Products That Failed Because They Were Way Ahead Of Their Time
Reddit user kingpin000 asked: 'What failed when it was initially released, but turned out to be ahead of its time years later?'
It is not uncommon in this world for people to be underappreciated or even ridiculed for their work because they were ahead of their time. Nicolaus Copernicus was mocked for his theory that the universe was heliocentric. Jackson Polluck's art was only revered posthumously.
This is true for many things, including inventions, movies, video games, and even restaurants.
Redditors know this all too well. They have identified what things failed when they were initially released but turned out to be ahead of its time, and are eager to share.
It all started when Redditor kingpin000 asked:
"What failed when it was initially released, but turned out to be ahead of its time years later?"
Dual Uses
"Viagra. Fascinating history. It was developed as a blood pressure medicine in the 80s. The bonerific side effect was “embarrassing” and “unwanted” in the 80s, but desired a decade or so later when sex became less taboo."
"So, it failed as a mainstream blood pressure pill, but succeeded as a boner pill."
– Myzyri
"It's actually used as a blood pressure medication still, but it's for the more rare Pulmonary Hypertension."
– Blueshark25
That's Why They're Called Sticky Notes
"The glue that became part of Post-Its. The guy who invented them was trying to create a stronger glue for the aerospace industry, but the adhesive he created was a weak adhesive. Years later one of his colleagues used that adhesive to create a bookmark that didn't fall out of the book he was reading. Eventually, that idea became Post-Its."
– mom_with_an_attitude
"If I recall the story correctly, it was a hymn book which had delicate pages."
"The Post-Its adhesive worked great on it by not ripping or ruining the pages."
– teems
Pre-Spotify
"I always feel like the Zune and their music model was ahead of its time. 10 dollars month for unlimited downloads while at the time you were paying 1 dollar per single. Now everyone just uses Spotify for the same thing."
– sausagepizza
"You also got to keep 10 of the songs you downloaded at the end of each month. It was essentially paying for 10 songs with as free streaming on top."
– evanzknigh39
If Only They Waited
"Touch screens."
"Yes they are everywhere now but the Buicks 1986 model had one, and most cars today have it."
"Hell, the concept was developed in 1965!!!"
– BotherDesperate7169
"Microsoft pushed a tablet computer about 5 years or so before the iPad got released. It failed miserably and they quickly gave up on the idea."
– saugoof
Almost, But Not Quite
"Vine. They were almost TikTok, but weren’t."
– Gauzey
"I don’t understand why Vine died and Tik Tok lives?"
– kapt_so_krunchy
"Because Vine was ahead of its time."
– MrBoomf
The Big Screen
"The movie Blade Runner."
– Agreeable_Pizza93
"Shawshank flopped in the theaters. It's a classic because TNT began airing it because it was cheap. Boys grew up watching Shawshank. Now it's one of IMDb ten greatest films."
"We can also look at It's a Wonderful Life."
– Econoj
"I've said it on here before somewhere. But The Thing went from being an absolute critical bomb at the time... to being one of the most lauded (and rightfully so) horror sci films ever created now. Specific tastes aside, anyone who enjoys horror probably has The Thing in their top 10."
– 10019245
Can't Believe This Flopped
"Bluetooth was released with a huge fanfare and then fizzled for a few years before it really took off."
– FearlessTomatillo911
"This should be a huge one! It flopped on the market for a long time before someone figured out how to use it correctly and now it’s a staple for electronics."
– ballnout
Just When He Got Rid Of It...
"Debit cards. My dad got one in the 70’s when they were a new idea and nobody seemed to understand them and didn’t take them. He finally got rid of his. Now……"
– sas5814
My Favorite Childhood Toy
"Slime (silly putty). originally, it was an attempt to replace rubber during WW2."
– pupunhaLover
Vroom, Vroom
"Electric car."
"German engineer Andreas Flocken built the first real electric car in 1888. The first electric car in the United States was developed in 1890–91 by William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa; the vehicle was a six-passenger wagon capable of reaching a speed of 23 km/h (14 mph)."
– george_sg
What Might've Been
"Google Glass the biggest argument against it was ppl being so angry about the wearers filming them. Here we are 10+ years later and everyone films everything everywhere they go. And we have ppl wearing GoPros and other klunky cameras all the time."
"The Google Glass offered AR, filming, assistant functionally, map and web access all in an easy to wear and use piece of tech that was also super cool and futuristic. I think if it had taken off we would have even more advanced models now. It was just WAY too ahead of it's time for widespread adoption. I think it would be wildly popular now."
