credited with the name, which stands for “Save Our Saucepans.”

Superheterodyne receiver – The basis for virtually all modern radio and radar communication systems was invented by E. H. Armstrong, a captain in the Army Signal Corps posted in France during the Great War. He patented it shortly afterward and sold his patent to Westinghouse.

Surrealism – This term came from playwright Guillaume Apollinaire to explain his dream-like works, "The Breasts of Tiresias" and the ballet "Parade."

Theremin – The world’s first electronic instrument was invented by Russian composer Lev Termen. The instrument was played without touch by the hands manipulating a magnetic field to create music.

Tomato juice – Chef Louis Perrin of French Lick Springs resort in southern Indiana created the drink when the hotel ran out of orange juice.

Vernam Cipher – This method of encryption, also called the “one-time pad” or the “secret look-up table,” was developed by Maj. Joseph Mauborgne and Gilbert Vernam. The sender and receiver agree upon a common secret text, which forms the key. Each key letter is used exactly once and then discarded forever. This is still considered to be only unbreakable encryption scheme.

Vichysshoise – Food historians credit Louis Diat, chef at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in NewYork, for developing this cold soup. Diat, quoted in the Dec. 2, 1950 issue of the New Yorker, claimed the soup came from a memory of a potato and leek soup his grandmother and mother used to make and that he and his brother cooled during the summer by adding cold milk.

Windshield wiper – Several people claim to have invented the first automatic windshield wiper. Charlotte Bridgwood, president of the Bridgwood Manufacturing Company of New York, patented her electric roller-based windshield wiper called the "Storm Windshield Cleaner" in 1917. However, her product was not a commercial success. The claim is also made by J.R. Oishei, a Buffalo, N.Y., theater owner, whose rainy-night collision with a bicyclist led to his invention of the “Rain Rubber,” made for two-piece slotted windshields found on many automobiles of the time. His company, Tri-Continental Corporation, became Trico Products, which today is a leading manufacturer of windshield wiping products.

World Book Encyclopedia – The first edition, published in 1917, was described on its title page as "organized knowledge in story and picture." The U.S. children's encyclopedia began annual supplements beginning in 1922 and grew to have 22 volumes, outselling every other encyclopedia.

Zipper – Although earlier versions of the clothing fastener existed, the design we know today, using interlocking teeth, was invented by Swedish scientist Gideon Sundback and patented in 1917. The name “zipper” was coined by the B.F. Goodrich Company in 1923.