Inventions By Kids

A disease had left Louis Braille blind since the age of five.

When he was fifteen, in 1824, he developed a method of codifying written symbols into raised dots.

People with impaired vision were able to use his system to read. The raised dots could be interpreted into written symbols by feeling them with your finger tips.

Flat-Bottom Paper Bag

Margaret Knight was working in a paper-bag factory when she was only 13 years old. She realized that paper bags would be easier to use if they were folded differently.

She designed a flat bottom fold that allowed paper bags to stand up, which made them easier to use.

This invention was created in 1838 and is still in use today. Matte sold her idea and went on to patent 22 more inventions.

Ear Muffs

Chester Greenwood enjoyed ice skating. He didn't have a hat that would protect his ears from the cold.

On one particularly cold winter day in 1873, at the age of 15, Chester made a pair of circular hoops and covered them with fur.

He fastened the hoops together with a steel band creating a headset that he could wear to cover his ears.

He filed a patent for his "ear muffs" and made a fortune. Over his lifetime Chester would create another 100 inventions.

Trampoline

George Nissen observed how trapeze artists would fall into a safety net after their performances. He noticed how they would bounce up from the netting.

This gave him an idea for an invention.

Working in his parents garage, the 16 year old fabricated a frame with stretched canvas.

It would become know as a "Trampoline".

George continued inventing and received patents on more than 40 inventions. The trampoline was an invention that created a new recreational sport.

Among the most famous inventions by kids was the television. Philo Farnsworth was only 14 years old when he starting working on his invention.

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