– JubalHarshawII
For Man's Best Friend
"Pets.com. Everyone laughed at the idea after the tech bubble burst. Chewy.com is worth $10B today."
– Bishop_Pickerling
"If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that animal lovers will drop some serious cash."
– FunAdministration334
Shut Up And Drive
"The Sinclair C5 electric vehicle. Complete flop in 1985, but now a thriving hobby as many people are upgrading them with modern batteries, motors, disc brakes, etc. So much fun to drive."
– TheKingOfDub
"Sinclair C5."
"Can't help but feel had it been succesful, the following iterations would be superior to the e-bikes we have now."
– SmeeegHeead
Eye Of The Beholder
"Van Gogh's paintings. Amy Pond from Doctor Who knew how good he was, but none of Vincent's contemporaries did, and he eventually died by his own hand."
– tunghoy
Poor Van Gogh. He's my favorite artist!
I'm glad he's appreciated now, even if he wasn't in his own time.
(And this is exactly why Doctor Who's Amy Pond was my favorite companion!)
Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions
"Reddit user TopDoggo16 asked: 'What are some examples of an inventor getting killed by their own invention?'"
Isn't it Ironic, don't you think?
A little too Ironic.
Oh, Alanis was really onto something.
Too many of us get unintentionally burned by our own actions.
Our words, our thoughts, our inactions can come round back and give us a big bite on the hiney.
That's why lawyers tell famous people or politicians indicted for crimes not to speak in interviews.
Your words can burn you.
And what about inventors and creators?
Can you imagine being killed by your own project?
That's like being run over by your own car after you put it in PARK, but really it was REVERSE.
Or a house that you built collapsing on you.
It's a lot worse than rain on your wedding day...
Redditor TopDoggo16 wanted to hear about the inventors throughout history who were taken out by their own creations, so they asked:
"What are some examples of an inventor getting killed by their own invention?"
This is why I never played with Legos or got into construction.
If I build a wall, it will fall on me.
Homemade Horror
Helicopter Abandon Thread GIF by Black Rifle Coffee CompanyGiphy"That Indian lad who was flight-testing his own, homemade helicopter. Part of the rotor sliced open his head."
peekedtoosoon
"Damn, I watched the video and it was so unlucky. The tail rotor broke and pinged up into the main rotor which broke at an angle that hit him. I mean any number of things could have gone wrong in a homemade helicopter but it's just crazy how that sequence of events occurred. Could just as easily have pinged in a different way and not killed him."
postvolta
Tangled
"Thomas Midgley Jr., a key contributor to leaded gasoline and the usage of CFC in refrigeration. After contracting Polio, he created a system of pulleys and whatnot to help him get out of bed. He was found dead at age 55 after getting tangled in his device and being strangled by it."
heyoyo10
"Just because it wasn't mentioned here I figure I would. Thomas Midgley Jr. not only almost solely responsible for probably the worst environmental and ozone damage from a single cause. He is solely responsible for the death of 100,000,000 people from CFC and TEL."
theglizzymonster
BOOM!!
"Max Valier tried using alcohol-based fuel for rockets, it blew up in his lab killing him."
LemonsForLimeaid
"To be fair, a lot of people have died trying to make rocket propellants. The stuff does tend to go BOOM, all of a sudden."
Lone_Beagle
"Alcohol is a common fuel for amateur rockets. Also, I believe the Soviets used alcohol as fuel in a couple of their rocket engines."
BDady
"Alcohol fuel was used extensively for the V2, but I don't know if it's the same mix. The Nazis found it had an unusually high rate of 'evaporation.'"
wolfkeeper
Afterglow
"Maria Skłodowska-Curie was one of the discoverers of radioactivity. She discovered Polonium and Radium. As far as I know, researchers did not know/believe that radioactivity might have a negative impact on their bodies and therefore they used little to no protection."
Equivalent_Meal2688
"Oddly enough, it was her work with x-ray imaging that is thought to have done her the most harm."
cramduck
"She used it as a night light. I’m really not joking, it was reported that she would keep some on her bedside table at night."
"As per the Nobel Prize website..."
"Pierre, who liked to say that radium had a million times stronger radioactivity than uranium, often carried a sample in his waistcoat pocket to show his friends. Marie liked to have a little radium salt by her bed that shone in the darkness."
"She lies in a coffin with inch-thick lead, and her remains are expected to be radioactive for at least another 1500 years."
Eviscerate_Bowels224
Cupid Failed
Online Dating Flirting GIF by LIEBESLEBENGiphy"Not killed, but the founder of Match.com, Gary Kremen, lost his girlfriend to a man that she met on Match.com."
OneGuyJeff
Those apps and websites were always going to ruin everything.
