The Riddle: Where Ideas Come From and How to Have Better Ones

Chapter 6. ENDLESSLY INTRIGUING Curiosity

Some things in life just make sense: disposable diapers, cordless phones, Kevlar. Although these products are indisputably superior to those that existed prior to their introduction, like all other great ideas, they were initially met with an inkling of skepticism. Marion Donovan' s "Boater" (the first disposable diaper) was dismissed as "too expensive to produce." Teri Pall's cordless phone was rejected because it was "too good." As Teri explains, "I invented the cordless phone in 1965, but I couldn't market it." The reason: "It had a two-mile radius and would interfere with aircraft." Pall's invention was later adapted (dialed back to a much smaller radius) and eventually made commercially viable. And although Stephanie Kwolek's magical synthetic material, Kevlar, became the main ingredient in bulletproof vests (its strength is five times that of steel), Kwolek registered the patent under S. L. Kwolek in fear that her invention would be dismissed by patent officers due to her gender. What do these three creators and their creations share in common? Apart from the fact that all three are among the often forgotten mothers of invention (women), on the surface, it appears that the products they introduced were inspired out of needs. Thus, we have the phrase, necessity is the mother of invention (or in these cases, it may have been the other way around). But the question here is whether necessity really is the mother of invention or just a ...