20 Inventions From 1926 That We Still Use Today

Eduard Haas the Third created peppermint candy tablets in Vienna in nineteen twenty-six to discourage smoking, later designing the famous pocket dispensers.

Charles Brannock built his all-metal foot-measuring device in nineteen twenty-six to measure heel-to-ball length, establishing an enduring retail standard.

Hoover introduced the Positive Agitation vibrating beater bar in nineteen twenty-six, tapping carpet fibers to dislodge deep grit in modern upright vacuums.

Meteorologists Pierre Idrac and Robert Bureau developed balloon-borne radio telemetry packages in nineteen twenty-six, providing essential upper-air data.

Invented by Shintaro Uda and Hidetsugu Yagi in nineteen twenty-six, this directional antenna design remains standard for residential television reception.

Chicago turned on forty-nine interconnected traffic signals along Michigan Avenue in nineteen twenty-six, pioneering modern progressive traffic light timing.

Jacob Schick filed his key patent for the dry motorized electric razor in nineteen twenty-six, sparking an entire category of personal grooming appliances.

German engineer Andreas Stihl patented a portable electric chainsaw in nineteen twenty-six, transforming timber operations and modern forestry tools.

Chemist Waldo Semon at BF Goodrich blended polyvinyl chloride with synthetic additives in nineteen twenty-six, producing flexible and waterproof vinyl.

Warner Brothers premiered the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system in August nineteen twenty-six with Don Juan, kicking off the global transition to sound cinema.

Overhead Door Corporation founder C.G. Johnson partnered with Herbert Blodgett in nineteen twenty-six to market the first practical electric door opener.

Clarence Birdseye patented the multi-plate double-belt quick-freeze machine in nineteen twenty-six, laying the groundwork for commercial frozen groceries.

Waters-Genter introduced the Toastmaster Model One-A-One for home kitchens in nineteen twenty-six, featuring an automatic timer and pop-up carriage.

State highway officials and the federal government approved the nationwide numbered highway plan on November eleven, nineteen twenty-six, creating Route 66.

Warren Marrison and J.W. Horton built the first quartz crystal clock at Bell Telephone Laboratories in nineteen twenty-six, replacing mechanical pendulums.

Norwegian chemical engineer Erik Rotheim secured a patent for pressurized aerosol containers and valves in nineteen twenty-six, enabling modern sprays.

Hans Wilsdorf launched the Rolex Oyster in nineteen twenty-six with a patented screw-down bezel and case back, creating the first practical waterproof watch.

Automotive engineer Francis W. Davis built the first practical hydraulic power steering system in nineteen twenty-six, installing it into a Pierce-Arrow sedan.

Scottish inventor John Logie Baird demonstrated live transmitted television pictures to members of the Royal Institution in London on January twenty-six, nineteen twenty-six.

Robert H. Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts on March sixteen, nineteen twenty-six, igniting the modern space era.