We have it so easy these days. We can get news and entertainment just by turning on a TV, maintain our dental hygiene by brushing our teeth and go for a jog with the proper footwear to match.
Life wasn't always this simple. There was a time when the TV, toothbrush, running shoes and other now-ubiquitous items didn't exist. Someone had to not just recognize their necessity, but also had to have the skill, determination and a lot of good luck to make them a reality. And it's no surprise that the off-chance of ideas becoming inventions often brings immense fame, success and even some drama into the creator's life.
The unbelievable but true stories behind some of the most famous inventions of all time inspired the new series My Million Dollar Invention, premiering on Smithsonian Channel on Sunday, June 14 at 8 p.m. ET. Each installment of the eight-episode series chronicles the origins of four famous inventions centered on a certain theme, as told through historical re-enactments and interviews with experts.
Some of the episodes this season will focus on inventions that shocked the world (the electric chair, the Ouija board and dynamite), innovations with criminal origins (the toothbrush, Tommy Gun and the first telephone system) and matters of life and death (the metal detector, the first practical implantable pacemaker and the 3-D printer). Most of the inventions featured on the show come from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and many of them still play an important role in our society today.
"I think what we were trying to do is take this universal sort of quest for innovation and find stories that sort of tap into the inventive mind in action," said Charles Poe, an executive producer of My Million Dollar Invention and senior vice president of production for Smithsonian Channel, in an interview with T-Lounge.
"We wanted to make sure that each one of the shows had inventions in them that are still relevant for today."
Illustrating how some of our household items came to be isn't My Million Dollar Invention's only link to the present. While the modern pace of innovation may seem so rapid – with a new app, device or social network popping up every day – it's not like creative minds weren't constantly doing their own tinkering back then as well.
For instance, Alexander Graham Bell, of course best known for inventing the telephone, stumbled upon the first spring mattress — while using his new invention now known as the metal detector — while trying to extract a bullet from President James A. Garfield's body following his assassination.
"To me, this idea that the pace of innovation, you know — we think of it as fast now, but it was fast even back then," Poe said. "Even the people on the cutting edge were sometimes surprised by what they discovered."
Unfortunately, those remembered by history aren't always the most diverse array of people. The majority of inventors on My Million Dollar Invention are white men, although famous African-American inventors Garrett Morgan (who created the firefighter's breathing hood) and Madame C.J. Walker (who became the first self-made female millionaire for creating a special hair-growth product) do have their own segments in the series. Diversity was definitely under consideration when deciding on whom to feature on the show, Poe said.
"It's true that in the history of invention you do have a lot of white men involved. We did make an effort to find inventors from all walks of life," he added.
Though the title of the series might be My Million Dollar Invention, not all of the stories have happy endings. Indeed, the season finale shines a spotlight on inventors who didn't exactly get to bask in the glory of their big ideas.
"We're the Smithsonian Channel, so we're not gonna pretend that everybody gets rich when they come up with a great idea. Frankly, that doesn't happen sometimes," Poe said. "Sometimes, the person that had the great idea, for various reasons – their fault and not their fault – don't end up cashing in," he continued. "I think those are fascinating stories and also cautionary tales for people out there who are tinkering away in their garages."
The dramatic twists and turns of each story may be entertaining, and you'll probably pick up a few bits of trivia from the series with which to impress your friends. But ultimately, My Million Dollar Invention is more than just a history lesson.
"I think the spirit of innovation is one of the things that sets us a part as a species, and it helped us dominate the planet. It's probably still our key for future survival," Poe said. "I think these stories have resonance well beyond just the fact that they're good yarns. They sort of tap into something really deep that's true to part of being human."
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