NEXT!
homer simpson submarine GIFGiphy"Horace Hunley, who killed himself and a bunch of others aboard a submarine he built over 150 years before the current whack job."
tuckerx78
"Yes. Drowned the entire crew, they dragged it up, drained it out, and shouted, 'NEXT!' Then it sank after detonating an explosive charge on the Housatonic, recovered more than a century later, and is now in a museum."
raflcopter
Off the Cliff
"Not the inventor, but rather the owner of the Segway, Jimi Heselden, accidentally rode off a cliff on a Segway."
KafkasBalaclava
"Jesus, you just brought back memories of cities being filled with segways before e-scooters happened."
TheMantasMan
"I remember before the Segway came out, the news was going crazy about how it would be this revolutionary technology. There was talk of free energy for cities, personal hover cars, they said cities would be rebuilt around the technology, and there would be no more roads, etc. all sorts of crazy sh*t. Then it came out and... well... yeah. Huge disappointment after all the hype."
un-sub
Brazen
"Some ancient Greek dude created a torture device called the Brazen Bull. It’s just a large metal husk shaped like a bull where you put a victim inside and heat the bottom. The burning heat and scalding metal will cause the agonized victim to go to a horn inside the husk in an attempt to breathe. The horn will make it sound like bull noises on the outside. The inventor showed a king his contraption. The king was delighted by it and decided to test it out… on the inventor."
SatisfactionSenior65
4/14/12
"The guy who built the Titanic: Thomas Andrews. Thomas Andrews was an Irish businessman and shipbuilder. As the naval architect in charge of the plans for the ocean liner RMS Titanic, he was traveling on board that vessel during her maiden voyage when the ship hit an iceberg on 14 April 1912. He perished along with more than 1,500 others. His body was never recovered."
SFJetfire
Finishing Touches
Sport Halloween GIF by Columbus Blue JacketsGiphy"The Denver airport is known for a giant statue of a blue demon horse. While the artist was working on finishing touches, part of it came loose and severed an artery in his leg and he bled to death."
JellyNinja_
Well, now I'm glad I don't know how to make anything.
It's a gamble when I cook if I'm gonna die from food poisoning.
Not everything is a good idea and not every invention should be placed on the market.
But you'll never know what can be a success without seeing if people like it.
It may sound like a billion dollar idea but in the end, you may take a loss.
Redditor istrx13 wanted to discuss the products that went nowhere, so they asked:
"What product was supposed to be the next big thing but wound up failing miserably?"
Life is all hit or miss.
Especially when inventing.
Transport Revolution
"The Segway was once touted as a revolutionary transportation device, but ultimately failed to live up to its hype due to its high cost, limited practicality, and safety concerns."
fulfillmen25
Drunk Fried Chicken GIF by Ethan BarnowskyGiphyShattered
"Google Glass."
doublebankshot
"I dropped I think it was $1400 on it back then, and when I got them it was immediately obvious that they were going to be a huge disappointment; everything from UI to battery life to comfort to photo quality was so bad that my first impression was that they felt almost like a joke product rather than an actual product manufactured by a tech company, not even an early developer version."
ds445
A great idea...
"Zune was supposed to be the death of Apple's monopoly on MP3 players."
HoopOnPoop
"Zune actually wasn't a bad piece of hardware. It was just that by the time it came out, iPod was already entrenched. It was around the same price, so it couldn't undercut Apple on pricing. ZunePass was actually a pretty great idea, years before Spotify."
Wulfbak
"My favorite thing about Zune is that it featured what was actually a pretty cool and interesting design feature wherein a user could send a song to another Zune user for free, but Microsoft chose the single worst possible name for this feature, calling it 'squirting.' Zune kids back in the day had to be like 'Ayyy bro that song is fire, squirt that at me.'"
HostileSkittles
Fly High
"Hoverboards. I think their primary problem was their lack of ability to hover. Also 300 ish dollars for something that goes as fast as... legs is just dumb."
IceClimbers_Main
"Their main downfall was the many, many cheap and dangerous clones from china. When the OG hoverboards were too expensive for most, the big Chinese companies saw a hole to get into the market making them for pennies on the dollar by removing safety devices, using cheaper batteries, lower gauge wire, etc. It was for the worst."
ptthree420
Entertainment Options
"Curved TVs… oh and 3D TVs we’re a thing for a while too!"
Sherlockssocks
"I own a curved 3D TV. I've probably used the 3D less than a hundred times. I think if they'd pushed the spilt screen gaming thing a bit more they would have sold more."
Signal-Morning7669
Shake Your Rump Television GIF by Beastie BoysGiphyThose curved TVs freak me out.
