"Invent Help" Invention Newsletter - September 2008

Bubble Wrap® Pops Up with Young Inventors Contest

Sealed Air Corporation, the creator of Bubble Wrap, is sponsoring the Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors to encourage students in grades 5–8 to demonstrate ingenuity by creating an invention that incorporates the use of Bubble Wrap cushioning.

More about the Bubble Wrap Young Inventor Contest

Best of the 101 Gadgets that Changed the World

The Independent, the British compact newspaper affectionately known by locals as the "Indie," recently took on the laborious task of selecting 101 Gadgets That Changed the World. We at InventHelp know this is no easy feat – just thinking about trying to narrow down a neat, tidy list makes our heads spin. Still, it's just in our inquisitive nature to weigh in on the 101 Gadgets That Changed the World.

View InventHelp's "Best of" the 101 Gadgets list

Who invented the first pea-less whistle?

During a 1984 pre-Olympic Basketball game between Argentina and Brazil, referee Ron Foxcroft saw a foul and blew his whistle. But nothing happened! The pea in the whistle chamber malfunctioned, nearly causing the fans to riot. Foxcroft had to be protected by uniformed policemen. It was then that he decided to come up with a more reliable whistle. Now, almost two decades later, his Fox 40 whistle enjoys use by referees in all sports at all levels, including the NFL, NBA and NCAA, and it sells in more than 100 countries. Inventor Ron Foxcroft recently appeared at InventHelp's INPEX® Inventors University™, both as a speaker and as a sponsor.

Read more invention trivia from InventHelp