The Best Kid Inventions in History

THE POPSICLE

In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson invented the Popsicle completely by accident. Frank left a cup of powdered soda, water and a stirring stick outside one cold night and awoke to find a refreshing treat. Initially called the “Epsicle,” he got a patent in 1923 and sold the rights to a large New York company. Now available in 30 flavours, hundreds of thousands of Epperson’s Popsicles are eaten in the U.S. each year.

THE TRAMPOLINE

Using materials he found in a junkyard, 16-year-old gymnast and diver George Nissen created the first trampoline in 1930 by stretching canvas over a steel frame—perfecting it a few years later with his college gymnastics coach, Larry Griswold, using nylon. Seventy years later, trampolining was named an Olympic sport and he was alive to hear the news.

SIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATOR

After watching a translator order fast food for a group of deaf people in around 2002, 17-year-old Ryan Patterson invented a glove with special sensors that translate the hand motions of American Sign Language into written words on a digital display. The gadget can also be customized to recognize an individual’s signing style and now includes audio features.

BRAILLE

Louis Braille was just 3 years old in 1812 when he was injured and lost his vision. Later on, as a teen studying at The National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, he designed a system using raised dots in specific patterns to aid in reading. The first Braille book was released in 1829, and in 1837 Louis added symbols for maths and music. Braille has since been adapted for nearly every single language, from Albanian to Zulu.