In 1949, Walter Hunt (1796 – 1859) invented the safety pin.
Like most ideas that become a household item it wasn’t a new idea, pins to hold clothing together dated back to the Mycenean age as a toga accessory. Walter however was in debt $15 at the time and was desperate for a bit of cash. Sitting down with a piece of 8 inch wire he twisted and bent it until he created a practical & useful tool. The product benefit of the pin was that it would not prick you once fastened… hence safety pin.
Possibly not realising the product life span of his invention he sold his patent for $400 (to clear his debt) and the rights to his safety pin became a tidy income producing business for someone else.
He also invented the first sewing machine… but did not wish to see thousands of people lose their jobs and decided not to go through with it.
Walter Hunt was an inventor not a marketer.
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