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

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

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
02
The First Lawn Mower, 1916

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

via Pleated Jeans
04
Pedal Roller Skates, 1910

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

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

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

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
08
One Of The First Osborne 1 Laptops, 1981

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

via Pleated Jeans
10
The 10-Pound Headphones

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
11
Hair Dryer (1920)

via Pleated Jeans
12
The First Mass-Produced TV

via Pleated Jeans
13
The Marchant Calculating Machine

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
14
Elias Howe’s First Sewing Machine, 1860

via Pleated Jeans
15
The First Washing Machine Using A Rotating Drum

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

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
17
A Classic Emerson Transistor Radio, 1958

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

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

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
20
Booth’s Original Red Trolley British Vacuum Cleaner, 1905

via Pleated Jeans
21
The First Commercial Microwave Oven (1947)

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

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
23
Emile Berliner, With The Model Of The First Phonograph Machine Which He Invented

via Pleated Jeans
24
The First Video Recorder

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

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
26
Experimenters Taking An X-Ray (Late 1800s)

via Pleated Jeans
27
Patent Model For Daniel Hess’s Carpet Sweeper

via Pleated Jeans
28
Electric Waffle Iron, Ca. 1940

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
29
Electric Blender

via Pleated Jeans
30
The First ATM To Go Live On The Network

via Pleated Jeans
31
Electric Coffee Maker 1940-1946

via Pleated Jeans
Advertisement
32
The Boston Toaster Circa 1909

via Pleated Jeans
33
Electric Mixer, 1950

via Pleated Jeans
34
Pop-Up Electric Toaster, 1939

via Pleated Jeans