Football Fever: Inventions That Shaped the Modern Game

Throughout the southwestern Pennsylvania region where InventHelp® makes its home, the period from February to July is known as the "dark months" – a time when the rabid Steelers fans suffer from "football withdrawal." And so it is in many other football hotspots across the country. August, however, offers some hope for those affected by gridiron fever, as National Football League teams open training camps and begin preseason contests. With the NFL season poised to capture the imagination of millions of Americans, InventHelp® is pleased to present the stories of two football-related inventions that fans are sure to see plenty of during the fall and winter months.

Read more about football inventions

The Daily Commute: A Hotbed for Innovation?

You're late for work and sitting in gridlocked traffic that shows no signs of clearing out anytime soon. Even if you manage to quell the road rage bubbling up inside of you, this isn't exactly the perfect setting for your next visionary idea – or is it? According to the results of the 2005 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index™ survey, more than 20 percent of American adults believe that their most creative thoughts come while traveling in a car. The Invention Index is an annual study measuring Americans' attitudes toward invention and innovation. This year's Index focused on the locations and conditions that best promote innovative thinking.

Read more about the 2005 Invention Index™

How were potato chips invented?

The answer: by a disgruntled resort guest and a testy chef. In 1853, at the now demolished Moon Lake Lodge in Saratoga Springs, NY, a guest ordered the new delicacy called French fries. The chef, George Crum, made them in the regular fashion and served them. The customer returned them claiming they were too thick. Crum made thinner fries and again they were returned. Aggravated, Crum made the next order of fries so thin that the customer would not be able to use a fork on them. Instead of being irked, however, the customer was delighted by the thin morsels – crispy potato chips – which he was happy to pick up in his fingers.

Read more invention trivia from InventHelp®