I just liked my DVD
"Laser discs...? I think they were called. Picture a DVD the size of a record."
Drawn-Otterix
"Laserdiscs were successful, they're just an obsolete format now."
Born_Anteater_3495
digital audio spinning GIF by Feliks Tomasz KonczakowskiGiphyCleansed
"Olestra/Olean. It was going to transform all junk food into low fat. Instead, it transformed lower GI tracts."
1800sMan
"OMG this! Around 1998 I worked for a huge ad agency on Madison Ave in NYC that had the Pringles account. They were pushing that Olestra trash at the time and obvi it was to be part of the campaign we were creating. One day I grab a can and start munching away."
"Well 15 minutes later I feel like I’ve swallowed a hand grenade and start racing to the bathroom where I proceed to destroy the bathroom for a good half hour. It just would not stop. I swear I saw a demon that day while emptying my poor bowels. Never ever again with that Olestra garbage."
bruh_wut69
Guess What?
"Oh man this is really specific to my career field in childcare."
"Smart diapers. Yep, diapers that will inform you on your app when your child uses them. I don’t know anyone who seriously considered getting these. But I remember seeing ads on my social media for them. Guess what? No one wanted them."
Onlyfansnanny
"As a law student, my son worked on getting the patent and prototype on these a little over ten years ago. At the time, however, they were being marketed to nursing homes. IDK whatever happened with that."
Ok-Bee1579
The Mess
"Meta."
SuperScario
"I finally decided to look up what meta was on Youtube a few months ago and I swear I thought I was watching some Nintendo wii game or something. My jaw hit the floor when I realized that's what meta actually looked like, billions of dollars for a Nintendo looking world, what a f**king dumpster fire."
twister55555
Bute Sized
"Quibi."
chyna094e
"Part of it was the worst timing imaginable. The service was meant to be 'bite sized' entertainment, something you could watch in 5 minutes while standing in a queue or maybe a couple segments on a public transit ride."
"They launched the first week of April 2020. Remember all the queues you were standing in and public transit rides you took then? Yeah, the same as everyone else - NONE because 95% of the population was stuck at home for 6 months!"
alinroc
Minis...
"Spore. It was hyped as a game that went from spark of life to galactic conquest. It's just a bunch of mini games."
rosanymphae
College Hoops Sport GIF by NCAA March MadnessGiphyI missed the spore phenomenon.
Oh well.
The first version of most inventions that make life easier inevitably becomes outdated.
Remember the first time the iPhone revolutionized the way people interacted and communicated with one another around the world?
Who knew then that Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max would be a far superior version of the communication device offered by the manufacturer a decade and a half later?
While some innovations have room for improvement, it's inconceivable that there are some inventions that are simply too perfect to be bested.
In other words, if it's not broken, why fix it?
Curious to hear what those might be, an anonymous Redditor asked:
"What invention is so good that it actually can’t be improved upon?"
We can't imagine life without these things that have never required modifications.
Bowling Pins Benefit From This
"I've heard the Pin setter machine in bowling Alleys has never had a redesign. It was perfect already."
– Garuda475
The Perfect Conduit
"The XLR cable. Until they can beam something directly into your head, we kind of hit a dead end for perceived sound. The simplicity of what a cable can do by allowing both AC and DC power to flow through so you can power and draw signal from a microphone. Plus the fact it's so simple to remove the noise you get from outside interference makes it even more genius."
– anon
No Olfactory Offenders
"P-trap - a simple elegant way to prevent odor from coming into your house via sink, toilet, etc."
– BioSciGuy
Pie Of Perfection
"Pizza. You can change it up, you can ruin it, and you can fold it half like a crazy calzone munching madman, but you can’t beat perfection."
– TheGardenBlinked
These items have been around since as far back as anyone in our lifetimes can remember.
Upon Reflection
"A mirror is as good as it gets for its usage."
– epanek
Keeping Things Together For More Than A Century
"Paper clip. Last major patent was in the 1880's."
– SaltyChickenDip
An Organizer's Bestie
"The paper clip is great. But the binder clip is the sh*t. I've had the same binder clip as a money clip for 15 years. Plus they are great for easy cord management, chip clips, tooth paste squeezers, and so much more. I often feel like the George Washington Carver of binder clips because I extoll their value so much. Those things are dope city."
– spaceman_danger
You can't really improve upon the simplicity of these objects.
It Doesn't Discriminate
"I'd say nail clippers. Rich and poor people all use the same thing to clip their nails."
– rotatedesophagus
For The Iron Chef In All Of Us
"Cast iron skillet est. 1707."
