First Drafts of Genius Products: How Our Favorite Inventions Got Their Start

John Summers • Contributor

Jul 6, 2025 11:00 PM EDT

Every brilliant invention starts off looking... a little weird. Before the sleek smartwatches and Wi-Fi-enabled coffee makers, there were clunky, clattering contraptions held together with wires, wood, and a whole lot of wishful thinking. In this listicle, we're taking a trip through time to gawk lovingly at the early prototypes of inventions we still use today. From the first lawn mowers that looked like medieval torture devices to the original electric kettles that probably caused more fires than tea parties - and yes, so many toasters - it's clear that humanity has always known what really matters: breakfast.

These 34 old-school prototypes show us that even the greatest ideas have awkward teenage years. But hey, if it weren't for these glorious misfires and innovations, we'd all still be hand-washing socks and eating bread cold. And who wants that?

01
An Electric Toaster From 1920

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02
The First Lawn Mower, 1916

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03
Housewife Doing Laundry Using The First Electric Washing Machine – Eatonville WA (C. 1910)

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04
Pedal Roller Skates, 1910

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05
The IBM 305 RAMAC, The First Computer With A Hard Drive: $10,000 Per Megabyte

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06
Michaux-Perreaux Steam-Vélocipède, 1869. It Is One Of Three Motorcycles Claimed To Be The First Motorcycle

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07
Electric Kettle, Designed By Peter Behrens. AEG, Berlin, 1909

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08
One Of The First Osborne 1 Laptops, 1981

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09
The First Computer Mouse (1964), Invented By Douglas Engelbart

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10
The 10-Pound Headphones

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11
Hair Dryer (1920)

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12
The First Mass-Produced TV

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13
The Marchant Calculating Machine

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14
Elias Howe’s First Sewing Machine, 1860

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15
The First Washing Machine Using A Rotating Drum

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16
The General Electric ‘Monitor-Top’ Refrigerator Introduced In 1927

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17
A Classic Emerson Transistor Radio, 1958

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18
A 1950 Zenith ‘Lazy Bones’, The First TV Remote Control

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19
The Electric Iron, At The Time Called An Electric Flatiron (1882)

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20
Booth’s Original Red Trolley British Vacuum Cleaner, 1905

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21
The First Commercial Microwave Oven (1947)

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22
An Actor Portraying Alexander Graham Bell Speaking Into An Early Model Of The Telephone For A 1926 Promotional Film

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23
Emile Berliner, With The Model Of The First Phonograph Machine Which He Invented

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24
The First Video Recorder

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25
The Brown Box Was The Prototype For The Commercial ‘Odyssey’ Home Video Game Console

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26
Experimenters Taking An X-Ray (Late 1800s)

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27
Patent Model For Daniel Hess’s Carpet Sweeper

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28
Electric Waffle Iron, Ca. 1940

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29
Electric Blender

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30
The First ATM To Go Live On The Network

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31
Electric Coffee Maker 1940-1946

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32
The Boston Toaster Circa 1909

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33
Electric Mixer, 1950

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34
Pop-Up Electric Toaster, 1939

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