Nothing says “I love you” like a homemade gift. But imagine if this specially-crafted gift actually ended up changing the world! Before they became popular items used by millions of people, these inventions were inspired by incredible acts of love. Each one of them truly gets to the heart of 1 Corinthians 16:14, which says “Let all that you do be done in love.”
- Wordle
The simple word game quickly became an online sensation in January 2022. But did you know it was created out of love? Josh Wardle, a software engineer from Brooklyn, New York, originally created the game for his partner, Palak Shah, who enjoys these challenging games. “It’s really sweet,” she told the New York Times. “This is definitely how Josh shows his love.”
- Overalls
In 1859, Abigail Carter of Clinton, North Carolina, designed and stitched a pair of sturdy trousers with over-the-shoulder straps for her husband, Homer W. Carter, a railroad engineer. The overalls were so popular that the family started their own business called H.W. Carter & Sons. While other companies, such as Levi Strauss & Co., created similar products, Deseret News states H.W. Carter & Sons was the first manufacturer of overalls in the United States.
- Foldable Ironing Board
Elijah J. McCoy (1844 – 1929) was an engineer of African American descent and a prolific inventor, with nearly 60 patents in the U.S. Though most of these patents had to do with steam engines, one of his inventions can now be found in almost every household. McCoy’s wife, Mary, wanted an easier way to iron clothes, so he improved the ironing board to make the foldable version we use today, according to CBS News.
READ MORE: 10 Things That Wouldn’t Exist Without African-American Inventors
- Baking Soda
English food manufacturer and chemist, Alfred Bird (1811 – 1878) changed the face of baking forever when he created custard powder and the earliest form of baking soda. According to The Oxford Companion to Food, he invented them for his wife, Elizabeth, who was allergic to yeast and eggs, so she, too, could enjoy delicious baked goods.
- Magnetic Shirt Buttons
Maura Horton’s husband, Don, was a North Carolina State University football coach who had Parkinson’s disease. One day, after Don struggled to button his shirt before a game, Horton decided there needed to be a better clothing option for people with disabilities. So, she made it herself. As Men’s Health reports, Horton designed a shirt with magnetic buttons called MagnaReady in 2012.
- Garbage Disposal
John W. Hammes, an architect from Wisconsin, is who we should thank for the in-sink garbage disposal, which makes tossing out scraps of food so much easier. An article in Smithsonian Magazine says Hammes got the idea after watching his wife spend time wrapping food in newspaper and throwing it out. To make her work easier, Hammes created and patented the In-Sink-Erator in 1935.
- Band-Aid
When Josephine Knight Dickson from New Jersey kept cutting herself while cooking for her family in the 1920s, her husband, Earle Dickson, stepped in. Dickson, a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson, according to the company’s website, decided to invent a temporary adhesive bandage for his wife. His creation became the Band-Aid we all know and use today.
READ MORE: 5 Stories of Unexpected True Love
- Surgical Gloves
William Stewart Halsted, M.D. (1852 – 1922) was a renowned U.S. surgeon who is often called the “Father of Modern Surgery.” Known for his strict adherence to sterile working conditions, Halsted invented a rubber glove that allowed surgeons to lessen the transfer of germs during their work. Yet the origin of why he created them is more romantic than you would think. Halsted’s wife, Caroline, was a nurse who suffered from dermatitis during her work. According to the Washinton Post, Halsted invented the gloves especially for her and gave them to her as a gift after their marriage.