– doctor_krieger_md
The Original Lego
"The brick."
"It has been made of mud, then mud with straw, then mud with clay, then finally with clay alone. That is as far as progress has taken the brick, in the (guess) 8,000 years since it was invented, and it is still in use today."
"Someone, lost in the obscurity of ancient history, realised that you couldn't build really strong stone structures with irregularly-shaped small natural stones, and hewing huge lumps of stone into regular shapes was just ridiculously hard work."
"That person also observed that mud that fell into a fire was left hardened when the fire died down. So they figured that if you shaped mud into regular shapes, big enough to carry one in each hand, you would have all the advantages of small irregular stones and large geometrically-carved stones, but with none of the drawbacks of either."
"This thought must have taken a second to dawn on the inventor. The practical work to prove the concept must have taken a weekend, at most. Perhaps a week or two to get the shape just right. And here we are, thousands of years later, and the damn thing has barely changed at all."
– falsescorpion
While there are certainly some great examples here, there's one valuable creation in this world that is perfect.
It's you.
Remember, no matter what noise or violent storms crowd you in difficult times, you will prevail because you are perfect.
There is only one you. And while there are things we can do to better ourselves, the core of who we are is a constant.
Stay true to who you are because there is nothing wrong with you. Remember, you matter.
In one of her more memorable moments on the iconic Sex and The City, Samantha Jones attempts to return a vibrator at her local Sharper Image.
Of course, the horrified store employee informs her that The Sharper Image does not sell vibrators, and the item she was attempting to return was, in fact, a neck massager.
However, a few knowing glances with some fellow female customers made it clear to Samantha Jones that she was not the only one who bought electronic massagers to alleviate tension in other areas than intended.
This is only one particularly funny instance of an invention thats purpose has shifted over the course of time.
Indeed, coca-cola and other sodas were created for medicinal purposes, and today soda pop is enjoyed purely for pleasure.
And who could forget how simple, cardboard milk caps would evolve into the game and trading frenzy that was Pogs?
"What’s an invention that’s still around today but has lost sight of its original purpose?"
Still Leaving Their Mark On Trees
"Paintball guns."
"They were originally called paintball markers and were invented as a way for loggers and park rangers to mark trees for trimming, cutting down, etc. without having to walk up to each tree with spray paint or something."
"A couple of dudes who were using them started shooting at each other for fun and paintball as a sport was born."
"In fact some people still call them 'markers' to avoid the stigma some associate with the word 'gun'."- nyeark
No Risk Of A Bad Speech...
"The best man at a wedding was the best swordsman the groom could afford."
"If anyone objected to the wedding, the best man would duel him."
'The honeymoon lasted a whole month after the wedding, where the bride's father would supply the groom with all the mead he could drink."- proc89
"In Every Job That Must Be Done, There Is An Element Of Fun..."
"Playdough."
"Was supposed to be a wallpaper cleaner originally."- Mysterion_x
Same Utensil, Different Canvas...
"Electric Pen by Edison are now tattoo machines."- notathrowawayoris
...And Bravo Used To Air Operas...
"History channel, Discovery channel, National Geographic channel :(."- amauryt
As Long As Nothing Spills...
"Nalgene bottles."
"The plastic water bottles that are popular with hikers/campers/other outdoor activity folks were originally created for use as medical/scientific lab equipment as a lighter, shatterproof alternative to glass."- VictorBlimpmuscle
"Who Walks The Stair Without A Care..."
"Slinky was originally meant to be used as springs inside sensitive boat devices."
"'Mechanical engineer Richard James invented the Slinky by accident."
"In 1943, he was working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea."
"After accidentally knocking some samples off a shelf, he watched in amazement as they gracefully "walked" down instead of falling."
"Along with his wife Betty, James developed a plan to turn his invention into the next big novelty toy'."- GuavaGila
Soft And Absorbent...
"Kleenex."
"Its original purpose was to act as insulation in gas masks during World War I."
"After the war, its parent company advertised it as a way to remove makeup."- Dilettante
Sick Flu Season GIF by Emma DarvickGiphyStill Keeping The Driver And Passenger Safe
"The dashboard."
"Originally it was a literal board of wood used to protect people from mud and debris from when their horse drawn whatever would travel at gallop speeds."
"Now it gives me information about my vehicle's current state and provides audio entertainment."- Electricpants
Perhaps the mark of a brilliant invention is its ability to be used for multiple purposes, and evolve over time.
Even if one can't help but grimace ever so slightly at the fact that a show like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was aired on a network who's initials first stood for "The Learning Channel'...
Though, debatably, all who watched it did learn a great deal about human nature...